Picked up a new 36yr old ride yesterday. 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger. Slant 6, auto, ps/pb, ac. Ill be ordering parts for the next few weeks then throwing my eddy headed 340 and reverse manual 727 in it. Going to be my street/strip bracket car until I redo and finish the Duster
(huge pics cause im lazy)

3/14/2009 10:32:57 AM

Nice. But ixnay on the abybay ublay.

3/14/2009 11:10:23 AM

Looks good! I like the steelies/dog dish hubcaps, too.

3/14/2009 1:20:17 PM

HUGE PICS

3/14/2009 1:53:21 PM

eh didnt think the pics would thumbnail so i warned but thx

yea im a sucker for dogdish caps too. one day id like them to be body color. I wish it would stop raining damnit so I can mess with it more and atleast get the tail lights to work so i can cruise around. left goldston at close to 8 lastnight and drove home without them but not going to push my luck

[Edited on March 14, 2009 at 3:07 PM. Reason : .]

3/14/2009 3:05:51 PM

oh hell yeah, nice. i saw my 73 newport riding around the other day, the new owner already has some 22's or 24's on it. what are you gonna do about the rearend with the new motor? i assume it's got the 7.5 being a leaning tower of power...

[Edited on March 14, 2009 at 3:47 PM. Reason : get some big n littles on it cheap, summit has greg welds on clearance right now for $99.]

3/14/2009 3:45:36 PM

you know i got dat 3.91 suregrip 8.75. probably ordering some big bolt pattern yukon axles this week and will have to grab some big b/e drums to match

ill check the on the gwelds but i love some dog dishes, just need to see how wide the rears are. if theyre 7 or 8 inches wide ill see if i can get them to work with some 275 drag radials (backspacing wise). plan b is cop wheels with caps

3/14/2009 10:32:47 PM

make sure you get some mt et street radials, hooking sons of bitches. i've cut a best of a 1.43 60ft. on mine with consistent high 1.4x's-low 1.5x's and stock suspension. that's not this "stock style" bullshit either, that's untouched 11 year old 140k mile factory parts with just some minor camber/ride height adjustments.

i doubt you'll clear the inner fender on those wheels with 275's. you could always do a mini tub though. guess it depends on how bad you want to keep steelies/dog dishes. i've got some straight 15" factory trim rings if you're interested. they've got some surface rust though, so they'd need to be re plated or painted.

[Edited on March 14, 2009 at 11:04 PM. Reason : hell, i've even got a set of factory full hubcaps from a 73 dart sedan... they're 14's though.]

[Edited on March 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM. Reason : don't forget pre 81 trucks/vans and some c bodies as a cheap source for the wider 15's too...]

3/14/2009 11:00:09 PM

Thirty six years later...still butt ugly. I really can't imagine why someone would choose that car for preservation through the ages.

I'm just jealous because I can't hang with you big money mopar guys.

3/14/2009 11:21:14 PM

yea the 275/60-15 mt is what im planning with the 3/4" MP offset spring hangers/shackles if i have too (some ppl say you dont but i havent measured). Id like that tire on a 10" rim for footprint but I think I can do it on an 8" with all stock spring locations. I dont want to mini tub because Ive been throught that with the Duster and without a welder its more time consuming and expensive than it should be, especially if you move the springs to maximize space.

I really plan for this to be an all bolt on car using parts from my Duster and used pieces to hold me over until I build the Duster to a nice finished piece. Then I'll strip the Dart and resell. Cal-trac's and and a diet for a low 7/ high 6 consistent bracket car that i can drive to Piedmont/Rox/Dunn/Fayetnam

p.s. its got a sweet glasspack on it right now and droopy motor mounts. peg leg smokies @ trailwood hills soon


[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 1:03 AM. Reason : someone loan me a test light to chase taillight problems if it stops raining. tryon/lakewheeler]

3/15/2009 12:56:25 AM

^^psshhh, this is A bodies y0, shit's cheap cause no one else wants them. you don't even have to preserve the damn things, they just won't die. especially a /6.

^yeah, you'll love those tires. a 275 will definitely fit with the right backspacing i know for a fact. i just don't think any of the factory rims (that i know of) will get it off the inner fender enough, but i might be wrong. you could always use a wheel spacer too i guess, especially if you throw some arp studs in your shafts. on the lights, check the grounds. 9 times out of 10 that's where the problem lies, whether it's corrosion preventing a good contact or it's completely rusted in half. i assume the front parking lights are out too...?

damn Grapehead needs to get back on here, he's got a pretty cool budget built/rat dart.

[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 1:25 AM. Reason : .]

3/15/2009 1:23:39 AM

i was gonna say if i was cheap id be build chevys or more likely a foxbody. plus this was one decked out grocery getter in the day

in other news theres a cash $ grudge race at fayet next weekend that nig ndacut(hpjunkies/youtube) is setting up and id love to be there but ill be out of town. check the videos and im sure itd be a sight to see

i know i need insurance to get a tag but does it need a current inspection? lights would get me. havent looked hard at all but it does have brake/turn on the rear and everything on the front, even the little fender mounted deals.

3/15/2009 2:01:23 AM

Quote :

"studs in your shafts"

3/15/2009 2:23:18 AM

^^yeah, his name is maurice. he's a nice guy. looks like it should be an entertaining event for sure judging from the threads in shit talking. supposedly, there's a big crowd of heavy hitters from the street racing/grudge scene coming down from ny/nj. i won't be there either, but i am planning to attend the draggin rights event in april. probably enter the street tire competition and maybe get a grudge run or two in on the dr's. there's going to be a TON of grudge events at most of the tracks this year.

hell, it's probably just bad bulbs if everything else is working. those push/turn sockets can get nasty corrosion too, especially if any moisture has been in the trunk or otherwise crept into the lens.

you don't need to do any inspection at all. the new laws allow vehicles 25 years and older to be exempt from everything, even basic safety inspections. now, that doesn't mean you can't still get a ticket for lights not working, etc.

[Edited on March 15, 2009 at 3:37 AM. Reason : .]

3/15/2009 3:31:52 AM

Quote :

" you don't need to do any inspection at all. the new laws allow vehicles 25 years and older to be exempt from everything, even basic safety inspections. now, that doesn't mean you can't still get a ticket for lights not working, etc."

Really? When did that take effect?

Should make it a little easier whenever I get the funds/time to get the Malibu back on the road.

3/15/2009 1:52:20 PM

i'm not sure exactly. 2-3 years ago maybe? it wasn't too long after tailpipe emission testing was eliminated in favor of obdII only. or, it might have been at the same time... dunno.

3/15/2009 2:12:39 PM

First thing would be to get rid of the carolina blue.

3/15/2009 2:33:05 PM

fuck yea on the inspection stuff, messed with it a bit today but for some reason (probably my cheap ass jumper cables) it wouldnt do anything more than click and turn on the lights. it had to be jumped the day i bought it so it needs a battery even though the one in it looks newer. luckily, the one in it is not bolted down in any way so it'll be quick and easy

3/15/2009 5:33:57 PM

what's the date/brand on the battery? might still have a warranty from somewhere. even prorated is better than nothing.

3/15/2009 5:36:19 PM

it checked out ok so obviously all the crud and paint on the terminals was more than my junk cables could handle. cleaned her up and started right away today. had i not lost the title for 6hrs today while at work, it would have tags. luckily someone found it in the parking lot and were green light tomorrow.
bought a test light and not getting juice to the tails so back upstream we go. gonna throw in some seafoam and plugs in it and maybe do some TnT for seat time.

in sad news, pulled back the front carpet today and saw some daylight. probably couldnt have slid a nickle through the hole but i guess its to be expect for a 36yr old <$2k car

p.s. luckily im smart enough to look at the wires coming off the red painted terminal and know theyre not the + side

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 11:13 PM. Reason : ]

3/17/2009 11:12:14 PM

Those holes are just so the rain can run on out.

I opened the door to my car the other day only watch a freshly notarized title blow off the dash and across a parking lot. I must have looked like a retard chasing it.

3/18/2009 12:14:41 AM

Quote :

"in sad news, pulled back the front carpet today and saw some daylight. probably couldnt have slid a nickle through the hole but i guess its to be expect for a 36yr old <$2k car"

oh hell yeah, that's nothing. how is the trunk behind each wheelwell and the area where the C pillar meets the body? that's usually the main areas of trouble with those cars.

3/18/2009 8:45:45 AM

I WANT THAT FUCKING SLANT SIX.

3/18/2009 9:10:31 AM

^^looks alright for now but there are things lurking under that paint. whatever its a temporary whip so my 340 doesnt just sit.

^ ill let u have it on the cheap in a month or two

ole gal left me stranded today though. jumped it (again) drove to the grocery boy jr. on lake wheeler to air up the tires and just cruise. cut it off and that was all she wrote. wouldnt jump off so after 20min of poking around wiggling wires i jumped the starter relay and off we go.

edit: where to buy wire. larger 1/0? stuff for battery stuff and some smaller things to fix of some of the nigger rigged shit

[Edited on March 18, 2009 at 8:26 PM. Reason : ,]

3/18/2009 8:23:12 PM

Quote :

"cut it off and that was all she wrote. wouldnt jump off so after 20min of poking around wiggling wires i jumped the starter relay and off we go."

check the main power wire that supplies the fuse box/ignition under the dash, sorta near the column. nearly all mopar models of that era are notorious for developing a bad connection at the bulkhead connection where it comes through the fire wall. car acts like it has no battery/power at all when you try to crank it, yet will crank just fine off the solenoid.

3/18/2009 8:57:12 PM

still chasing wires on the taillights and cranking issues but I'm not motivated to do that shit in the rain. picked up a bunch of standard tune up parts and a p/s pump this week and hopefully sunday i can mess with it.

also discovered this week that it needs a drivers side front floor pan like whoa. i didnt check it out nearly as well as i should have(hole isnt where i expected) before i bought it but you live and you learn. so anyone got a shop/car port and like a side grinder and a welder i can borrow sometime soon. i can do it good enough to pass but just dont have the stuff in raleigh. also think i decided to stick with the duster as a racecar and try to flip this for a small profit maybe at mopars@the rock that or just keep it as a driver.

3/27/2009 10:11:45 PM

Quote :

"flip this for a small profit"

how much did you pay for it. and what do you want to get out of it. thing about flipping is minimal work for minimal money
you are talking about floor pans, and other misc. parts. I would just fix it and keep it. maybe some chrome cleaning and a dressup kit. white wall bfgs. and a set of beauty rings. could be a cool DD my Ex still drives her 69 mustang around daily

3/27/2009 10:22:04 PM

i should be able to break even fairly easily if i fix the pan and i'd be fine with that to funnel the money back into the duster. that would be the only reason i have to move it right now. plus the pan is $75 and my labor plus a tip to some for loaning me tools.

also trying to move a holley 3310 750cfm vac sec carb with a proform main body for the price of just the body if anyone needs it. it needs a metering plate but otherwise looks good. i want a double pumper.

[Edited on March 27, 2009 at 10:49 PM. Reason : sure id loose my labor which is fine, i like it, and whatever i dont get back off of 6months insuran]

3/27/2009 10:47:32 PM

gotcha. good luck and cant wait to see what happens with it

3/28/2009 12:04:37 AM