1973 Dodge Dart 4-Door Custom Sedan Rebuild

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No problem, Al.

See, I was told a while back a great line that I've always remembered. 'Speed costs...how fast do you wanna go?'. Seems to ring true to me. Now, if I had acquired a MOPAR with a 318, 340, 400 etc... I would have certainly gone ahead with that rebuild and enjoyed it immensely, I'm sure. However, the fact of my slant six acquisition in no way is a mitigating factor in my enjoyment of this particular build, nor of my Dodge. I'm very happy to save her from the heap and to get as much fun out of driving the old girl as I can.

Here the engine is, as of this afternoon. We're aiming for first ignition next week (fingers crossed).

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Just a bit of a difference from when it rolled in the shop, lol! I should point out, that this is NOT the engine in the above pic. At one point in the car's past, the original engine was pulled and this one took its place. The 225 slant six you see above is the original, numbers-matching engine that I had rebuilt. She's all back to the original configuration now (well, except for the 2bbl upgrade, lol), and yes, those are new inner fenders you see above.

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Shawn..........how’s it going so far? The engine bay seems to be coming along great. OK, talk later.
Al
 
Hey Al (and everyone else):

Sorry, I've been away out of province and just found time to update. The engine was started a few days ago, with much-anticipated enthusiasm. Fired right up and settled right in. Still needs a bit of tweaking (paint the valve cover blue), and the air filter assembly needs to be reworked. We also rebuilt the steering unit. One large job that was also completed, was the removal, unwrapping, inspection cleaning and repair of the entire wiring harness. THAT was one hell of a job, as it had been completely wrapped in electrical tape.

The car is being moved to the body/paint shop this weekend. There is one project ahead of me, so it might be a bit before mine is completed. I'll keep you posted. I found a good used hood and a couple of rechromed bumpers - all at a surprisingly relatively affordable cost. It's coming together!

Shawn

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Thanks for the update Shawn, things are coming along beautifully on your resto. Before you know it you’ll be cruising in style. There’s a big Mopar show coming up this weekend for me called the “Mopars in May” here in town. That’ll be a lot of fun. Cheers, Al
 
Here is my engine. The blue paint was still available from my local Dodge dealer. Part number: P4349217AB
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Dart/Valiant........I’ve enjoyed watching Shawn’s progressive work on his Dart. I can really appreciate what he’s done. I see you’ve done pretty well with your leaning tower of power also. To work with what you all have powering your cars is commendable. It’s so easy to go ahead and make the decision to drop an 8 in our cars, but why? I’ve had my BB cars and I see a lot of them at a lot of car gatherings. I guess I just like the idea of something different.
 
/sixchall said:
Dart/Valiant........I’ve enjoyed watching Shawn’s progressive work on his Dart. I can really appreciate what he’s done. I see you’ve done pretty well with your leaning tower of power also. To work with what you all have powering your cars is commendable. It’s so easy to go ahead and make the decision to drop an 8 in our cars, but why? I’ve had my BB cars and I see a lot of them at a lot of car gatherings. I guess I just like the idea of something different.
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Hello All! Wow, again it's been quite a while since I updated my continuing 'Dart Saga', so I thought I'd touch base (if there is anyone actually out there still interested in my build, lol). The car has been in the body shop for a number of months now.

Delays in getting parts, coupled with some health issues on the part of my bodyman has necessitated a longer project timeline. No big deal...I've always believed in the credo, 'Do it right the first time'. I have swapped out one fiberglass front fender with a good used one that I located locally, and the car was stripped down to metal, with new door pins installed. 6 coats of primer and paint on the old girl!! Used a lot of razor blades, I can tell you! Once stripped, my bodyman repaired all the formerly unseen surprises (oh, so many suprises!!), and now has the car about 3/4 primed. Currently, the trunk is being worked on and I suspect that the primer and paint will be completed by the end of the month (January 2019, fingers crossed). I am also painting the rims the same colour as the car, and plan on running on a set of chrome moon caps. I really like that look.

After she's been painted, it'll be off to the mechanics again, where the final push will take care of: Installation of the new re-chromed bumpers, any ambient pieces of trim that need attention, the DART CUSTOM emblems, new door handles, new mirror, new upper front fender turn indicators will be installed, grillwork (painted black, I think), wheelwell trim, trunk seal and installation of all new exterior lights and lenses. The rear window has to come out, in order to clean up the seal (new one, but wasn't installed correctly), and to replace two damaged rear-window trim pieces. At this point, the engine will be adjusted for max performance, we will finish the air filter assembly build, and I might even dyno the old girl...just for my own personal curiosity's sake! 105 h.p. @ 4,000 rpm was the factory spec, but I think we may have that beat. The rebuild included a bit of porting and I had them shave both the head and the block face to ensure a tight fit. The engine was also overbored by .040. With the few goodies I added to my transmission rebuild, and in view of my upgrade to the Super Six configuration, I hope that i've breathed new life into the old girl. We'll see.....

I've also located a great local vintage car interior restoration place that is taking care of the inner door panels, and the front/rear seat work. New upholstery all over the place!! Ordering a new carpet kit soon and hope to have everything in-place before too long. By the way, if anyone has any idea where I can find a set of front and rear door sill plates for a 1973 Dodge Dart 4-Door Custom Sedan, I'd sure appreciate a push in the right direction. I am having a HELL of a time finding them. They are turning out to be my white whale, YARR!

I will definitely post more pics as the build continues.

Cheers,
Shawn
 
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Shawn.......Hey, hows it going buddy? This is Al in SoCal. Nice to see you’ve really come a long way with the Dart. Happy for ya completion is right around the corner. Sure I’m still interested in your resto/build. I’ll see the completed pics soon. Super Six to liven up the lean over is really a good idea, over other things, everyday road compatibility. I went that route myself, it has proven to be very reliable. Also glad issues concerning the resto were able to be ironed out. Keep us informed.
A Mopar buddy, Al
 
/sixchall said:
Shawn.......Hey, hows it going buddy? This is Al in SoCal. Nice to see you’ve really come a long way with the Dart. Happy for ya completion is right around the corner. Sure I’m still interested in your resto/build. I’ll see the completed pics soon. Super Six to liven up the lean over is really a good idea, over other things, everyday road compatibility. I went that route myself, it has proven to be very reliable. Also glad issues concerning the resto were able to be ironed out. Keep us informed.
A Mopar buddy, Al
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Hey AL! Nice to hear from you. I'm glad to hear that your Super Six upgrade is keeping you happy. I can't wait to get mine out on the road. It went directly from the engine shop to the bodyman, so I have yet to even have her out!! Can't wait. Yes, my fingers are crossed on a timely finish at the bodyshop! I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,
Shawn
 
Appreciate the reply so quickly Shawn. Keep those fingers crossed, best you can do here. Have you decided on another color yet? Heck! even the factory Green will work, why not. AL again.
 
Glad to see the progress on the car.
I sure hope you paint it the dark green it originally was, these cars look great in that colour...........
 
Heya Al and Dartnut!

Yes, as per the original Chrysler products 1973 paint colour chart, it's going to be the original MOPAR DT7746 Dark Green! I love that colour. It'll look great when it's done.
 
For reference, here is a picture that I took a year ago. That damned hateful non-standard side trim is NOT going back on! This is pretty well what 'Lurch' will look like when I'm done, except that all the bodywork and paint will be new (we're about three weeks away from completion of that), the original engine will be back in (it's actually installed now), and the interior will be refinished. Can't wait!

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23 January - Most of the epoxy primer-work is complete. A bit more work on the front port fender, then she'll be ready for paint!




Shawn Ross said:
For reference, here is a picture that I took a year ago. That damned hateful non-standard side trim is NOT going back on! This is pretty well what 'Lurch' will look like when I'm done, except that all the bodywork and paint will be new (we're about three weeks away from completion of that), the original engine will be back in (it's actually installed now), and the interior will be refinished. Can't wait!

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Shawn Ross said:
For reference, here is a picture that I took a year ago. That damned hateful non-standard side trim is NOT going back on! This is pretty well what 'Lurch' will look like when I'm done, except that all the bodywork and paint will be new (we're about three weeks away from completion of that), the original engine will be back in (it's actually installed now), and the interior will be refinished. Can't wait!

View attachment 1715274083
Click to expand...

23 January - Close now. Epoxy work almost completed and paint will go on very shortly.

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Great restoration. What condition are the two lights in the front grill? On my 73 sedan the plastic is all cracked due to age and the area around the light sockets cracked due to Ontario salt. keep up the good work. thanks /six.
 
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