dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Mostly welded up. Gotta run the beads yet and they’ll be ready to go. Pretty happy with the results considering no fancy tools were available. Just an old truck tire and a hammer
Project 440DD
- Thread starter dukeboy440
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dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Anyone got any thoughts on how to better brace the dart for the tubs being cut out? I’ve welded an X brace down to the frame under the rear window and the quarters will be welded on before I cut the factory tub supports. Think that would be enough?
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Bye bye Swiss cheese. New steel box tubing replaces the Swiss cheese for rails it once had. Just tack welded in for now.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Rocker patch one going in
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Today’s off to China to be turned into tuna cans pile
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Here comes the part ive been waiting for for a long time, quarter panels going on
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Got the dana 60 back this afternoon from the shop, getting her and the watts link setup tacked in.
guy handed me this piece from my dana 60. Apparently it’s pretty damn thick
guy handed me this piece from my dana 60. Apparently it’s pretty damn thick
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Wow! What is the wall thickness on that? 0.5"? My Ford 3/4 ton Dana 60 housing tubes were 5/16".
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
close, micrometer puts it at .4382, so just about 7/16ths. Guy at the shop that I had it cut down at said he ran some stamping number he found in the tube, it was a heavy duty version out of a 79 W350 dually. Said something about double ribbing but I'm not sure what he meant. having trouble getting good weld penetration with my Mig, gonna grind off my tack welds and switch to my stick welder, I've welded up to 3/4 with it before so it should do the job.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
................... Said something about double ribbing but I'm not sure what he meant.
doesn't is say somewhere on the package cover....it is for her pleasure.
now that is keen thinking
Find a good rear end shop and have new tubes welded in when you weld the ends on.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Ends are already welded on. I had it cut down by a real good shop with a great rep locally. Old man has been doing it since the 70s for everyone around including most of the local dirt guys, has jigs for just about every axle you can imagine, even Rockwell 2.5s
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Wow.... was just flipping back to some of my photos and realized it’s been 7 years since I first bought the dart home this coming week. Since that time, 2 lay offs, 2 kids, a couple low rent jobs, undergrad school, grad school, machine shop drama, deeper rust than originally noticed and lastly, coronavirus.
but hey, she’s finally starting to come together. Really have the coronavirus to thank for it. As bad as this virus as has been, being forced to telework since March has freed up 3 hours a day in driving time, 400 bucks in gas and things are rolling now. Seriously think I can have her in primer this fall!
but hey, she’s finally starting to come together. Really have the coronavirus to thank for it. As bad as this virus as has been, being forced to telework since March has freed up 3 hours a day in driving time, 400 bucks in gas and things are rolling now. Seriously think I can have her in primer this fall!
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
The amount of measuring, remeasuring and measuring again just to mount this takes forever. But it’s coming along.
Unconventional
Well-Known Member
At least those 1/2" thick axle tubes are down low where they're less harmful.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Yeah no kidding. But it should be plenty strongAt least those 1/2" thick axle tubes are down low where they're less harmful.
Unconventional
Well-Known Member
I don't think even the stick welder will warp those bad boys 
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
nope, that reminds me, I gotta dig that thing out of storage tomorrow. Haven't welded anything that thick in about a decade. Hopefully the old girl still worksI don't think even the stick welder will warp those bad boys
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Well decided to get a picture of how she looks so far. Got the suspension mocked in she’s not at right height yet. Still gotta get that set yet once tires are in
famous bob
mopar misfit
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
so do i, wished i'd cleaned up the tools and such around it first though.
I will say, today is the very first time ever, that I have had both the front and rear wheels on the car at the same time. Everything has been done with a tape measure to this point and I am pleasantly surprised to announce my goal of making the front and rear track width's the same, using different width rims, is spot on and completed, center to center.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
For anyone wondering, rims are 18x10s with a 7.20 inch backspace out back, 18x9s with 6.18 inch backing up front
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
So I had the pans just tacked down on this side and I wasn’t happy with the fits, so cut those off and decided while I had them back out, I’d put por15 down on every surface I could that the pans covered.
Lightly wire wheeled and then por15’s 3 step kit applied to all areas covered by the pans and the surrounding areas that don’t need patched and what not. Fumes suck even with a 4 ft shop fan blowing and all the doors opened
Lightly wire wheeled and then por15’s 3 step kit applied to all areas covered by the pans and the surrounding areas that don’t need patched and what not. Fumes suck even with a 4 ft shop fan blowing and all the doors opened
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
Well this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind... body cart collapsed while moving. Caster gave out and the rest collapsed around it. Luckily, no major damage to the dart. A couple minor dings in the passenger side rocker what was rusted out anyway. No one hurt.
before that happened, I got the trans tunnel, floor and the cross member fully welded in.
before that happened, I got the trans tunnel, floor and the cross member fully welded in.
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