73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Okay, here goes. Time to make a thread to keep me motivated. I bought this car when I saw it sitting in someone's driveway with $500 written on the windshield in soap. I figured for that price I'd part it out and make a quick buck! Turns out it's a running, driving, stopping 225 slant 6 car with a title! So what better foundation for a low budget turbo build! Most parts are used and from craigslist. My goal is consistent 10.80s out of a fair weather driver.

Combo will be as follows:

318" LA motor, standard bore/stroke
J heads, milled .060", unported, 1.88/1.60" valves
stock crank, rods, and pistons - about 8.8:1cr
ARP studs
Edelbrock Torker 340 intake
Holley 750 modded for blow-through
custom Comp solid flat tappet cam, lifters and springs (specs below)
adjustable rockers and pushrods off an old 273
stock 727 transmission with a manual valve body
Hughes 3,000 converter
8 3/4 C body axle narrowed for my application, 3.23 Sure Grip
MSD 6BTM and Blaster SS coil
Walbro GSL392 pump
Aeromotive 13202 regulator

Turbo Stuffs:

Magnum manifolds swapped side for side
MPT70 .81ar
X02 44mm gate
X02 50mm bov
CSU bonnet

So far we have the motor built and in the car. We're going to set the new rings and get everything sorted N/A while I save for the turbo stuff. I still have to finish the second half of the minitub too. We're going to try to do everything in-house if we can. So far so good!

Here it is the day I bought it.
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Here's a mock up of the new wheels, gonna be 17x9 front and 17x11 rear. I'm going to try and lower the car a bit too. It's just sitting in front of the old wheel here.
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Out comes the slant 6. That's my coworker Jack helping me. Sold it with the trans for $60 on craigslist the next day.
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New motor.
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Bottom end together!
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Cam specs.
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Cool valveguide machining tool from Comp Cams. Makes it so I can use dual springs and .530" seals. Only $60!
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One of my other coworkers Randy helping to cut the K frame tabs to fit the Shumacher swap mounts. This car is turning into a whole shop project.
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Crummy junkyard parts clean up pretty well! I paid $100 for the disassembled longblock and intake, $60 for the carb and $50 for the N/A headers, all from craigslist!
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Going in...
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He kinda insisted on being in all the pictures.
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Starting to look nice! And the Edelbrock carb is just keeping the hole closed, not gonna try and monkey with one of those.
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Converter and valve body, $300 courtesy of craigslist! Too bad he sold me a 727 converter when I was looking for one for a 904. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find a 727 transmission to match!
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Maggie manifolds off my truck.
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Now to finish the minitubs, plumb a fuel system, wire the MSD, break in the engine and take on a second job to pay for my stupid turbo dreams!

-dave

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

This is gonna be cool!! I think you should leave the body alone! Including the bungee for the deck lid. lol!

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Sounds almost exactly what we are planning, gathering parts now. We'll be following and you have a fan. Thumbs Up + A Smile = Mopar

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Subscribing

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

I see it didn't take you long to get rid of the "bumperettes" haha (actually you probably saved yourself 30+ pounds )

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Thanks guys!

Haha, yeah, it took about two bangs of the knee to come to the realization that those had to go. My knees and the scales will thank me!

-dave

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Now just save up for a 71 nose to put on that thing! Sorry, gotta make fun of the beak. Cool project.

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

I had a 73 Duster a few years back, and I did the same thing, (including a front face lift with a '71...lol)

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

cool build , looks like the same setup i want to do, in time i will be watching this build as it goes. cheers

by the way your coworker almost looks a little too happy :hmm: ha ha ha ha ha

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Whatall's involved with a '71 swap? Hood, fenders, grille, bumper, valence...? Sounds a little pricey. Definitely looks better though. Hmmmmm...I wonder what VFN Fiberglass does for a Dart...they're right down the street from me.

-dave

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Is VFN still in business?

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Dave: WORD on the build.

Huffer: Yes they are. They're right down the street from me, too..... that's weird!!

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

AF, glad you approve! I figure at the very least we'll give your Fury a run for its money. I'll probably be enlisting your machining services sooner or later to do the flanges on my manifolds like you did Jeremy's.

-dave

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

P.S. Gotta say, I'd stay with the beak. It's funky and weird, but so are Mopars.

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

I asked because, I tried their website yesterday and nothing happened (must've been a problem with the connection or something)
I'll try again (i'm looking at getting some parts from them for my Goat)
Switching from a 73 to 71 is simple interchangeable

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Keep the Beak!

Loves me some Mopar builds.

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Well, mini-update time. Almost done breaking the motor in...this thing is pretty hairy just N/A! We can't believe how crisp the turbo cam is! I mean, I knew it was gonna have traction problems with the current mini-tires, but wow. For reference, this is like 2/3 throttle, stock converter, 2.76 rear gears:



Torque like crazy! I still have to put the inner valve springs in it, should pick up even more then! I'm honestly shocked at how good it runs for being cobbled together from crummy parts.

Also, I made a 5 hour round trip to east nowheresville, Indiana to pick up a $200 727 trans for it. My POS little Mazda got 42.5 MPG on the way!

Fuel system is next!

-dave

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

damn, i wish i could drive that thing around and wax some of my friends with it...

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

Sears guardsman tires love to boil themselves! We had a 67 300 with the 350hp 440 and a 1 leg 2.76 and man punch that thing from an idle and it would fry that 6.00x28x15 tire. The small cams give you lots of low end torque, very satisfying off the punch. That's why every Tom/Dick/Harry with a stock V8 mopar thinks their car is fast-Ma did a good job of packaging satisfying street experiences. They don't breathe very well when you push them though, as we all know, and that's where the iron lung(s) help out.

 

Re: 73 Dart - 318 / MPT70 build

any thing new on the car ????? oke: