There should be a twelve step program for this.. I have a problem.

TheIronSausage

TheIronSausage

Two brain cells left.. rubbing together for warmth
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It's clean, no holes in the floors, body or trunk.. Three places where the paint's popped a little. Front seat needs some love. It was a v8 car, but some d-bag yanked the motor, k frame, and trans to put in a two door 64 Dart. They replaced it with a '63 running gear and a 225, but at least they put a pushbutton back instead of hacking it up.

Anybody wanna sell me a v8 kframe?
 
On that note; Jass, do you know if the shape of the two k frames is different? I have a v8 unit from a '73 Dart. I know that it's too wide, but if the '63 slant frame is the same shape as a '64 273 frame, I could just knock the mounts off of the '73 'v8 frame and weld them onto the slant frame in the car. Then I'd just need to figure out the oil pan, center link and trans, and stick my '68 318 in it.

Here's where you tell me that Ma Mopar actually spent money engineering, tooling, and producing a completely different frame for the v8 in '64, but still stuffed the same shit 7.25 axles, four wheel drums and small bolt pattern crap under A bodies for over a decade.
 
Well, they did redesign the K-frame, but it was in '67. Chances are the shape is different, but to be honest I think you'll be fine. It's not going to be exact, but that's why God made plate steel.

I would simply cut the tabs at the factory welds, which make them easier to modify for shape/height if necessary. The best way to correctly locate them is to bolt them to an engine/transmission assembly and drop it in the car. Bolt up the transmission mount, and you've automatically made yourself correct as far as fore/aft positioning of the drivetrain. With engine still supported by the hoist, get it jockeyed into the best position you can for all-around clearance. Let the mount tabs sit on the K with just enough force that you can tack weld them to it, then pull the engine/trans back out and finish the welding job, gussetting as you see fit.
 
Excellent, that's what I was hoping to do. Now if I could just find a v8 pushbutton 904
 
Thanks, I like the quirky ones.

Anybody want to chime in on what these should really go for? Knowing they'll need rebuilt, and I'll have to find a distribution block and a master cylinder, $290 seems high. Maybe I'm wrong. The ad has been up for at least a year, he lowered it from $300 to $290 just recently. I was thinking of offering him $250

http://westmd.craigslist.org/pts/5405206877.html
 
They're worth exactly what you're willing to pay for them. Don't offer, make an appointment to meet the guy. "I'm interested in the K-H brakes. When would be a good time to come and look them over?" Nothing more, no talk of money. Go there with your top dollar in cash in your pocket. Depending on what you see, I'd start somewhere between $150-$200. Worst he can do is say no, but when you make your initial offer, make it clear that you came to play. People don't want their time wasted. "I'll give you $200 right now, and you're done dealing with tire kickers." He might take it, he might not--but on-the-spot money has a booming voice. If he doesn't take it, he'll give you an idea of where you need to land. If you're comfortable paying that, keep haggling until you're out of options. :D

Do not try to play the above game without enough money in your pocket. "I'll run to the ATM" or "I'll see what I can do" is just more time wasted and truly irritating to the seller. You already know this, because you've sold shit yourself.
 
what an amazingly clean 4dr.....shame its not a BB..ive had a 383 pushbutton set aside for a long time
 
i saved it from a newport..it was a driver i was told..but the engine had been puking fluids....but..is it worth shipping?

i had considered changing my a-108 to a 440 and going pushbutton...something totaly never seen...but a 360 in that is WAY to scary fun as is
 
TheIronSausage said:
I could make it a 383 pushbutton!

nah, too nose heavy
Click to expand...
Nose heavy? It's not like you'd be turning much anyhow with the required fenderwell headers. :doh: Exhaust is forever the nemesis of an early A-body owner, even running a smallblock. Big bucks, no whammies... and bring a hammer.
 
The hammer I've got. I believe the big block being a mess in an a body.. Hell, if I have to change the spark plugs through the fenderwells of a '73 C body, I assume you'd have to drill holes in the inner fender of the A and stand on your head.
 
I'm generally of the mind that for a street car, yes, the big-block A-body is a bad idea regardless of vintage. The F/R load bias is a nightmare. Lose a tire at speed and you're gonna have your hands full. However, plug changes aren't as bad as you'd think. The C-body, for as big as it is, has a worse engine bay configuration than a B/E-body. It's actually not as roomy because of those ballooning inner fenders. The B/RB in a '67-up A isn't terrible, but in an early car, I'm almost positive that fenderwell headers are your only exhaust option. Look at the factory smallblock LH manifold. :doh:

Power brakes? My sister's car has power brakes. :D
 
well my 69.5 came stock with KH power..i kept the power but swapped in the big bolts..and never changed it...its on the "list" to go away..since the tunnel ram + power is a BAD idea
 
Oh, the problem isn't the tunnel ram... it's the ridiculous camshaft you'll want to use to take advantage of the tunnel ram. :D
 
Long update

Ive done some horse trading, and got paid $300 to source two dashboards out of first gen Rams. They cost me $30 for one, and I traded one I had from a '78 for the other. The one I traded went to the guy who sold me the dart. He said he'd ask his dad who took the v8 out of my car if there was any spare v8 stuff he'd be willing to sell. Dart guy came back with a cable shifted v8 904, the cable, a driveshaft, gas pedal, linkage, throttle cable, and kick down lever, spare set of steelies with dog dish caps, and dart hubcaps. Said he wanted $250. Sold! I'm out no more money than yesterday. The plan is to put the v8 in down the road after I collect all of the parts. I called another friend and asked him if he had any slant six exhaust systems he'd be willing to part with, because the one in the dart was cut off behind the starter for the engine swap. I got the full system out of his 65 dart wagon just for removing it. He also gave me a locked up man. steering box I'll disassemble for fun to see if I can get it to work, or lose all of the parts to it. So, I'm rebuilding and modifying the drum brakes on the dart, they'll be on tomorrow. Hopefully, the exhaust will be too. That and tags makes a driving car.
The ultimate plan is to take the '73 dart axle, brakes and suspension with the silly stiff torsion bars out from under the 225 valiant, and install it under the v8 dart. I'll yank the 7 1/4 out from under the Dart, and put it under the Valiant along with the not so silly stiff v8 torsion bars, and the entire kh sbp disc setup I got from master cylinder to prop valve, spindles, pedal box and all for $460 off of a driving car. Lotta money? Yup, but if I were to piece it out, it would cost way more trying to collect it.. A new prop valve alone is $90. So, I think all that's missing for the conversion is a driver's side manifold, and a k frame, or appropriate hack job on the one in there. Although, Dart guy gave me the v8 motor mounts with everything else, and they're the exact same as the ones you buy for the slant.. Who knows?image.jpegimage.jpeg
 
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It sounds like you had a great day! Pray tell, how did the V8 car end up with smaller torsion bars than the slant?

Stretch has a set of early A-body V8 manifolds. In fact, he might have two.
 
The valiant wound up with a set of .920 Mopar performance torsion bars when I was collecting parts for it.. They came as part of a package deal with front spindles calipers and control arms for the Valiant. One of the control arms turned out to be bent, so I had to keep searching for more front end parts. .920 is quite the upgrade over .830... If you push the nose of the car down now, it drops an inch or two at most.. The v8 dart has heavier bars than the stock .830 in the slant for sure, based on butt dyno. But they're no .920 based on the same dyno.
 
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