I thought I would say a few words over my dearly departed 72 dart.
It was a present from my Daughter and Son-in-law, Nicest present I ever received.
I use to tell my Son -in-law about my 70 340 Swinger that I had back in the 70's and they took it upon themselves to help me relive a little of my youth.
My best friend called me up and said I need to come over to his house right now with no questions asked. A bit confused I showed up at his house about a half hour later. After a few couple drinks I asked him what was so important that I had to come over in such a hurry. His response was Oh nothing I just wanted you to come over and have a drink with me.
I left his place and when I arrived home my wife and kids where standing out in the front yard waiting. When I pulled into the driveway this is what I seen.
Dammed if it didn't make me cry!
Shortly after that we started redoing the interior, It had a broke down bench seat in it and the dark green on the inside didn't match the outside.
We pulled the motor overhauled it, put in a bigger cam and had the heads reworked.
We built a shop in the backyard to keep it in and for working on it.
About a year ago I noticed the torsion bar was bent on the drivers side. Funny thing was I could never get it to handle very well it was almost scary to take out on the freeway because it liked to dance all over the place.
The motor also developed a curios knock so in the shop it went and we pulled the heads off. Figured out that the shop that did the heads had screwed them all up and had to have them redone.
In the mean time decide to go ahead and pull the motor and tranny paint the engine bay body color and overhaul the 904.
Well when we started cleaning the bay up Larry noticed something funny with the frame rail on the driver side about even with the firewall.
I handed him a screwdriver and he knocked out a huge chunk of bondo that was covering up a big rusted out hole in the frame rail.
So we put the dart up on jack stands and started going over it underneath to see if any other bondo patch jobs existed. They did all over and where sprayed over with undercoating so you couldn't see them very well.
This was covered up with fiber glass and under coating too.
This is what was found in the trunk when we got to digging. Funny thing was you couldn't see any of it till we made the decision to use it for a parts car for another dart. when we got to digging it almost fell apart.
So now here is what is left of it and will soon be making it's way to parts car heaven.
Ross might be coming to haul the carcass off so it can at least help save some other darts some where down the line.
So here's where my tale of whoa ends. But parts of it will live on in the project I have sitting in the shop and one thing I know there won't be any rust cover ups on this one and it will be safe to drive down the road!
It was a present from my Daughter and Son-in-law, Nicest present I ever received.
I use to tell my Son -in-law about my 70 340 Swinger that I had back in the 70's and they took it upon themselves to help me relive a little of my youth.
My best friend called me up and said I need to come over to his house right now with no questions asked. A bit confused I showed up at his house about a half hour later. After a few couple drinks I asked him what was so important that I had to come over in such a hurry. His response was Oh nothing I just wanted you to come over and have a drink with me.
I left his place and when I arrived home my wife and kids where standing out in the front yard waiting. When I pulled into the driveway this is what I seen.
Dammed if it didn't make me cry!
Shortly after that we started redoing the interior, It had a broke down bench seat in it and the dark green on the inside didn't match the outside.
We pulled the motor overhauled it, put in a bigger cam and had the heads reworked.
We built a shop in the backyard to keep it in and for working on it.
About a year ago I noticed the torsion bar was bent on the drivers side. Funny thing was I could never get it to handle very well it was almost scary to take out on the freeway because it liked to dance all over the place.
The motor also developed a curios knock so in the shop it went and we pulled the heads off. Figured out that the shop that did the heads had screwed them all up and had to have them redone.
In the mean time decide to go ahead and pull the motor and tranny paint the engine bay body color and overhaul the 904.
Well when we started cleaning the bay up Larry noticed something funny with the frame rail on the driver side about even with the firewall.
I handed him a screwdriver and he knocked out a huge chunk of bondo that was covering up a big rusted out hole in the frame rail.
So we put the dart up on jack stands and started going over it underneath to see if any other bondo patch jobs existed. They did all over and where sprayed over with undercoating so you couldn't see them very well.
This was covered up with fiber glass and under coating too.
This is what was found in the trunk when we got to digging. Funny thing was you couldn't see any of it till we made the decision to use it for a parts car for another dart. when we got to digging it almost fell apart.
So now here is what is left of it and will soon be making it's way to parts car heaven.
Ross might be coming to haul the carcass off so it can at least help save some other darts some where down the line.
So here's where my tale of whoa ends. But parts of it will live on in the project I have sitting in the shop and one thing I know there won't be any rust cover ups on this one and it will be safe to drive down the road!
