Hello everyone i just picked up a 1976 dodge dart sport it has a 225 slant 6 in her. Is there anywhere that is a good source for performance parts ect...... i got the car for 500 bux and she is in need of a little more grunt. The car runs pretty good the carb has some issues upon flooring it (25-50% throttle) it stumbles some. It was sitting for about 4 years so im sure the gas is junk. Today i threw in some fresh gas and that seemed to help once i get more time im planning on going through the entire fuel system. otherwise she runs really good the issue seems when its under load. It starts kinda hard to so im thinking the starter may be on its last leg. Otherwise it purrs like a kitten. Any thoughts advise or suggestions are welcome. I picked up this car for the Hot Rod power tour next summer so my goal is to get all the issues worked out by then. Thanks

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1976 dart sport
www.heartlandmopars.com

Welcome to the board - you've come to the right place.

Look for a 2-bbl "Super Six" carb, intake and exhaust manifolds from a 77-80 Volare. This will add power and should make it run much better.

Welcome. You will find a wealth of information on this site. Some of us bite, but don't let that scare you off. If you're going to own a slant, you can't be timid anyway.

I'd start with a simple tune up and see if that gives you a little more mileage and power. Then start replacing any old, brittle vacuum hoses. Made a world of difference on my car. In the process of doing it to my truck as well.

As for performance, search this site. There's more stuff done to slants that have been posted here than you can read. Probably WAY more than the original engineers ever dreamed of.

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If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

X2. Read, read, and read. Then ask questions.

In the meantime, have some fun in the social corner. That is where you really get to know everyone

Welcome and good luck with your / !!!

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Chris'
Autobody
Restoration
Service

Welcome Pete!

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66 Lil' Red Piggie Valiant (Mater Crusher) - Thanks Zilla!!!!! 72 Demon (Number 1 Son's)

Yeah, what he said.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

thanks for the warm welcome everyone nice to find a good source for the /6's

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1976 dart sport
www.heartlandmopars.com

welcome from Australia. lots of /'s down here and parts quite readily available.
regards,Rod

Welcome on the board. Pick up a factory service manual for your car as soon as you can; there's no substitute.

Sounds like you've got a good starting point there with your '76. You will probably want to spend some time thinking about your goals for the car, not in terms of horsepower numbers but in terms of what you want the car to do and not-do. How fast do you want to go, how quickly do you want to go that fast, and remember you also need to be able to stop and steer at those higher speeds!

There's a ton of stuff you can do externally that'll really wake up the car; head milling and cam changes and porting and such can wait until there's a real reason to disassemble the hard parts. Your bigger bang for the buck will come from improving the induction (2bbl or other larger-than-stock carb setup, but don't go overboard or you'll kill driveability and mileage), ignition upgrades, exhaust upgrades like Dutra Duals...brake and steering/suspension upgrades, then there are headlight upgrades, better seat belts...there's no end to the money and time you can spend improving your car. Every carefully-planned, thoughtfully-done upgrade makes the car that much nicer/better/faster/safer/more fun to drive.

You're on the right track starting with a good thorough inspection and tune-up. Tune-up parts and technique suggestions in this thread. Don't forget, this engine has mechanical (solid) lifters and will require periodic valve adjustments — now's a good time to do one, since you probably don't know how long it's been since the last one. Take a look at how the distributor vacuum advance hose is routed. If it runs from the distributor to a widget on the air cleaner housing and from there to the carb, reroute it so that it runs directly from the distributor to the carburetor; you'll pick up a lot of driveability and performance that way.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

thanks again for the warm welcome i think i found some of the issues today with the car the glue/rubber backing on the ele. ign box looks all melted as well as the voltage reg so that may be an issue. Does anyone know if their the same as the V-8 control box/ ign unit?

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1976 dart sport
www.heartlandmopars.com

no, they are not.

the six ones are easy enough to find.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

thanks for the quick responce

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1976 dart sport
www.heartlandmopars.com

As for the electronic ignition, they're available in almost any auto parts store, but beware. Not all parts are considered equal! Also, you might want to stash a spare ballast resistor in the glove box, "just in case." That's one tip I found while reading the vast library at this site that has help me along. The ballast will burn itself out when you are on the worst stretch of road, late at night, in the worst possible weather, when you have no cash on you. So having a spare got me home.

I haven't been here all that long myself, but I've learned tons just by reading the stuff others have done. Read, read, read!

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If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

Yes, both the ignition module and voltage regulator are the same. The control module dosn't care if its switching six or eight cylinders. Try to get a Standard brand, in fact try to get Standard ignition for all your tune up parts. Echlin from Napa is ok also. To be honest, I've never had a problem with Neihoff products either....the one I use on my Satellite is also Made in USA. I and many others like NGK spark plugs. If you can, for now, find a Holley 1920 carb. The Holley 1945 your car has (or should have) now are finiky and impossible to get "just right". Have fun and welcome!

Actually, there are two kinds of Mopar electronic ignition control boxes, but they are not 6-cylinder vs. 8-cylinder units — the control box does not know or care how many cylinders the engine has. The difference is in the number of pins on the control box, four or five. Original equipment installation depends on vehicle production date, not on number of cylinders. The five-pin module is used with a 4-pin ("dual") ballast resistor, and the four-pin module is used iwth a 2-pin ("single") ballast resistor. Buy a quality brand; I favour Standard-BlueStreak or NAPA-Echlin. The ones from Mopar are junk. (I like HEI better overall).

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.