1973 Dart Sport

[Deceus]

cool car and build thread. my 2 cents is from 40 years of ups and downs - keep it simple. some aftermarket stuff is trick, some is not so much. Chrysler engineering is very sound. My low miles 1970 has stock : carb, wiring, brakes, steering, radiator, alternator etc. Daily driver runs 11.7 at 116 mph

Yeah I'd probably be in a much better place if I did follow that advice but that's just not my style lol. I definitely have learned the real value in keeping it simple but I'm not sure I would do much differently for this particular build. I'd wouldn't do half of it for a simple street/strip build like I originally intended but I eventually plan on taking this thing on a real track and showing it off as something unique so I wanted some bling as well. If I do another build I'm definitely not going nearly as far as i have with this one.

Threw a new breather on since the one that came with my valve covers was super restrictive. It's barely even open at the bottom. Not sure it's doing the job at WOT which is only place I seem to be having crankcase issues. This thing shouldn't have that issue and will at least rule that out. Looks good too.

Started my EFI conversion as well. Only lacking the AN hose at the moment so I got my new fuel pump and the EFI unit itself on the car. Throttle cable hooked up fine which was a relief. Skimmed the instructions and looks like I just need to hook up 4 wires and install the temp + O2 sensors to this thing ready to fire. Plumbing is going to take some work and I'll like have to place another order for fittings once I get everything in place. Gonna have to play roulette with my intake manifold fittings again. There's only one 3/8, 1/4 and 1/8 NPT fitting. The EFI sensor needs the 3/8 hole but that's currently taken by my 5/8" barb for the heater hose I have looped in from the water pump. The 1/4 NPT has my temp sensor for my gauge that I'd like to keep. I'd rather not rely on a handheld to see my coolant temp and that just leaves the 1/8 NPT for a 5/8" hose. Not the easier conversion. I'm not running a heater and don't plan to for a while so it's not really critical I just don't have a good way to plug the water pump. I'll probably get a 1/8 NPT to -6AN adapter and then step that up to a -8 AN and run some summit twist tite to the water pump. IDK if even that is going to be big enough, I may need a -10 line.

 

[Marcohotrod]

Plug the water pump and rely on the stock thermostat bypass hose

 

[Deceus]

Plug the water pump and rely on the stock thermostat bypass hose

Easier said than done with everything in the car. Rubber caps are supposedly only good for leaving you stranded. Drilling and tapping is an option but that would probably result in me cracking my water pump. I think I'm going to go with aluminum heads and roller rockers at tax time next year so I may be able to come up with a better solution then. I've had good luck with the Summit AN fittings/adapters so far so I think that's my best option.

 

[Deceus]

So it wasn't too bad to replace the barb fitting. I was wrong and it was the 1/4 NPT fitting that was unused. Easy peezy I just got a 1/4 NPT to -8 AN adapter and stepped it up to a -10 AN. Had to boil the AN hose because it wasn't as flexible as it probably should have been to slip over the pump but I made it work. Got the return line finished for the most part, got the hose routing in the engine bay finalized and will knock out the wiring tonight hopefully. Unfortunately I'm one AN fitting short since I had to use a 90 degree fitting in the engine bay I wasn't counting on. I had already spent $83 on six of them so I didn't order any spares.

Overall it's been a pretty easy conversion so far. Kinda bummed I'm not firing it up this weekend but the weather is still far from decent so no big deal I guess. Feeling the pressure since I'm already missing the first autocross event of the season and I still have to swap the k-member over.

 

[Deceus]

Got the EFI started up but had a leaking fitting in the return line so i wasn't able to do much since I had to place another order. Started the swap to the QA1 k-member on Friday and things went pretty smooth until I started on the motor mounts on Sunday morning. I'm definitely at the end of my rope when it comes to shitty work on this car. Today was one of those days where I questioned everything I've done regarding this car. It was just ******* miserable and I think anyone who's put a considerable amount of work into any car has had at least one moment like this. Long story short it's mostly in. The header is caught on the steering box and the driver side mount isn't fully seated. Shouldn't be too hard to fix when I feel like tackling it (I hope). The lower control arms are still out of the car since I'm waiting on all new ball joint boots. Most of mine are torn are completely destroyed already somehow. Hopefully the polyurethane ones I've ordered hold up a little better.

So much for the expensive *** headers and steering box I bought to avoid this issue ...

Look at all that room though.

 

[73hcode]

I hear you on the rough days I spent way to long on a power steering hose today.

 

[Deceus]

Ripped everything out and I'll be going with TTI shorty headers whenever they get in from Mancini

 

[DusterDaddy]

I always admire builds that stray way off the path from factory. But when I see headaches like you have just experienced, I am glad I just put mine back together the way it was built with some performance enhancements.
No doubt you get it, you always do!

 

[Deceus]

I always admire builds that stray way off the path from factory. But when I see headaches like you have just experienced, I am glad I just put mine back together the way it was built with some performance enhancements.
No doubt you get it, you always do!

Yeah I was content leaving the spool k-member alone but nothing was sitting right because of it. Everything fit great with those motor mounts but it seems like the engine is sitting a lot lower now with the biscuit style mounts and the QA1 K-member. There were a few things uncomfortable close to those Doug's even when it wasn't hitting the steering box so really this is for the best.

 

[Deceus]

The TTI shortys were going to take entirely too long to get here (8 weeks) so I went ahead and ordered the full tube headers. I couldn't find any decent alternatives so that was really my only option. They won't be here until next Monday. I got the raw steel headers because I still want them in a black coating and TTI doesn't seem to offer that as an option. Going to have to throw on some VHT flameproof rattle can coating and hope for the best. I've seen some positive reviews from people that took the time to do it right. Gonna sandblast the metal to give it a good surface to stick to and make sure they're cured correctly.

Not too worried about fitment since TTI runs that front tube to the back instead of down by the steering box so there should be no issues with that. I've seen a few people have problems with their stock steering column/coupler but I shouldn't have any issues with my setup since it's MUCH smaller. I got a blanket for the starter and the trans cooler lines. Finally installed a sleeve I had laying around for the positive battery cable running to the starter since it was easy to get on and off without the headers there. Still would've like to convenience of the shorties but I can't say I'm too mad about not losing some of my precious bottom end torque.

My only complaint is that it would've been REALLY nice to get the headers in before the weekend since I'll be home alone the whole time with no commitments for a change but that would make life too easy. I'll probably only have from Tuesday til Friday next week to get the headers coated and installed, the front end back together and aligned, the exhaust hooked back up and get some shake down runs in before the car club car show on Saturday. Should be "fun".

 

[DusterDaddy]

I used this on my manifolds and they still look like the day I sprayed them. You wont be sorry, it's worth the money...

POR-15 Hi Temp Aerosol Flat Black 44118

 

[Deceus]

So long story short I'm on track for the car show on Saturday. Headers were test fitted on Monday. They were coated and installed Tuesday. Got the steering box, starter and control arms back on Wednesday and now it's time to finish torquing everything down and begin my first at home alignment. Friday should just be shakedown runs then it should be ready just in time for the show to be canceled due to snow in April for the first in a long time for VA ...

 

[Deceus]

So the show is officially postponed but there's still an autocross event scheduled for Sunday. I'm not sure this thing is really race ready but I'm going to keep working and make the call tonight about what car I'm taking. It not a serious race so I can always treat it like a spirited shake-down run. I just don't want to puke oil everywhere and ruin the course lol. I got the car back on the ground and my new sway bar thrown on after a trip to home depot for some longer bolts. (seriously, how hard is it to make something that just works/fits for these cars). Measured the camber and was hoping to not have to make any adjustments but I'm sitting 0 degrees on one side and +1.5 on the on the other. Time to open that can of worms. I got a good idea on how it's done from a few old threads on here so it shouldn't be too eventful. I thing I only have 3 degrees of adjustment so I'll probably just max out them out and dial it back.

The good news is that car IS sitting level now so it turns out my suspicions of that k-member being tweaked were right. Hopefully that solves the issue with my passenger side tire rubbing and the hood no lining up properly. We'll see.

 

[Deceus]

So the race was cancelled too, thanks a lot Virginia. Decided to do some work on the grocery getter since it has a boost leak on Friday. Waiting on a new coupler for the intercooler on that but at least I found the leak and managed to get the bump off with only 1 broken bolt.

Not too motivated to get back on the race car at the moment. It's snowing this morning somehow, definitely been a weird "Spring" so far. Don't think I have anything going on for 2 weeks but the car just needs the alignment done and the exhaust re-done to be driveable. The Doug's and TTIs come out at much different locations so I figured it might be time to throw something a little more permanent on. I'll either try and get my x-piper kit to work myself if it's not too bad or simply throw some mufflers on and run this thing up to the muffler shop.

 

[Deceus]

Made it to the rescheduled car show. I finally have most of the old bugs worked out. The only one left is the transmission fluid coming from out of the bellhousing area when it's parked. I'm thinking the front seal got damaged somehow. No crankcase pressure issues and the alignment/ride height seems good now though. The hood even lines up a lot better. The EFI seemed to be struggling with braking and coasting on the way to and from the show but that was solved with an IAC adjustment.

The bad news is that I don't have second gear for some reason but I'm still not sure if that's a shifter issue or a transmission issue. Gonna mess with the shifter one more time to see if I can't rule that out before handing it off to a shop. Still needs an actual exhaust system as well but other than that this thing is looking good. Almost race ready.

 

[Clelan]

Looks great!

Cley

 

[Deceus]

So yet another punch to the gut:

My front band is definitely not working at all and probably laying in the pan. I think what gets me the most is that I thought I had finally made the final push and gotten across the finish line and now this. Looks like I won't be driving this thing this summer either. I went with CRT to make sure this didn't happen because I didn't trust myself building my own transmission and this is what I get. I just .... can't right now.

 

[Deceus]

I'm back in business once my 1/4" torque wrench gets in from Amazon. Everything was tight and intact when I dropped the valvebody. Really confusing at first but it must've taken the last thread to snug up the front band. Kinda sucks I could have just backed it off 2 turns and been fine without dropping the pan. At least I have the peace of mind now. Just need the torque wrench to torque down the trans pan bolts. My 1/2" 10-150 ft/lb wrench wasn't cutting it on the lowest setting and it's leaking from the front of the pan with everything just snug.

The DD is getting fixed too. Turns out the boost leak was at the turbo outlet gasket. Something I narrowed it down to but couldn't verify so I sent it to a shop about an hour north that deals with these kinds cars almost exclusively.

Next up: exhaust shop to get my x-pipe put on, rolling my rear fenders, installing my chin spoiler and picking out my second set of wheels/tires for my Autox days. I'm thinking of going with 18x8s with something like a 235/40. Need to make sure they'll fit.

 

[Deceus]

Memorial day car show with my dad was a success. Was running into some cooling issues with a new low profile fan. May have to switch to dual 12s so I can use a shroud. No trans issues anymore though, gotta say I'm happy about that. Moving into my new place this weekend. Definitely looking forward to having space to park the car AND work on it for the first time.

 

[Deceus]

Finally starting to get settled into the new garage. Got a new mobile workbench toolbox so no more relying on a small 4 drawer cart + 4 drawer chest to hold everything I own.

Need to figure out why my camber is over -4 degrees now but I'm guessing it's a mix of everything settling after some driving and possibly the cam bolts wandering since I didn't put a torque wrench on them. The driver side tire was squeeling a bit the whole 5 minute drive I took it on to get to the new place so it's been parked this whole time. The rain hasn't been helping either, seems to be every weekend. Didn't have the drive to tow it down to Danville or Winchester last weekend but I am itching to race it again. Gonna hold off on trying to get an extra set of wheels because of how expensive it ended up being but that's definitely in the future at some point. Leaning towards a set of these:

 

[Deceus]

The weekend was mostly a success. The plan was to wake up early Saturday and get to Firestone to get an early alignment in before Harrisonburg C&C. It wasn't bad but I could tell the toe was off a bit. A one hour wait turned into 2 and I just bailed. Picked up my u-haul auto transport and they were finally done a little before noon. Seems my toe in was little more than I thought it was. About a degree on each side. I did at least swing by and say hi to some people at the meet without the car.

Sunday was supposed to be the PCA autocross then Carbs and Cars hosted by VVC but rain kinda ruined those plans. I got 3 runs in the morning and bailed right before my second heat was supposed to start because a bad storm seemed to be moving in real fast. Definitely made the right call because I ran into a few really bad lightening strikes shortly after heading out. I should be bummed but I'm just glad I got 3 good runs in without any incident. Well, except for the time the car wouldn't start back up after I parked it in grid before the first run. It seems I have a bad ground on the fuel pump because I nicked it putting the radiator in. I didn't cuss, I didn't panic ... I just kinda pleaded for a bit and popped the hood to think of anything I messed up in the last day or 2 that could've failed so suddenly and intermittently. Just wiggled the wire a bit and it was good to go. Had some heating issues but the heat index was definitely in the triple digits and it only passed 200 after my 3rd run. Was keeping the engine off with the fan on in between runs so that helped a good bit. I'm hoping once the block is done being flushed it'll cool a bit better. Had issues with a hot start as well but I think some settings on the EFI and some heat insulation on the tank for the fuel pump will likely solve that. Forgot my prop rod so leaving the hood down between runs was likely causes some bad heat soak.

Feels good to finally race this thing like I intended.

 

[Deceus]

Finally got around to getting the scoop on. The manifold air temp sensor on the EFI is reading about 10-15 degrees colder with it on so it's definitely at least somewhat functional. The mechanical fan has been keeping the engine cool just fine so I'm just going to leave it for now. Eventually I'll drop it for the 26" radiator and Ford Contour fan setup since I know that's a working combo. Definitely going to pull the fan and give it the green/black treatment since it sticks out like a sore thumb being the only blue and shiny item under the hood.

Kept smelling coolant when I got out of the car. Couldn't find a drop of it anywhere though so I wrote it off. I was under the hood messing with the EFI later in the day and noticed I got a nice coat of mist on my arm when I reved it. Mystery solved. The upper radiator hose was dripping onto to the fan whenever I gave it some throttle. It was getting vaporized and leaving no trace so I'm glad I found this before running my coolant down low. Fortunately I had a spare coupler laying around since that one was toast from all the times I've had it on/off and cranked down on the clamps.

HUGE fan of the way this thing sounds with the exhaust complete and welded up.

[video=youtube]

 

[Deceus]

My car club was hosting a cruise last Friday and I decided it was time to put this thing to the test. Going down a mountain road seemed a lot more daunting than anything I've done before because of how remote it was and just how bad things can get if some kinda freak accident happens (broken tie rod, losing a brakehose). I've been really wanting to hitup a test and tune at Eastside as well. So when someone mentioned it in the chat I threw out that there's only 2-3 events left this year. So, of course, the plan changed to now include both. Part of me wanted to use this as an excuse to skip out on the cruise but I didn't build this thing to sit in the garage.

Every went well actually. It's still puking a bit of oil out of the front of the intake and out of the breather. Definitely a sign of some high crankcase pressure. Not really sure what's going on but I'll be double checking my pushrods again. Hopefully I didn't bend another set. The valve guides may have burned up and the exhaust valves might still be sticking or maybe I have a ring or 2 that's still not fully seated. Not real sure but this definitely building a case to build a set of trickflow heads when they come out.

After a few introductions we were off. One brave freshmen even asked for a ride along.

Managed to keep up with the Z pretty well. The driver came over and started asking about the suspension because he was so surprised to see me in his rear view mirror. The slower cars up front obviously helped with that. The brakes did well but I definitely need some form of a power booster. I'm probably getting 80% of my stopping power at the moment with the way it's setup now and it takes a lot of pressure to get them to really bite. It's great for modulation though I will say that, just not the best for a steep downhill turn.

We got back just in time to leave for the strip. Eastside was a bit of shitshow. Definitely getting there a little earlier next time but it was wild. No real tech inspections or concerns for safety were seen anywhere. I only had the faintest idea on what I was doing and they were stacking a ton of cars up. Burnouts are definitely easier than I was expecting but I didn't go too crazy with it because of how close everyone was. I tried leaving it in 1st but I hit 5k way too fast. I tried leaving it in 2nd but the engine died when I let off. Might be an EFI issue, probably a driver issue idk. Ran a 9.59 in the 1/8th doing somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-75 so I think that's like a high 14 second 1/4 mile time. Not great but definitely not bad for a street car. Don't have any traction issues so it's time for more power.





Oh yeah the hoodscoop didn't last too long. It didn't actually fly all the way off but the studs I made got pulled out of the scoop. I'm guessing the heat and vibration were too much for the epoxy. I'm gonna have find a better way to adhere it to the hood and make it one piece. My dad is pretty good with fiberglass so I may take the hood with me when I go down for the holidays.

 

[Deceus]

And out comes the engine. Been having crankcase pressure issues from the start that I had fixed when I replaced the pushrods at the beginning of the year. I'm thinking my exhaust valve guides got a little messed up from the lack of oiling. Also managed to pick a 360 block from my dad and may start planning a 408 stroker build. That'll probably sit for a while unless there's a problem with the 318 block.

 

[Marcohotrod]

why are bad pushrods causing crankcase pressure? and how are valve guides lacking oil?