1968 Dodge Dart Western Sport Special Restoration

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

Hi All, I'm going to be posting my complete A body restoration from start to finish. Hope it makes it to the finish,Lol! It's a 1968 Dodge Dart Western Sport Special. It is a 2 door post sedan car. It was Frost Green with a dark green vinyl top and black interior. I'm going to restore it back to the original colors but in a L023 style. I'm building a Hemi for it but not a 426 Hemi but a Gen 3 Hemi. This car is a California built and sold car that ended up in Texas. Here's how it looks after I stripped the cars interior and rear suspension. I did USCar tool Frame rail connectors, torque boxes and leaf spring relocation boxes. Replaced passenger front floor pan and installed a radiator support bracket, I'm finisishing up the mini tubes flush to the frame. Hope you guys enjoy the build. I'm a big post car fan!

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

The rear wheel tubes was a major undertaking.

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

When I got the car the vinyl top was gone and primered,stripped the primer off to lots of rust and pits with some pin holes.used acid to eat away the rust and get it to bare metal.

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

More of roof

LocuMob · Sep 27, 2021

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

Got the Hemi fiberglass L023 hood from Kramers. Not cheap but definitely the correct one. Mounted the pins in the correct L023 positions and the correct pins. I decided to add 4 supports rather then 2 or 3, I think the 4 looks more uniform.

68wssDartmmb · Sep 27, 2021

I got a Dana 60 rear end from a friend that took it out of a truck. I dissassembled it to a bare housing fit it in the car to get the tube lengths. The had new bearing caps welded on it and the new leaf spring perches. Had the housing acid dipped then had it powder coated semi gloss black. Got custom length axles from Doc Diff, the diff is an OX manual locking carrier so I can cruise the streets with an open diff and lock it manually for drag racing. It has 4.56 Yukon gears.The rear drums are The original ones rebuilt,

Garrett Ellison · Sep 27, 2021

autoxcuda · Sep 27, 2021

Nice work.

Are going to be out at Fall Fling shopping for parts and checking out Mopars???

Bring the car in progress AS-IS. That would be cool. Then people would know what you went through to create it!

68wssDartmmb · Sep 28, 2021

autoxcuda said:
Nice work.

Are going to be out at Fall Fling shopping for parts and checking out Mopars???

Bring the car in progress AS-IS. That would be cool. Then people would know what you went through to create it!

I usually do go to Fall and Spring Fling. I live like 2 blocks away from the park. I can't go this year though because I'm going to Run to the Sun in lake Havasu City the same weekend. Taking a 62 Chevy Carryall I restored there. Maybe Spring Fling! Thanks for the praises

68wssDartmmb · Sep 28, 2021

More pictures of the mini tubes, applied POR15 to the floor and the roof to stop anymore rust.

DieWilde13 · Sep 28, 2021

Looks like a lot of work, but worth it!

AlaskaJeff · Sep 28, 2021

Following. Great work so far.

kursplat · Sep 28, 2021

cool, another green A-body in the neighborhood :thumbsup:

is that your shop?

68wssDartmmb · Sep 28, 2021

kursplat said:
cool, another green A-body in the neighborhood is that your shop?

It was but sold now, moved the car to a friends shop near LAX. I'm semi retiring at least from doing car for a living, keeping it my hobby for me.

68wssDartmmb · Jan 18, 2022

Moved the car from the body shop to my house, going to finish removing the door and 1/4 glass then I’m cutting the trans tunnel loop out in the middle section of the torsion bar support to clear for the 518 transmission. Already have gram rail connector and torque boxes front and rear. And I’m not going to run torsion bars. Ordered a raw k member from Hemi Denny with gen 3 mounts so I can mock up the transmission cross member from US Car tool. I’ll post pictures when I do that.

68wssDartmmb · Jan 18, 2022

Interior pictures

sireland67 · Jan 18, 2022

Nice progress, I have a 70 Challenger that is a western sport special, its about the same color green that your car is.
Slowly going to put it back original, except for the drivetrain,
Going to run a 440 six pac, with a 4-speed, I have all the parts, just need time to work on it.

68wssDartmmb · Jan 18, 2022

sireland67 said:
Nice progress, I have a 70 Challenger that is a western sport special, its about the same color green that your car is.
Slowly going to put it back original, except for the drivetrain,
Going to run a 440 six pac, with a 4-speed, I have all the parts, just need time to work on it.

Thanks! Yeah I'm going to keep it FF1 green with the green vinyl top and all black interior. All ready have the L023 interior for it and the vinyl top fabric. I got a Gen 3 5.7 block that I'm putting a forge rotating assembly with an F1 procharger. I'm wanting to race this car. Good Luck on your build. I'll keep posting my progress

Ironracer · Jan 19, 2022

68wssDartmmb said:
I got a Dana 60 rear end from a friend that took it out of a truck. I dissassembled it to a bare housing fit it in the car to get the tube lengths. The had new bearing caps welded on it and the new leaf spring perches. Had the housing acid dipped then had it powder coated semi gloss black. Got custom length axles from Doc Diff, the diff is an OX manual locking carrier so I can cruise the streets with an open diff and lock it manually for drag racing. It has 4.56 Yukon gears.The rear drums are The original ones rebuilt,

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Impressive.... this is cool

Ironracer · Jan 19, 2022

sireland67 said:
Nice progress, I have a 70 Challenger that is a western sport special, its about the same color green that your car is.
Slowly going to put it back original, except for the drivetrain,
Going to run a 440 six pac, with a 4-speed, I have all the parts, just need time to work on it.

Hey, Pics from You Also, Please! ?

Ironracer · Jan 19, 2022

68wssDartmmb said:
Got the Hemi fiberglass L023 hood from Kramers. Not cheap but definitely the correct one. Mounted the pins in the correct L023 positions and the correct pins. I decided to add 4 supports rather then 2 or 3, I think the 4 looks more uniform.

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Way Killer Stuff! Thank You for Sharin'!

68wssDartmmb · Mar 25, 2022

Sorry it’s been a while for the Dart. Been finishing up my 64 Savoy to take to MATS last weekend. Took 2nd place! I’m very happy with that. Ok, I got the transmission cross member front US Car Tool for an A518 46RH and removed the trans loop. I left excess metal on the loop and the bent them over the top to close it off. I will weld them up and make it look clean. The mount fit ok, I had to trim a little to fit but not much. You can see in the pictures the little dips I grinder in the top of the bolting plates. Need to get a bare 46 RH housing to test fit with block and HDK member.