After being on Team Trigonia for the last two years and becoming yet another challenge addict, I wanted to bring a second car along with the 2JZ Fox that cruisermatt is building. So after talking to Jeremy at the competition, we worked out a deal and I unearthed the pair of Darts that he had lying in his field to add to my Dart collection. The yellow one is a 72 and the other one not pictured is a 74. The plan is a junkyard turbo LS power plant with a TH400 and a ford 8.8. Ive made some decent progress on the car so I wanted to start a thread on the progress as I make it.
Also for Jeremy, my phone crashed so I lost your number if you can shoot me a text to schedule getting the other car I dont have any other way to contact you
Probably the best part of searching for cheap parts is the gold you might find. I present the Escalatte the engine donor for the challenge car. Shes already got a billet VS 78/75 and some decaps, along with enough turbo piping for two cars. The powertrain was pulled from the Escallate at cruisermatt's shop and is coming back to my house for some work before getting grafted into the dart to make it 2 for 2 on making darts non mopar powered
Next up is getting a cam and springs in the motor before dropping it into the dart and getting the old decrepit 360 and 904 removed from the chassis to get some money into the budget
bgkast
PowerDork
1/31/22 1:39 p.m.
What in tarnation was the purpose of the Escalatte before it became an engine donor??
That looks like a nice clean Mopar to start with. That is amazing.
In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :
things can almost always look great in pictures!
In reply to bgkast :
The escallatte was planned to be a burnout car like youd see at cleetus and cars but never made it that far
In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :
Shes a solid 50 footer there is a lot of rust in the trunk and the floors. I just pick the better angles for pictures
Noddaz
UberDork
1/31/22 8:29 p.m.
Whew. That car is a mess.
Make it go.
Got some more progress on this thing in the last 2 weeks or so managed to relieve the chassis from the 360 and 904. The engine and transmission were basically sold before they hit the ground getting some of that sweet recoup money.
The LS is now all cleaned up and I stripped the interior and got the cage welded in. Surprisingly the 50 year old floor pans welded pretty well. I have door bars but im going to focus now on getting everything back in the car and running before seeing if im going to need them (hopefully I will). It looks like the rear sump pan will actually work in this car with a little modification to clear the steering linkage. Im really hoping to not have to cut the floors completely out to fit the TH400.
And as it goes for the preliminary fitment of the LS, it looks like the hood is getting cut for the charge pipe into the intake manifold, and for mounts i should be able to use leftover cutoffs from the cage.
I didn't notice this the first time it came up. I'm glad I won't get tempted by that Dart every time I go over there. Now if someone would just buy his Travelall.
In reply to Stampie :
I feel like we need more info on a travelall for sale.
did someone get pics of cutting that cage out of the mustang, that was the day I got really sick. That was a classic Trigonia day. Mike? @mblommel
You've got a really cool garage/shop!
Cool build too, looks like the paint might really come around with some elbow grease?
The Travellall was sold last week Stampie, sorry. I got it from from Patrick several years ago and it was pretty rusty between its life in Ohio and languishing behind avery motors for 5 years. Oddly enough the corvette shell under Darth Nader was traded for said travellall.
It is donating its parts to an international pickup restoration, so its going to be put to good use.
In reply to Run_Away :
Thanks, the shop is a work in progress just now getting everything into there
The paint that isnt getting pushed off by rust is pretty good. Well see how it progresses if i take the time to buff it for concors
In reply to cruisermatt :
Heres what you missed, we cut the roof off the scrapped foxbody and that makes way easier to remove a cage
In reply to Crustymopars :
Looking good!
