Gagster's 71 Swinger

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Yeah. Sorry. This is my first sit-down at the computer in a couple days. Took my girl out three-wheeling over the weekend. I'll get back to you there in a moment.
 
Yeah, we did. But I haven't rode much this year so it really took it out of me more than I expected it to. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm a year older than I was last year, either. ;-)

I'd like to blame some of the problem on the fact that my 350x doesn't jump as well as my T3. Doesn't even jump as well as my old 350x that got stolen. The rear shock bottoms out all the time whenever I land and it always pulls to the left when I jump it so I'm constantly fighting it.

In the end, I think really the fact that I'm out of shape has more to do with it, though. :p
 
Like the thread! I love the fact that your not afraid to tackle anything. Got no experience with bodywork but dove right in!

Well done.
 
just read thru your thread,car is lookin great considering where u started,and u dont have some fancy shop tp work in. ive got a 73 with 71 front clip sitting in the garagefor the last 6 yrs waiting for me to start.needs rear quarters and rocker panel[crushed] im practicing my body skills on a 79 power wagon 1rst.cant wait to see your finished product.with that 440 should be awesome.
 
Thanks, needsaresto! That's a heck of a complement. :)

This dart is my car for learning how all this stuff works. I've built plenty of engines, done my own wiring, interior doesn't look that hard, but this paint and body work has always been intimidating to me. I just figured it was high time I got over it and figured out how it all works.

I'm not totally fearless, though. I actually have another build thread on here but that car is a 1968 383S fastback. If I was going to botch up some paint and body work I didn't want it to be on that car so it's down at my buddy's custom shop in southern GA. I figured the 1 of ~350 car should get work by a proper body man. I'll do the rest myself, but I wanted the body done PERFECT. My friend in GA is going to do a slick paint job on it. I want to do super deep traffic-stopping lotsa-clear-coat black with ghost strobe stripes. More than that, though, I want the body to be absolutely perfect. I know he can do it. He's a wild man. He has a 62 Lincoln suicide door car that he's doing up as a touring lowrider kinda deal. He took a pretty insane route to get all those modern goodies under his old school ride. We have Alterkation subframes and street lynx four-links and vintage air and all that jazz. He had a '99 town car. :D

Out with the old:
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And in with the new!

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His daily driver is an F150 with a Navigator front end that looks like it was made that way. His custom paint work on trikes was what first drew my attention. Anyway... If anybody within a hundred miles of Valdosta GA wants some killer bodywork done, he's the man.
 
dodgeboy said:
just read thru your thread,car is lookin great considering where u started,and u dont have some fancy shop tp work in. ive got a 73 with 71 front clip sitting in the garagefor the last 6 yrs waiting for me to start.needs rear quarters and rocker panel[crushed] im practicing my body skills on a 79 power wagon 1rst.cant wait to see your finished product.with that 440 should be awesome.
Click to expand...

Yeah... So far the whole thing has gone down in my back yard under the watchful eye of my neighbors. I did most of the paint in my makeshift booth (menards party tent) but the touch-up job and the doors were done out in the open. I'm tired of sanding out bugs. The last couple are just going to get names and go for rides with me. :violent1:

I'm sure it'll be a big hit with the neighbors when I pick the car up off the K member to drop it onto the new engine. :D

The nice thing is, I think they're getting used to the sound of my compressor.
 
Lol! Compressors aint that bad..it's the tools that make all the racket!

I ws gonna mention using activated charcoal filters to remove the overspray and solvent while the paint flashes off. I draw the air through them before releasing to atmosphere and there is zero smell. My neighbours houses are very close and any solvent smells I get complaints.
 
Ok... It's been a while since I've posted. Some other stuff has taken my eye off the ball. Here's the latest update.

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That's my new Schumacher 440 kit. :D I ended up not selling the 440 from the Fury so it's going into the dart. I didn't really need a whole lot of convincing. heh.
 
Probably this weekend. The engine is ready, the cradle is ready, the install kit and headers are ready, I just need daylight and a gap in the other work.
 
So here it is! My new 440 Swinger! (Warning: Lots of pics. I know how y'all hate lots of pics)

The Schumacher kit installed like a dream. Of course, it helped that I had the engine and cradle out of the car at the time. Headers, motor mounts and torque strap all installed and ready to go:

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So the car got rolled up and set in place. I don't think the old girl knew what she was in for.

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This evening after work the real fun began.

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And just like that *SNAP* easy as pie.

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Plenty of room on the left.

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Not so much on the right. But hey... these 440 thingies never need spark plugs changed anyway, right?

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Thanks! I still need to put some bolts in, buy some new shocks and brake lines, swap the torsion bars for the fatter ones I've got, swap the PS line for a shorter one, re-do the fuel line, move all the steering linkage from the old K frame to the new one....

*sigh* And that doesn't even take into account all the other stuff the car needs like a windshield, mounting the gas tank, a drive shaft, window seals, seats...... I may never get to drive this car. :)
 
Gag_Halfront said:
Thanks! I still need to put some bolts in, buy some new shocks and brake lines, swap the torsion bars for the fatter ones I've got, swap the PS line for a shorter one, re-do the fuel line, move all the steering linkage from the old K frame to the new one....

*sigh* And that doesn't even take into account all the other stuff the car needs like a windshield, mounting the gas tank, a drive shaft, window seals, seats...... I may never get to drive this car. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah you will you are really getting close now that you have the engine and trans in. I can't wait to see the video of you firing that beast up.
 
Shumacher puts the motor in the factory position. Great that it worked so easy for you! I think I just learned a lesson on how to put my 400 in. Heck the front of the car is way lighter than the drivetrain anyways!

I will definitly use your method. My garage floor is up hill from the street and any motor would need be pushed uphill and dropped in. At least this way I could raise the front of the car up and just slide the drivetrain under. I even have the equipment. Wheel dollies to slide the drivetrain on,cherry picker etc.
 
Yeah. I have to say, this was about ten million billion gazillion times easier than doing it the old fashioned way. Everything pre-assembled. Power steering, starter, bellhousing bolts, headers, motor mounts... Everything done out in the open. Just drop the car over the whole mess, slap in the four bolts for the cradle and the four for the trans cross member and presto. Granted I still have to put the torsion bars back in, but that's not exactly hard. Neither is connecting the brake lines and bleeding the brakes. I'll take that 99.99 days out of 100 over trying to do bellhousing bolts in the car.

Edit to add: Look at it this way. I installed an engine, trans, starter, power steering and headers in 3 hours. It only took me one beer and I didn't use a single swear word. My hands didn't even get dirty. :D
 
Thats for me then! An added plus would be sitting on a stool or crate while assembling your engine,drivetrain and accesories.No bending over and banging your head on that nasty hook on the hood...No fighting to get headers in..or the GD starter!

It's Mopar as God intended it to be...
 
I know it's been a very, very, depressingly long time since I updated this thread, but the time has come. Since my last post, I got the Eddy intake installed, an Eddy 800CFM carb, got a big ol' aluminum radiator in, got the gas tank in, threw a battery in, got the dash mounted and test fired:

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Then something really unexpected happened. I moved from Chicago to North Carolina. Since then, the car has kinda sat untouched. In the meantime I did build a '79 Jeep Cherokee for my wife for her 40th birthday and I've been helping a buddy of mine build a '66 Mustang so it's been far from lazy days.

The Cherk:


The buddy with the Mustang also happens to be my boss. He left the company as it was circling the drain, I tried sticking it out for a while at the old place. It was crushing me and was a big part of why the Dart got no love for a while. Eventually they burned me for the last time so I called him and asked if he had a position. "How fast can you get here?" Done deal! we pulled up the tent stakes and moved south.

When I was hauling the dart from NW IN to NC, every single time I stopped, somebody would ask me about the car. More often than not, they would ask if it was for sale. Somewhere around Chilicothe OH I told somebody "for 12K, I'll drop the trailer and drive away. You can have the whole mess. I'm glad he didn't take me up on it.

I now have a 5-car garage, a lot more tools, and a way more relaxed work situation so I can focus on the cars. Anyway.... Long story short (too late!) it's time to get back to the Dart.

Today I ordered a headliner, carpet, under carpet sound deadener, heat vents and hoses, parcel tray, weather stripping, windshield and back glass gaskets and a bunch of other stuff. In a few days it's going to be time to get this beast ON THE ROAD!
 
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