74 Dart 360 Sport

[4.7Light]

Seat bolts welded in and holes drilled for lower brace. Installed the seat covers and installed the upper back seat. The seats are very comfortable and I will put in the side boltster and I'm done.

Onto headliner install, put front carpet back in, fabricate side cover front of console, finish dash pad edge in black, replace new windshield, some other stuff outside to tinker with. Still need to install AC lines and I want to clean up wire harness under hood wrap on fabric tape. Oh replace fuel line from pump to carb with pfte. I already have all this stuff just taking my time.

 

[4.7Light]

Side boltster are in and bottom bolted in. Included picture using the back support.
1. The seats are very comfortable and functional.
2. Factory lap belts work great.
3. I kept the hinge attachments and can use the holes for child seat as I cut off the hinge side that goes to floor.
4. These seats cost 85 dollars. Trip for gas to pick up and I had to weld bottom to brackets and added a 1/8 thick 2 inch wide 30 long piece for bottom bracket. To long 1/4 inch carrier bolts welded to plate. Some washers and nuts! I have maybe 100 invested.
5. The seats look amazing and fit great as if made for car. No trimming on interior two small holes drilled for back support bottom pictured.

6. I would never recover a 50 year old seat again for a non collectable car. Lesson learned I thought I would like stock but I'm a restomod guy. No disrespect just what I like.

 

[4.7Light]

Fighting an issue with my serpentine AC belt it's riding forward coming out of the ribs. I can't seem to figure out which way the pump needs to go resolve power steering is fine straight as an arrow this has no groove guide and I think at high rpm bump jumps out I can produce I drove I have tried many times. Checked March performance and directions. Not sure what simple things I'm missing.....

 

[mosleyme]

View attachment 1716291347

View attachment 1716291348

Maybe too tight? I wonder if something flexes at load.

Serpentine belts tighten on one side at RPM. That is why they should really be designed with a true tensioner. I had a buddy that put one on his 350 Chevy back in the early 90's without a tensioner and it bent his water pump first time he hit close to 7,000 rpm.

How is the back of the AC compressor held in place?

 

[4.7Light]

Maybe too tight? I wonder if something flexes at load.

Serpentine belts tighten on one side at RPM. That is why they should really be designed with a true tensioner. I had a buddy that put one on his 350 Chevy back in the early 90's without a tensioner and it bent his water pump first time he hit close to 7,000 rpm.

How is the back of the AC compressor held in place?

The bottom bolt underneath goes clear through holes to the back bracket bolted to head with spacers on the bolt. I will lose it up a bit I think you may be right on to tight.

 

[4.7Light]

Looked at it long enough and I have a solution to it. Moving that strut towards engine more. Will add a rear one of needed.

 

[4.7Light]

Done I will check angle with angle finder as well. Bolt goes clear to back now loosen rest and pulled it up. You cant have a crooked strut and I would not buy March Performance again. I had it as they setup for install. This is far superior, not sure who designed that other late 80s non sense.

 

[4.7Light]

New 4 bow headliner going in. They were way to proud of the abs repops. Ridiculous prices!

 

[mygasser]

Done I will check angle with angle finder as well. Bolt goes clear to back now loosen rest and pulled it up. You cant have a crooked strut and I would not buy March Performance again. I had it as they setup for install. This is far superior, not sure who designed that other late 80s non sense.

View attachment 1716291797

could you not rotate the ac compressor so the hoses won't stick up in the air right at the front of the motor? from memory the mounting lugs are spaced evenly all round. it seems to be the norm to have the hoses stuck up top, but if it could be tidier it'd sure be nicer visually.
neil.

 

[4.7Light]

Really hard to take pictures of these installs! Headliner is going to be great working out well.

 

[4.7Light]

Coming along I will pull tighter and work on some more tomorrow. This takes a while patience is the way with these. Don't rush it!

 

[missing linc]

Looking good!

 

[4.7Light]

Back is nearly done some tucking and gluing to do.

 

[4.7Light]

What are you all doing for replacing the 8 1/4 rear. I want something different that I can have fun doing custom, not just a 8 3/4. No know Jaguar IRS is an option. What else open to some ideas that I can take from other car. Challenger rear cradle looke to be to big for the job without major surgery.

Car will be doing some Hallet track time eventually and I want it safe. Brakes front and rear will be on the upgrade as torsion bars stay for now budget and all.

 

[DionR]

What are you all doing for replacing the 8 1/4 rear. I want something different that I can have fun doing custom, not just a 8 3/4. No know Jaguar IRS is an option. What else open to some ideas that I can take from other car. Challenger rear cradle looke to be to big for the job without major surgery.

Car will be doing some Hallet track time eventually and I want it safe. Brakes front and rear will be on the upgrade as torsion bars stay for now budget and all.

If you wanted something new to try, RideTech released a FoxBody IRS kit. I've been planning to take some measurements of my rear frame rails to see if maybe it could be adapted to a Duster.

Fox Body Mustang IRS Suspension system

Ridetech's IRS suspension system is for 1979-1993 Fox Body Mustangs, is 100% bolt-on, and utilizes 2015-2023 Mustang driveline/brake components.

ridetech.com

Not cheap and it looks like you have to buy axles separately, but the overall width should work if I remember correctly as the FoxBody 8.8. is about the same width as a '65-67 B-Body. No idea if the frame rale widths are even similar though.

My budget restricted plan right now for my '73 G3/T56 swap car is to grab an 8.8 out of a Crown Vic since they use a 3" axle tube. I am going to use Moser axle ends 7750K so I can bolt on '05+ Mustang brakes and delete the c-clip as the Moser ends us a press on 9" axle bearing.

Bottom dollar, I will make sure to grab an '05+ CV axle and just narrow the housing and get custom or shortened axles. The '05+ CV 8.8 got 31 spline axles and the brakes are even bigger than a 2010 GT500.

My only real concern with the CV 8.8 is the axle shaft size at the wheel bearing. They are kind of small in my mind. But plenty of people run them without problems so probably just me overthinking things.

Oh and a CV axle will require me to re-gear it as they didn't have many options for gear ratios beyond a 3.55 in the police models and I will probably need something deeper with my T56. Might not be an issue for you though with your 8A.

 

[4.7Light]

If you wanted something new to try, RideTech released a FoxBody IRS kit. I've been planning to take some measurements of my rear frame rails to see if maybe it could be adapted to a Duster.

http://[URL]https://ridetech.com/product/1979-1993-mustang-irs-rear-suspension-system/

[/URL]

Not cheap and it looks like you have to buy axles separately, but the overall width should work if I remember correctly as the FoxBody 8.8. is about the same width as a '65-67 B-Body. No idea if the frame rale widths are even similar though.

My budget restricted plan right now for my '73 G3/T56 swap car is to grab an 8.8 out of a Crown Vic since they use a 3" axle tube. I am going to use Moser axle ends 7750K so I can bolt on '05+ Mustang brakes and delete the c-clip as the Moser ends us a press on 9" axle bearing.

Bottom dollar, I will make sure to grab an '05+ CV axle and just narrow the housing and get custom or shortened axles. The '05+ CV 8.8 got 31 spline axles and the brakes are even bigger than a 2010 GT500.

My only real concern with the CV 8.8 is the axle shaft size at the wheel bearing. They are kind of small in my mind. But plenty of people run them without problems so probably just me overthinking things.

Oh and a CV axle will require me to re-gear it as they didn't have many options for gear ratios beyond a 3.55 in the police models and I will probably need something deeper with my T56. Might not be an issue for you though with your 8A.

I saw the fox body searching wondered about it.

 

[DionR]

I saw the fox body searching wondered about it.

Edited!

I was curious to see if they had any frame rail measurement so I read the instructions and thought that they use the Mustang upper shock mount for the coil over mount. So I thought a swap into a Duster would require the fabrication of a shock mount to duplicate this.

I was wrong. The cradle is self contained and mounts the top of the coil over. There might be clearnace issues with the UCA, but it doesn't look like it takes any more fabrication than mounting the cradle and fixing whatever clearance issues that creates (gas tank, etc.)

 

[missing linc]

Explorer 8.8 differentials use 3.73or 4.10 gears, often with limited slip carriers.

 

[DionR]

Explorer 8.8 differentials use 3.73or 4.10 gears, often with limited slip carriers.

Right. But they use a 3.25" axle tube, can't mount a vented rotor brake setup and the diff is offset and too short on the short side for my use. My point was only that I doubt anyone will find a CV axle in a pick and pull with a ratio that works for anyone that doesn't have a 8HP.

My ultimate cheap swap idea was to pull a CV axle at a pull and save, rip the stock ring, pinion and carrier out of it and "install" a better gear ratio and locker from an Explorer before taking it too the counter. Really long day, and is dependent on both axles being available in the yard at the same time. Worse case, I would buy both at separate times and swap the parts at home.

 

[missing linc]

Right. But they use a 3.25" axle tube, can't mount a vented rotor brake setup and the diff is offset and too short on the short side for my use. My point was only that I doubt anyone will find a CV axle in a pick and pull with a ratio that works for anyone that doesn't have a 8HP.

My ultimate cheap swap idea was to pull a CV axle at a pull and save, rip the stock ring, pinion and carrier out of it and "install" a better gear ratio and locker from an Explorer before taking it too the counter. Really long day, and is dependent on both axles being available in the yard at the same time. Worse case, I would buy both at separate times and swap the parts at home.

Makes sense to get everything you need in one stop, if possible.

 

[DionR]

Makes sense to get everything you need in one stop, if possible.

Agreed.

Seems like the Explorers are getting rarer in the yards, but worst case I can at least buy new gears in a ratio that works for me. If you want something taller than 3.2x new, you are out of luck as far as I have seen. Not that I have done an exhaustive search, but I was curious about the idea of a 8HP and started looking to see if I could get a taller gear to match and gave up after awhile.

 

[4.7Light]

Agreed.

Seems like the Explorers are getting rarer in the yards, but worst case I can at least buy new gears in a ratio that works for me. If you want something taller than 3.2x new, you are out of luck as far as I have seen. Not that I have done an exhaustive search, but I was curious about the idea of a 8HP and started looking to see if I could get a taller gear to match and gave up after awhile.

I would on a ZF not go any higher than a 3.23 or 3.08. For me I think the 2.94 is perfect. When you get on it, it's a pure adrenaline rush. The car just screams in like half a second it's faster than any I have ever driven. You can hear and feel it flying through the gears and speedo is racing to 100 and on in short order. I have only braved 120 to 140 a few times. The car never stopped accelerating. My wits and nerves backed out.

Front brakes are fine but I want disc rear and Oklahoma roads are awful so suspension and Borgensen box are needed. Front is rebuilt and upgraded but steering box is old close ratio. Would rather have the room from the upgrade. The whole point is to eventually track up the car a bi at Hallet racing. With the large sway bars and tires I'm impressed handling is good. IRS would make it better not cheap but that was never the point. Once I did the engine and ZF watching bills sort of went away. What was that receipt no matter. For sure it's an addiction for me and a huge stress relief. I never leave the garage bummed after a drive or working on car all smiles. Driving to work today!