1969 Race Dart w/ 426 Hemi- garaged for 45+ years

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Maxcustody said:
The next phase will be to order the engine parts we need and I am going to get an A body 4 speed hemi trans. For how I want to drive the car, it is not practical to keep the slick shift in the car.

I will take the car home tomorrow as a roller and clean it up more now I have access to the engine bay etc. We are going for preservation not restoration, so I am only cleaning parts up. We think the car probably has less than 100 miles on it and basically suspension etc. is like new and only needs cleaning and new bushings. We will replace all the brake lines and brakes. This will be a safe, reliable time capsule with a Bad *** 426 Hemi, that I will drive and show off as much as I can............ :thumbsup:
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Does not look like many miles on the motor, with the cross marks still showing in the bores and how clean the motor is. You have a great starting point. I had and sold a 13 spline A-body, 833 transmission. Looks like you have a 23 spline E or B body one. Yes, you need to get a 13 spline one. As like the 340's all the Hemi blocks casting numbers are the same. The heads you have are from a later Hemi 66 and up. COOL find!!!!!
 
Swinger 340 said:
Does not look like many miles on the motor, with the cross marks still showing in the bores and how clean the motor is. You have a great starting point. I had and sold a 13 spline A-body, 833 transmission. Looks like you have a 23 spline E or B body one. Yes, you need to get a 13 spline one. As like the 340's all the Hemi blocks casting numbers are the same. The heads you have are from a later Hemi 66 and up. COOL find!!!!!
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Thanks! Current 4 speed is an 18 spline, B body slick shift.:thumbsup:
 
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What a machine and greatest project to work on. The internals on that engine looks almost new
 
Yes, very interesting.
Headers look to be 2" tube and 3" collector?
If so, they can very well be what was originaly used in the´68 SS Hemi-cars.
Hooker 5371 is the number...
 
SSing said:
Yes, very interesting.
Headers look to be 2" tube and 3" collector?
If so, they can very well be what was originaly used in the´68 SS Hemi-cars.
Hooker 5371 is the number...
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Thanks. I will look again and see if I can find any marks on them.
 
Excellent documentation. Keep it up. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
 
Maxcustody said:
The next phase will be to order the engine parts we need and I am going to get an A body 4 speed hemi trans. For how I want to drive the car, it is not practical to keep the slick shift in the car.

I will take the car home tomorrow as a roller and clean it up more now I have access to the engine bay etc. We are going for preservation not restoration, so I am only cleaning parts up. We think the car probably has less than 100 miles on it and basically suspension etc. is like new and only needs cleaning and new bushings. We will replace all the brake lines and brakes. This will be a safe, reliable time capsule with a Bad *** 426 Hemi, that I will drive and show off as much as I can............ :thumbsup:
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PST for the bushings. Way easier to just buy a kit. Also a big help is the mopar suspension tools wont rip anything up removing and installing bushings. Mancinie has it if you cant find one to borrow. Still amazed at this car!
 
The car does need a few things corrected, the builder installed a 70 up "B and E" body 18 spline transmission, and cut the torsion bar crossmember out for room, and did not weld and reinforcement back in, so the plan is go back to a correct A body length 18 spline "hemi" transmission, and replace the cut out crossmember. The block is minty, no cracks, no visible issues, other than it's been honed a good 5-6 tho over std bore to fit those pistons, we will go .020 to fix that, the crankshaft is definitely sketchy, that and the aluminum rods will have to go.
 
replicaracer43 said:
My opinion is that the car is just as incredible as we all thought! Very much a "day 2" hot rod that a guy would have built in that time period, not "correct" as far a super stock type build, but built with what he could acquire.
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Unreal. Thanks for the update.
 
Gotta say I’m a little disappointed the aluminum rods and lightweight (?) crank aren’t going back in, but I understand for the goal of the car they probably are not too practical. But it would be cool to hear a street hemi buzz up like a chainsaw.
 
TT5.9mag said:
Gotta say I’m a little disappointed the aluminum rods and lightweight (?) crank aren’t going back in, but I understand for the goal of the car they probably are not too practical. But it would be cool to hear a street hemi buzz up like a chainsaw.
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I hear ya there, but that crank looks like ****, who ever did the ballance job must have started at that shop the day before, lol. And someone cut the mains on a lathe, putting a groove around the journal that mirrors the bearing groove. Stress fracture city, not a wise move. Check out the all over the place holes drilled in the counterweights, and the "oh ****" we removed to much, let's weld a bolt in this hole action.

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20230418_091825.jpg
 
replicaracer43 said:
I hear ya there, but that crank looks like ****, who ever did the ballance job must have started at that shop the day before, lol. And someone cut the mains on a lathe, putting a groove around the journal that mirrors the bearing groove. Stress fracture city, not a wise move. Check out the all over the place holes drilled in the counterweights, and the "oh ****" we removed to much, let's weld a bolt in this hole action.

View attachment 1716079502

View attachment 1716079503
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Wow that is ugly. Good thing you guys are changing that!
 
replicaracer43 said:
I hear ya there, but that crank looks like ****, who ever did the ballance job must have started at that shop the day before, lol. And someone cut the mains on a lathe, putting a groove around the journal that mirrors the bearing groove. Stress fracture city, not a wise move. Check out the all over the place holes drilled in the counterweights, and the "oh ****" we removed to much, let's weld a bolt in this hole action.

View attachment 1716079502

View attachment 1716079503
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Those early racers kept Chrysler in business with all the blocks they destroyed that’s for sure!
 
Pic shows Crower H4163. Can't find that on the Google, but some nice lobes on there

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