74 brakes on a 70 dart?

[Nongan]

Well I was wondering, until I get the money together for disc brakes, could I swap the 10" drums from my 74 to the 70 I'm looking to buy? What all needs to swap over? Are the balljoints the same and it's as easy as bolting the spindle up and changing the brake system over, or is it more complex than that?

Thanks,
Seth

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Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

[raPoM]

You will need to swap the spindles,and upper arms,and then an alignment. I would do new balljoints/bushings, unless the 74's are in really good shape. I would also think about doing tie rod ends too.

[Nongan]

I redid the bushings prior to the accident, and the balljoints were relatively new when I got the car. I will check for damage prior to installing them, never know what you will find after a large accident. Thanks for the information on the brakes. Should I snag my master cylinder too? It was for 10" in the front and 9" in the back, so it will be the same if I switch the front brakes.

_________________
Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

[raPoM]

I would only change the master if the one from the 74 is in better shape.

[Reed]

One other thing to consider is the fact that the 70 Dart will have the older sandwich type motor mounts and the 74 will have the spool type mounts. THe spool mounts are an upgrade, but you will ned to swap the k-frame if you want them.

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Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[Nongan]

Well reed, I don't plan on ever putting the 74 back together at this point, so I will probably pull as much as possible off the car as I can, thanks for the heads up on the K member. I have considered it and probably will go through with it.

_________________
Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

[Reed]

AggressiveTed was looking for the rear bumper filler piece for his Dart. He had an accident a few weeks back, but he might still be interested in that filler piece.

Strip that thing down to a bare shell and store as many parts as you can. A bodies are getting scarcer, and I am sure you can find someone who will want every piece off of it.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[Nongan]

Yeah, I was going to post an ad here for selling parts off the car, I'm going to hang onto the engine, its a BH block. The rest of it is more useful in other people's hands, and the cash is more useful in my pockets

_________________
Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

[raPoM]

I agree with Reed,I would swap the whole K member parts for the 73+ suspension are cheaper,and the spool mounts are a major upgrade.Same with the trans cross member.

[DusterIdiot]

If you can work on a cement floor:

Preprep your donor by drilling an 1/8" hole above each K-member bolt a week ahead of time and squirt some PB Blaster liberally into each hole everyday...

Pull the engine and tranny assembly first, next support front of car on jack stands. Pull the front tires. Support each LCA one at a time with a jack, adjust the LCA so you can remove the Torsion bar bolt and 'nut/wedge' from the LCA. You will need to loosen the nut holding the LCA stud to the K-Frame and may also need to loosen the strut nut at the K-Frame as well. Adjust height a bit to unwind the torsion bar, remove Torsion bar clip from subframe socket, use removal tool to pull Torsion Bar (don't use vice grips they will nick the bar and cause a problem later...you want these torsion bars the 1970 /6 bars are not as great for handling)...do this for each side.

After the torsion bars are removed and the LCA and Spindle are supported by the jack, remove the upper control arm cam bolts.., remove the brake hoses off the metal brake lines, you should then be able to peel the assembly outward off the body...once both sides are free...

Put a jack under the center of the K-member and keep jack firm on the K-member, pull all 4 bolts (Finish at the front of the car...)

Lower the whole assembly to the floor and move it away for storage...reinstall in reverse...you will need an alignment for sure
when done.

I would also grab your master cylinder and distribution/proportioning block (by 1973 model year these are pretty much the same and will also work for your Disc Brake swap...not so much in 1970...)

If the electrical was in good shape I would pull all the wiring harnesses for later use.

Good Luck!

-D.Idiot

[paul_sak]

My memory says that 70 will have old-style front end components, 74 will have new -style. Lower ball joints were different.

And, the swap is worth it! I have had both and the 10 inch drums are a big improvement.

[DusterIdiot]

Unbolt the upper shock absorber nuts and collapse the shock for best access and removal.

Good Luck,

-D.Idiot

[Nongan]

Ok, thanks. It looks like I am taking the whole front end out from underneath my first dart and putting it on the 70. Not sure how happy the tow truck driver will be when he has to pick it back up it is nice to have friends in the auto body business that will tow wherever I want.

_________________
Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*