1966 Dart "Rustoration"

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340duster340

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Please see below my 1966 dart. its not pretty, but has sentimental value to me. I am calling this a "Rustoration" because i will not be touching the body at all. this will be strictly a mechanical freshen-up, with some tasteful upgrades along the way. I will also keep a detailed cost list so for those looking to see what it costs for particular parts of the build i will have the information.

The car used to belong to a friend of mine, long story short when he passed he left me the car. I have had it in storage for about a year or so, maybe two years (i lost track of time) and now finally started to work on it.

Here are some details on the build:
- upgrade to 318 with summit cam and intake package and eventually a 360
- upgrade to 8.75 rear, with large bolt patter and 11 inch drums
- upgrade to 11.75 disc brakes, and FFI tubular upper control arms
- add front and rear sway bars, frame connectors
- new fuel tank, radiator, shocks and suspension, and wearable components as needed.


here is a pic of it in the lab:
20130921_181336_zpsee324983.jpg


here is a pic on the trailer when i hauled it home:
20130916_163132_zpsd2f3bf21.jpg
 
the first task was to tear down the original 273 and save brackets, etc to use on the 318. i want to try to keep it all old and nasty looking, but will see how that goes.

engine before:
20130921_161930_zps74fdd19b.jpg


318 waiting to go in:
20130918_203527_zpscdd1f5da.jpg
 
last update for today.

on the topic of exhaust manifolds, if you have a v8 in an early A, they are a bastard to remove. prepare to drop the starter, remove shifter linkage (if auto on column), move the column back, and jack up the engine to get them out.

in any case, they came out, and i am test fitting 340 HP manifolds. they will fit, but not with the power steering. i am still on the fence about using the original manifolds or the HP ones.

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20130924_174636_zpsa7096e43.jpg


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so the 340 manfolds fit, and there is lots of room to run the exhaust bewteen the frame rail and t-bar on both sides. as with the stockers, engine has to be jacked up to install these.

for the new motor, i am thinking to do it from the bottom, fully assembled like in the factory.

now that i am almost done test fitting (last is manual steering box) i can remove the motor and pressure was the engine bay, and move on to the next steps.









and the passenger side, no issues here.

 
Nice 66. Keep us posted on your progress. Your plans sound like great fun. tmm
 
not a lot of progress in last few days. did i mention i have 4 weeks off? been spending a lot of time with the family. at nights i have been trying to get in the garage.

all i got done today was cleaning up the backing plates and putting on some primer.

also have been waiting for parts to ship, and are now starting to arrive so now can make some big progress over next week or so.

this is it for today... a little boring, but it was still good to be in the garage. toying with the idea of spraying the underside of the car while i have the chance.

 
i know your all not super excited about this heap, but here are some more updates.

its not all rust..here so hopefully i didnt scare off all the pure-resto guys.

over the last few days sanded and sprayed primer down on the under side of the car.

next comes installing rear suspension and after that i start to work up front.

here are some in progress sanding pictures



and



and

 
if i were to do this again, i would sand blast, but this was a quick job and i didn't want to turn it into a science fair.

here are some pics of the rust converting primer i sprayed today, tomorrow gets some semi gloss black. not sure how well it shows but also welded on a passenger side bracket for duel exhaust.




and



and

 
Looks like you are off to a good start.
I would upgrade to a duel line master cylinder for safety reasons.
 
a few days prior to the painting i also removed the drive train and cleaned/degreased the engine bay. here is a before pic, not sure if i have an after shot, but it cleaned up nicely.







tonight i reward my efforts today with a nice burger.

 
sireland67 said:
Looks like you are off to a good start.
I would upgrade to a duel line master cylinder for safety reasons.
Click to expand...

thanks, and agree that is definitely happening. i have a reman manual disc master waiting to go in. i was going to with the 2 bolt style; but want to keep it stock looking.
 
sprayed some paint on the underside, all in this cost ~$100 and a few hours of work. i just couldn't take the raining rust flakes when working under the car and really just wanted to clean it up. i do need to touch up a few areas, but given the condition of the rest of the car, still a major improvement IMO.

the firm feel bars are in the mail so when they come i can fit the rear bar and start installing the rear suspension.

 
Moving right along I see, and looking great :cheers: I was happy to see and learn the manifold did indeed fit :eek:ccasion: Happy to see you enjoy time out in the shop like most of us crazy professors :coffee2:
 
@pettybludart - i do plan to notch the cross member, how much did you notch out of yours?

@memike - shop time is the best, but now that its starting to get cold here in the north east, it might not be as fun in the next few weeks. and with the manifolds, i am not sure how when i do the final assembly they will go in, either on the motor when i install it, or drop in the motor first and then install the manifolds after. will keep you posted...its a month or two away <<hopefully if all goes to plan>>
 
Nice chevy in the back ground.
 
some goodies came today in the mail; i have used firmfeel before and think their stuff is top notch, highly recommend their products.







 
yikes, i can't believe its been 6 months.... finally got in the garage a few times over the last month, but big progress made today. maybe not the most exciting build here, but posting up the progress at least helps me keep track of what has been done so far.

PS woke up today at 5am to get a few hours in before the familiar was up...all said and done, i was able to finish up the install of the rear suspension.

8.75 rear, with 489 case & 3.91 gears, LBP axles, 11 inch drums, new 6 leaf springs, FFI sway bar and some other stuff that is not coming to mind right now.

the 489 case was a bastard to lift up on my back, but i got it done on the first shot (surprisingly).

20140419_081039_zpsd5b7710c.jpg
 
wheel and tire package for now is a set of 15x6 steelies with 205-60 tires that i got off a Chrysler 5th ave parts car (also the donor for the 318)

 
Abodybomber said:
Looks nice,my kind of build.....
Click to expand...

thanks, my wife was yelling at me today because the body and interior are not nice ...she just doesn't understand the beater-patina this car has. apparently its a waste of money and we could have had a new fence and backyard patio set instead!
 
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