It was Jim's (how do you say 'bragging' in a nice way?) that pushed me to get my 1969 slant six Dart. I got tired of hearing the horror stories of how the previous owner of Jim's Dart abused the car by removing mailboxes at 50 mph, don't ask. Fortunately, the car didn't suffer much damage, but enough to make you want to strangle the guy!
I lived in Philadelphia, PA one year prior to purchasing the Dart. I actually got the tip from Jim after he and a friend had gone to see it, then decided not to buy it . . . thus, my chance to own a piece of history. I drove out to Broomall, PA, to see it for myself. It was not much to drool over, but the potential was far more beautiful and everything was all there. I gave the owner $300 and drove it back to Philadelphia with a bad master cylinder and a terrible exhaust manifold leak. After taking a close look at the latter, Jim and I found that it had cracked in two and the exhaust pipe was keeping it all in place. Half an hour later, I was back on the road with a used manifold, but we broke a head stud off during removal so the exhaust matter was still a pain. My girlfriend wasn't pleased, but she loved the idea of crusing in a "Granny car." I took her for a midnight ride down the I-95 bridge going 110 mph . . . downhill, of course. She bonded with the car that very night.
It's a 2-door hardtop painted W1 white with the vinyl top removed and painted B7 blue. I plan on adding the vinyl top back when I'm closer to completing the project. Oh yeah, the project! After driving the Dart with the fumes choking me I decided to retire the beast and install a 440. After all, they did come with 440's in 1969 so it's not that strange. Gives more horsepower, too . . . 375 hp vs. 145 hp. Not bad.
I found a complete 440 and matching transmission in a local junkyard and paid another $300 bucks. The challenge was getting it home in the Dart. The only way was to remove the trunk lid, put the motor in the trunk on top the spare tire and set the trunk lid on top of the engine, tied down with bungie straps. I put the transmission on the floor behind the seat and I was off. When I got home, the rear bumper was literally 4 inches from the ground! It just goes to show the old Darts can carry their own, not saying I'd do it again, though.
Anyway, it's been $1788.00 and a little more than a year since it's been in the garage. Behold, the Dart lives again! All I need is the exhaust system and minor work now. The house rumbles when the car is idling with the log-style open manifolds. It's almost intimidating. Here's a short list of the things I've done to it myself:
In my opinion, the Dart will always be at the top of the A-body class. Keep them maintained and they'll very likely outlast us owners and be passed on to our sons and daughters for them to enjoy, too.