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Patosmith

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2023
Messages
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Location
Elk Plain, Washington State
Hi everyone,
I just joined today. I am buying a 71 Dart Swinger from a friend of mine. I hope to pick up the car this weekend.
It has been sitting for 2 years. I went and looked at it the other day. It runs and drives but needs TLC.
It is a 318 / 904 car with a vinyl top. It also has the 7 1/4 rear and drum brakes all the way around.
I will be researching front disc brakes and another rearend and convert to a 4 1/2 lug pattern.
It has some rust just under the lower part of the vinyl top and the passenger side quarter panel. The rust will be my first task to tackle.
Since the car came with the top, I will be installing a new one once the rust is taken care of.

I also have a 72 Challenger that was an 8 year project. It was basically a re-body. It had so much rust.
It now has a 400 big block stroked to 505, 727 auto and dana 60.

I know this is a Mopar site, but I also own a 56 Chevy wagon with a stroked 383 and 671 blower.

Thank you for letting me join and I'm sure I will have tons of Dart questions once I get the car home.

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Welcome to FABO!!!
Where are you in Washington ??? I'm on Vashon Island and our local Mopar club is based in the Bremerton/Gig harbor area.

Love the car! Here are my Darts
DSC04806.JPG


Hey, I know that red Dart (skulls in the back window were the give away!).
 
Patosmith said:
I know this is a Mopar site, but I also own a 56 Chevy wagon with a stroked 383 and 671 blower.
Click to expand...
Welcome. No problem at all. A lot of us have cars other than Mopars. I, for one, would LOVE to see some pictures of your Chevy wagon.
 
str12-340 said:
Welcome to FABO!!!
Where are you in Washington ??? I'm on Vashon Island and our local Mopar club is based in the Bremerton/Gig harbor area.

Love the car! Here are my Darts
View attachment 1716155082

Hey, I know that red Dart (skulls in the back window were the give away!).
Click to expand...

Howdy
I'm in the Elk Plain / Graham area.
I'm sad to say that the skulls are going away!
The car has been sitting for 2 years outside under a car cover. I was surprised how well it looked when we pulled the cover back.
It has a lot of little things needing to be done but the main thing is tackling the rust. After the work I had to do to the Challenger, this will be a walk in the park.
I had a 67 Dart project that was in the sheet metal stage (Rolling shell) but I sold it a couple of months ago to a guy that made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It was years away from hitting the street. I've been thinking I need some sort of project to work on since. I just retired this year and need to keep busy.
I like the early 70 Darts better anyway plus this one is drivable now.
You have some nice Darts! My wife loves the purple.
 
:welcome: from :canada:

Some very nice cars you have! I also have and like other brands, would love to own a tri five, but not likely that I will ever be able to afford it.
 
Patosmith said:
You have some nice Darts! My wife loves the purple.
Click to expand...
The Dart in the middle (white with scoops) my Dad bought new and I took my license test in it in 1972, so I've been fooling with 70 Darts for a long time, which means I have a large hoard of parts, which I am now slowly reducing, in case you need anything (including sheetmetal if the rust requires it). You're just a short ferry ride away!

Yeah, the skulls were definitely not my favorite part of that car. Tell your wife that my wife picked the color for the Purple Dart and steered me to the Gunmetal Stripe!
DSC00465.JPG
 
I haven't picked up the car yet. Hopefully next weekend.
I haven't examined it in detail, but I do know I will be looking for a passenger side quarter patch panel.
There is also some rust just above the vinyl top trim on the passenger side. I plan to remove the vinyl and do repairs. My brother worked in a glass shop for years and has installed many vinyl tops. Since the car came with one, I plan to put it back on.
There is also some rust at the 2 corners where the top meets the rear deck filler panel.
My wish list includes a 8 3/4 rear end, column shift linkage, and a disk brake conversion kit. The 8 3/4 and brakes aren't necessary since I plan to keep the 318 / 904 but they would be nice upgrades. My wife doesn't like the wheels so I will be looking for replacements. I don't know what kind of 5 x 4 wheel selection is available.
I would be interested in what parts you are looking to unload. It would be worth a ferry ride.
By the way, my wife picked out the color of our Challenger!
 
missing linc said:
:welcome: from :canada:

Some very nice cars you have! I also have and like other brands, would love to own a tri five, but not likely that I will ever be able to afford it.
Click to expand...
Yes, they can be expensive.
Ours had a lot of rust so I got it at a decent price. That was back in 1992 though.
They do make a lot of reproduction parts for them now.
 
Patosmith said:
I would be interested in what parts you are looking to unload. It would be worth a ferry ride.
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Send a picture of how much of the rear quarter you need - I may have just what you need cut off another car. Keep your eye out for a 8 3/4 housing for an A-body because sooner or later if you drive with any spirit, you will kill the 7 1/4. I tore all the spiders out of one with a 318 2bbl when the car was only 5 years old (1975). Does your wife not like the wheels because they got painted red? (YUCK) They are the same wheels as on my purple Dart.
 
Good morning.
That would be great if you have the sheet metal I need. I found a full AMD quarter panel on FB Marketplace for a great price but it's in Spokane. We do have family there we could visit at the same time but I would prefer something a little closer to home. I don't need a full quarter but I could cut pieces I need out of it.
When I get the car in hand I will dig into it in more detail but here are a couple of pics of what I saw. There are rusted out spots at the very bottom of the quarter in front and behind the wheel opening on the passenger side. On the same side, just above the vinyl trim (under the vinyl) there are bubbles and it feels kind of soft so that will need replacing. On each side of the rear glass where the vinyl meets the rear deck, there is rust. I don't have a shot of the back but I circled the spots on an image I found online.
Thanks for the heads up on the 7 1/4. I do like the feel of power from time to time so I will be looking for an 8 3/4. If all else fails, Dr Diff has one on the website complete minus the center section.
It is the red on the wheels that my wife doesn't like. I showed her the wheels on your purple Dart and she was good with it.
The Mopar stickers gotta go and the jury is deliberating on the rear wing...

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str12-340 said:
Send a picture of how much of the rear quarter you need - I may have just what you need cut off another car. Keep your eye out for a 8 3/4 housing for an A-body because sooner or later if you drive with any spirit, you will kill the 7 1/4. I tore all the spiders out of one with a 318 2bbl when the car was only 5 years old (1975). Does your wife not like the wheels because they got painted red? (YUCK) They are the same wheels as on my purple Dart.
Click to expand...
Good morning!
I don't know if you had a chance to look at the pictures I posted showing the rust spots.
I have the car now and have been busy evicting the 4 mice that called it home. The car was sitting under a car cover outside.
As soon as I'm done with projects I'm doing on my Challenger, I'm going to dig into the Dart.
I found a post in Spokane where they had a quarter panel but the post is gone now.
If you don't have the sheet metal I need, I will get something ordered.
Have a good day!
Go Hawks...
 
Post a "Wanted Ad" here and maybe some close to you will have the panel.
 
I would take the spare tire out and see if the bottom of the spare tire well is rusted. That sheet metal down there supports the gas tank straps so need to make sure sufficient integrity is there.
 
Welcome from WI. Nice collection of cars!
 
str12-340 said:
The Dart in the middle (white with scoops) my Dad bought new and I took my license test in it in 1972, so I've been fooling with 70 Darts for a long time, which means I have a large hoard of parts, which I am now slowly reducing, in case you need anything (including sheetmetal if the rust requires it). You're just a short ferry ride away!

Yeah, the skulls were definitely not my favorite part of that car. Tell your wife that my wife picked the color for the Purple Dart and steered me to the Gunmetal Stripe!
View attachment 1716155515
Click to expand...
Howdy,
I picked up the car a few weeks ago. I found a quarter panel in Spokane so I ran over there and picked it up. It was an AMD and it was the right side that I needed and a price I couldn't pass up. I think I have the sheet metal covered now. I can post pics of my progress if interested.
I am also keeping an eye out for either an 8 1/4 or 8 3/4 rear end. I would prefer limited slip. If you hear of one let me know!
 
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