I’ve finally had a chance to mess around with project Dirty Dart, and it’s softly whispering to me: cut bait! cut bait! To put things in perspective, it only stalled in traffic three times on the five-mile trip home from the off-site storage barn (less than once per mile!), and it shows signs that it has never had any significant mechanical service. After 49 years and who knows how many miles, that’s not good.
The first thing I did was get new tires to replace the old ones that were coming apart…literally. It looked and rode a lot better with a new set of shoes, but my problems were just beginning.
The only two items on the dashboard that worked were the ammeter and the temperature gauge. The speedometer was hooked up but didn’t work. The fuel gauge didn’t work. Most troubling, the oil pressure warning light didn’t work. There were no blown fuses.
Therefore, I removed the instrument cluster. I tested several of the circuits, and they looked good. The speedometer cable was broken near the transmission, but the speedometer head was free.
The printed circuit had continuity, but the oil pressure light was missing a bulb and socket. Upon replacing it, the light works, as do the blinker indicators. I think I may have discovered the reason for the missing bulb–the oil light stays on at all times. Since I’ve driven the car at least 20 miles since I’ve gotten it, I’m betting on a bad sender.
The ignition switch seems to not be from a Dart, but I was able to modify it to work, at least for the short run, by using a spacer I cut from a PVC pipe. I’m guessing the sending unit in the tank is bad, because I’m not getting anything at the gas gauge. There could be a bad ground in the system, too, but I haven’t checked it yet.
Yep. That’s a bungee cord holding the battery in. Don’t judge.
I replaced two of the most rotten looking motor mounts you’ve ever seen, and now, with the engine and transmission where they should be, the exhaust hits the frame. The front end is tight, but original, and all the rubber boots are shot. There’s enough dirt road under this thing that I should call it Pigpen. The gear oil was low in the transmission and axle. Someone had replaced the steering box (there’s something at least!), and connected the steering column with two loose bolts. Now that I’ve tightened it, it grinds going into second.
On another drive, it died 10 blocks away from my house as I pulled into my parents’ driveway. I could get it started again, but it wouldn’t stay idling. After checking the spark and running the engine from an auxiliary fuel tank with no change, Dad and I flat towed it home; and after checking all vital systems, including fuel pressure (fine), filter (fine), and the carburetor idle circuit (fine), it miraculously idled down normally. There must have been a floating demon in the carb somewhere.
It has about 18″ of vacuum, a bit low, but OK. It’s back to smoking pretty heinously from the tailpipe after an oil change, leading me to believe the oil drains in the cylinder head are plugged. It obviously has low compression, judging by the fact that it sounds like the spark plugs are out when I crank it, and it will roll down a semi-steep driveway with the shifter in first gear.
The lesson: it’s pretty clear that I just don’t learn. I bought another under-maintained vehicle and now I’m complaining that it’s a piece of junk. This past Monday, I bought a low mileage 225 from a ’74 Charger from my machine shop to replace the obviously tired 170. It’s just a gut feeling, but I think it’ll be a good choice, and it’s a direct swap other than the oil pan, pickup, and a little exhaust matching.
Over the last few days, I was really at a tipping point, but I’m terrible at selling things, and I’m probably just struggling under the weight of what seems like a Sisyphean task, even though this is my hobby and I enjoy it. The money aspect is also bugging me: stuffing a bunch of money into a Dart wagon is somewhat stupid from a purely financial perspective.
On the other hand, a guy in a mid-’70s Elite pulled up when I was hooking up the tow strap, and he told me to take care of the Dirty Dart, because he’s never seen one before. I had to return the comment, because Elites basically don’t exist in Michigan anymore (my Dad even had one, and it rusted out as we watched). Maybe I’ll heed his advice and keep chipping away at the old wagon. Stay tuned for what promises to be an exciting engine swap story!
NO! Dangit, keep going Aaron, you’re my hero. I haven’t done a blessed thing to my VW, still working on motorcycles for the next few weeks.
You’re definately on the right track replacing the engine, and every time you fix something properly it’s done. Keep going, at least you dont have tons of annoying problems and swiss cheese rust. It’s a great car…
You know…every once in awhile, it’s nice to be a hero. 🙂
Now get going on that VW!
Do it. Loved my 225 pushbutton wagon. Winter starts were the only bee-atch. After all, how good is that car’s colour?
Photo 1 is the coolest CC garage pic ever.
Absolutely agree!
+1 can’t wait to see and read more
Sounds like most of the big issues related to that engine. Replace that and things won’t look so hopeless.
I say don’t give up until you have fixed most of the problems. That is when to throw up your hands and sell it for pennies on the dollar – to me. 🙂 It could always be worse – you could be a certain someone else we know who is going through the same stuff, but with a Jag.
With what you describe of that engine, the oil pressure light could be actually doing its job. The only slanties I have ever seen burning oil are really, really worn out. A 225 in that car should be downright powerful. As DougD said, at least you get to look at that beautiful rust-free body while you sort out the problems. I’m wondering if you have some water or rust in your fuel tank that is working its way into the carb. A dozen new fuel filters might not be a bad buy, or else take that tank out and get the insides coated.
I think someone did take the tank out; it has a new hose at the sender and marks on the tank where it seems like someone took it out and reattached the straps. The filter itself is one of those clear ones, and it looks a little varnishy, but it is actually fully unobstructed, so I’m guessing there’s not a lot of sediment still working its way through. It has 5 psi at the carb, so plenty of fuel pressure.
I ran it on a gas can, too, just to check, and it was the same.
I’ll probably buy another filter to see if it gets varnished up when I do the engine swap. My goal is to swap the engine out April 18th and 19th…can I do it??? 🙂
I once had a breather cap on a high-mile slant 6 get clogged due to a lot of blowby that gummed up the filter in it. The car would build up crankcase pressure and would stall at idle. After going through a second breather cap, I opened the cap up and removed the filter element. Solved it.
At that point, you might as well have just replaced it with a draft tube. Same effect, but the oil smoke goes on the ground instead of gunking-up the top of the engine. 🙂
As I recall, I sort of did that very thing, as I got tired of replacing oily air filters too. A longer rubber hose on the filterless breather cap did the trick. 🙂
I did that with a beater Rabbit that had a nasty pistonslap. I drove it from California to Washington (a $300.00) car. It used oil like crazy, about every 60-80 miles it would slow down for a few seconds, then pick up again. The cars in the rear view mirror would vanish from view. The air filter housing would fill up and then spill over, smoking out everything in sight. I think someone called the CHP, one followed me for about 1/2 hour, and finally passed me. As he did, it let go again. Lucky me, he did not look back. A hose from the valve cover to a few inches off the ground fixed the problem. It rattled and used oil for years, but stopped smoking (mostly), but I put a Diesel emblem on the back just to be sure! I ran 50wt oil to slow down consumption.
It would be interesting to see the inside of your fuel tank. Given what you describe elsewhere, I bet its full of varnish and other fun things. It could also explain the fuel gauge not working.
If it’s getting to you, focus elsewhere for a short while. It happened to me last fall with my Galaxie but when I redirected my attention back to it, things fell into place. Hell, if you can revive a Corvair with such cancer this should be a snap!
Yes, keep going. I think this engine could be saved as well. It could be your next winter project after swapping it out now.
The low compression may be caused by sticking piston rings. I hear the slant six is immortal.
Keep with it! Any problems on this Dart should be easy to diagnose and fix compared with new cars. A slant-6, 3-speed stick, manual steering and brakes. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
I think you said in your first installment that you adjusted the valvetrain lash already? You could try putting SeaFoam down the intake. It’s kind of a “kill or cure” remedy, but if you’re already set to swap the engine anyhow, you have nothing to lose.
Hopefully the speedo cable just broke because it was never lubricated. If you find a used replacement, pull the cable out of the sheath, clean it with solvent, and lube with white lithium grease. Some advice I heard recently is to not lube the last 6″ or so, because you don’t want the grease to wick up into the speedometer head.
Regarding the fuel gauge inop, there should be a ground strap snapped to the steel lines, straddling the rubber fuel line that connects to the gas tank. This is the ground for the sending unit. Climb under the car and check that it is still present.
If it’s like my C-bodies, the connector for the sending unit just pushes onto a pin. Pull it off, inspect for corrosion and a broken wire.
Some carbs have a screen filter right at the inlet to the carb. The 2-bbls on 383’s have this. To access it, you need to remove the steel fuel line, then unscrew the inlet fitting from the carb itself. If your carb is running dry and everything else seems fine, check that.
Another possibility is that the pushrod driven from the cam that actuates the fuel pump is wearing down, though unlikely if your fuel pressure is fine as stated. I had this happen to one of my cars. At first it would run fine cruising on the highway, but run out of fuel when idling or at WOT when trying to pass (scary!). Then it left me stranded on the roadside as it wore down further. Seemed worse when hot; I could restart the car once it cooled down. Upon inspecting the pushrod, found it was 5/16″ short!
Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.
I actually was planning to do the Seafoam or water trickled down the carb trick and then readjust the valves (haven’t done it yet), but I picked up this 44,000 mile engine that looks pretty factory fresh (still has much of the original paint on it) with fuel pump, manifolds, flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and distributor all on it for $375. My clutch is bad, so that would already be $100 right there.
Any used engine’s a crap shoot, but this 170’s crappy! 🙂 I hope I’m upgrading!
Oh yeah, I would ditch the factory oil pressure idiot light and install an aftermarket gauge, or run both. 🙂 And beware the dreaded bulkhead connector or ammeter meltdown, the Achilles’ Heel of Mopar electrical systems.
The connectors in the bulkhead connector are known as “Packard 56” terminals. The ones that typically burn out (and also melt the plastic housing) are the ones that carry all the current from the alternator to the ammeter, then back out to the battery. Unfortunately, I’ve never found correct replacements for the heavy version of the Packard-56 connector used for this.
I once had an old time auto-electric guy tell me that he would drop a bead of solder over where the jam nut tightens onto the copper contact. He said it was when that nut loosens and the jam nut starts to separate from its contact that bad shit happens. While you have the instrument cluster out, it would be a good idea to inspect that ammeter to make sure the jam nut is nice and tight and maybe add that solder drip. You probably know by now that your ammeter is the very first stop from the battery and the current for everything else (but the starter) goes through that ammeter – which explains why it is so sensitive and tells you so much about your electrical system. A current cutoff under the hood might not be a bad safety feature for a seldom-driven car.
That would work if you can wire-up the ammeter with the instrument cluster sitting in your lap, which may be possible on this Dart. Not possible on my Chryslers.
Part of the problem is that the ammeters were poorly designed. The phenolic circuit board is part of the “sandwich” of things that is tightened up by the nut on the back of the ammeter. Heat from current flow eventually causes the phenolic to distort, loosening the electrical connection. This causes more heat and further deterioration of the circuit board. The ammeter can quickly go from seemingly good to electrical fire. In my experience the bulkhead connector is the bigger problem though.
Argh…I just replaced the cluster last night. I tightened both ammeter connections and made sure their little lockwashers were on there. I’ll probably go back and solder them when I’m relatively sure I won’t have to pull the cluster again!
Remove the lock washers. Put a flat brass washer on there and a nylock nut. Better continuity that the steel lock washer and no need to solder things to keep them from coming loose.
“A current cutoff under the hood might not be a bad safety feature for a seldom-driven car.”
It also serves as a good theft deterrent device; most thieves will quickly give up if they can’t get a car to start.
The reason you aren’t finding the big terminals is that they are Packard 59 series terminals. The look exactly like the 56 terminals but are larger they are the ones used on every headlight from the era. You can find that at a couple of places I usually get mine from Mouser but they do have minimum orders.
That’s a good tip, I’ll keep that in mind. On my convertible I cleaned-up and reused the original terminals. My Windsor suffered a meltdown at the bulkhead connector though, and I wound-up bypassing the heavy power terminals altogether.
You can remove the two power terminals, then run through those locations in the bulkhead connector with a drill, opening them up to pass wires through. I ran a new wire directly from the starter relay, through the firewall, to the ammeter, and it still looks factory. (The heavy stud on the starter relay is used as a power distribution post.) You can do the same thing on the alternator side but it’s more work to make it look factory.
When buying used cars, and that is any used car, my motto has always been, “buy the best one you can find.” Yes, you will usually pay top dollar for it, but said cream puff won’t suck your wallet dry. More importantly, it won’t suck your time dry. I am sure there is a Dart out there that has been restored, or almost restored, for less than it would take to bring this one up to snuff.
Depends how perfect he wants it. This one looks to have “good bones” since the body and frame aren’t rotten. If he just wants something fun to drive and not a major restoration project, and won’t shed too many tears if it gets in an accident, this car looks to be just right.
Besides, restoring cars is Aaron’s hobby. Where’s the fun in buying one that’s already “done”. He’ d just find something wrong with it that would make him want to tear it apart anyhow. 🙂
Very true…I come off as whiny when things are going wrong, but I still keep doing it.
I am pretty geeked about swapping engines, so rest assured that I understand that I’m not doing things the right way, but I am doing them my way. 🙂
“stuffing a bunch of money into a Dart wagon is somewhat stupid from a purely financial perspective.”
I have a boat. Stupid financially, but the excitement from my kids, even in advanced teen hood is well worth it.
Cool car.
I would keep it. Dart wagons are hard to come by. The body is in great shape and there are only a few things needed to fix it up. Have you checked the Carb itself? My 1985 Cutlass Supreme sedan(aka the Gutless Cutlass) had that stalling issue also. It turned out that carb was going bad. I replaced it with a reman(the days of me spending the day rebuilding a carb are long gone) and the problem was fixed.
As for “stuffing a bunch of money into a Dart wagon is somewhat stupid from a purely financial perspective.” all restores (unless it is a Cord or something like that) are stupid. Look at the folks restoring old VW Bugs, they are dumping money into a car that cost practically nothing in the first place when new.
If it was me I would continue as a restored or road ready Dart wagon is more rare and commands more attention then a restored Mustang or Camaro(which are a dime a dozen at every car show)
“This past Monday, I bought a low mileage 360 from a ’74 Charger from my machine shop to replace the obviously tired 170.”
Fixed 🙂
btw it doesn’t sound like it has any problems that any old car that’s been sitting awhile doesn’t have. Keep it.
Yeah, that’ll make it go! 😀 Seriously though, doesn’t a slant-6 use a different front crossmember than a V8?
yeah the /6-V8 K-frames are different but Schumacher makes an adapter kit now so you don’t have to swap out the entire unit.
Ive never done a V8 conversion in one of the early A-bodies, just the later cars, although I did have a 66 Barracuda with a hot 340 for one summer that I did some street racing with but the swap was already done when I bought it-what a fast, fun car that was.
On that Dart, given the gauge issues, if the circuit board is OK, I wouldn’t even mess with the original wiring; its 50 years old. Complete new wiring harnesses for the entire car (well, maybe not the taillight harness since its a station wagon) and ignition switches are available from several restoration parts houses. Its so much easier restoring a Mopar today than it was even 10 years ago.
While I love nice original cars, that Dart is ripe for a new life. I want to hot rod it sooooo bad………….a hot small block, a 5 speed, disc brakes, a mild drop, blue pearl paint, oh my….
Its only money, man.
Just remember: “Eyes on the prize”; miles and months down the road when you drive your car and get admiring glances/thumbs up/etc. it will be all worth it. It is a LABOR OF LOVE,( w/ a dash of craziness) thrown in. I’ve been/am there!! 🙂
I fixed most of the gauge problems on my 69 Valiant simply by replacing the bulkhead connector – the original one had six or seven loose pins. That and replacing all the light bulbs while I had the gauge panel out was all that was necessary.
Hang in there…good luck on your engine swap. There’ll be minor things you’ll have to work through, like throttle linkages etc, but nothing insoluble and you’ll have a car that’s much more pleasant to drive, and one that will seem worth continuing to maintain and improve.
I’ll join the chorus of “keep it up!”, so I can live vicariously though you.
That stuff is nothing to get discouraged over, especially if you have the means and knowledge to do an engine swap. Once you catch up on all the deferred maintenance, you’ll be set.
I love old Dart wagons and this one seems to be a prime resto candidate. 225 /6 will be a great improvement over that tired 170. I had a 170 in a 67 Valiant and it was a dog.
Keep an eye on the torsion bar anchor mounts in the frame where the transmission cross member is. They may look OK, but have been known to have rust issues where they will “tear out” and drop one side of the car. Easily fixed with some angle iron, so no worries.
If I knew where in Michigan you are, I’d be tempted to look this one over.
There is absolutely no rust in the subframes or wheelwells, although the floor is a little softer than I originally thought…I think it sat out in the rain a lot and leaked in.
If I decide to sell it, I’ll post it up here, but I probably won’t sell it. 🙂
Quite obviously some people shouldn’t work on their own car and some people shouldn’t even own a car.
Beyond that hang in there as anything that rare today is worth saving when in saving condition.
As a fan of old Darts and Valiants, I’m rooting for you!
How to test an IHC, Ford, AMC and even Chrysler fuel gauge of this era.
Tools needed.
Incandescent test light.
Find the terminal in the bulkhead connector that corresponds to the fuel sender circuit. Back probe the terminal in the connector with the pointy end of the test light with the clip attached to a good ground.
Turn on the ignition and observe the test light and gauge. How bright is the light? Does it blink on and off? What it the aprox ratio of on time to off time? If all is well with the gauge and wiring to the bulkhead connector with the test light connected the gauge should read between 1/4 and 3/4. Depending on what the results are test at different points along the circuit either moving to the gauge if you don’t get acceptable results or to the sender if you do. This also works on the temp and oil gauges too.
If you want to check the calibration of the gauge system you can make a tool to do so for under $3 and under 5 min of work.
Do not listen to those that will have you chasing grounds as the sender is the ground for the gauge. Since the temp gauge works the CVR or Constant Voltage Regulator is working and has a sufficient ground. It may not be in perfect calibration but its ground has nothing to do with it.
Thanks for the tips, Eric!
I especially like the locknut idea.
> Do not listen to those that will have you chasing grounds as the sender is the ground for the gauge.
The sender is the ground for the gauge, but the ground strap across the rubber fuel line at the tank is the ground for the sender. The sender is insulated from chassis ground except through this ground strap.
It may not be the problem on Aaron’s Dart if it came from down south, but rotted fuel sender ground straps were a significant cause of dead fuel gauges in cars driven in winter snow and road salt conditions. Consequently, if I find a totally dead fuel gauge, that’s the first thing I’d check. That’s why I suggested it.
longtime reader, first time commentator here, but PLEASE DON’T give it up!!! Trust me, you WILL regret it if you do. One of my biggest regrets in life is giving up my 77 impala 2dr w the aerocoupe fastback glass and the f41 suspension package and of course the 350/th350 combo. I had close to 6-7 grand invested in that car, much of which was in the custom dual exhaust which required modification of the tranny crossmember (probably the only design flaw in these cars, if youve seen the way stock duals were routed its bass-ackwards) and I let it go for 300 bucks to a close college friend because he worked at a mechanics shop, and I had neither the time nor the money to address its problems, and no garage to keep it in til I could. You have the luxury of keeping this rare beast garaged while you fix it up, and when youre done, you will have something NOONE else has! keep it up sir!
AFTER you have swapped the engine & cleaned the gas tank, AFTER you have “had enough” of this project car….Lemmie know where to send a check to you!
🙂
As rust free and straight as this car is, change the engine. These cars are about as simple and basic as they get. Do you have ethanol in your gas where you live? If that car sat long enough, it could have old style gaskets and the fuel pump may also. In my old Chevy truck they all turned into goo when ethanol was introduced. Carb rebuild and new fuel pump and hoses, and all was well again. Don’t give up, that car is worth it.
Yeah, our gas is garbage. I’ve been driving my Mustang for 20 years, and I’ve noticed the gradual degradation in hot starts, etc.
However, the Dart has a newer fuel pump and carburetor.
Don’t quit yet ;
According to your messages you’ve not done the basics yet .
Always the valve adjust first then ignition then clean out the fuel tank , it’s an easy enough job ~ the varnish gas will plug up not only the fuel filter(s) but the 90° bend in most old WPC gas tanks…….
If it can’t siphon furl freely , the pump hasn’t got a chance to do it’s job .
Nice A Body ! .
-Nate