My other Early A ---65 Dart post

[crvtec90]

I wanted to get the engine running in the 64 valiant parts car but when I drained the oil it didnt look promising. I removed the oil filter and placed a magnetic pickup tool on the oil pump assembly where the filter sits. Found BIG chunks of metal which indicates big problems.

Im cutting the car into pieces to fix my other cars and sell off whatever else I can. Figured this would be a good time to remove the radiator core support since its in good condition and would make removing the engine / trans easier. I drilled out most of the spot welds and then just cut away in other areas that proved too difficult to reach. Some of the core support is actually sandwiched in between the frame rails and I wanted to be sure not to cut the frame rails since it would be easier to just add a few small bits to the radiator core support instead.

Once I got the oil pan removed it was obvious the engine is damaged.I could wiggle #1 rod easily/no bearing left at all. Pretty sure the block is ok but will have to get crank resurfaced or replaced.

 

[crvtec90]

After taking lots of measurements I got to cuttin up the 64 valiant parts car. Made sure to weld in some braces so the car wouldnt cave in on me. I put some screw jacks under the rocker panels and torsion bar crossmember on both sides in an attempt to keep everything from sagging . Still isnt enough to hold the structure of the car together in place properly. When I cut through the "A" pillar, the sawzall blade got pinched as the gap started to close in on itself. When I finally got a cut all the way through it just sunk right back down into place and completely closed the gap. There is a lot of force being applied in this area of the car so it will be a challenge to get everything lined back up again once transferred to the 66 dart.

I did manage to get the entire cowl section out in one piece. Glad I decided to weld in a brace across the inside door opening pinch welds because it helped keep the cowl and a pillar sections together as one rigid unit.

There is a thick piece of angle iron inside the "A"pillar post that is spot welded to the top of the rocker panel. I didnt want to fight drilling / grinding it out through the small access hole so I just went ahead and left it attached. I cut along the top portion of the rocker panels right near where it meets the door jam section just to make it easier to go back and remove the spot welds later.

Once I get the assembly mounted in the 66 dart I will either finish drilling the spot welds to remove the upper portion of the cowl for cleanup and reseal or I might just be lazy and spray a bunch of frame coating inside of it instead. It seems like a good idea to get it opened up that way I can do a better job of tackling any future rust out which these cars are prone to.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Wow! I don't know how I've missed this one! You're really diggin in deep. Nice work.

 

[crvtec90]

White 66 parts car is going under the knife. I removed the whole trunk floor except for the driver side trunk extension piece to the left of the flange. I drilled out all the welds from the floor to the frame rail easy enough but couldnt figure out how to drill the welds to separate the main floor from the extension piece on the side. Its a vertical flange underneath the car which is obstructed by the leaf springs on one side and the frame rail on the other side. I ended up just cutting it about 1/4 inch from the flange.

The passenger side was cut right along the edge where it starts to drop off. I left just a bit of the corner where it meets the wheel well since its needed to fix a bit of rust in the other car. I tried to cut the whole thing bigger than I actually needed that I way I can just trim off what I dont need once it get in laid in place.

Luckily the outer driver side extension on the other dart that its going into is in good condition because it was almost too large to remove through the trunk opening.

 

[toolmanmike]

White 66 parts car is going under the knife. I removed the whole trunk floor except for the driver side trunk extension piece to the left of the flange. I drilled out all the welds from the floor to the frame rail easy enough but couldnt figure out how to drill the welds to separate the main floor from the extension piece on the side. Its a vertical flange underneath the car which is obstructed by the leaf springs on one side and the frame rail on the other side. I ended up just cutting it about 1/4 inch from the flange.

The passenger side was cut right along the edge where it starts to drop off. I left just a bit of the corner where it meets the wheel well since its needed to fix a bit of rust in the other car. I tried to cut the whole thing bigger than I actually needed that I way I can just trim off what I dont need once it get in laid in place.

Luckily the outer driver side extension on the other dart that its going into is in good condition because it was almost too large to remove through the trunk opening.

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Those cars weren't necessarily simple were they?

 

[crvtec90]

Accelerator pump issues with the 65 Dart had me frustrated. I kept thinking this thing is brand new and it shouldn't have any issues. Then I remembered its been almost 10 years and I hardly ever drive it so probably time for a carb cleanup and rebuild. Also swapped out the fuel pump and filter while I was at it. Runs like a champ once more......except for the sticking throttle linkage and binding manifold heat control valve but guess that's for another day.

Finally got the rear windshield back in the car. Took a long time to scrape and clean the original gasket. Managed to get it in all by myself and didn't tear the rubber or shatter the glass so that's a win. Also got the rear side glass and regulators put back in. The white parts car came to the rescue by donating the run channel weather-strip and giving me an idea of how everything goes together.

 

[crvtec90]

Here is the white 66 Dart parts car all jacked up in the dirt underneath my shade tree. Its rusted out in the front footwells so I'm cutting out the floor with the tunnel starting from the torsion bar crossmember. To the best of my knowledge there are patch panels available for the four corners but they do not include the section under the front seats or the driveshaft tunnel.

I pretty much need the whole thing front to back and left to right for my other 66 Dart as there isn't even any solid metal left to weld in patches. I've got some really good drill bits this time so no problems drilling all the welds and didn't even need a pilot hole.

I wasn't worried about drilling completely through the floor and goin all the way into the top of the rockers because the parts car is wrecked so badly. I did manage to not drill all the way through the torsion bar crossmember just in case I need it later. One all the welds were drilled out I used an old brake spoon to wedge between the rocker and the floor to work it all free. A bit of hammer and dolly will get it back in shape when its time to install.

 

[crvtec90]

More floor pan carnage. The weather is just right for drilling and cutting. Nice and cool outside so when I get all geared up I'm not miserably hot and fogging up my safety glasses.

The floor in the turquoise 66 is in really bad condition. I'm playing connect the dots with my Sawzall between the rust holes until the whole thing is gone. I did drill the spot welds from the panels beneath the rear seat but it was so rusty where it meets the lower floor pan that I just kept wiggling back and forth until it broke loose . Underneath is in decent shape with just a small patch necessary. It will all get replaced with the floor from the white parts car.

 

[crvtec90]

Another fun filled weekend at the junkyard. 66 Valiant V100. 225 slant six automatic. It's wrecked really bad front, rear and sides. Very rusty car all over. I'm betting that its a runner since it had new tires and brakes . Ripped out the drivetrain and whatever other goodies I can use on the either of my Darts.

 

[crvtec90]

Had the 65 out and about. Left it parked on the street and my neighbor mentioned he could smell fuel . Im thinking NO WAY is my gas tank leaking. Replaced it with new parts about 10 years ago. Could've sworn Id been using ethanol free fuel but probably cheated a few times and not really sure any more. The sending unit seal has seen better days. Really made a mess of my nicely painted tank but oh well. Bought a new gasket and lock ring from Oreily's for under 10 bucks. Precision LO06. Of course the tank was over half full so that was fun trying to save as much as possible.

 

[crvtec90]

Picked up a new to me trunk lid. Pretty decent shape. Just a bit of damage around the lock cylinder. Anything is better than the one currently on my 65 since there is nothing left of the lower lip on the inside.

 

[crvtec90]

Introducing a 64 Dart to the collection. Wish I could have gotten to it sooner to prevent it from getting so bad.
Sitting since the 80s Im guessing but not really sure.

 

[Keith Mopar]

Looks like you might be busy with that project. Keep us posted on the tear down and plans for the Dart. I do love watching the early A car projects.

 

[crvtec90]

Its been a roach motel and rat condo for many years. Wait no I meant low mileage , one owner barn field find with patina

 

[chryslerfat]

Looks like more than I would want to tackle when you can see the transmission crossmember from the top. If you save that you have alot of respect.

 

[crvtec90]

Not much junk in the trunk. It must have all fallen out of the gigantic hole where the spare tire should be

 

[crvtec90]

I found the engine underneath the filth. Its locked up tight. Unable to turn it by the crankshaft bolt with large breaker bar. Pulled the starter and used a pry bar on the flywheel and it budges a bit. Trying out mixture of half acetone half transmission fluid to soak everything and get it free. Is it stuck from sitting too long or did it sit too long from having a stuck engine? One of the push rods is bent badly but I can tap on the valves to help get them moving. Little by little gets a bit easier to turn over but still has rough spots where it get really tight. Then soak it some more , tap the valves , lube the cylinders and repeat. Engine is most likely gonna have to be rebuilt anyway but its a whole lot easier now that I can actually rotate the assembly.

I kept wondering what happened to the radiator. It all dented in and torn open. Pretty sure someone went at it with intentions of scrap metal cash.

 

[crvtec90]

Pick a part has a 75 Dart. Figured I'd take a look for anything I can use. Wanted engine / trans parts for one of my Early A body cars but no luck. Someone decided to substitute a old four cylinder Mercedes Diesel. I did get a pair of nice small bolt pattern 14 inch wheels so that I wouldn't leave empty handed