your Mopar's story
Lots of good stories here! My car is not fast, and for a long time it wasn't exactly good looking either, but to me it's always been special. My grandpa bought it brand new back in '73 and he drove it regularly until '97 where he parked it in a shed and only drove it once every blue moon. The car has always been my birth right, and when my grandparents got a divorce in '05 I was handed the keys, I was 9 years old. So there the car was, dormant, waiting to be driven. Time passed and my interest in the old car faded until one day during spring break where I found a video of a Dodge Dart doing a massive burnout, that got me interested in muscle cars again. When I returned home I went straight to the shed and there she was, my Dart. Let me tell you, she needed some love. Four flat tires and a layer of dirt so thick that you couldn't see through the windshield at all. Since I couldn't back it out to wash it I washed the whole car there in the shed with a bucket of soapy water and a rag. It felt good to see the paint shine (well kind of, as shiny as an ancient faded paint job can get!) once again, then I set out on the mission to get the engine running and the car driving again. With no mechanic experience at all, 16 year old me rebuilt the carb, changed the fuel pump, changed the spark plugs, installed a new battery and did a few other things. It may not sound like much to you guys, but I was proud of myself! Then on June 4th 2011 the car roared back to life after over a decade of sitting, and I drove her up to the house with the biggest smile that I could manage. It just felt right to finally be behind the wheel. My step dad told me that I could never get it running and it was extremely satisfying to show him that I wasn't an incompetent child that just played video games all day. I've been able to accomplish a lot on the car since that day, including a fresh shiny paint job that didn't have a vinyl top, new wheels and tires (took me forever to save for those!), got to ditch the bench seat in favor of bucket seats, and now i'm tackling the daunting task of installing a new drivetrain with a couple more cylinders and a lot more power. I know how you all like photos so heres a few :)
Me and my cousin with my grandpa, with my Dart in the background sometime in the 90's
[/URL][/IMG] Me feeling cool after getting her running again
[/URL][/IMG] First cruise after getting out of the paint booth! I got to take my grandma for a ride, first time she's ridden in the car since the 90's.
[/URL][/IMG] This is how the car is now, all that's left is the drivetrain and I need to finish up some interior stuff too.
It's been an adventure turning the car into what it was, to what I always knew it could be. A lot of people don't understand that cars can be more than just cars, they can have personalities and they're for more than getting from point A to B. Working on this car is a labor of love, it gives me an outlet to help me get through the bad times, and it's always there for the good times. No car could ever replace it and to me it will forever be, special.
Lots of good stories here! My car is not fast, and for a long time it wasn't exactly good looking either, but to me it's always been special. My grandpa bought it brand new back in '73 and he drove it regularly until '97 where he parked it in a shed and only drove it once every blue moon. The car has always been my birth right, and when my grandparents got a divorce in '05 I was handed the keys, I was 9 years old. So there the car was, dormant, waiting to be driven. Time passed and my interest in the old car faded until one day during spring break where I found a video of a Dodge Dart doing a massive burnout, that got me interested in muscle cars again. When I returned home I went straight to the shed and there she was, my Dart. Let me tell you, she needed some love. Four flat tires and a layer of dirt so thick that you couldn't see through the windshield at all. Since I couldn't back it out to wash it I washed the whole car there in the shed with a bucket of soapy water and a rag. It felt good to see the paint shine (well kind of, as shiny as an ancient faded paint job can get!) once again, then I set out on the mission to get the engine running and the car driving again. With no mechanic experience at all, 16 year old me rebuilt the carb, changed the fuel pump, changed the spark plugs, installed a new battery and did a few other things. It may not sound like much to you guys, but I was proud of myself! Then on June 4th 2011 the car roared back to life after over a decade of sitting, and I drove her up to the house with the biggest smile that I could manage. It just felt right to finally be behind the wheel. My step dad told me that I could never get it running and it was extremely satisfying to show him that I wasn't an incompetent child that just played video games all day. I've been able to accomplish a lot on the car since that day, including a fresh shiny paint job that didn't have a vinyl top, new wheels and tires (took me forever to save for those!), got to ditch the bench seat in favor of bucket seats, and now i'm tackling the daunting task of installing a new drivetrain with a couple more cylinders and a lot more power. I know how you all like photos so heres a few :)
Me and my cousin with my grandpa, with my Dart in the background sometime in the 90's [/URL][/IMG] Me feeling cool after getting her running again [/URL][/IMG] First cruise after getting out of the paint booth! I got to take my grandma for a ride, first time she's ridden in the car since the 90's.[/URL][/IMG] This is how the car is now, all that's left is the drivetrain and I need to finish up some interior stuff too. It's been an adventure turning the car into what it was, to what I always knew it could be. A lot of people don't understand that cars can be more than just cars, they can have personalities and they're for more than getting from point A to B. Working on this car is a labor of love, it gives me an outlet to help me get through the bad times, and it's always there for the good times. No car could ever replace it and to me it will forever be, special.
