Got another project

[rscurtis]

I had a '69 Dart Custom 318/4-speed that was the same way. 100K miles and it still drove like new. Sold it in 2007 for $10K.

 

[MLee]

So this is a FOOSE car? they totally went against what he likes to do on the re-build. He likes to jazz the cars up a bit. This is a sleeper to be sure.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I had a '69 Dart Custom 318/4-speed that was the same way. 100K miles and it still drove like new. Sold it in 2007 for $10K.

I don't remember what I got for my Sport Fury in trade on a new '70 Buick Electra 225 with a 455 cid engine. I was trading every couple of years back then since I was putting around 50k miles on my cars in a year. However, I do remember the Buick Electra with that big 455 engine got an astounding 20+ mpg.

Bill

 

[SnoKing]

Holly crap, you can see the motor under the hood, what a concept! Parents had a 67 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door hard top. One of the best handling sedans I ever drove, with its front torsion bar front suspension. Dad sold it to his business partner who drove if for a lot of years and then gave it to his daughter. It just went on and on without major issues.

SNOKING

 

[Bill Stockard]

Holly crap, you can see the motor under the hood, what a concept!

SNOKING

Yep, it is amazing compared to today's vehicles. I imagine the only emission controls on it was a vacuum advance on the distributor and possibly Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV).

Edit: I looked at the engine again, It does have PCV.

Bill

 

[Ram4Sam]

That is nice......back in the late 1960's, early 1970's, we had one of these in town, owned by a mechanic at the Dodge dealer, who wasn't afraid of it. A quiet guy who didn't talk much and didn't get beat much either. I don't suppose the mag article mentions any west coast connections for the car, the guy just left town one day, never to be heard from again.

Sam

 

[Wayne M.]

I had a '69 Dart Custom 318/4-speed that was the same way. 100K miles and it still drove like new. Sold it in 2007 for $10K.

rscurtis, I hope I don't get you sick. I have Galen Giovier's "white books" with production numbers. If you're sure the '69 Dart was a custom, and it was a 318 (273 was still option) and it was a 4 speed and assuming it was a 2 door, they only made 44 of them. I Love obscure Mopars like that!

 

[Shadrach]

How about an RM21U4G? I owned 2 of them at the same town and knew of 2 others in town as well. One of mine had an 8 3/4 with 4.10 gears and the other had a 9 1/4 with 3.55. The best one, green with white stripe, had a factory sunroof and only 47k miles. The blue one was rougher and had about 98k on it. I also had an XS29L8 but they were more of them made. David

 

[rscurtis]

Wayne, the car was a special order when new. It was a Custom 2dr. HT, 318, 4- speed, 8-3/4" rear, 3.23 ratio, Rallye suspension, PD brakes, fast manual 14:1 steering, White Hat special with vinyl roof. I had installed a dual-point distributor from an HP 273, 340 manifolds, and a Kepich stainless steel exhaust system. I would have gotten a 340, but was coming away from a 427 Ford and was leaning toward practicality. Needless to say, if it was a 340, I probably would have kept it, as it would be quite valuable today. How many unmolested 340 Darts do you see from that era? Also, I had maintenance records on it from brand new.

When I ordered the car, the salesman tried to talk me out of the 4-speed, as I'd "never be able to sell it". I had also looked at a Chevy Nova, but it didn't have enough headroom. I wouldn't have minded owning a 396/375 Nova, I used to see them at Reedman in Langhorne, PA.

 

[Wayne M.]

Wayne, the car was a special order when new. It was a Custom 2dr. HT, 318, 4- speed, 8-3/4" rear, 3.23 ratio, Rallye suspension, PD brakes, fast manual 14:1 steering, White Hat special with vinyl roof. I had installed a dual-point distributor from an HP 273, 340 manifolds, and a Kepich stainless steel exhaust system. I would have gotten a 340, but was coming away from a 427 Ford and was leaning toward practicality. Needless to say, if it was a 340, I probably would have kept it, as it would be quite valuable today. How many unmolested 340 Darts do you see from that era? Also, I had maintenance records on it from brand new.

When I ordered the car, the salesman tried to talk me out of the 4-speed, as I'd "never be able to sell it". I had also looked at a Chevy Nova, but it didn't have enough headroom. I wouldn't have minded owning a 396/375 Nova, I used to see them at Reedman in Langhorne, PA.

I say you should have kept it anyway. Unique Mopars in good original shape are getting ink, especially with their original owners who can prove the story behind the car. With the white hat, it was probably 1/1. Tell me the 427 Ford was a 2X4 R code car!

Shadrach, That would be a '74 road runner with a 440 causing it to have the GTX option. A rare bird that gets lots of ink. The 21 makes means it should have fixed quarter glass, and I don't ever recall seeing one. I'm not near my books, but will post what I find.

Wow you guys are impressing me! I'm too young to have bought them new, but I've saved a few from the crusher.
A '72 beeper P code 400/4 sp. triple gold bench seat car.
A '69 Charger R/T-S/E T3 copper/ tan, car you see in calendars. A 55K mi. survivor that had all the original engine tin in the trunk.
A '78 LeBaron coupe Super Six, 4 speed OD. Never saw one before or since.
A '81 D350 dually Royal SE Black/ Black. Dodge Duallys of that vintage were something never seen around here.

 

[rscurtis]

Tell me the 427 Ford was a 2X4 R code car!

Yes- in a '66 Galaxie 7-Litre convertible with the 4-speed manual transmission. When is the last time you saw one of those? Very fast car, and no one knew what it was.

 

[Wayne M.]

How about an RM21U4G? I owned 2 of them at the same town and knew of 2 others in town as well. One of mine had an 8 3/4 with 4.10 gears and the other had a 9 1/4 with 3.55. The best one, green with white stripe, had a factory sunroof and only 47k miles. The blue one was rougher and had about 98k on it. I also had an XS29L8 but they were more of them made. David

Shadrach, I stand corrected on the 21 body style. After '73, all RM's were 21's meaning the quarter glass was stationary. There were 386 U code cars. No break down for sunroofs, but that was a rare bird!

rscurtis, you've had some bunch of cars back when!

 

[Wayne M.]

Theres a great resource for Mopar guys.
http://www.hamtramck-historical.com
It's a reference site dealing with all Mopars with a G in the assembly position of the VIN, as they were built in Hamtranck, MI. There's a huge wealth in the library of sales catalogs, brochures, and other nostalgia. Good for all Mopar dudes looking to learn or reminisce.

 

[rscurtis]

rscurtis, you've had some bunch of cars back when!

I gets better. My father had a '64 Porsche "C" coupe that he sold to (the late) Ralph Kiner in 1968. It was replaced with a '68 Hurst/Olds, one of only 18 with factory AC out of a production run of 515 that year. Both would be big $ cars today. Of all the shows I frequent at Carlisle and all the auctions shows I watch, I've never even seen a '68 Hurst/Olds.

 

[DavidC]

A little Nostalgia

Dave

 

[TFucili]

A little Nostalgia

View attachment 90619

Dave

I like! It's surprising how few people get the elephant motor connection when discussing Mopar.

 

[rscurtis]

I'm really into the project now. I pulled the engine yesterday to fix a rear seal leak, investigate a low oil pressure problem, install a solid-lifter cam, and do some work on the RH exhaust manifold. Note the hardware store head bolts. I'm curious to see what else I find when I open it up. Despite its size, it's not a difficult engine to remove. I'd rather do this car than my Mercedes or signature truck, that's for sure. I have completed all the other projects, such as new tires, correct 11" rear brakes, radio repair, correct speedometer gear, etc., so I figured I'd get after the engine. One of the beauties of this engine is that I can go to the local dealer and buy parts for it, despite the fact it's almost 50 years old.

 

[rscurtis]

Here's more of the story. I removed the intake manifold and ran the oil pump with a drill. Oil pours out around the valve lifters- they have way too much clearance in the bores. Note that one side has already been sleeved, but they're just as loose as the virgin side. So I disassembled the rest of the engine. The pistons and rings are perfect, but when I took the parts to Ray Barton, he told me that they are 12.5:1 pistons! I can't believe how well it ran on pump gas. The crank was cut beyond safe limits, so it will be replaced, as will the rods and pistons. The block will be honed to .030 OS, which helps piston and ring availability compared to .020 over parts. The rotating assembly will also be balanced. The lifter bores will also be sleeved back to the correct size. When done, this should be much better than new. Here are some more pictures. I'll say one thing, you can see its racing heritage, it's built like a tank.

 

[Wayne M.]

Hey!!! Hope all's well! Been buried in work- haven't been on in a while. rs, so sorry to see what's going down with the pachyderm! At least you got the right man involved. He will fix you up real good. Now I'd like to know what prompted you to spin the pump and look at the lifter leakage? That was pretty slick. The Hemi does have hard pushrod angles. Which cam are you going with? I agree it'll be well worth the investment-it'll run real well! Ask Ray about those locking collars on the rocker shafts. They aren't stock. They may be old Dick Landy items.

DavidC, I have the entire Chrysler Power mag collection. Met Roland Osborne once when the mag was active, nice guy.

 

[DavidC]

Hey!!! Hope all's well! Been buried in work- haven't been on in a while. rs, so sorry to see what's going down with the pachyderm! At least you got the right man involved. He will fix you up real good. Now I'd like to know what prompted you to spin the pump and look at the lifter leakage? That was pretty slick. The Hemi does have hard pushrod angles. Which cam are you going with? I agree it'll be well worth the investment-it'll run real well! Ask Ray about those locking collars on the rocker shafts. They aren't stock. They may be old Dick Landy items.

DavidC, I have the entire Chrysler Power mag collection. Met Roland Osborne once when the mag was active, nice guy.

If you have the full collection you will have the one with my 70 roadrunner on the cover. Let me know.

Dave