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Scott_ 69HemiDart

Scott_ 69HemiDart

1969 Dart 426 Hemi
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Hello all, my name is Scott. Found the forum searching for info on the 1969 Dodge Dart we just received due to my FIL passing. The car has been sitting in his garage for 45+ years. My FIL talked a little about it over the years, but for most info was unknown. I knew it was a Dart and he said it has a 426 Hemi.

Little backstory on the car from what I have pieced together from some of his friends (FIL was 82) ................The car was stolen when new and then my FIL bought it with 2.9 miles on it. According to the VIN it is a 1969 2dr hardtop swinger with a 340 as the original motor. My FIL decided due to getting a good deal on it, he would make it a drag car and put the 426 Hemi in it. He took it to the track a hand full of times and then it sat until this past weekend when I pulled it out of the garage.

I loaded it on a trailer in NJ at my MIL's and brought it home to West Virginia. I cleaned it up and now have it in my shop wondering where do I start???????

Now a little background on me. I am 52 and retired Federal LEO and do not have any experience rebuilding a motor or restoring a car. I would like to make this a tribute car to the racing era and my FIL. I want to keep the 426 in it, however from talking to friends there are some rowdy race parts and they are not meant for the street. It has a Dana 60 rear end and is a 4 speed car.

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Welcome Aboard! I'm sure you'll find a bunch of great help here! The people here are very giving with their Mass amounts of knowledge (lot of good folks here) That thing is Brutal!
LOVE IT! I'd get some fresh gas in it and try to creep it around the street and see what kind of low RPM low mile an hour manners it has.. and if you have a long straight Road next to your house with no driveways no children or any animals that can get in the way well you know, (may wanna replace the tires first....)
 
Ironracer said:
Welcome Aboard! I'm sure you'll find a bunch of great help here! The people here are very giving with their Mass amounts of knowledge (lot of good folks here) That thing is Brutal!
LOVE IT! I'd get some fresh gas in it and try to creep it around the street and see what kind of low RPM low mile an hour manners it has.. and if you have a long straight Road next to your house with no driveways no children or any animals that can get in the way well you know, (may wanna replace the tires first....)
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Thank you! Yeah tires are on my list. I am actually searching the forums now. Looks like I should get 14 inch wheels for the front and back? Not sure what is on there. I need to get a battery as well. I thought with it sitting so long it might hurt something trying to start it.
 
I think there are some good threads on Getting one outta hibernation. Change all the fluids, get a new battery, check all your electrical connections. Lots smarter guys then me on here. You're in the Right Place!
 
Carbs may or may not be gummed. I've seen cars sitting for 20 years get fired up without being rebuilt. Main thing if it fires up, is to let it idle a while..
 
There's a few fellows here that do the Super Stock 426 Darts and Barracudas. There's some threads on them they have here. Those guys are a wealth of knowledge. Your car is Already a SS Tribute Car!
@ACME SS
 
Ironracer said:
I think there are some good threads on Getting one outta hibernation. Change all the fluids, get a new battery, check all your electrical connections. Lots smarter guys then me on here. You're in the Right Place!
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Ironracer said:
Carbs may or may not be gummed. I've seen cars sitting for 20 years get fired up without being rebuilt. Main thing if it fires up, is to let it idle a while..
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Thank you, I appreciate the help and info.
 
More than likely you'll find there's two schools of thought here on a car like that some of us would probably rebuild the front end, make the thing run reliably, and then just buff the paint and keep it untouched, other than maybe the interior, and other people would say totally restore it.. best I can tell that car looks really solid
 
You probably wanna COMPLETELY rebuild the brake system also. In fact I wouldn't even want to put it in the drive unless I visually inspected all the lines and made sure I had a good pedal but you got to remember you can't tell what they look like on the inside that thing's been sitting a long time and Dot 3 brake fluid is corrosive. I've gotten by with flushing the lines before but that was 20 years ago and I was a lot younger then ( you got to figure you're adding 20 years on me and 20 years on the brake lines) lol. Definitely not something you want to just jump into, try turn the key and stab into it!
 
Ironracer said:
More than likely you'll find there's two schools of thought here on a car like that some of us would probably rebuild the front end, make the thing run reliably, and then just buff the paint and keep it untouched, other than maybe the interior, and other people would say totally restore it.. best I can tell that car looks really solid
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Interior is pretty good other than seats are brittle and cracking. I think I am going to get them reupholstered and keep them in the car. I have the original high buckets as well. I am thinking about sending the motor for a total rebuild with all new parts. I have a crossram(think this is correct term) intake new with 2 new carbs as well which were never installed.
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Yessir, that's a Crossram! I didn't know the car had a partial cage those seats may be the a100 van type seats they did put in the super stock cars originally! I'm not sure I'm No Authority on any of that. That cross Rim will definitely give it a better attitude on the street although nothing says bad Mopar like a dual tunnel rammed quad 426 Hemi with a 4 spd into a Dana! It's probably a good thing you're retired now!
 
The Sick Thing is, for years and years and years, and I mean decade after decade, no American auto manufacturer could touch the Super Stock Darts and Barracudas record for quickest elapsed time, or top speed, in the quarter mile for a production car. I think, maybe, some of the new cars can do it, like the new Dodge Demon. Possibly a Corvette or a Mustang out there may have the capability with todays tech, but remember we're talking production cars...
 
Ironracer said:
The Sick Thing is, for years and years and years, and I mean decade after decade, no American auto manufacturer could touch the Super Stock Darts and Barracudas record for quickest elapsed time, or top speed, in the quarter mile for a production car. I think, maybe, some of the new cars can do it, like the new Dodge Demon. Possibly a Corvette or a Mustang out there may have the capability with todays tech, but remember we're talking production cars...
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:thumbsup: I was reading a lot on the Super Stock Dart because I was unsure what my FIL even had.
 
Maxcustody said:
:thumbsup: I was reading a lot on the Super Stock Dart because I was unsure what my FIL even had.
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I figured you did Your Research! I don't give a hoot if it's not a SS car, it Is A Real Car! I prefer Tribute car, and Once you get her dialed in, and ready to roll, if anybody says anything silly, you can always tell him to take it to the track and line it up! Your FIL had some Serious Class! That's no car for whimps. I wonder what kind of gears are in it? It might be geared pretty deep you can jack up the back and spin the tires by hand while counting the U joint turns to get a close estimate. I'm thinking with the tunnel Rams on there it may have a real radical cam in there too it's hard to say. But the fact that he had extra original parts laying around makes me think he went out of his way to build a monster! Pure speculation of course
 
Ironracer said:
I figured you did Your Research! I don't give a hoot if it's not a SS car, it Is A Real Car! I prefer Tribute car, and Once you get her dialed in, and ready to roll, if anybody says anything silly, you can always tell him to take it to the track and line it up! Your FIL had some Serious Class! That's no car for whimps. I wonder what kind of gears are in it? It might be geared pretty deep you can jack up the back and spin the tires by hand while counting the U joint turns to get a close estimate. I'm thinking with the tunnel Rams on there it may have a real radical cam in there too it's hard to say. But the fact that he had extra original parts laying around makes me think he went out of his way to build a monster! Pure speculation of course
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I have been trying to learn as much as I can. Great info on the gears, I had no idea you could do that:thumbsup: his friend says there are a lot of radical parts and thinks it would be better track only as the motor sits. I called Ray Barton racing engines in PA today and talked to them. I think it would be good to take it to them, go thru the entire motor and replace everything with new stuff for the street, track etc. and keep all the old race stuff that is in there. Thoughts?
 
Hey there... welcome from Hampshire County WV.

As others have stated... lots of threads on here that might give you what you need. That's a bunch of motor if you're looking to street drive.

Good luck
 
WV64Signet said:
Hey there... welcome from Hampshire County WV.

As others have stated... lots of threads on here that might give you what you need. That's a bunch of motor if you're looking to street drive.

Good luck
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Thank you. Yeah, like I said not sure what to do. I need to do a bunch of research and see which way to go.................
 
Maxcustody said:
I have been trying to learn as much as I can. Great info on the gears, I had no idea you could do that:thumbsup: his friend says there are a lot of radical parts and thinks it would be better track only as the motor sits. I called Ray Barton racing engines in PA today and talked to them. I think it would be good to take it to them, go thru the entire motor and replace everything with new stuff for the street, track etc. and keep all the old race stuff that is in there. Thoughts?
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That's not a bad idea! I'd do the same, if it was feasible. The more a car is hopped up, the more ill mannered She's gonna be. My Lil 340 Duster is right on the edge, I went over a lot of data here, from the MP Books, and some of my real world experiences to do it that way. In my Humble opinion, I'd go the route you have planned. Just Because it would give the car, You and The Wife a better, more reliable driver, It would be Sweet to fire her up and Blast it once, as is, just to Feel the Power, the way he ran it, but Why DID he park it? Was it parked as a runner, or did She develop a noise?
 
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