Hello there,
i am new to the forums, i am 36 years old and have owned a lot of cars, but i just bought my first mopar. I found a 74 dart with 63K miles, one owner, little old lady (really, i have the paperwork). Anyway, the car has a slant six, runs very well. Is there a way to decode the number on the block for the year the engine was made, etc. the number is: 2806830-10. Also, i would like to restore the engine bay, what colors are the engine block and valve cover supposed to be? If anyone has a photo of a correct one i would appreciate it. I apologize if this has been covered, i have only had this car about 3 hours now and am very excited! thanks alot!

Nice purchase! Hard to find the "old lady" car anymore that is in good shape!

1974 Dart will have a Mopar Blue paint job on the engine block, valve cover, and intake(usually the intake is burnt off and greasy anyhow).

Things to check while your car is in good shape:

Make sure you have no leaks at your Holley 1945 Carb (the jet size is very poor in this carb if it is stock, get a book on how to rebuild it and re-jet it to 60, you will have better power after this).
Make sure the timing chain is in good shape (especially if the "old lady" swears it has only "120,000" miles...
Check over all the hoses and make sure none are cracked or leaking either...
Later, you will want to dip into the posts and archives and start looking at upgrading your timing curve, maybe swap for a 2 barrel carb at some point, etc...


Should be a very nice car for you to drive and "work on"...she's probably got an A-904 automatic, and 4 wheel drum brakes, unless the lady splurged and you got lucky with power steering and disc brakes....





-D.Idiot

Congratulations!

My first car was a 74 Valiant. Great running little machine.

Be safe... check your rubber brake lines (flex hoses) for cracks, and check over the braking system overall. You may very well have discs on the front of that car, they were fairly common by then, I think.

You've come to the right place for advice on your slanted A-Body. The people on this board are first class.

-Mac

Thanks for the tips. This car is a genuine old lady car, i have a lot of the paperwork on it, the original title, the paperwork from the dealership when she bought it, maintenence receipts through the years that document the mileage at 63K original. The car was very well taken care of, looks like she truly loved it. Original gold interior in great shape, runs and drives great. The car does have power steering and disc brakes! The car just has some rot in the quarters, nowhere else. As far as running, the car runs well, it has a little trouble when you press the gas (you have to give it a lot to get it to go and you smell gas). Once you reach speed it holds it really nice. I was going to buy a reman carb for it. I have seen some tips on upgrading to the super six setup with the 2bbl carb, do you think it is worth it? Will i see a significant increase in power? I even saw a 4bbl manifold for slant six on ebay tonight. I cannot imagine a 4bbl on this engine. I was really impressed with the way the car drove, though. I think i will enjoy this car a lot!

Congrats on the car purchase; I'm sure you'll enjoy it for many years to come. Whatever you do, avoid parts store "remanufactured" carburetors. They are by and large junk and will give you more trouble that the one you have. If you don't feel comfortable refurbihsing your existing carburetor yourself then you would be far better served to find a reputable carburetor shop to so it for you. The results will be well worth the small added expense. "Super six" conversions are fairly easy to do and do make a difference in the performance and driveability of the car; whether they are worth the trouble depends on your expectations. Others will differ from me, but I wouldn't bother with a 4 bbl on a stock slant; save that for when you upgrade the valve train and raise the compression. Welcome to the slanted family!

_________________
David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

You have found Slant 6 Nirvana. The folks here are very helpful. That reminds me, it's time to for me to get off my duff and make a donation.

I'm in something of the same boat as the first poster; '74 Dart with a 225. It definitely doesn't have the get up and go I'm used to with newer cars, but it's worth it to drive such a great, easy to work on car.

An earlier post mentioned rejetting the Holley 1945 to 60, I assume meaning .060"? I googled but was unable to find any info on rejetting this carb, does anyone have any details on this?

I'd love to do a Super Six conversion in the future, should I just bite the bullet and do it or should I tune the equipment the car has?

Thanks!

- Dan in Simi

You buy a rebuild kit and in the process you pull the stock jet out and the 1974 Jetting was a #58 jet, you replace with a #60 Holley Jet (same jet used on Holley 4 barrels)...

-D.Idiot

So would that be a 122-60 jet?
<http://www.shopperschoice.com/item_item_1763649_source_froogle.html>

Thanks.

Yes that would be correct, although you can get them cheaper locally through your auto store, or local speed shop.


-D.Idiot

Remember to take plenty of pictures of the car in its current condition. You may be glad you did later. Also, a car can be built and rebuilt many times, but it can be original only once.

_________________
ifyoubegintothinkyou'relosingcontrol...it'salreadygone

pictures can be very helpful for re-assembling purposes also-
(especially digital pics that you can access instantly, zoom in etc.)
for when you're scratching your head trying to remember which
vaccuum line, bracket, linkage, spring etc. went where!

_________________
BoatAnchor
'71 Swinger /6-225
SuperSix, EI, front discs, 2.25" exh.

boatanchor, That's a beautiful car you got. Wish I had one of them too.

_________________
ifyoubegintothinkyou'relosingcontrol...it'salreadygone