'70 Dart 392 Project; what direction?

[DionR]

Just quick comments about the SVR. The truck intake has it on the front.

I've seen that as well and wondered if it would work. At least the TB isn't straight up like the truck 5.7 Eagle intake is, but I wonder if it would clear the hood with an intake tube on it.

Never seen it done, but don't mean it can't be.

Edit - I should add that I have heard that the truck 6.4 intake makes more HP than the truck 5.7 intake does. So it should be a worthy intake to run.

 

[208Dart]

Well starting in on the “painless” wiring...
Got most the way through the instructions before realizing my planned setup isn't going to utilize near as much of this harness as intended. So I'm going through the car and making a list of every electrical feature I can think of, then I'll isolate the harness leads/sections that will be needed, and tie up the rest of the harness out of the way.
I ordered my MS3 Pro Evo system this morning as well! All said and done it's about $400 more expensive than a MS3X assembled box and relay board which seemed worthwhile money spent to save space and not having to fiddle with the trim pots and exterior relays/fuses.

At this point I'm giving myself the month of June to wire the car. If that goes planned then July will be finishing hard components. Fuel/brake lines/driveshaft/exhaust/cooling/steering/AC system...etc

Got a trip at the end of July which has been my original target date for driveability this year, not looking good at this point but it's still a goal

 

[racerjoe]

Well starting in on the “painless” wiring...
Got most the way through the instructions before realizing my planned setup isn't going to utilize near as much of this harness as intended. So I'm going through the car and making a list of every electrical feature I can think of, then I'll isolate the harness leads/sections that will be needed, and tie up the rest of the harness out of the way.
I ordered my MS3 Pro Evo system this morning as well! All said and done it's about $400 more expensive than a MS3X assembled box and relay board which seemed worthwhile money spent to save space and not having to fiddle with the trim pots and exterior relays/fuses.

At this point I'm giving myself the month of June to wire the car. If that goes planned then July will be finishing hard components. Fuel/brake lines/driveshaft/exhaust/cooling/steering/AC system...etc

Got a trip at the end of July which has been my original target date for driveability this year, not looking good at this point but it's still a goal

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The kick panel won't fit with the fuse block mounted right there. It may be OK if you are making custom panels.

 

[208Dart]

The kick panel won't fit with the fuse block mounted right there. It may be OK if you are making custom panels.

Yeah it’s definitely getting moved. Just don’t know where to yet!

Mike

 

[208Dart]

Well finally got a day to make some progress. Business has been crazy busy, haven't had any free time. Relocated fuse panel to passengers side above kick panel. I've got the chassis harness in the engine bay mocked up 90% of the way. Got the underdash wires all marked. I need to finish my dash/instrument cluster rebuild before I start routing/cutting wires underneath.

I need to buy/find a dome light, and I also need to figure out what to do with the passenger fresh air vent opening. Previous owner did a heater core delete so the heater box and vent is gone. I'd like to be able to use the fresh air vent on that side, but may just block it off. My drivers side is missing the door...


Once I get the dash/wiring semi routed I'll be digging into the Megasquirt wiring after that.... this is my least favorite part of the build so far haha

I need to figure out my throttle body setup. Looks like my options are BBK that'll wrap similar to the OEM cables, or I can swap to 92mm LS style throttle body with an adapter. Fitech makes a cheap 92mm throttle body LS style but reviews are hit and miss on it. The holley setup looks very nice and better reviews but requires an LS adapter plate. Anyone done the BBK.

Mike

 

[208Dart]

Making more progress but slowly. Initial testing my headlights would come on as would my dash lights but the headlight switch started turning in an odd manner and now no dash lights and no radio. Will dig into it some more once my new headlight switch shows up tomorrow.
Only turning on marker lights at the moment. Had to modify the rear marker housings to fit a newer style bulb socket. Battery is in the trunk and welded a ground stud to the frame on passengers side. Also got all my lights grounded. Also got the SRV delete plate on and a LS style throttle body with adapter plate. Don’t worry new wiper motor is en route this week as well.

I also noticed that with weight on the hotchkis springs my rear shackle is bottomed out on the frame. At this point I believe my option is a longer shackle or go to spring sliders…

 

[208Dart]

Reworked the wiring on the new headlight switch and things are working much better. Need to dig into my ignition and turn switches next but once I have those “debugged” I think we’ll be ready to move forward on the fuel system wiring.
High beams/low beams/taillights/dash lights/brake lights all work as they should. Turn signals aren’t activating though and when I turn my running lights only on the turn signal indicators in the dash light up but go off when headlights come on.
Also picked up my driveshaft today. 1350 joints and .125” wall 3.5” OD aluminum. Sweet unit!

 

[208Dart]

Been chasing some electrical issues this week but finally got everything working as it should. Had a couple wires wrong causing no turn signals but hazards worked. Got chassis harness about buttoned up minus the door switches, dome light and “looming” everything but going to wait on that until I get done with EFI wiring. Oh and my wiper switch isn’t working but that’s pretty low on the priority list.
Starting back on a pretty healthy to-do list tomorrow. Hoping for more progress instead of chasing fixes!

 

[208Dart]

Good day today.
Set pinion angle and welded spring perches and painted rearend.
Also assembled the CPP efi fuel tank and got it mounted. I’m going to see if I can’t shift it rearward a little more because the rear diff contacts the front of the tank (it’s moved rearward 1.5” from factory).
I shifted the rear end to the forward factory location and everything clears but I prefer the rearward position.

 

[Edsrt]

Good day today.
Set pinion angle and welded spring perches and painted rearend.
Also assembled the CPP efi fuel tank and got it mounted. I’m going to see if I can’t shift it rearward a little more because the rear diff contacts the front of the tank (it’s moved rearward 1.5” from factory).
I shifted the rear end to the forward factory location and everything clears but I prefer the rearward position.

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just wondering when you set up your fuel system how you plan to vent your tank? I have the same tank kit from cpp and was having issues with a fuel leak when the tank is full. I dropped the tank and added Indian shellac to all the screws and seals . Combined the two vent lines together and reinstalled and refilled and still leaks from pump/sender area so I will be dropping tank again. But my duster also has a vent tube on the fill tube and maybe that's all I need.as far as the efi wiring I replaced my dash harness and fuse block with a resto harness and sistered a auxiliary fuse block just for efi and fuel pump

 

[208Dart]

just wondering when you set up your fuel system how you plan to vent your tank? I have the same tank kit from cpp and was having issues with a fuel leak when the tank is full. I dropped the tank and added Indian shellac to all the screws and seals . Combined the two vent lines together and reinstalled and refilled and still leaks from pump/sender area so I will be dropping tank again. But my duster also has a vent tube on the fill tube and maybe that's all I need.as far as the efi wiring I replaced my dash harness and fuse block with a resto harness and sistered a auxiliary fuse block just for efi and fuel pump

I combined the vent on the sending unit and the vent at the top of the tank with vacuum line and put the “rollover vent” up high by one of the upper shock mounts. I used the supplied cork gaskets. If they leak I’d likely reassemble with RTV. The vent on the fill tube I imagine is just supplemental but never hurts to have extra as long as they don’t leak.

I’m unsure of what I’ll be doing on my axle location.
Axle rearward; driveshaft was cut for this length, looks much better. Contacts fuel tank, shackles not at appropriate angle, needs to convert to sliders.
Axle in factory location: Shocks at appropriate angle, shackles at appropriate angle, doesn’t look as good imho, driveshaft still fits but BARELY, no contact with fuel tank…. Decisions decisions
Two pics for reference

 

[208Dart]

Talked with my driveline guy, I’ve got just enough room to run my driveshaft in the forward location, shocks will line up and tank clears without problem.

Although I was originally hoping to run duals out the back I see zero possibility of that happening with my wheels/spring relocation/fuel tank clearances. Could probably snake a 3” on the drivers side but passengers side has zero room.
Going to either be side dumps or turn down at rear axle I think. Hate the turn down has I’ve got a bit of lengthy gravel driveway at home and hate to kick up dust with the exhaust.
Only thing to change would be a fuel cell in the trunk I think and that’s not very appealing.

Mike

 

[racerjoe]

Talked with my driveline guy, I’ve got just enough room to run my driveshaft in the forward location, shocks will line up and tank clears without problem.

Although I was originally hoping to run duals out the back I see zero possibility of that happening with my wheels/spring relocation/fuel tank clearances. Could probably snake a 3” on the drivers side but passengers side has zero room.
Going to either be side dumps or turn down at rear axle I think. Hate the turn down has I’ve got a bit of lengthy gravel driveway at home and hate to kick up dust with the exhaust.
Only thing to change would be a fuel cell in the trunk I think and that’s not very appealing.

Mike

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A good shop can usually make something work. It usually requires having the tips on the outboard side of the leaf springs.

 

[DionR]

Talked with my driveline guy, I’ve got just enough room to run my driveshaft in the forward location, shocks will line up and tank clears without problem.

Although I was originally hoping to run duals out the back I see zero possibility of that happening with my wheels/spring relocation/fuel tank clearances. Could probably snake a 3” on the drivers side but passengers side has zero room.
Going to either be side dumps or turn down at rear axle I think. Hate the turn down has I’ve got a bit of lengthy gravel driveway at home and hate to kick up dust with the exhaust.
Only thing to change would be a fuel cell in the trunk I think and that’s not very appealing.

Mike

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Maybe some ideas here?

Inboard springs, stock gas tank, dual exhaust

Anyone with inboarded springs and stock gas tank running dual exhaust care to share how you ran the tailpipes please? I prefer full length tailpipes but want to tuck them up as high as I can and can’t decide where to position them. Thanks in advance, Bill

www.forabodiesonly.com

 

[208Dart]

Maybe some ideas here?

Inboard springs, stock gas tank, dual exhaust

Anyone with inboarded springs and stock gas tank running dual exhaust care to share how you ran the tailpipes please? I prefer full length tailpipes but want to tuck them up as high as I can and can’t decide where to position them. Thanks in advance, Bill

www.forabodiesonly.com

That's perfect thank you! I did some searching but obviously used the wrong terms. That gives me hope that it can be done, with the hotchkis springs they sit fairly flat and 1" lower than factory so might not be as much room as some of those but we shall see! Thanks Dion!

Mike @ HCA

 

[208Dart]

Clutch and brake pedal linkages are done on the cabin side. Still need to mount reservoir and connect lines in the engine bay but it’s mild progress.

 

[208Dart]

Not looking forward to sorting out the parking brake and brake system. Need to dig into the factory service manual to see how the system is supposed to be configured. Running the Dr. Diff E brake cable with his 10.75” rear disc kit, hopefully they play nice with the subframe connectors and I can sort out the routing. Already looking at threads on here to get an idea of the approach.

Main things to finish up now are parking brake setup, brake lines, fuel lines, speedometer cable, throttle cable, reverse lights switch and neutral safety switch. Once I’ve got those all figured out I feel like I’ll be on the home stretch wiring up the megasquirt and building the exhaust. I’ve never done any those and have nothing to go off of as the car was stripped when I bought it.

Can’t for the life of me decide what mufflers to run. Debating on if I want a quiet daily driver sound with cutouts or just go with a mean sounding setup to begin with… I already wish I would’ve gone with a wilder cam

Mike

 

[DionR]

My car is a '74 so slightly different year, but you are welcome to drive up and crawl around it if you want.

Garage is a mess as I am in the middle of swapping a 5.9 into my '91 TBI Dakota, but we should be able to get it in the air if need be.

Just an idea.

 

[208Dart]

Waiting for the hardware kit still but is there any reason I can’t rout the parking cable through the unused Tbar hole? It’s pretty much a straight shot from firewall down and through. I can make a bushing to mount there pretty dang easily… also need to grab a grommet for the firewall…

 

[Sublime one]

As busy as I am with my own business, time is $$$ and a complete system like the HD is looking more and more attractive. If I could sell everything else I've got for even 20-25% of the cost I'd go that route.



I am more familiar with the MS but haven't tuned anything on it. I megasquirted a '79 Ramcharger of mine back when I was 16 (17 years ago) with a chevy 350 TBI setup. It ran good but it was tuning on a very very basic level. They're lightyears ahead of where they were. My buddies '70 Duster is running MS on a boosted slant 6 and I'll be helping him with the tuning here in the coming months. Will give me a better idea if I want to go that route.

How do the mono's ride on the street? Although I'm sure anything will be better than my 1 ton daily driver at this point...

Still curious if anyone has ran a QA1, Holley midmount, Borgeson box and kept the torsion bars...?

Mike @ HCA

So not to beat a dead horse but I thrash my car pretty regular. Running just North of 500HP in a A body. And I have tried over and over to tear up @HemiDenny front end kit to no avail. (Think drag racing.) Anyway he has a beautiful product that is well engineered and super tuff. Plus he is on this forum and supports the members here. If you call he will actually pick up the phone himself and answer your list of 100 dumb questions! Hah! Ask me how I know. I was on the edge of over my head and he bailed me out with both his know experience and wisdom plus a killer front end kit. I stuffed a Hemi in my car. Great product even better guy.

 

[208Dart]

So not to beat a dead horse but I thrash my car pretty regular. Running just North of 500HP in a A body. And I have tried over and over to tear up @HemiDenny front end kit to no avail. (Think drag racing.) Anyway he has a beautiful product that is well engineered and super tuff. Plus he is on this forum and supports the members here. If you call he will actually pick up the phone himself and answer your list of 100 dumb questions! Hah! Ask me how I know. I was on the edge of over my head and he bailed me out with both his know experience and wisdom plus a killer front end kit. I stuffed a Hemi in my car. Great product even better guy.

Yep it bolted up in this build fairly quickly without too many hiccups and workmanship was very good.

Mike

 

[JBrian]

This is looking another fun A-Body swap!

 

[208Dart]

I'm getting anxious on the build that's for sure!
Got my domelight/door switches wired up, cleaned up some of the underdash wiring and replaced my tailshaft seal with one that doesn't have the protruding rubber boot. Driveshaft fits much better now.
Had to return my speedometer cable and ordered the correct one from Brewers along with hopefully the correct speedometer gear.
Waiting on my firewall grommets to arrive so I can button up throttle cable, speedometer cable, and parking brake cables.

Then I need to mount my hydraulic TO bearing reservoir, order longer hoses for the TO bearing, run brake/fuel lines, wire up neutral safety switch and reverse light switch.

Once that's done I'm moving onto the exhaust system and wiring up the megasquirt.
At this point I've got a few decisions to make.

What mufflers do I want to run? Borla Type S, Magnaflow or....? Going to run a mild steel 3" mandrel bent system with X pipe.

What rear shocks do I want to run?

Also need to install my coldmaster AC/Heat system which will be done when I do my coolant system. So many things yet to do!

Mike

 

[JBrian]

I'm getting anxious on the build that's for sure!
Got my domelight/door switches wired up, cleaned up some of the underdash wiring and replaced my tailshaft seal with one that doesn't have the protruding rubber boot. Driveshaft fits much better now.
Had to return my speedometer cable and ordered the correct one from Brewers along with hopefully the correct speedometer gear.
Waiting on my firewall grommets to arrive so I can button up throttle cable, speedometer cable, and parking brake cables.

Then I need to mount my hydraulic TO bearing reservoir, order longer hoses for the TO bearing, run brake/fuel lines, wire up neutral safety switch and reverse light switch.

Once that's done I'm moving onto the exhaust system and wiring up the megasquirt.
At this point I've got a few decisions to make.

What mufflers do I want to run? Borla Type S, Magnaflow or....? Going to run a mild steel 3" mandrel bent system with X pipe.

What rear shocks do I want to run?

Also need to install my coldmaster AC/Heat system which will be done when I do my coolant system. So many things yet to do!

Mike

Wiring is so much fun isn't it! I went with a American Autowire kit and tied my Megasquirt Goldbox into it. I run Bilsteins all around from Peter Bergman. I also purchased the Pypes 2.5" X-pipe system and their Turbo mufflers which are very quiet. Hope that helps!

 

[DionR]

All is well? Making any progress?

You are probably just busy with work, but thought I would ask.