leblanc
member 2883
What size rear end is that?
1973 Dart Sport
- Thread starter Deceus
- Start date
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Engine should be going together this weekend, pretty excited for that. Should be able to get the rear done as well. Had some trouble with the wheel bearings last time but I plan on picking up a bearing/racing driving kit from AutoZone and do it the right way this time. Was trying to tap the new ones in using the old bearings. Almost have enough saved up for the CRT 904 transmission I want so the drivetrain is almost done. I feel like I'm getting close but there's still a lot to buy and do to get the steering and brakes working again not to mention having to rewire everything. Still hoping to have this thing done by the middle of summer.
Got the pistons and cam in my engine and the wheel bearings, seals and axles on my rear done. Not bad progress for a day.
Only ran into a bit of trouble with the windage tray and oil pump, nothing a little hammer and carbide couldn't solve. Probably not going down again for a month or so. In the meantime I'm picking up students to tutor in programming while the weather sucks to make some extra money. Probably pulling the trigger on the March Performance track style kit here pretty soon then it'll be time to start considering options on the transmission.
Only ran into a bit of trouble with the windage tray and oil pump, nothing a little hammer and carbide couldn't solve. Probably not going down again for a month or so. In the meantime I'm picking up students to tutor in programming while the weather sucks to make some extra money. Probably pulling the trigger on the March Performance track style kit here pretty soon then it'll be time to start considering options on the transmission.
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Forget about the 318...a 360 bolts up to the same engine mounts.
You'll be SO much happier with a 360 than the bargain brand 318...your Sport will become a Monster...trust me. Been there, done that!
You can pick up a decent 360 at almost any Bone Yard, especially one with amble Mopar Stuff. Go the 360 route, YOU WILL LOVE IT.
You'll be SO much happier with a 360 than the bargain brand 318...your Sport will become a Monster...trust me. Been there, done that!
You can pick up a decent 360 at almost any Bone Yard, especially one with amble Mopar Stuff. Go the 360 route, YOU WILL LOVE IT.
A bit late for that haha. Already a couple grand into this 318. A 360 was part of the original plan. I debated using either a mild 360 or a radical 318. I went with a 318 for the chance to do more with less and my first donor came with a usable block. Was aiming for something in the 350-400hp and built for the 1500-6500 rpm range. Probably could have done it easier and cheaper with a 360 but what's the fun in that?
Found an entire clip from a 71 on a facebook mopar page. Looks like I'll be doing a Demon clone after all! Driving to NJ to get it Saturday. Weather has been crap so the only thing I've done is get the longblock built.
Also decided to seal up my fresh air box.
Also decided to seal up my fresh air box.
You will love the 318 as well. Stay the course.
BlueDream
Aspiring Mopar enthusiast
I like the black Air-Gap.
If you're doing the front clip, are you going to eventually do the tail panel as well?
If you're doing the front clip, are you going to eventually do the tail panel as well?
I liked it a lot too. Doing an all black/green engine. Got a black march performance kit to go with it and I'll have new valve covers powder coated black to match as well. My alternator and power steering pump that came with the brackets were chrome though, I'd gonna use the Duplicolor kit to make them black chrome. Can't wait to get a shot of it all together.
The back half will probably happen when I decide to repaint it. I'll probably have to replace both rear quarter panels, might as well do the tail panel as well. I don't mind the taillights being incorrect for now, the only thing that may bother me is the stripe. I can paint the front clip to match fairly well but the stripe is going to stop at the door. I'll probably just get a vinyl stripe and hope it matches up to what was painted to cover it.
You can whip all that stuff into shape pretty easily. Nice find!
Been a little while but I have been busy. The engine is most assembled now and I have the front end prepped for paint. Got the remaining welding started and will hopefully knock out a good chuck on it next weekend. Got someone coming to take away whats left of the donor and the 225.
Got the valance painted:
Painted my Champion radiator black with Eastwood's Satin Radiator paint. I want everything under the hood to be green or black.
Used Duplicolor's shadow chrome kit on a few pieces.
Got a few coats of flat black under the hood, going to plasitdip the top in flat black. It's probably not going to stay on the car long, I don't like that all the bracing looks like Swiss cheese.
Sanded the clear coat on both fenders with 400 and 800 grit sandpaper. Started with self etching primer, moved to filler primer and will finish with a sealer primer before painting them Sublime green like the valance.
Got the engine painted and installed the pulley kit. This thing looks as good as I was hoping it would.
Got the valance painted:
Painted my Champion radiator black with Eastwood's Satin Radiator paint. I want everything under the hood to be green or black.
Used Duplicolor's shadow chrome kit on a few pieces.
Got a few coats of flat black under the hood, going to plasitdip the top in flat black. It's probably not going to stay on the car long, I don't like that all the bracing looks like Swiss cheese.
Sanded the clear coat on both fenders with 400 and 800 grit sandpaper. Started with self etching primer, moved to filler primer and will finish with a sealer primer before painting them Sublime green like the valance.
Got the engine painted and installed the pulley kit. This thing looks as good as I was hoping it would.
It typical VA fashion it went from a nice cool 70 to 95 in 1 day flat. Got rid of the donor car, painted over some of the chips in my driver side rear quarter panel and put down some sound deadener. The paint was a huge disappointment. The pics don't show just how bad it is but it just looks like I put a piece of tape over the dings. I didn't expect the square I painted to anywhere near that thick and noticeable. Just shows how much I have to learn about the art of painting and bodywork haha.
Space Duster
Well-Known Member
Looking good.
Got most of the sound-deadener and Ensolite foam down last weekend. Spend a good chunk of Friday and Saturday working on the daily to replace the brakes all around and plastidip the rims so that's all I really had time for. Moved to my new place away from the city this weekend and I'm digging it so far. The best part is having a garage now so the car won't be seeing any rain or snow once it's put back together.
Picked up my rear wheels and tires. Decided on some Nitto NT555R 275 /60 drag radials for the back. The rear end should be going in this weekend. I've also decided I'm likely just going to plastidip the whole car as a temporary solution to a few problems that stem from me buying that 71 front end. The paint on the car is beyond crappy at this point as well. They have a nice lime green and with some glossifier I'm hoping it won't look too tacky.
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Got the rear end buttoned up and on the car finally. Did some work on the engine as well getting it ready to go in next month. Really liking the rear tires I switched to at the last minute. Could have used just a bit more backspacing but I'm happy with the look.
Spent a lot of time stressing about the rear brake lines and how I was going to route things until I realized the driver side caliper hose is just on giant assembly. I couldn't find part numbers for the t-fitting or the hose that connected to the hardline going to the master cylinder. That's because they are all one part, good to know.
Got the rear end using a swing set and ratchet straps. Had to put the front end on the ground to lift the rear high enough to get these tires in there.
And the engine is almost ready, just needs a few finishing touches.
Spent a lot of time stressing about the rear brake lines and how I was going to route things until I realized the driver side caliper hose is just on giant assembly. I couldn't find part numbers for the t-fitting or the hose that connected to the hardline going to the master cylinder. That's because they are all one part, good to know.
Got the rear end using a swing set and ratchet straps. Had to put the front end on the ground to lift the rear high enough to get these tires in there.
And the engine is almost ready, just needs a few finishing touches.
Also I picked up my brake booster, master cylinder and a hydraulic handbrake. Going to try get my brake lines setup this coming weekend. I seen there's a decent drifting scene where I'm living currently so I decided to throw in the handbrake just for ***** and giggles. Should be a lot of fun taking the car out to the track and showing kids in their Hondas how it's done.
So of course I can never have too much progress without a major setback. Found out the Wilwood master cylinders with bores under 1 inch are all for a manual setups only. Of course this isn't listed on their site, on Summit and Wilwood "tech" support also didn't have a clue. At least I finally got a confirmation after I sent it back. Can't really run brake lines without a master cylinder so the weekend was pretty much a waste of 6 hours of driving. Got the old lines out and spray painted the fenders flat black in preparation for the plastidip later. It was too damn hot to do anything anyways, going to take an extended break on working on the car. Probably won't touch it again until after Labor day. It's just no longer enjoyable, I'm stressing things too much just because the finish line is in sight.
Was thinking about making the drive this weekend to get some work done since I don't have anything else going but I seen the heat index was going to be close 100 again ...
Looks like I'm stuck waiting til after Labor Day
Looks like I'm stuck waiting til after Labor Day
Well it was still 100 this past weekend but hopefully that's the last of it. Didn't get much done because the stainless steel lines wouldn't cooperate and I didn't have the soft lines for my hydraulic handbrake. The drive seat is in and I threw the fenders on. They lined up real well without any real issue at all surprisingly. I have everything planned out to use a 1/4 NPT universal flexible dipstick from Lokar. Will post pics on how I made it work when it's done.
Going to invest $180 in a professional brake flaring tool to get this done. Between that and line straightener it should be pretty idiot and incident proof because I'm not driving down to work brakes again. If something else goes wrong I just wont install any brakes and just aim the car towards the nearest cliff lol.
Going to buy an engine cradle, lower it and turn it into a run stand. That'll be the next major hurdle but that should help with break-in and installation as well be able to wheel the engine and trans under the car after it's broken in.
Going to invest $180 in a professional brake flaring tool to get this done. Between that and line straightener it should be pretty idiot and incident proof because I'm not driving down to work brakes again. If something else goes wrong I just wont install any brakes and just aim the car towards the nearest cliff lol.
Going to buy an engine cradle, lower it and turn it into a run stand. That'll be the next major hurdle but that should help with break-in and installation as well be able to wheel the engine and trans under the car after it's broken in.
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The motor looks cool. Work on the car when you can. Youll get there!
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