My other Early A ---65 Dart post

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Got the leaf springs swapped out. The original ones were long worn out. New kyb shocks installed as well. Just putting the springs side by side you can see how much theyve sagged. Sitting higher in the rear now. Im glad I got new shackles since there wasnt much left of the ones on there. The leafs are used from a 67 dart. The front bushing uses a 1/2 bolt where the 65 used a 7/16 so had to enlarge the hole just a bit.
 

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Rear valance is busted, rusted, and pushed in . Rather than trying to fix it right now I just cut it off so I can clean up behind it then install a 66 bumper.
 

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Got the 66 rear bumper installed. Por15 on the brackets doesnt provide a good ground so my tag light isnt working. So now its all 66 dart in back ( trunk , tails, and bumper). My passenger fender needs a lot of work so maybe I'll find a set of 66 pieces and convert it front and rear.
 

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That's a great link poison dart! Exactly what I needed to see. Wish it was as easy as he makes it look. Ive been watching youtube looking for ideas on how to make patch panels without expensive/ fancy equipment.
 
Used up the rest of the spray can bedliner on the steering column firewall plate.

My shift linkage is still just a metal rod going through the holes where the driver floor would be if it had not rusted away. Been attempting to modify the 67 dart shift linkage to work with the 65 column. Ive gotten it mounted from the frame rail to the trans. Now just need to connect with the column.
 

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Had a pile of rusty nuts and bolts soaking in the wood bleach solution. Filled up an old 5 quart container with all of it . Picked it up to shake it every so often so that the parts inside would scrape around on each other. Once they were all cleaned up I used a coffee filter in a funnel to strain out the solution so I can try to use it again.
 

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Had to cut a small piece off the end of the shifter bracket. It was pushing right on the trans bellhousing and I was worried it might crack something since the engine\trans vibrate on their mounts . Then I cut the welds between the pivot shaft and arm. Now have to get it into position and attach to the steering column. The frameside of the brackets fit pretty close to the holes that were already there.
 

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Cant believe how long its been since posting any updates. I still have the car and drive it around on the weekends. Still gets lots of looks especially since its an eye sore. My booster went bad so I deleted it and went with a dual master cylinder for a manual braking system. There are several different options and after searching through this site I found one to bolt up with no mods except for bending the brake lines a bit and adding adapters. Cardone 10-1571. I think it was 15/16 bore and I don't even notice the lack of power assist. Car currently has Kelsey hayes front disc brakes and stock 9 inch rear drums. I also sourced a set of big bolt pattern discs from a 74 valiant at the junkyard a few months back but have not yet rebuilt them and acquired new wheels to fit.

I just have too many projects as many of us do but there is a 66 dart at the local pick a part and I'm very excited to go check it out tomorrow. I really need a driveshaft and hopefully a headlight bezel. Its so rare to see one around here and I already missed out on another that was crushed the day before I could get to it. Huge bummer. I also almost scored a 65 parts car but it needed just as much work as mine which made the deal fall through.
 
Success at the junkyard! Car is rusted out front to back but that made it easier for me to not feel bad about its demise. Not much good metal anywhere on the car to cut out even if I did have the time and resources necessary. Unfortunately no grille or bezels but did get hard to find parts needed. Forgot to mention before the mishap with my old rear window trim which was damaged badly when a tree limb fell. Didn't think Id be able to replace them but I lucked out. It was hot and muggy stripping a car in a watery mud pit but still worth it.

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Heres the bulk of the days plunder. Almost all day in fact. Ran out of time so Id like to go back to get more. The 225 slant six automatic combo is still there and looks to be complete. Some stuff will go to my post car and the rest for my convertible. The fuel tank and sending unit are fairly new but the junkyard pokes holes in them to drain gas out. I still bought it to try and repair. The headliner was shot but I did get the bows I needed. Getting the driveshaft removed was accomplished by floating on an old back seat cushion to keep me dry.
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Driver door panel is worn out but gives me a template to work with. I think they'll clean up and go well with the brown seats I have.
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Took a road trip today. About 3 hours total. Met a nice fellow mopar fan and got to see his collection. He had a pair of rust free complete doors for sale that were supposedly for a 63 dart.

According to everything Ive read here they should fit with few modifications as the basic door shell is identical. Of course the trim is different which is no big deal since I wanted to delete it anyhow. Also read that the 63-64 has a different lock cylinder than 65-66. Lastly the latches change design between years. Ill have to go back and compare my 66 latches but the 63 latches are completely different for sure.

They were way too clean, straight, rust free and complete to pass up so took them both home. Come to find they fit perfect and might even actually be from a 65. The interior door panels match my stock ones and have 1965 date codes.
 
Here is my old dented and rusty door. Probably fixable with enough time and patience. Driver side wasn't as bad but its much easier for me to just bolt on better doors. Ill save them in the parts stash just in case.

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Here's the new addition to the herd. Saw it online and figured it was worth looking into. Its better and worse than the 65 depending on what parts you look at. Between the 2 cars I 'll have enough to work with.
 
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