Daddy had a 65 2 door sedan. 170 with the Cruise O Matic three speed auto. Mine has the Ford O Matic 2 speed and 144.
1970 /6 Dart
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Daddy had a 65 2 door sedan. 170 with the Cruise O Matic three speed auto. Mine has the Ford O Matic 2 speed and 144.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Got a little more done today and even taught kayleigh how to use the cut wheel.
I went ahead and bolted the shifter on the tail house and set the hump over it just to kinda help visualize things.
After I got the hole cut out I was able to install the transmission mount and bracket which allowed me to get the transmission jack out from under the car.
Tomorrow's goal is to drop the front of the car back down to normal human height so I can start hooking up wires and installing the alternator, power steering pump, radiator etc.
I went ahead and bolted the shifter on the tail house and set the hump over it just to kinda help visualize things.
After I got the hole cut out I was able to install the transmission mount and bracket which allowed me to get the transmission jack out from under the car.
Tomorrow's goal is to drop the front of the car back down to normal human height so I can start hooking up wires and installing the alternator, power steering pump, radiator etc.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Last weekend Dad (who doesnt like his picture online) and and my brother took on the task of removing some broken studs out of my exhaust manifold while I worked on pulling the steering column and switching out the pedals. Yesterday I got the steering column back in and started fabricating the shifter linkage for 3-4th gear.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Just a small update,
I finished fabricating the 3-4 shift linkage today after doing some yardwork. I've had to slow down some over the last week. Exhaustion has been catching up to me.
I finished fabricating the 3-4 shift linkage today after doing some yardwork. I've had to slow down some over the last week. Exhaustion has been catching up to me.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Lookin good Matt! The reverse rod goes underneath, right? Is that an OD 4 spd? I swapped my 70 Duster to a 4 spd from an automatic when I was in high school. I had a complete 70 Duster 340 parts car I had bought for $50, and took all the stuff off of it. I lived in the Stone Age, and never heard of air tools in 1975....lol. I cut the old 4 spd hump out, plus cut the holes in the floor pan with a claw hammer and a cold chisel. It looked like Fidos butt, although it worked just fine!
Word of advice....sneak off to Ingles and buy you and Mrs. Matt some steaks and baking taters, and cook dinner for her for all that good help she has supplied!
Word of advice....sneak off to Ingles and buy you and Mrs. Matt some steaks and baking taters, and cook dinner for her for all that good help she has supplied!
Great progress, Matt! Make sure Kayleigh knows to be super careful using that cutoff wheel.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Gosh I wish you could still buy 340 4 speed parts cars for $50! Yeah it's an 833od box and the shifter and linkages was from a regular 833. All I had to do was flip the 3-4 shift lever upside down and fabricate the new linkage to make things work. You are correct in that the reverse rod goes underneath the cross member.Lookin good Matt! The reverse rod goes underneath, right? Is that an OD 4 spd? I swapped my 70 Duster to a 4 spd from an automatic when I was in high school. I had a complete 70 Duster 340 parts car I had bought for $50, and took all the stuff off of it. I lived in the Stone Age, and never heard of air tools in 1975....lol. I cut the old 4 spd hump out, plus cut the holes in the floor pan with a claw hammer and a cold chisel. It looked like Fidos butt, although it worked just fine!
I hope my car looks a little better than fido's butt when things are all said and done. But frankly I'm not bothering to clean up and paint any of these linkages or the tranny and bellhousing since the car gets driven a lot and it's not garage kept. Everything you can see will look nice but everything underneath is just gonna be what it is lol.
I'll have to clear some money out of the car budget to get those steaks lol.
Thanks Rob! Rest assured, shes more careful with the wheel than I am. She's still scared of it.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
You're doing nice, neat work on what you are doing Matt...so forget all about Fido! That Duster parts car I bought for $50 in 1975 ran, but the crank was broke in the front main journal, and it had been rear ended. FC7 340 4 spd car with black interior. My Mom dragged it home from where I bought it, with a rope tied between it and her Implala….lol. I got what I needed from it(flywheel back thru 8 3/4), and sold the rest to a junk yard for $25. I kept the 340 air cleaner, but at 17 years old...didn't have enough sense to keep the 340 HP manifolds. I had Hedman headers....who the hell needs them old manifolds? LOL
That Duster parts car I bought for $50 in 1975 ran, but the crank was broke in the front main journal, and it had been rear ended. FC7 340 4 spd car with black interior. My Mom dragged it home from where I bought it, with a rope tied between it and her Implala….lol. I got what I needed from it(flywheel back thru 8 3/4), and sold the rest to a junk yard for $25. I kept the 340 air cleaner, but at 17 years old...didn't have enough sense to keep the 340 HP manifolds. I had Hedman headers....who the hell needs them old manifolds? LOL
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Just a quick update.
Progress has completely stalled. I went to mock up everything for the clutch and realized that the bellhousing ballstud bracket does not work with my bellhousing. Also my clutch fork is about 1" too short, which upon thinking about it, makes sense since this engine and transmission was not recently installed in an early A-body.
I'm currently in contact with Brewer's to try to figure out what I need. I know I'll have to find the right fork but I may fabricate a new ballstud bracket if the prices are too exorbitant.
Here's what I have vs. What I think I might need. Shouldnt be too hard to make.
Progress has completely stalled. I went to mock up everything for the clutch and realized that the bellhousing ballstud bracket does not work with my bellhousing. Also my clutch fork is about 1" too short, which upon thinking about it, makes sense since this engine and transmission was not recently installed in an early A-body.
I'm currently in contact with Brewer's to try to figure out what I need. I know I'll have to find the right fork but I may fabricate a new ballstud bracket if the prices are too exorbitant.
Here's what I have vs. What I think I might need. Shouldnt be too hard to make.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Small update. I got the correct bracket for the z bar from a member here and got the clutch stuff almost squared away. Im waiting on a longer clutch fork from brewer's. Once I get that here and confirm everything fits right, I'll pull the tranny back and install the flywheel and clutch.
Also, I cleaned up my shifter handle and painted it silver. It looks like it ran in the pictures but its just a reflection. I'm still waiting on my brother to finish porting my manifolds, when I get those installed I'll start working on the new exhaust.
Baby steps...
Also, I cleaned up my shifter handle and painted it silver. It looks like it ran in the pictures but its just a reflection. I'm still waiting on my brother to finish porting my manifolds, when I get those installed I'll start working on the new exhaust.
Baby steps...
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
The mailman brought me some goodies today. I threw them on my "paintstand" for a quick shot of primer.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
OK....I give! What's the thing that looks like a lawn mower blade that ran thru a rock garden? LOL.
Crank scraper.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Correct! It's not for this motor though. Its gonna get stored till I'm ready to build my supercharger motor.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
I put Kayleigh in charge of painting the shifter ball inset and went ahead and bolted the freshly painted handle back in and screwed the ball down. Hopefully this weekend I can get back to some real progress. I need to go to harbor freight and get my replacement stands so I can put the car back in the air. I'll put the new clutch fork in and check the alignment of everything and if it checks out Ill pull the transmission back and install the clutch.
But first I gotta fix the lawnmower.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
The mailman brought another goodie for me today. This will also go into storage for down the road.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
So Haven't made any progress on the car, I got distracted and built a new front deck on the house. I still haven't fixed that dang lawnmower yet..... But in car related news, I did score something fun on Facebook Marketplace for $100. It's nice and tight and the bearings turn freely. I'm starting to rethink my gameplan....
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Finally some progress again!
Got the oil changed and new spark plugs in. Last weekend kayleigh and I pulled the transmission back out since everything is mocked up now and we installed the flywheel and clutch and got the chance to teach kayleigh to use a torque wrech. I bolted a spare exhaust manifold on the engine and started building the new exhaust system. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it finished up. I'm not to pround of how things look up top near the manifold, but Honestly this was a learn-as-you-go process and with that said so far im really happy and kinda impressed with myself by the overall fit and routing so far as I was worried I may struggle with that.
Let's see what we can get done tomorrow.
Got the oil changed and new spark plugs in. Last weekend kayleigh and I pulled the transmission back out since everything is mocked up now and we installed the flywheel and clutch and got the chance to teach kayleigh to use a torque wrech. I bolted a spare exhaust manifold on the engine and started building the new exhaust system. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it finished up. I'm not to pround of how things look up top near the manifold, but Honestly this was a learn-as-you-go process and with that said so far im really happy and kinda impressed with myself by the overall fit and routing so far as I was worried I may struggle with that.
Let's see what we can get done tomorrow.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
IT RUNS!!!
So just to recap, this engine has sat under cover for 2 years in an open carport since I bought it from Rick, and its been 5 months since I started the 4 speed and engine swap, needless to say I'm quite pleased it started and ran as easily and as well as it did.
I was also not too confident in my skills at setting the timing and I was worried I was gonna get a fireball in my face.
Also it has a wicked *** exhaust leak right now because I didn't provide enough clearance between the exhaust pipe and the oil pan rail so the flange wont seat to the manifold, that's why it sounds a little odd.
Once I got the timing dialed in better and the carb set right it idled much better although it still has that same damn skip at idle that the other engine had
Im starting to suspect a bad ignition module.
So just to recap, this engine has sat under cover for 2 years in an open carport since I bought it from Rick, and its been 5 months since I started the 4 speed and engine swap, needless to say I'm quite pleased it started and ran as easily and as well as it did.
I was also not too confident in my skills at setting the timing and I was worried I was gonna get a fireball in my face.
Also it has a wicked *** exhaust leak right now because I didn't provide enough clearance between the exhaust pipe and the oil pan rail so the flange wont seat to the manifold, that's why it sounds a little odd.
Once I got the timing dialed in better and the carb set right it idled much better although it still has that same damn skip at idle that the other engine had
Im starting to suspect a bad ignition module.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
I just noticed the last thing I said before it started was "Let's hope this thing doesn't spit fire in my face"
Sounds good, Matt!
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
You and Kayleigh done a good job on that Matt! 
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Finally got the car down off the jackstands and drove it around just a little. The clutch is making a horrendous sound from where it got weathered some but all in all it runs and drives nicely. For some reason I lost my speedometer mid-drive so I'll have to figure that out.
Also, I'd like to give kayleigh a special mention for getting the last two manifold washers on the nuts started.
Also, I'd like to give kayleigh a special mention for getting the last two manifold washers on the nuts started.
I think Kayleigh's into it more than you are.
/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Literally
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