Dodge Dart Sport

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RiderOfCerberus

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Hello,

This is my first forum post, so I apologize if
it sucks. This might possibly be my first A body, so im sorry if it sucks as well...:lol:

Here we go

My grandfather wants to sell me his 1974 Dodge Dart Sport.
Its got "360-4 4 barrel engine from a 75 charger. tf904 3 speed automatic tranny. Suretrac 8 1/2" rearend, with 3.55 gears just rebuilt. Brand new interior."

Its a sweet looking car, and itd be my first muscle car. Im very excited to get it.

I have several questions, but most important ones are;

1) What are common issues with these cars? Is that 360 a good engine?
2) I prefer the Dusters square front end piece over the Darts chiseled front, is it possible swap that front out? how difficult is it?
3) Do they make supercharger kits for that engine? I havent had any luck finding one.

Thanks
 
Welcome You have a highly desirable drive train already installed. I would suggest driving it for a while to get a feel for the suspension, and the performance might just surprise you. BTW very cool to get a car with family heritage. Also we NEED pics!!
 
Welcome to the site. I am the original owner of my 1976 Dart Sport and the 360 is a mighty fine engine in my opinion but I am biast because that is what I have in mine.
Sorry to say but that 8 1/2 rear end is either an 8 1/4 or an 8 3/4.
Also in case you did not know: at first there was the Dodge Demon and the Plymouth Duster. But after much complaints of the name Demon from the American religious groups, Chrysler changed the name Demon to Dart Sport from 1973 to 1976.
 
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that 360 is the biggest (and therefore, best) small block you will find in those cars, they dont get any bigger...not on their own at least

the front end can be swapped with just about any A body , but you need everything from the cowl forward
labor intensive, thats all
 
toss some pics up when you can, and we might be able to tell you if the price is within the ball park
(always tough when dealing with family)
 
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This will be the biggest and fastest car ive ever owned haha
Thanks for the replies and helping me out, much appreciated
 
Nice! Welcome aboard. Very nice looking ride. Gramps had good taste, very well done.
As said earlier leave it be for now anyway.
That beaked front end may grow on you.
 
RiderOfCerberus said:
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Great looking car! :thumbsup:

Looks like it's been really well taken care of. Love that the top is painted instead of vinyl, that will save you a lot of rust repair later!

As for your questions-
1. A 360 is a great engine. Biggest drawbacks are probably the cast crank and 360 specific external balance, but neither of those are really a big deal. Pretty much everything else about it is a plus.

2. Yes, you can totally swap on a Duster front end. As nice as that car is though, I think I would leave it alone! Painting the new bodywork to match isn't cheap, and it's definitely money you can spend elsewhere. But, if you really want to swap it, you'll need everything from the doors forward that unbolts. Fenders, hood, hood latch support panel, grille, grille support, bumper, and brackets. Since your car is a '74, you might have a shock mounted front bumper, which can be complicating. But it kind of looks like you've got a standard bracket bumper, which means any standard mounted Duster bumper that matches the front clip should work.

I did the opposite swap, I went from a '74 Duster to a Dart front end.
Before
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After
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3. Forced induction is not my area of expertise, there are no doubt options for the 360, for your Dart specifically is a different story. Keep in mind if you have a stock engine build you have cast pistons and a cast crankshaft, so, you'll want to go easy on the boost until you get things sorted out.

And finally, get rid of those lift shackles!!! They're not particularly effective, not exactly safe, and in the long run will ruin whatever is left of your springs. Overall, they give you LOUSY handling. If you like the ride height as high as it is in the back, you'll need new leaf springs with a higher arch to do it correctly. ESPO is a good source, they sell +1" and +2" springs for the back. If you don't want the back end of the car jacked up '70's street freak style, just put a stock set of shackles back there.
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leblanc said:
Welcome to the site. I am the original owner of my 1976 Dart Sport and the 360 is a mighty fine engine in my opinion but I am biast because that is what I have in mine.
Sorry to say but that 8 1/2 rear end is either an 8 1/4 or an 8 3/4.
Also in case you did not know: at first there was the Dodge Demon and the Plymouth Duster. But after much complaints of the name Demon from the American religious groups, Chrysler changed the name Demon to Dart Sport from 1973 to 1976.
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Actually the duster came out in 1970. The demon came out in 1971 a year later. Mr. Norm used to sell the GSS the grand Spaulding supercharged which was a Paxton Supercharger on the 340 demon.
 
Well that's a no-brainer to grab that car. With that said if you have to put it on payments we're a long long long long long long way from our discussion on forced induction.
 
j par said:
^^^^^must be talking about the five to ten year plan...
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Doesn't matter if it's a 50-year plan it came from his grandfather. You be nice J par.
Wish my granddaddy would have sold me something like this.
As a matter of fact my grandson would like a 73 Charger and so I've been kind of looking for one of those for him.
 
I can guarantee you without checking those ads those cars won't compare to the op's.
Buying from family may add value. Verifiable history...
j par said:
Two of them just popped up on the local Craigslist. Both 74's, one is 1800 and the other like 4500.
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