Yeah I just needed a better weekend after a long break. We figured a lot of things out just didn't get a lot of tangible work done.
1973 Dart Sport
- Thread starter Deceus
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Yeah I just needed a better weekend after a long break. We figured a lot of things out just didn't get a lot of tangible work done.
sport74
Well-Known Member
I had to do a double take when I saw your first pictures...... My first car was a dart sport..... It is burnt orange with the same stripe, and I painted the grill black....... When it was dirty and in the shade it almost looked brown lol
Spent a couple hundred at Eastwood for some nice brake line flaring and bending tools. I should be able to make the stainless steel line I have work with those. I also got most of the AN fittings and lines needed for everything. I'm hoping to finally knock out everything brake related this weekend minus adding the fluid and bleeding as well getting the engine completely ready for break-in. Wish me luck, not sure I can stand another weekend without much progress.
Jhenry70
Well-Known Member
Hang in there man! Glad to see you're getting some progress done. I haven't touched my Duster since my Birthday back in the first week of June! It's just been too friggin hot to work in our shop. I've got a small portable evaporative cooler but unless you're standing in front of it it doesn't help much. Now with the weather turning a bit cooler and family summertime activities winding down I'm looking forward to getting back to work.
I'm just about ready to get the brackets for the ladder bars on the 8.8 finished welded and then going to start on the brake lines too.
Yeah I did the same and took a 2 month break. Ended up being 100+ the weekend after Labor Day anyways so that was a nice surprise. Brakes have just been a pain between wrong parts, the right parts being sent to the wrong address and then the stainless line not wanting to double flare. This weekend should definitely be a very productive one. Won't be long til the motor is being broken in and I'm sure the sound of that will keep me motivated for quite some time haha.
Well even with the $200 professional brake line flaring tool the stainless steel line isn't cooperating. Eastwood only sent 1 of the 3 other tools I ordered too so that was a nice surprise. They couldn't even look up my order when I called them so who knows when they'll show up. Was trying to get by with some harbor freight line benders and it just wasn't happening. Could really use an extra set of hands and i just don't have the help, I'm out of patience. I think I'm officially done with working on this car myself outside of getting the engine fired up and dropped in. Going to spend the rest of the day getting quotes from hot rod shops to do the brake lines and wiring. It's been a great experience and I definitely feel like I've put in enough sweat and blood to call this MY car, just going to outsource the finishing touches.
Was able to get a bracket made for the handbrake, it surprisingly went pretty smooth. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of 1000 purist turning over in their graves as I post this image:
Was able to get a bracket made for the handbrake, it surprisingly went pretty smooth. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of 1000 purist turning over in their graves as I post this image:
Had a really good weekend on the car finally. Got the brake lines done on Friday without any real trouble. Nickle copper is 100X easier to work with over stainless steel. Got the spark plug wires and dipstick fitting done so the engine is pretty close to firing up now. Finally convinced my dad to drop the idea of making a run stand for break-in. It's just too damn difficult with a mopar small block because the starter mounts to the transmission bell housing.
MUCH easier than bending the lines all way down and around the frame rails like the stock ones. Just need 2 -3AN 90 degree couplers for the hand brake lines and brake plumbing is 100% done.
This came about because the stock dipstick was in the way of the March Performance brackets I have on the front of my engine. I thought "no problem I'll buy a flexible dipstick from Lokar" WRONG. They don't make them for most Chrysler engines. I asked about the "universal" one they sell and the guy said I'd need an oilpan with a 1/4 NPT fitting for it to work. So I began brainstorming and came up with this. The black powder-coated stainless steel dipstick was just too cool to not have on this engine.
MUCH easier than bending the lines all way down and around the frame rails like the stock ones. Just need 2 -3AN 90 degree couplers for the hand brake lines and brake plumbing is 100% done.
This came about because the stock dipstick was in the way of the March Performance brackets I have on the front of my engine. I thought "no problem I'll buy a flexible dipstick from Lokar" WRONG. They don't make them for most Chrysler engines. I asked about the "universal" one they sell and the guy said I'd need an oilpan with a 1/4 NPT fitting for it to work. So I began brainstorming and came up with this. The black powder-coated stainless steel dipstick was just too cool to not have on this engine.
Haven't done much the past 2 months. The daily driver cost me $1,100 to troubleshoot and replace an ABS module so that put a dent in the car fund. Wanted to get some work done over the holidays but that doesn't seem to be happening. Looks like we're building the run stand after all. I'm sure it's going to cost a few weekends but I managed to track down a bellhousing that will work for what we need. Only need a flywheel now and some gauges.
The optimistic plan is to build the stand one weekend in January, then get the engine on it ready to fire the next. I'd really like to have it done around early April but considering the only things I've accomplished since July is roll the rearend underneath the car and make my spark plug wires ... I'm not holding my breath. Never really imagined the hardest part of this build would getting the help needed to put everything together but I suppose being a hermit comes with consequences.
The optimistic plan is to build the stand one weekend in January, then get the engine on it ready to fire the next. I'd really like to have it done around early April but considering the only things I've accomplished since July is roll the rearend underneath the car and make my spark plug wires ... I'm not holding my breath. Never really imagined the hardest part of this build would getting the help needed to put everything together but I suppose being a hermit comes with consequences.
Don't worry you're doing fine. I put the first wrench on my Duster January 12, 2012 and I still have not fired the new motor...
All in due time my friend, all in due time....
All in due time my friend, all in due time....
Yeah it's just unbelievably frustrating looking at everything and realizing all I really need is to put it together. Once the engine is in, it's just a matter of measuring for a driveshaft and bolting on the front end sitting on the garage floor. Just seems like something easily done over a long weekend or 2 with a good friend or 2. But instead I drive 6 hours to put on a single hose and make a shopping list of fittings and bolts. I've considered having a shop do it but they want close to $5000 just to throw everything together.
It's like reaching the end of a marathon just be told to sit and wait for a few hours. Sure it's great that I've even made it this far but it'd be nice to just cross the damn line.
It's like reaching the end of a marathon just be told to sit and wait for a few hours. Sure it's great that I've even made it this far but it'd be nice to just cross the damn line.
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
OP, welcome to the world of the end is in sight....... It can seem daunting at times depending on what you are working on and what else is going on in your life.... I have done enough of this stuff no to say you ain't alone lol.... It sounds like the hard work is done and the Finish Line is in sight.
I totally understand about chasing parts and then on top of all that you have a long drive just to get your hands dirty on the car. I restored a Chevelle about 10 years ago and it was a battle. 540, nash 5 speed, custom wiring, and a bile of crap to start with. Finally I hit my limit with it and took a week off from work. Locked myself into that garage for a week and by the end of the week it was on the road....
JW
I totally understand about chasing parts and then on top of all that you have a long drive just to get your hands dirty on the car. I restored a Chevelle about 10 years ago and it was a battle. 540, nash 5 speed, custom wiring, and a bile of crap to start with. Finally I hit my limit with it and took a week off from work. Locked myself into that garage for a week and by the end of the week it was on the road....
JW
sport74
Well-Known Member
I agree with the end is in sight philosophy, and have been there for a while...... only to realize, Man! can I see a long ways off! I too am having trouble acquiring local help to make sure I'm not overlooking something or doing something wrong.
Got a 4 day weekend coming up and I'm hoping to make the most of it. Going to try and knock out as much as humanly possible because this will be the last weekend in February I have to work on it. I'll only have 2-3 more weekends in March to get it done before the show on April 1st. Here's the plan so far:
Friday:
fuel lines
power steering lines
fix my fender extension and reattach it
sand down the remaining paint chips and get some rust converter on them
hook up the radiator hoses if the runstand radiator support is actually finished
install my Lokar gas pedal
Saturday:
get the engine broken in. Gonna have to steal the carb and exhaust off my dad's truck to get this done so it'll likely take most of the day
Sunday/Monday:
Ideally I'd like to get the damn thing in the car but most likely it'll get pushed to the next working weekend. I'd also like to start the installation of the wiring kit. I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to wiring but I'd at least like to get an idea of how everything is going to be routed by the end of the weekend. I'm hoping with all the color coding and labels it won't be terribly difficult.
Friday:
fuel lines
power steering lines
fix my fender extension and reattach it
sand down the remaining paint chips and get some rust converter on them
hook up the radiator hoses if the runstand radiator support is actually finished
install my Lokar gas pedal
Saturday:
get the engine broken in. Gonna have to steal the carb and exhaust off my dad's truck to get this done so it'll likely take most of the day
Sunday/Monday:
Ideally I'd like to get the damn thing in the car but most likely it'll get pushed to the next working weekend. I'd also like to start the installation of the wiring kit. I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to wiring but I'd at least like to get an idea of how everything is going to be routed by the end of the weekend. I'm hoping with all the color coding and labels it won't be terribly difficult.
Spoiler alert: none of that crap got done. UPS lost a package (instrument panel) and the wrong flywheel got ordered. Also the headers I have aren't going to work with the truck bellhousing. Basically everything went wrong but I did make the fuel and power steering lines before spending another 3 hours driving back.
Currently working on plans to bring the car to my place and just dealing with the lack of tools and space. I can get a lot of help from the local car club here and the fellow mopar nut offered to pick it up, haul it here and help me wire it up. It's definitely not making the April deadline but at least it will be a lot closer hopefully.
Currently working on plans to bring the car to my place and just dealing with the lack of tools and space. I can get a lot of help from the local car club here and the fellow mopar nut offered to pick it up, haul it here and help me wire it up. It's definitely not making the April deadline but at least it will be a lot closer hopefully.
Keep going. I think you'll be better off having the car at home.
I agree. It will be nice to pick and choose evenings to piece it together and have friends there to help/hang out. Might just take the last week in March off and try to get everything done as my vacation.
Worked on it on the last weekend in march. Was a long weekend, mostly full of disappointment but nothing catastrophic went wrong. Just typical engine building ****.
Friday went pretty smoothly. I mostly packed up and tried not too be pissed that the $37 exhaust elbow I bought was a 3" pipe despite being bagged and labeled as a 2.5". Made a quick trip to Advanced Auto and some time with the ole deathwheel and little welding solved the issue.
Saturday started with a leaking water pump. Turns out I didn't torque the 2 bolts behind my belt tensioners. That got fixed and then water was pouring out the back of the O-ring water neck I bought. We tried 3 different times to get it to seal before I said screw polishing this turd and bought a stock style one from Advance Auto. That seemed to be leaking from a bolt hole but after 2 more tries I saw where the water was coming from and it was a crack in the housing by the bolt. Figured that would be fixed with another trip to the store so we primed the oil pump. It started leaking behind the oil filter adapter. Made a post on a Mopar page and after a ton of useless comments on my oil filter and choices on engine paint, I found out I simply didn't torque it down enough, added some sealer to be safe.
Wasn't dead in the water until Sunday morning. I tried moving one of my power steering lines and it popped right off. It was a steel fitting with a band that crushes down on the hose. It looks like it wasn't on right so instead of crushing, it simply pushed the hose out of the fitting a bit. 2 bottles of expensive *** royal purple power steering fluid and a gallon of water were all over the engine and floor. The good news is it did finally turn over and we did finally get spark.
A friend came Sunday and gave me a positive end to a frustrating weekend. First time it's been out of the backyard in years and within an hour we had a Mopar guy stop by and check it out with his 440 6 pack Super Bee when we stopped for Lunch.
And here it is, home sweet home. It'll be little cramped but I've already started pricing some decent cordless tools and they're not too bad actually.
Friday went pretty smoothly. I mostly packed up and tried not too be pissed that the $37 exhaust elbow I bought was a 3" pipe despite being bagged and labeled as a 2.5". Made a quick trip to Advanced Auto and some time with the ole deathwheel and little welding solved the issue.
Saturday started with a leaking water pump. Turns out I didn't torque the 2 bolts behind my belt tensioners. That got fixed and then water was pouring out the back of the O-ring water neck I bought. We tried 3 different times to get it to seal before I said screw polishing this turd and bought a stock style one from Advance Auto. That seemed to be leaking from a bolt hole but after 2 more tries I saw where the water was coming from and it was a crack in the housing by the bolt. Figured that would be fixed with another trip to the store so we primed the oil pump. It started leaking behind the oil filter adapter. Made a post on a Mopar page and after a ton of useless comments on my oil filter and choices on engine paint, I found out I simply didn't torque it down enough, added some sealer to be safe.
Wasn't dead in the water until Sunday morning. I tried moving one of my power steering lines and it popped right off. It was a steel fitting with a band that crushes down on the hose. It looks like it wasn't on right so instead of crushing, it simply pushed the hose out of the fitting a bit. 2 bottles of expensive *** royal purple power steering fluid and a gallon of water were all over the engine and floor. The good news is it did finally turn over and we did finally get spark.
A friend came Sunday and gave me a positive end to a frustrating weekend. First time it's been out of the backyard in years and within an hour we had a Mopar guy stop by and check it out with his 440 6 pack Super Bee when we stopped for Lunch.
And here it is, home sweet home. It'll be little cramped but I've already started pricing some decent cordless tools and they're not too bad actually.
I had some very frustrating things like that happen 2 weekends ago. My carb had dried out and it leaked like a sieve. Had the same thing happen with my oil filter adaptor, wasn't tightened and it leaked. I had a power steering hose leak due to one fitting being the right thread but the wrong type. Anyway, live and learn and live to fight another day.
Keep at it....
Keep at it....
Spent the weekend working on the motor. Was hoping to fire it up without much issue on Saturday but that didn't happen. The fuel pump was bad for some reason but that was an $18 fix. Burned up a few wires in the process of figuring that out. Never could get it to fire even though the spark plugs were getting spark and the cylinders were getting gas in em. Thing is: it wasn't even trying. There was 0 detonation going on in any of the cylinders and we couldn't think of anything that would be so off. We worked til about 7 and then gave up for the day. I decided I was just gonna take the motor anyways. I got a quote from a shop off 33 to take a look and it was only $100-200 but a friend said "**** that, bring it over in that truck you just bought".
So Sunday I bring it to my friend's garage. First thing we noticed was the starter was moving at like half speed due to a redundant starter solenoid and shitty jumper cable wires. After some really weird behavior from the wiring and few runaways we got things fairly sorted out. I say we but really I know nothing about that tangled mess of wiring on the stand at the moment, so he is really saving my *** here. Despite this we're still not getting anything. It's been in the back of my mind the whole time but I didn't wanna consider it a possibility. But something confirms what I've been thinking since Saturday evening: there's air coming OUT of the carb while it's cranking. The few times I've seen gas fly out of it, I just blamed it on the choke plate. Nah my camshaft timing is definitely off. We place a grocery bag over it and cranked. It didn't even try to suck it in. Not sure how, but that's definitely it and solves all the mysteries. Even though it had only been 2 hours or so with that news I was done for the weekend.
The good news is it's not leaking anything anymore. The $80 water neck not only looks sexy but I had 0 issue getting it to seal. I pulled the oil filter plate as well and replaced it with a billet aluminum piece with an O-ring seal to replace the shitty paper one just in case that **** was gonna leak under pressure. Jeff also let me keep the engine there. I wasn't sure how I was going to fit it in the garage but now I don't really have to worry about that.
Loading it was pretty scary. Had to get it up pretty high and it was basically sitting at the top of a 45 degree incline. Only had one oh **** moment but I was able to stop it before it could get any momentum.
RIP my garage and gym space
So Sunday I bring it to my friend's garage. First thing we noticed was the starter was moving at like half speed due to a redundant starter solenoid and shitty jumper cable wires. After some really weird behavior from the wiring and few runaways we got things fairly sorted out. I say we but really I know nothing about that tangled mess of wiring on the stand at the moment, so he is really saving my *** here. Despite this we're still not getting anything. It's been in the back of my mind the whole time but I didn't wanna consider it a possibility. But something confirms what I've been thinking since Saturday evening: there's air coming OUT of the carb while it's cranking. The few times I've seen gas fly out of it, I just blamed it on the choke plate. Nah my camshaft timing is definitely off. We place a grocery bag over it and cranked. It didn't even try to suck it in. Not sure how, but that's definitely it and solves all the mysteries. Even though it had only been 2 hours or so with that news I was done for the weekend.
The good news is it's not leaking anything anymore. The $80 water neck not only looks sexy but I had 0 issue getting it to seal. I pulled the oil filter plate as well and replaced it with a billet aluminum piece with an O-ring seal to replace the shitty paper one just in case that **** was gonna leak under pressure. Jeff also let me keep the engine there. I wasn't sure how I was going to fit it in the garage but now I don't really have to worry about that.
Loading it was pretty scary. Had to get it up pretty high and it was basically sitting at the top of a 45 degree incline. Only had one oh **** moment but I was able to stop it before it could get any momentum.
RIP my garage and gym space
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Well mystery solved. After a bit of reading on cam timing I figured someone probably put the crank sprocket on the wrong keyway. Comp cams has 3 settings with different markings. Turns out I was right. Spent Friday night getting it apart and getting the timing chain back on right. Tried to get the timing cover on but ended up ripping the front seal and one of the oil pan gaskets before realizing I should have dropped the front of the pan to make life a lot easier. I also managed to get some water in my break-in oil so I get to replace that too. So I spent most of Saturday evening/night replacing the oil pan gasket and getting everything back together. She's ready for round 2 but it was 11 before I had everything together so that will have to wait for now.
I have to say, I'm really glad to have some helping hands finally. My only concern is I don't remember torquing the crank bolt down after gunning it down with my compact impact. I forgot it needed lock-tite as well but it's already back together. Hopefully it's fine but I guess we'll see.
I have to say, I'm really glad to have some helping hands finally. My only concern is I don't remember torquing the crank bolt down after gunning it down with my compact impact. I forgot it needed lock-tite as well but it's already back together. Hopefully it's fine but I guess we'll see.
Got the motor running finally. Took most of Sunday but the last major roadblock for getting this thing together is finally done. Crazy to think I was originally hoping to have it in sometime in February. Just to recap:
Water pump leaked, dissembled pulley kit to tighten one bolt
water neck wouldn't seal
second water neck had a crack
oil filter mounting plate leaked
power steering line broke
cam timing was way off
dissembled pulley kit, water pump and timing cover
ripped front seal and oil pan gasket
dissembled oil pan and put in a new gasket
reassembled the motor
replaced ballast resistor due to a crack
replaced starter due to a possible short
What a trip, pretty convinced i'll likely just order a crate motor if I ever choose to go with something new in the distant future but I don't regret building this one for the experience. Time to get everything on the car I can and find some time to install the engine. Still not sure how I'm going to go about doing it. It would be lovely to get that driveline dolley but not sure it's worth the $$$ for a one time thing.
Yeah it was hard to get a good video. Probably won't fire it again until it's in the car unfortunately. Will definitely have a lot of footage of it once it's moving
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