Dartn440
Well-Known Member
A lot to do on this one. First is to make it run well and stop.....
1973 Duster Build
- Thread starter Dartn440
- Start date
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Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Ok. Been busier than a beaver in a pine forest. Offered up a pile of 400 and 440 core motors with not a single bite. Carted the motors and heads to the machine shop and funded the local economy. Both motors cleaned up stock bore. Gotta be happy about that. 74 steel crank, flat tops, 516 closed chamber heads. Should make for a nice motor. 78 cast crank fitted with KB 237 pistons. Going with a bigger cam and a single plane. Still have two 440s and two 400s left when these are done. Parts order time!
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Lessons in discovery still. So I stopped by the machine shop today to see how the old 360 from the silver Dart was faring as it moved up in the line. Now a lot makes sense in why this motor never found reliability. Pistons were 75 thousand down in the hole and may have been for an AMC 360. Not sure if that matters, but the part number doesn’t match with anything speed pro sold for Chrysler. Besides that they weren’t ever going to get me any compression as was advertised by the guy who built it. Two valve guides were worn and even though the heads had bigger valves the bowls were never opened up. Head surfaces were off 20 thousand and the block deck was not straight. All is right now as the motor has seen a new cylinder bore, head resurface and decking. Will get it done right this time and not some shade tree bullshit job to rip me off because I am not standing there.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Worked on assembling the 74 440 some more. Learning a little bit each time as my buddy helps me. Got get that nasty old water neck off. Interesting that Milodon’s dipstick for center sump pan has no markings on it and is set up to bold to valve cover with a tiny short tab.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Details. I kept the stock water pump housing on this and put on a high volume pump on. Needed to change out the water neck. Waiting on a few more parts and on the run stand it goes....got a little more cleaned up here and there. Shop is chock full of E bodies right now with 3 Challengers and a Cuda. No room room for A Bodies right now...lol
That is a nice shop you have.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Not mine. I just dabble in what they would call learning. My buddy owns it. There is a small corner filled with all my **** I have been trying to clear and I have this and one more project outside. Like I said, right now all the bays are full. He put primer on a Satellite today. Two Challengers recently got new roof skins. His son’s Challenger was rewired and now has lights and AC. Couple more B bodies and a Cuda in the works. I learn something new each time I get to go there. He has never done a Panther Pink car....so this will be the first!
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Well I learned to cut wires for the motor and wired the distributor and coil. Ready for the run stand. Cleaned up a **** ton of stuff for sale and some back into BB and SB parts boxes. Dropped off the Air Gap Intake at the machine shop for the 360. Minor setback as the Icon pistons were all the same orientation on the valve reliefs. Will have wait for correct pistons. Crank was balanced and was so far off front and back that there was no way it was ever balanced when the motor was built. Pistons that were in the motor weighed 807 and these are 713. Picked up a set of pistons for a 10.5:1 500 cu 440 stroker Build......later, much later. Couldn’t pass on the price and I have 2 more 440s to build.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Well it’s official. The rustoration has begun. I picked up a set of A body 73 and up front brakes and power brake pedals and such. So today I blasted, cleaned and put a coat of rust inhibitor on. Finalized the pile of parts for another stock bore 440 build. Cleaned up some more of my crap. Down to 2 unmachined 400s and 2 440s and one 360. The shop power washed the engine bay on one of the challengers and the bay will be prepped for paint and receive its 440 transplant. Once it is down the complete 440 will see the run stand. Happy New Year!
Progress is good.
If your buddy needs a roof for a 70 cuda, I have a nice one, that never had a vynal top on it.
If your buddy needs a roof for a 70 cuda, I have a nice one, that never had a vynal top on it.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Look behind the pic of everything piled up for the 440...there is a Cuda buried under sheet metal in there. I will check and see if he needs the skin
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Doug.... do you need any pics of the Duster at this point? I’ve got a boatload of them on my laptop that I’m getting ready to erase. I can send them to you if you have any use for them. It’s not anything that you haven’t already seen by now
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Post a few on here as the PO that document its evolution if you might. Mikey and his son went balls deep on his sons’s Chllanger and damn near have it completely reassembled. 4 parts tables are down to one. There is a GTX on the lift and a complete basket case Cuda in another bay. Then some damn Chebby product in another. 2 Challengers requiring full resto in two spaces and a 79 SWB pickup in the last. Coronet in the paint booth. First thing that gets clear opens up a bay for me to gut this thing! I tried my damndest to get to it while on leave outside, but the weather never was my friend.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
And it’s alive.....
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Traveling this week. Hope to have some time to make a few lists of stuff to get the project going in between everything else that I actually HAVE to do. When I looked at the brake pedal assembly and prepped it, the disc brake assemblies just looked like a monumental task. I know I am going to save money by getting them on the car, but when I see complete kits it is hard .....also can’t figure out why 2” drop spindles are a million bucks?
Couple more things to ensure before I can commit to upgrades??!
HDK Single lower control arm torsion bar eliminator kit
Couple more things to ensure before I can commit to upgrades??!
HDK Single lower control arm torsion bar eliminator kit
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
I have installed the HDK torsion bar elemintaion kit on my 70 Duster. It’s easy to put in, and it gets the torsion bars out of the way so you could probably run B body headers if you’re putting a big block in the Duster. The HDK kit is some of the nicest stuff I have ever seen.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
JD. no big block. This one will have a 360. I have the older version of the complete set up of Denny’s in the Swinger. Went with stock on Demon. Would like to keep stock Kframe with PS and PB on this one. 904 trans is already set up for reverse manual pattern. I’ll need a shifter. Debating on Bench or Buckets. Wifey likes the bench..... check these out.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
If she likes the bench, I’d keep the bench! A friend of mine here in Asheville fixed a factory column shifter to work great with a reverse manual valve body. He took it apart and reworked it to where he started with it in the drive position, and all he had to do was slap it down into 2nd and stop. He then had to pull it back to go into 3rd. He monkeyed with the detents in the factory shifter to do all that. It worked good.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Man I wish I could figure out some stuff like you describe. I struggle with getting simple **** right sometimes. What I am lacking besides a steady flow of cash is time. I carved a bunch out over the holidays. During the week is impossible. When I project forward now at work I am gone one to two weeks each through August. With 3 weeks away in March and August. Time....can’t get more and can’t get it back..
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
It’s alive. Runs. Purrs like a kitten. Needs a light in right rear. Heater blower motor. Second 440 almost together. This one is a bit stout. Then I swear to You I am going after this Duster. Travel, job, and stuff getting in the way!
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
So, is the Dart going to a new home? Sounds like you've got a busy schedule for quite a while! I'm glad you're gonna turn the Duster into something nice. It's a great car to start with.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
JD. The Dart needs the bodywork redone to be nice. That being said it is complete and running. I mean hit the key and it starts. I have never picked up a car like that. I hate like hell to turn it, but whatever I would get would go into the Duster. New dizzy, wires, plugs, ignition box, ballast, oil change, fuel tank.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Got a few hours in at the shop today. Finally sold a 400 but customer wanted it torn down and a cylinder measure to ensure stock bore. All good. Will be on its way to a new home soon. Got after some finish work on getting this stock bore 440 ready to run and sell. KB 237 pistons and a host of brand new stuff should make someone a bit of a beast. I’ll admit...I was happy with my paint job! If it ever quits raining I will get some new pictures of the orange Dart. Gotta go to make room for this one.
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
Icon IC-741 pistons, lunati voodoo .494/.513 lift cam, J heads with port work and new everything, windage tray, milodon pan, 1.5 ratio roller rockers, eddy Air Gap Intake, Block and heads milled, and stuff and things. Will mate to 904 reverse manual to floor shifter. Car comes into the shop next week. Lots to do but ready to start soon!
Dartn440
Well-Known Member
In she came and while I wasn’t looking she started getting naked.
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