60 Dart Seneca 2dr.

[b5blue]

I found this, it may help your /6: https://www.slantsix.org/articles/dutra-blocks/slant-blocks.htm  https://www.slantsix.org/

[lloyd3]

b5blue: That slant6 webpage is a wealth of knowledge, for sure, but....sorry, hard to imagine this thing ever being fast (too-big and heavy). I'm just happy when it makes it to it's destination and then back home safely. My boy (a highschool senior this year) has interrupted the work process yet again and brought it home for a few social events with his friends. I get it (I was 17 once as well...). Those new mirrors on the fenders are not proper Mopar items, but they sure do go along way in making it safer to drive.

[lloyd3]

Went through quite the fire drill yesterday. Car nearly wouldn't run at all. Hard to start, poor idle, would die whenever you put it in gear. Went through nearly everything (pulled carb and checked float-drop, set up alternative fuel source to fuel pump, even checked lash on valves...). It was the points. Duh! 

[Kern Dog]

Score !

[lloyd3]

Before....




After...



Slow here but progress none-the-less.  Rockers fixed on both sides and even the rear quarters (and that's metal, not bondo).  Paint looms.

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, I haven't seen any updates for 3 months. 

[lloyd3]

My son has been distracted by this...

[JB400]

Pretty rare piece to be playing with. 

[lloyd3]

Yeah, he's learning the lessons of junk car economics the hard way. The Dart needs very little now to be mostly finished and he's off on another project (a '51 Kaiser 2-door hatchback). The supercharger will bolt directly to his "new" cars rather anemic-flathead six so he's all worked-up about it. He has the run of a junkyard full of ancient cars (almost 70 Kaisers) which was part of the the deal for buying the '51 and he's doing everything he can before that door closes (the yard is being sold).  He'll be 18 in December and is working almost all the time now (when he's not in school or doing homework) and his grades are holding up so there's little I can say about it. My wife tells me it could be so-much worse (drugs, booze, psycho chicks, endless media, etc.) and she's clearly right so I've mostly stepped away from it. He's fiercely independent now (which means I've done my job right) and is busily applying to college for the Fall. We'll be empty-nesters here before too long. It sure went fast.

[Aero426]

Pretty rare piece to be playing with. 

Kaiser did not have a V8, so they used the McCullough produced supercharger to bump the power in their flathead from 118 to 140 hp to try and keep up with the others.    Very low boost, about 4 psi.

The Dodge is looking good.   Be nice to see it squirted and finished.   

[lloyd3]

Aero426: Amen to that one. I wish he'd just finish this Dodge first but....he doesn't always take my advice.  Like I mentioned earlier (& as we all know here), old car economics can be pretty tricky.  Sadly, he's got to learn this one on his own before it really means anything to him.  I was probably pretty thick at 17 too.

Another shot of that Kaiser huffer....





I can understand the appeal to him (heck, I think it's sort-of neat too) but the pitfalls are bloody endless here.  I'd love to just jump in and fix it all for him but that's clearly not the answer. I just listen to all the struggles and chime in occasionally. I won't let him get hurt but.... I won't do anything heroic either.

[Aero426]

Aero426: Amen to that one. I wish he'd just finish this Dodge first but....he doesn't always take my advice.  Like I mentioned earlier (& as we all know here), old car economics can be pretty tricky.  Sadly, he's got to learn this one on his own before it really means anything to him.  I was probably pretty thick at 17 too.

I think most of us can say we've been distracted by some shiny object a time or two.    It's a lot easier to see the best choices from the outside.     

[lloyd3]

This is worth finishing now. If only to just sell it.



I'm the one repairing the bad brake line.  To be fair, between work and school, my son doesn't have much free time anymore. This game seems to be getting harder to play all the time now and occasionally I find myself being sorry that I got him into it.  He's learning good stuff (and it arguably got him his job) but...it sure isn't as easy as it used to be.

[Kern Dog]

My Brother in Law wanted to get into a classic car so I shopped around and in 2007, I found a derelict 72 Duster. He was 22 at the time and seemed really excited about it. He was out of state but would come to visit as often as possible to work on it with me. In 2010, he moved here and was able to work on it more frequently but seemed to lose interest. He moved back home in 2013 and rarely talked about the car. Last winter I assumed ownership and will finish and sell the car. It was a sad thing for me because I really enjoyed the mentorship it provided. I have no kids so it felt like I was passing along something to a worthy person.

[lloyd3]

KD: That would be very hard. My boy hasn't lost interest, on the contrary, he's going a bit overboard IMHO. I got his brakes fixed Saturday (had to have a flexible line fabricated) and he's driving it to school and work everyday now. The interest is almost consuming.  Hard to balance that with all the other things he really needs to be doing (typical parental refrain I suppose). I also struggle with the traffic he drives it in (6 lanes of combat, almost all the time now) and worry accordingly. But...considering what I was doing at his age (perish that thought!) he's a boyscout.  I just need to step away and let him do things his way.  

[Kern Dog]

I'm happy for you that your son still has the desire for it. 

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd, KD,                 07 November 2021

Lloyd, you are a good father and KD, you tried to be the same. Be grateful you aren't like mine was, he had a fascination for the bottle. Never turned a drink down and was also a beater.

God Bless you both.

Best Always

Christine, for the 426 Hemi Chicks

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd,                     07 November 2021

Looked at the photos of the Dart, that is a neat car. We can't imagine what the front end (Bumper, grill, etc.) would cost new these days. That's more steel and Chrome than is in half dozen new cars.

Our 09 Ram PU's frontend is all plastic, fenders, hood and all the trim around it.

We think your son is on the right track; you and your wife are the ones that put him there.

Take Care

Best Always

426 Hemi Chicks

[lloyd3]

Thank you ladies! Kind words indeed.

[lloyd3]

Wish I had a picture, but my son drove his Dart to school today with a discarded fake Christmas tree strapped to the roof.  He was even talking about getting low-wattage lights for it. Not sure what the goal is here but at least he's still having fun with it.

[Kern Dog]

That is great!   

[lloyd3]

Christmas dog.

[b5blue]

Someone wants to go for a RIDE! 

[lloyd3]

Remember these scenes from our youth? I told him not to take it out before the storm but he did anyway. My son is 18 now and will be starting collage in the Fall so....I don't direct his life much anymore, I merely suggest what might work (or not). He finally did get it back onto it's perch in the driveway last night so it's not sitting out on the road anymore.

[RallyeMike]

Good to see it driven and enjoyed.... but a price will be paid it that keeps up. Heck.... you shouldn't even wash a FL car with water they rust so easily. I just wipe them down.