My other Early A ---65 Dart post

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No progress to show as I havent done much. Found out there is a 65 valiant at the local bone yard. Go Pull-it in Jacksonville Florida. Gonna see if there is anything I can use on my darts. Cant wait. Probably a rust bucket but ya never know.
 
Sad to see such a cool car in the junkyard. 65 valiant v200 ragtop. Somebody already took a sawzall to it. Looks like they were trying to get the rear window regulators and they cut the whole car open. I got a few things. There is some decent stuff left. Very rusty in some places and then not bad in others. Oh well I guess. Wish I couldve just bought the whole thing from whoever had it before it ended up like this. It was registered in 2014. Wonder if the engine is any good. No intake so its been open to the elements. I couldnt get it to turn over by hand. It just budged a bit. Not sure if its worth my time pulling it and doing all the rebuild.

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Probably silly but I was excited to find these rear drip tray pieces. Ive never seen them before. They go behind the rear interior panels and i guess act like a rain gutter. Anybody know if they were in all early a convertibles?

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I cant tell by the pics but if the trunk extensions are any good I would cut them out because people here are looking for them.
 
There’s a lot of good parts left on the car: hood doors trunk lock, trunk lid, bumper core, tail lights, and who knows what interior parts. What engine is in the car? Is it a V-8 automatic? I am looking for an automatic cable shift transmission.
If the floor is solid in the car and the frame is solid, then it still has possibilities to get back on the road as long as someone can get a title for the car. I would’ve liked to have gotten up before it ended up there as well. Grab that and a four-door parts car and combine the two.
 
Yeah the hood was ok I guess. It did have some body filler but wasnt rusted out. The trunk lid was rusted very badly. The driver door was dented up big time and both doors need patching along the bottom corners but Ive seen worse. Floors are typical fiberglass and spray foam as well as the lower quarters. Convertible top frame rusted away and twisted. Dash is all there but a bit rusty. Rear bumper twisted. I did get the tail lights. Rr very nice. Lr lense look like it caught on fire and bezel has a nasty dent. Sorry no v8. Its a 225 auto on column. Car might even be gone by now because they move them in and out quick around here. We used to have a yard that kept them around a long time but its big business now. Lucky to see one at all
 
Ive been looking for a drivetrain for the 66 and figured I could just buy another parts car to get a complete swap. I dont want to cannabalize a decent car just to save mine. Id rather leave a good car for the next person. I was gonna buy a 4 door valiant with good running gear and beat body but waited too long and now its new owner is happy to drive and enjoy it. So I found the appropriate victim and brought it home.

Looks like the car hit a wall at highway speed. The driver side frame rail is bent so badly that it almost touches the engine. The impact was so hard that it buckled the engine crossmember, cowl, firewall, and floorboard. The steering wheel is also twisted like someone was holding on with white knuckle grip.

Its a 170 model that originally had a slant six with a column shift manual 3 speed. Its got 7.25 differential with 9 inch brake drums front and rear. The clutch pedal is still there but it has a column shift automatic steering column which I will be using in my 65. The engine is a late 70's 318 with 904 automatic. Engine is locked up but Im hoping to get it to spin. The v8 motor mounts are there as well as the exhaust manifolds. The centerlink is unfortunately not a v8 correct part and there is no oil filter adapter housing. Somebody just kinda threw it together quick with whatever they had lying around. I thought the Edelbrock 340 torker intake was a nice bonus but Im not sure if its actually what I need.

The front floors are rusted but its nice from under the front seats all the way back including the trunk floor which I can use in my 66. Lots of good patch panels. Doors are ok. The trim is super decent just need polish. The door panels need new cardboard but there are no rips or tears. Bucket seats are not 66 correct but they will fit and function. Decent sun visors. Radio delete. Dog dish hub caps.
 
Nice score and a good parts car! I see it’s got bucket seats, dual reservoir master cylinder and sport wheel, even if twisted. I’d straighten it and use it.
 
The 65 dart would have normally used a cable shifted automatic. The cable is long gone and would not work anyway since Im running a transmission from a 67 that uses mechanical linkage. Im hoping that I can use the steering column and linkage from the 66 parts car to get it working. The harness plug on the column has the same wires for the turn signal switch. The base plate covers and firewall holes are different between 65 and 66 but it should just be a matter of a marriage between the two.

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Diving into the engine of the 66 parts car. I was really hoping to just loosen up some rust in the bores, give it a quick hone and reseal. The rust is bad from water entering through the distributor hole. Even if it wasnt rusty, the engine is pretty much worn out. It has a new set of main bearings and I believe new cam and lifters. The cam bearings are wiped out and the cylinders have a large ridges at the top from wear. The heads are nothing special. Small valves and ports. I dont think I even want to mess with a full rebuild on a 318 since I have a 360 block that I would rather use.

Looking at the accident damage I had assumed it was a running driving car. No way that much frame damage could be done without it actually moving down the road at a fast speed. Even the fuel pump was broken off the block which led me to believe that it had not been ran since the accident. Also the rear cooler line fitting is broken off flush to the case. Once I started the disassembly it was apparent that I was wrong. Loose and missing bolts were the first sign. Then once I separated the engine from the transmission I was stumped to find no front pump seal for the torque converter. There has been water entering the transmission and it looks a bit rusty inside. This car has not ran under its own power in a long time. I have not started to tear apart the transmssion to get a good look inside and possibly rebuild it but my chances dont look good.

Maybe they knew someone like me would be foolish enough to think it was a good drivetrain. Or did they really think they were gonna pull the frame rail straight and get it going again? There is a chain welded to the k frame I believe was used to try and straighten the damage. Why would someone take the time to install the transmission and driveshaft with no converter seal knowing they would just have to do it all over again? I dont believe the seller had any knowledge of the car. It was a small salvage yard with lots of makes models in various condition. He said the previous owner had planned to repair the car but then passed away.

The local pick a part charges extra if you dont bring a core for exchange when buying just about anything. I can still use the motor and transmission for a core charge if I happen to find a donor in the junkyard. So at least I got that goin for me.

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Really like going to the local pick a part. Kind of a hobby for me like hunting is for others. My nurse friend was telling me the last time we went to be careful and watch out for heat stroke. Today was the day I understood what he was talking about. I dont know if it was worth it being out there in the heat since I had to stop several times and get out of the sun for a break. Couldnt even get all the stuff I wanted because I ran out of water and there wasnt anyone to save me if things went bad. Ive never had a problem before as far as I know but I guess getting older sucks. Honestly didnt have enough energy to push anything else in a wheel barrow full of tools. Of course the old cars are always all the way in the very back of the 25 acre junkyard. Gives me a good excuse to go back tomorrow and look around. Haha. Ill just bring more H20 and a patio umbrella.

Found a 64 Chrysler Newport 4 door sedan. I think its a 361 since it had a 2 barrel carb. The arm rests arent the factory ones for my dart but they look period correct. Pretty sure the pads are the same for my front armrests but the bases are different. Not sure If Im gonna use them yet. Maybe I could sell them or trade them for correct pieces.

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Valiant63 said:
Are the bottoms of the quarter panels any good on that white 66 Dodge dart two-door hardtop that you brought home a couple months ago? Are you going to use them for anything?
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The lower quarters are rusted out near the wheel openings. I will salvage whatever I can for my other cars. It would be cool to find a wagon or 4 door and use the rest of the white parts car for a 2 door conversion. Not anytime soon but wishful thinking. Most of the entire floor will also be cut up and used in my other cars. That will leave me a shell with bent front frame and no floors which begs for a full tube chassis. A guy can dream right?
 
Valiant63 said:
Are the bottoms of the quarter panels any good on that white 66 Dodge dart two-door hardtop that you brought home a couple months ago? Are you going to use them for anything?
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If you are looking for parts you need to start a wanted thread. Asking for parts buried in a thread like this isn't a good idea.
 
Went back to the junkyard trying to get the seat belts from the 64 newport. Wasnt able to get them the first visit since I didnt bring any large size sockets or wrenches with me. Nice shiny chrome on the latches. The front pair isnt exactly the same as the rear set but they look close enough for me.

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Got a line on a pair of 63 valiant convertible doors for sale not too far from me. When I talked to the seller she told me her dad had been a mopar guy his whole life and there was a bunch of stuff to get rid of so I took a road trip. The doors are complete like unbolted the hinges from the car and removed. The driver door has a fairly large dent and the passenger side has a fair size rust hole near the front that will require a flat patch but the pinch welds and bottoms are great with no major rust out. She let me take a look in all the sheds and garage which took quite a while. Unfortunately her dad is going blind and he couldnt identify parts for me or tell me where stuff is.

A lot of it was damaged from either being outside far too long or just improper storage like in a garage with a leaky roof. Unfortunately people have been just going in there and taking stuff according to the family.

I found a front passenger side armrest that is correct for my car but couldnt find the driver side anywhere. It was in a pile of parts outside on the ground.

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The white parts car I bought a while back had a pair of valiant / barracuda seats and I was hoping to get a back seat with matching pattern. Found an early barracuda rear seat online in great shape and I figured Id try to pick it up while on my road trip for the 63 valiant doors. It turned out both of the sellers were located at the same exit from the interstate so I was able to make a deal with both parties the same day and same trip. The seat is red while my buckets are black but I can just dye them whatever color when I decide. The barracuda seat is not correct for a dart but I think it looks pretty decent so I will attempt to get it fitted. Id really like to get it to fold down and function like normal but it seems the cross brace behind the seat is in the way.

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More treasure hunting. This is the 64 chrysler at the junkyard. Very rusty. Somebody already got the rear differential. I like to check it out when I can to look for anything worth saving. I was looking at the sun visors which are decent driver quality but didnt know if they would fit any other c bodies. The dash is really cool and mostly complete. It would make a great wall art even if not installed in a car.

I did go ahead and grab the gas and brake pedals since they were easy enough to remove and I really like the styling. Also bought an aftermarket hazard switch unit from an old plymouth. I dont even care if it works. Just thought it was a neat lookin piece.

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This 68 valiant sedan donated its disc brake swap, ball joints and tie rods for my 66 dart. From what I can tell they are 73-76 style from MB brakes. I was confused how they could be small bolt pattern (5x4in) but not the 4 piston kelsey hayes. Apparently MB brakes offered the kit in either small or large bolt pattern. Looking at the website it says they recommend a 15 inch wheel for clearance of the caliper.

The 15in wheels and tires on the car were only a few years old and in great shape but also had me confused because I thought 15 sbp wheels were either never made or very uncommon. I didnt like the look of the offset/ backspacing of them so I grabbed only one to test fit. Installed it on the rear of my 66 to see what it looked like and it sat way too far inside the wheel well. Come to find out its definitely NOT the correct wheel because the lugs do not line up correctly. Metric wheel I suppose. I didnt even notice when I was removing them from the valiant. Im gonna blame it on the heat that I didnt notice even after removing all four of them.

So I tried to test fit one of my 14 inch steel wheels on the knuckle assembly and its not gonna happen. My 14 inch aluminum american racing fits just barely with maybe enough room to slide a piece of paper between the rim and caliper which doesnt seem like a good plan.

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Can you tell I like parts cars yet? Just picked up this 64 valiant and planning to use as much as possible. It was already a parts car for a violent valiant wagon build so not much left except the shell. It has a 225 slant six from a 68 model and the 904 push button trans. Was supposed to be a rebuilt runner back in the 90's but when I pulled the oil filter off it was full of metal. I had originally planned on just changing the oil and getting it running while in the engine compartment but now I need to get it out and on a stand to see if there is anything worth saving. The trans fluid is fresh so might luck out with a decent transmission.

The driver side rocker panel was replaced years ago for reasons unknown to me. I didn't even notice until I got it home and started removing the weatherstrip from the door jambs. Looking it over I found entire outer rocker skin is held in place with pop rivets. Still curious as to why but doesn't really matter since I'm just gonna cut it all up anyway.

The real reason I wanted the car was for the cowl, the A pillars , and the windshield frame. Ive been trying to piece together a bunch of random old parts to fix my 66 and Id rather just have something solid to work with. I have several pieces from difference cars and its been too much for me to try and fit it all together. Especially since most of the pieces are not that great anyway, just not rusted away like the ones Im cutting out.

So far it looks like this 64 is an excellent donor for what I need.

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Ive got this Harbor Freight tire changer bolted to the concrete slab in front of my garage. I know its cheap stuff but works really well for swapping tires in a pinch. Ive always got junk cars in and out of here so it helps out. I have not used it on wheels that Im worried about scratching or gouging. There are some really great videos on youtube on how to modify them as well as better accessories that help to mount tires easier without damaging the wheel. My buddy has an old Ford truck that wears the outer edge on the font tires. He came over to remove them from the wheels and flip them around so that they wear out the inner edge of the tire. I know its not correct but it works in a pinch.

Since I already have the thread inserts in the slab for the tire changer I figured I would mount my winch to the floor in front of the garage. Wish I would have done it a long time ago but I usually just ask a friend/neighbor to help push. The winch is already mounted to a fixture which slides into either the receiver hitch of my truck or the front of my trailer. Just had make some new holes in the fixture and find longer bolts to fasten it to the concrete slab.

Used my pickup truck to pull the valiant rearward from next to the carport and into the driveway. Then hooked up the winch to pull it up underneath the carport in front of the garage to remove the engine / transmission. So now anytime I have a non running vehicle I can easily get it up in front of the garage.

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