You are probably right! I think they must have been very practic for farmers, contractors and service stations world wide.
65 Dart Wagon Conversion to a Sedan Delivery
- Thread starter 65 Dartman
- Start date
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john dodge
downunder wonder
Yes we have plenty of utes down here..
But here's a interesting one I found on fb the other day...made from a hardtop....with lower roof line than the sedan...im thinking its not a factory thing..but in south america who knows
That little dot of light is starting to get a little brighter and a little bigger! After using my combo flanger/hole punch to punch 60 plus holes around the perimeter of that big passenger side panel, got it spot welded in place.
Now it’s cleaning up all those spot welds in prep for a skim coat of filler
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Excellent work Don. Question? Do you use any sealant/gasketing between the fabricated panel and the frame? Always a joy to see your progress.....looking forward to seeing the finished product. SDD....Sedan Delivery Don. Great to see a unique project such as yours. How's the dash coming along....any color scheme for the exterior picked out yet? Best. sgrip65
Hi Jerry - no gasket or sealant; however, it is really tight against the flanges and pair of braces. It will be water-tight when finished.
Dash - I really need to hit it with the sandblaster so I can finish it up. Once it is assembled I will bag and store it in the rafters till it’s time to install it.
Paint - it was originally white (WW1) with the blue metallic interior. I liked the color combo so I’m going to leave it that way. I’m toying with the idea of the 65 Dart GT racing stripe right down the middle in blue. Just thinking about it right now. I might have to add something to break up all the white on the sides so thinking about that as well. Still A long ways to go before I get to that point!
Dash - I really need to hit it with the sandblaster so I can finish it up. Once it is assembled I will bag and store it in the rafters till it’s time to install it.
Paint - it was originally white (WW1) with the blue metallic interior. I liked the color combo so I’m going to leave it that way. I’m toying with the idea of the 65 Dart GT racing stripe right down the middle in blue. Just thinking about it right now. I might have to add something to break up all the white on the sides so thinking about that as well. Still A long ways to go before I get to that point!
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Even though most of the emphasis has been on the exterior, I can’t forget about the interior. I used the upper door sill from the rear doors on each side to give it some continuity from the front doors to where it continues over the wheel wells. Where the rear door skins are mounted, I made a somewhat oversized paper pattern of the opening and copied it to sheet metal. Prior to the start of the installation, I also cut out each panel for the new Pioneer 6x9 speakers I’ve had forever. I’ll use nutcerts to secure the speakers after the interior gets painted. Then it was cut and fit, punch holes around the perimeter to spot weld each one in place. I still need to do the upper inside, which I’ll do after I receive my new 3 point seat belts.
Driver’s side:
Passenger side:
Brand new speaker(s):
Driver’s side:
Passenger side:
Brand new speaker(s):
67dartgtgo
Well-Known Member
I’m dying to see this one come along. Verrry cool indeed.
Hello Don. Pretty darned SPECIAL indeed. Hang in there Don, and it will get done. Can not wait to see its completion. Your interior will be unique as well? I know that the dash is not original to the 65 Dart, as well the front seats. Any special plans for the interior back side area? Keep up the great work. sgrip65
Thanks! Slowly but surely it’s coming together!
Hi Jerry - you are correct! Dash frame is from a 66 Barracuda with the cluster also from a 66. The cluster has been re-worked by Dakota Digital and uses digital gauges. The center of the dash frame has been re-worked to include the power rear window switch, a lighter socket for charging phones, heated front seat switches and idiot lights for DOOR AJAR and FASTEN SEST BELTS (gotta think of safety, right!).
Front and rear folddown rear seat are from a 66 Barracuda covered in the 66 Barracuda pattern but in the 65 metallic blue - special order from Legendary.
I’m waiting on my 3 point seat belts for the front before starting any work on the rear upper side panels- they’ll definitely be finished though.
That all sounds absolutely great. To think of that combination, and then fabricate this all together.....WOW. Truly this will be a one of a kind eye catcher. This car will be fantastic to see on the street or the show for sure. sgrip65
Well, it’s time to start doing something about the quarter panels. I have plenty of access to the passenger side so that’s where I’ll start. I knew the lower outer skin was riddled with pinholes. Pics taken after removal to get better access to the inner panel.
and I could see by the wheel lip a pretty big rust hole on the inner panel.
The rest of the inner panel looked good. I will coat it with POR15.
Fabricated a patch panel for the inner panel. 3 different bends on this baby!
After cleaning up the inner panel, it will get this welded in, then see what I can do about the outer quarter panel. I have an idea or two about them. I will post my solution once I see if it will work.
and I could see by the wheel lip a pretty big rust hole on the inner panel.
The rest of the inner panel looked good. I will coat it with POR15.
Fabricated a patch panel for the inner panel. 3 different bends on this baby!
After cleaning up the inner panel, it will get this welded in, then see what I can do about the outer quarter panel. I have an idea or two about them. I will post my solution once I see if it will work.
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Hello Don. Your quarters brings back some "HORRIBLE" memories.....been there done that. With your skills, you will get it done well. Does a wagon take the same quarter patch as a sedan or HT? Probably not. I would like to give you a like on these pics, but I know what your up against by my own experiences. A donor car would be handy. I do like what you are doing. Great work. Has your grandson been back to help you out? sgrip65
Hi Jerry - 63-65 wagon quarters are unique to wagon’s and I believe 66 wagon’s are their own breed as well. I will be trying something after I get the inner panels squared away. By all means like the pics!
Grandson has not been back as he has a job on weekends at a gym where lots of young ladies tend to hang out. 17 and young ladies combo - you understand lol!
Grandson has not been back as he has a job on weekends at a gym where lots of young ladies tend to hang out. 17 and young ladies combo - you understand lol!
About 4 or 5 days ago I finally finished lots of measuring and aligning all the pieces of the roof rack I’m adding. Every time I would move one side of the perimeter, the other side would move. I finally talked my helper to hold one side still while I adjusted the other side. Once satisfied with the alignment side to side, I center punched and drilled each stanchion’s mounting hole - 8 total - for the right size for the appropriate size nutcerts . Then it was more side to side alignments plus front to back spacing for the 3 cross pieces to each end cross piece. Mission accomplished!
You might have noticed the rack sitting on the roof in other pics - it was just sitting there till I got around to taking care of getting it exactly where I wanted it. This pic was taken on Dec14th
i expect to receive parts of my other roof rack back from the refinisher soon so when I get them back, I’ll disassemble this extra rack and list it for sale.
You might have noticed the rack sitting on the roof in other pics - it was just sitting there till I got around to taking care of getting it exactly where I wanted it. This pic was taken on Dec14th
i expect to receive parts of my other roof rack back from the refinisher soon so when I get them back, I’ll disassemble this extra rack and list it for sale.
I contacted Rick@Laysons for some good pics of the 65 Valiant/Barracuda lower quarter panel repair patches. It appears they rolled under the quarter panel just like the wagon’s and the shape was the same other than right at the wheelwell lip.. I figured Nothing ventured nothing gained. I ordered both sides just prior to their 20% off sale which ended Dec31st and they didn’t look like they would work out, I’ll return them or sell them. After fitting them I found the wagon quarters are about 2 or 3 inches longer in length than the repair panels at the wheelwell. If I moved the patch panel forward to the wheel lip and trimmed at the back where there were no pin holes, it will fit. Tacked in place:
And pretty much now in place other than some filling a couple of holes and minor grinding:
And pretty much now in place other than some filling a couple of holes and minor grinding:
Hi Don. As always......looks great. If I understand correctly, all of your interior is ready for the install? At least the front seat area? Your dash looks nice as well. Maybe after your trip and the Nats, your next winter's work will see that car on the car show circuit!! Looking forward to it. Keep up the nice work. sgrip65
Hi Jerry - the back seat is done as in reupholstered. Prior to doing the upholstery I did fit and install both the bottom and seat back cores to the wagon. The Barracuda seat back bolts right to the built-in studs on the wheelwell as long as the Barracuda brackets are used. The front seats are waiting to get reupholstered. Both fronts will get heated cushions and seat backs for those cold winter drives. The driver’s seat is getting an adjustable lumbar support for my back.
No show car circuit as I intend to drive and enjoy it for as long as I can.
No show car circuit as I intend to drive and enjoy it for as long as I can.
Don. A daily driver.....sounds just right. JJ
My clutch leg’s hip is so bad I’m not able to get it up high enough to push the clutch in. So I made the decision to go with an automatic. The only one I currently have is a rebuilt A500, so that’s what I’ll use. I know that the early A is gonna require some major floorpan and crossmember mods. I after looking at the upper crossmember at a Barracuda carcass I had, I thought that if I cut it out and modified it, it just might work rather than fabricating a new section. So I removed the center part of the part of the upper crossmember, then sliced it in half in the middle and added new metal so that it had plenty of room around the A500 transmission where the lower transmission support is mounted. It turned out pretty well and leaves an inch or so clearance on the sides of the A500. I felt I could adjust the height during installation to the crossmember in the wagon.
Well, nothing ventured nothing gained and time to start slicing and dicing as the saying goes! After rolling a core tranny under to see what I’m working with before any cuts were made. First remove a decent section of the tunnel to see what’s what. Then time to cut out the upper crossmember support leaving plenty of material on each side for fine tuning and adjusting the height of my fabricated piece. I see that more of the front and rear of the tunnel is going need to be removed for additional clearance. I knew this mod wasn’t gonna be done quick!
Well, nothing ventured nothing gained and time to start slicing and dicing as the saying goes! After rolling a core tranny under to see what I’m working with before any cuts were made. First remove a decent section of the tunnel to see what’s what. Then time to cut out the upper crossmember support leaving plenty of material on each side for fine tuning and adjusting the height of my fabricated piece. I see that more of the front and rear of the tunnel is going need to be removed for additional clearance. I knew this mod wasn’t gonna be done quick!
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Well, that’s what I get for thinking that I could adjust the height of the crossmember during installation! I need around another 2 inches of clearance at the top to clear the transmission. I made a paper pattern of what I already constructed and added 2 inches on the pattern to both sides. The very top of the crossmember also needs to be shortened since the sides are going to be lengthened. Got it all assembled and welded together and test fit to the transmission - plenty of room to the sides and top of the transmission.
To fabricate the lower transmission support I think it will be prudent to assemble the transmission to the motor and motor to the K Frame so that the exact front to back transmission relationship to the new lower support is exact.
Next is to start fabricating a new tunnel. For ease of fabrication I think it will need to be constructed in several sections and welded together.
You're doing great fabrications Don! It will turn out great.
Keith Mopar
Mopar Nut
Great work, It's amazing how much bigger the rear of the trans is for the OD unit.
Yes that sucker is much bigger than a 904 or 727 is the azz end
What's the gear ratio? 0.85?
I believe it is .69 in OD
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