Dart Lite Resto (sorta, kinda..)

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toolmanmike said:
Gas Tank Strap J-Bolts and Nuts Pair, Fuel Tank Straps/Hardware, MP-GT8131 Reproduction, NOS and Used Mopar Muscle Car Parts MegaParts may be able to help.
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Got some, but all info is appreciated. Thanks

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RustyRatRod said:
Man that thing is a big PILE of badass. You better not chop it up. LOL
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Definitely no chopping here. Everything that is being done to it can easily be put back to original. Not that it matters for me considering the history I have with this car, because unless something drastic happens I plan to never sell it. My 19 y/o daughter said to me “when you kick the bucket I get the car right?”
I do worry about if something happens some parts are irreplaceable. Like the hood for instance. Not a lot of aluminum braced hoods laying around. ( The crimped edges are always a tell-tale sign of them.)

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It may be 4 if you count the one on the car. I started collecting stuff over 20 years ago when I built my car for IHRA Stock/Crate Motor. (IHRA dropped class racing & went bracket only after the 2017 season.) Hood saves about 12-15 lbs off the front. Also have a Lite/Feather trunk on the car which saves about 1/2 of that. Sold an aluminum inner bumper reinforcement to a guy who restored a Butch Leal Modified class Duster. HUGE difference in weight between the steel & aluminum versions. My car actually started as a '74 Duster and I had a Feather Duster hood once. Stayed with the OEM standard front bumper/brackets and kept the rear shock style brackets & bumper for weight where it did the most good. I also met a guy to buy a hood/trunk combo from a Lite or Feather one day. Paint matched, but trunk was all steel. Chrysler may have run out of trunk lids at some point.

Did you know Dart Sport hoods can be used on '69 Barracudas? Just gotta use the later model hinges because bolt spacing is a bit different on the hood. Closest hood springs for a Lite/Feather are on FWD Daytonas, Shadows, etc. But they are just a hair too weak to keep the hood open "safely" for long, so I also use a broom stick. Not sure how much the added scoop weight factors in.

There have been at least a couple of Lites for sale and/or parted out here in the last year.
 
Locomotion said:
It may be 4 if you count the one on the car. I started collecting stuff over 20 years ago when I built my car for IHRA Stock/Crate Motor. (IHRA dropped class racing & went bracket only after the 2017 season.) Hood saves about 12-15 lbs off the front. Also have a Lite/Feather trunk on the car which saves about 1/2 of that. Sold an aluminum inner bumper reinforcement to a guy who restored a Butch Leal Modified class Duster. HUGE difference in weight between the steel & aluminum versions. My car actually started as a '74 Duster and I had a Feather Duster hood once. Stayed with the OEM standard front bumper/brackets and kept the rear shock style brackets & bumper for weight where it did the most good. I also met a guy to buy a hood/trunk combo from a Lite or Feather one day. Paint matched, but trunk was all steel. Chrysler may have run out of trunk lids at some point.

Did you know Dart Sport hoods can be used on '69 Barracudas? Just gotta use the later model hinges because bolt spacing is a bit different on the hood. Closest hood springs for a Lite/Feather are on FWD Daytonas, Shadows, etc. But they are just a hair too weak to keep the hood open "safely" for long, so I also use a broom stick. Not sure how much the added scoop weight factors in.

There have been at least a couple of Lites for sale and/or parted out here in the last year.
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That’s pretty fascinating stuff! I always like hearing about different encounters and stories people have run into over the years
 
The original springs were 4-leaf. Over time the rear began to sag, and one day there was a noticeable difference in ride height on the right side, after inspecting I found one of the leaves had broken. There was an 1 1/2" difference in ride heightfrom right to left. I got in new springs (6-leaf) and it made the entire stance new and was a vast improvement. I had on a couple a hundred miles on the springs when I parked here due to steering issues. It just got dangerous to drive too much, with somewhere between 8-10" of free play on the wheel. There was over 6" of steering wheel movement in the steering gear alone without even moving the pitman arm.
 
Preview of parts to go on. Upper and lower control arms, idler arm, ball joints, tie rods and adjusters, torsion bars, cam bolt kit, shocks, various bushings and new manual steering gear unit

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Cool that you have owned the Lite for so long. Keep us posted on the work.
I had a FeatherDuster a few years back and drove it 70 mi trip to workand back for a couple years till I traded it off. It came from Al. to Mo. Yes MO is Missouri not Montana guys!!! LOL
 
Ok so the toughest challenge I’ve had in quite a while was removing the front fasteners on the strut rods. 40+ yrs of corrosion and grime made them a MF B*TCH!

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On the other hand this cheap $5 magnetic light from harbor freight is one of the best $5 investments ever

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Front suspension is out.
The torsion bars were stubborn. But being I was removing the LCA’s I figured I would remove the fastener holding the LCA in place, a few hits on the LCA should loosen the torsion bar. Until I saw the right engine mount was so worn that it was resting on the LCA spindle nut. Solution: Jack the engine up enough to take the mount off the nut, then remove the nut to remove the LCA to loosen the torsion bar to remove it all. (*whew* Man that was a mouthful) It worked though! 2 hits with a rubber mallet loosened everything and the LCA and torsion bar came right out. Same for the other side.
Time for some clean up. Years of grease and grime need to be removed. Not me, the Dart. Well maybe me as well.
It was a good way to spend a holiday weekend.

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A few shots of the removal. I still have the steering unit to come out but it’s a whole lot easier to get to with everything gone.
The current one sound and feels like tiny rocks grinding when you pivot the pitman arm.

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Got some parts in ,Not all of them, one still on backorder, but I did get a good start today. Left Side torsion bar, control arm, strut rod, and new steering gear in. Tomorrow I tackle the right side. The new torsion bars are 1.03"

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So while waiting on a few parts to get here I decided to do a digital rendering of Lizzie. That way I can try out different color body and wheels, make a few changes and basically draw her up the way I want her to look. Here's a few screen shots:

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