New Project - Grandpa's 1962 Dodge Dart 330 Wagon

Brought home a project last weekend - Grandpa's 1962 Dodge Dart 330 station wagon, 318 V-8 and push-button Torquflite tranny. Needs a little TLC after sitting on my Brother's back 40 for 21 years.

Please post any links to good Dodge parts sources... Needs outer rear lower qtr patch panels. I see Wilwood has a B body front disc brake kit, so that's on the list.

Finally got to hear the Duramax fan coming up the 10 mile long Vantage, Washington 5% grade in 101 degree heat. Pulled it in cruise control at 67mph in T/H and M 5th gear with the A/C on. What a beast - did the speed limit all day and hardly knew it was back there. Was as much fun towing as it was getting Grandpa's car to restore.

Tow part of the trip was 454 miles and used 33.6 gallons of #2 = 13.5mpg.

 

Awsome looks like a good project!!!!!

 

'62 Dodge wagons used the Plymouth wagon body with a few mods, like Dodge tail lights. A "real" Dodge has the fender line curving down in front of the rear wheel.
Love those bodies! We had a Dart 2 door HT with a 318, then a 354 Hemi. Tough cars!

 

That wagon is killer!! Looks like a great project

 

Looking forward to watching another piece of family history being brought back to life,,and it being a wagon reminds me of the family wagon we just finished up. HRP

 

cool wagon! mopar wagons are sweet, but I am biased, I drive one every day.

 

I like it! It is going to be great project and looks pretty darn straight. Be aware that there are some differences between 62 and 63-later B body cars.

 

Thanks all! When my little Bro offered it to me last Xmas, I was shocked in more ways than one. It does have family memories of going to visit the Grandparents every Summer in eastern Washington.

Day 1 started on the trailer with a pressure washing at the local car wash. And ended backing the trailer up the sloped driveway you see in the pic below, unhooking it and using a floor jack to level the load. With the ramps in the doorway and the trailer blocked, rolled her right into the garage. Would be a lot easier to get derelicts up the driveway with a winch mounted in the back of the garage. Heck we loaded it with the Bro's well used $50 Harbor Freight 2,000# winch and snatch block, so it doesn't take much.

That's Uncle Bob's '57 waiting under a WalMart car cover in the background, maybe his parents wagon is the bait to get him to come fetch the '57.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649142


Next thing on the agenda with be to spray Sta-Bil fogging oil in the cylinders, and change all the fluids. The radiator is still full of coolant, so that's a good sign. Then see if she will turn over and who knows, maybe start! Like all projects before it, a little forced garage organizing is underway too, but that's a good thing.









As found on the back 40:


Inspiration:

 

Cool project, but you gotta admit that Exner's design team must have had some really good drugs by the early 60s.

Looking at the front section, it almost looks like somebody parked a '62 Ford Falcon on top.

 

...and that's what makes it awesome! Hard to believe that was thought to be normal and modern in its day. I would love a '62 wagon!

 

Maybe that's why Gramps had a Falcon too.... Yep it's still at the Bro's waiting to be saved. In better shape with no rust thru at all - Bro keeps it under wraps a bit better and rolls it into the shed in the winter. Says this is the one he wants to get going again. We uncovered it to take these shots...

 

Glad you didn't have to pay for it by the pound, cool deal, love the inspiration pic!

JayD

 

One of my all time favorites body styles

 

The story on the design of the Sixty-Two Dodges and Plymouths goes like this........................ These were both originally designed to be built on a 118'' wheel based platform, and not the 116'' they were built upon. The original designs were very good looking cars and probably would have sold well, but such was not to be. Exner was in very poor health, recovering from a heart attack just as the Sixty-Two line was about to enter production. A high ranking Chrysler Corp. figure overheard a conversation about General Motors going with a mid-sized line up, and figgered that ment across the board for GM. This hign ranking figure, some sources say the president of Chrysler Corp. stopped production of the planned sixty-two line up, and demanded they reduce the design to a mid-sized platform @ 116''. When Exner was shown the redesigns he told management they wouldn't sell, and dubbed them '' plucked chickens'' !
As a result, Mopar took a beating in sixty-two, and Exner got the blame and got canned over it!

Next to any Exner era Mopar, a '62 Ford or GM looks like a beigh loaf of bread

" Humpty Dumpty was pushed "

 

The plucked chickens take flight!

 

Changed out engine oil for Rotella T 15W/40 and a WIX oil filter, tranny & P/S fluid, and coolant. After the foggin' oil treatment (done by the wife with smaller hands - would be nice if they gave you a longer spray tube)... The plucked chicken turns over fine but no fire-in-the-hole. Replaced coil, plugs, wires, cap & rotor. Still no spark. NAPA will have the condensor and points in today - that's the last thing to try. Everyone I talk to says condensor most likely suspect anyways.

While I had the wires off cleaned the oil/dirt coating off the valve covers - mostly red now. Did the magical CLR treatment I have read about to the roof. Not really impressed with the stuff - scotch-bright and water worked just fine without the fumes. I have read scotch-bright with Bon-Ami or Comet work too. So roof is mostly bare metal now - really I will probably DA sand it anyway to remove some heavy rust spots.

Bought 2/0 battery cables at AutoZone...

 

After the last ignition part and a rebuilt carb - she runs again!

Brakes next....

 

I have a fleet of wagons. 2-'61 Dodges, '62 Rambler Classic wagon, '47 and '48 olds wagons, '57 Plymouth 2dr wagon. Rollin Rollin Rollin keep them wagons rollin Rawhide. I know I better keep my day job!!! Thats 1 fine wagon ya got there. How about a video of it runnin.

 

Cool

 

Was under there backing the brakes off - Have an OTC puller coming tomorrow with 2 extra legs to get those rear dinosaur hubs off....

Something to tinker with while I am waiting for the front disc brake kit and stainless steel hard lines kit from Matt's Classic Bowties.

 

Well that was anti-climatic, a couple good whacks after it was good-n-tight and the hubs popped right off..... Guess it pays to have the right tool for the job....

 

Love those tapered axles, was fun doing the brakes on my 59 Plymouth wagon..
good luck on the new project... there is a guy here in Washington that is nos parts source... I can't remember the name of his business.. scored some great stuff for my 59 when I had it.

 

62 -65 brake drums come off without the hub - they were the transitional years btween the old style hubs and the later 66 onwards drums. The drum can be removed without the hub and yes the hub pulls off the axle too,

 

Yep - Found a good article and plan to do that - mainly to gain right hand threads all the way around. Otherwise I would have only the left rear wheel having left hand threads after the front disc brake kit goes on...




Mopar tapered axle rear brake conversion

 

What a great wagon! Funny, 30 years ago, you couldn't give me one of those, I thought they were ugly. Now I think they look cool. I can't imagine letting it sit out in the weather all those years. My first car was a '54 Buick that had sat in a backyard for years. Paid $50, put a new battery in it and she fired right up, even with the old gas.

 

I remember doing those axels in shop class 35 years ago we had huge torque wrench to re tighten them

 

First thought was to just crack the nuts loose and let it drain out the bottom but then you'd probably have a leak from opening it up and slim chance of sealing it again. Might not be able to get all the old lube out either because the housing has a lip there so it would hold lube, chips, etc.

You may have to pull the axles and drop the hogs head out so you get it cleaned up good and sealed up tight again. Wouldn't hurt to check the axle bearings and seals either.

 

First drive report! It smoked like a chimney for the first few miles but that seems to of cleared up. We’ll see today starting it cold what it does smoke wise. Have a qrt of Marvel’s in the crank case. Tranny shifts real smooth and all the push buttons work, I can even upshift and downshift manually with the buttons.

All the lights still work except one park light after sitting outside for 21 years, even the back-ups and radio light. Headlights did not work until I hit the dimmer, then the contacts cleaned up and she has bright and dim.

A month and 8 days since we loaded it up at my Brother's back 40.

Got a thumbs-up in the first block.

Later a high school kid walking by with it parked out front says: “It’s a Dodge Dart !!”

 

That first photo had me thinking it was a vintage photo of your grandpa until I scrolled down and saw the last one, which sent me back to the first for a closer look.

Man that's a sweet original ride, should be lots of fun now that it's on the road again.

 

Congrats on getting it and getting it mo-bile, that would be one sweet super stocker tow rig.