Low-buck sleeper project - advice needed

[65rbdodge]

my sleeper-





i set out for it to be low buck but went way over budgetr when i bought the eddy heads for it.

[chryco]

Nice car ! What about a 408 " stroker and tell the world it`s a warmed up 318 ....until you mash the gas, and go 12`s real easy.
   $0.02
       Chryco

[signet]

yes thats the grille.

the sheetmetal is still good for a 70+ duster.

just a thought to keep your project well funded. 

i spent 1000 on fuel system and a 1000 on the cooling system.

i really think low buck is more of a carrot in front of the donkey scenario.

small blocks A-bodies kick serious butt at a fraction of the frustration.

i really like that grille

take care

[67Dart34dr0]

my sleeper-





i set put for it to be low buck but went way over budgetr when i bought the eddy heads for it.

Since you went over budget you could have just built a 416... 

[fasttcars]

Signet... you mean this one? Heh, heh, heh. I don't know, the rust-free arrow-straight hood & under-grille piece would be useless without it. 

oh and also one thing if wanting to use the 69 grill on the 67 the 67 hood dosen't work the best with the grill because of how it dips in the center...actually it won't work  without clearencing that center section...or just use the 69 hood like on my 67

[valiantguy]

Yeah, I like the 67 stuff on the 67 - eventually I want lots of Fiberglass on it, and I've only seen one company doing a 67 Valiant hood and it was way more expensive than getting a '69+ hood. So if I did that, I'd need a grille. And my 67 hood was crunched & bondo'd into oblivion, now coming off in chunks. Does add to the sleeper thing, though, doesn't it...

Now I did locate a parts car, a stripped, beat Dart Sport (Duster) from '74 with a V8 K, big rear (bigger than mine, that's for sure)... have to see if it's a disc brake car or not and (of course, the kicker) what it would take to haul it off back to my place. The k, front susp., T-bars, rear, brakes would go onto the 67 (I'm assuming), allowing me to drop in the as-yet undetermined engine/tranny... leaving me a rebuildable (hopefully) slant...

Sudden dreams of a gasser-style Duster with a rip roaring slant 6 and 5-speed... ok wake up, wake up.... (slap, slap) you don't know how to weld yet! (slap, slap)...

Keeping the project well funded is a good thing... believe me, I think of selling everything laying around. It's not like I don't have 3 vehicles needing front end kits and a Magnum in the tranny shop... I might be tempted, but no promises there, money-tossing smiley.

65rb, you are my hero. That's EXACTLY what I want eventually, but as a blue 67. How does it go? Stop? Handle? Details on your build? Good God, call me a sicko but I look at that 400 in that grandma-looking 4-door and I think it's going to be a few minutes before I can roll out from under this desk.

Thanks all, ~S

[67Dart34dr0]

For a street car I think the small-block might be more down to Earth, but then again, I also think that it is always cool to see mean small-blocks and mean four-doors. But, if you go small-block, you need a hi-po 2 bbl. (just kidding...)

Everything should swap from the '74 into the '67, but you don't have to go overboard, you just need to grab the brake assembly from the control arms out if you it is a disc brake car. Just measure the lug pattern. If it is 4-1/2", it's a disc car, if it's a 4", it's a drum car. What V8 is it? It might well have just a 7-1/4" in it.

I've as a joke gotten a good ways in cloning mine into a 273 4bbl car, just with a 340 (with stock top end, not 273/318) rather than a 273. That isn't a horrible way to go, but a 360 or 318 is cheaper.

[Draginmopars]

here's my girl friends Sleeper/ Parts Chaser.
plain- on the out side, mopower, on the inside.
condition now, no eng./ trans.
Plans- Give it a bath
install 70-360/thermo quad, A-500 trans
with a a-body rear, 3.55sg

[valiantguy]

Aw yeah, more sleepers! I'm still up in the air between a 318 I'll have to have built (but could then use it in any 3 of my other rides if need be eventually) or the 400/727 I've got. It's bucks either way. I'll grab everything 'cause I want bigger ball joints and such. I've got tiny ones. That sounds funny, I know. Ok world "I've got small ones." There.

The Dart Sport codes out as a 318 car. No engine or tranny right now. And I've been under it - definitely a stout rear end. Maybe I should grab pictures & post 'em. It's no 7-1/4. Also has some hillbilly welded angle iron on it and some chains doin' something under there, not sure what but last time I checked that was a SURE sign of some riggin' going on... I'll know more this week. SHOULD I GRAB THE CAR if it's drums? Bigger ball joints? 10" drums? Would that improve things enough for now?

I do have a good 318 block, rebuildable heads, and crank, rods, pistons, a Performer... I could haul it all to a machine shop with a mild cam & kit and a roller chain & say "Build it." That & a carb and there's a mild 318. I've got some Heddmans & glass packs... what am I looking at for complete head re-do with bigger valves, get it all together, cam kit & used carb... I should be under $1000, or am I dreaming? Heck if that's the case and I can get that Dart cheap, I'm still under budget and I've got a new gas tank sitting in the truck bed right now... hmmm...

Thoughts? More sleepers? Keep 'em coming! And thanks for the dialog, it's helping more than you know. I have more projects than skills and I vapor locked.

~S

[67Dart34dr0]

As long as it's mild 10 inches should do the trick. They could bring a 325hp 340 to a stop decently. When I bought my car I had 9" drums front and 10" drums rear- it took close to 3 lights to bring the ~300hp 340 to a stop.

I don't think ball joints get bigger if it's drums, but I don't think they'll make a huge difference.

As for the block machining, if you feel comfortable doing any of it yourself, that will save you money.

You might be able to get the parts from that Dart cheap if you're clever. Just don't lead on that they're for performance or resto.

I think I sort of lucked out. The guys who did the swap were smart enough to grab the entire Duster 340 driveline, but they did forget the front suspension. (does have the 340 K though) It wasn't extremely cheap, but it was a little less than building a good reliable one.

Here's the pics:



Someone painted the 340 red like the 273s... (the 340 would be blue for the year) There was a crappy radio, most of the A/C system is still there, and the seats are nice originals. The car had just finished getting picked over for parts for a same year V8 convertible. That's where my partial hold-open went...

Do check on the Sport, I have seen some factory 8-3/4" 318 cars, mostly Swingers though.

The 318 mild build would be an okay idea. I'd suggest either stepping up to late '70s on 360 heads +4 bbl intake or getting some late 70s on 318 heads to re-do. (you can't use magnums...) This can come around VERY cheap and are worth it in terms of drivability afterwards (unleaded valve heads...), I have a junkyard a ways from me that wants $50/pair. You could probably see just over 300hp, which is decent for a transitional engine.

My exhaust was around $500 including labor and that's duals, there was an issue earlier w/hangers but they resolved that free when the tips were put on.

Anyway, it's not the size of the ball joints that counts, it's the size of the spindle. '73-ups have some... funky stuff.

Here's a trick for measuring bolt pattern on a car: if the rim is on, it's wrong. The rim must come off or you will be fooled, please don't ask me how I know this.

Keep in mind: it doesn't necessarily have to be fast, but giving them a bit of a surprise when they can't pass your car without much effort is lots of fun. The 340 is always a real surprise in mine, and that's what it is all about. (I run 3.23:1 gears, but you can probably go up to 3.55s or a little lower and still get as good or better gas mileage than the 340...)

How are all your parts, ready to go in? If so, that can be a lot of money saved, but I wouldn't consider early 70s heads in a "just a little fun" build-up anyway. I have them cause they're original and I don't think you have much to gain from that, so look around for some good unleaded heads.

[valiantguy]

Ok, update on the Valiant - kept my options open and looked for either the right V8 73-76 A body parts car for the beginnings of the conversion & to get it running, or the right late 60s /6 parts car just to get it running & "earning its keep". Found a '69 Dart with a good running engine, remanufactured head, recent gaskets, fuel & oil pump, rebuilt carb, alternator, radiator, underhood wiring, tires, brake & some front end parts. It runs & drives so I can fiddlefart around with it & get it tuned & timed (no smoke or noises, just stumbles & stalls and doesn't have a lot of low end grunt... drove an hour at 65mph to get home though), then do the swap and give our elderly lady friend a ride in her late mother's car. Goal #1. Under the skin it's an identically equipped car to the Valiant. Tranny shifts good too. Hoping to get on it next month.

For a first engine/tranny swap (I'd like to keep them together during the transfer) seems to me like a slant six late 60s like-car transfer would be relatively simple.

Hmmm... wonder what the 69 Dart front clip would look like on a 73 Dart Sport? A "Dartster?"

Thanks for all the advice - more for this next bit of work is welcome too.

~Scott in TX