63 Dart identification

[kvanderstel]

I'm very close to purchasing a 63 Dart convertible. Thinking of paying 11K. Super clean but does need some work, but totally drivable right now. Some years back it received a 273 V8 with a 904. It still retains the original 7 1/4" rear. It's been repainted, I believe the original color might have been Aqua A-1550.

But can someone help me with the engine block code, fender tag and another tag on the inside drivers door jam.

I'm new here, so be gentle...

 

[65 Dartman]

Welcome to FABO and nice looking Dart! The numbers on the block are casting numbers. Someone else can probably tell you more about it. The fender tag is some but maybe not all the options it has, scheduled build date, info about the interior and the tag on the door jamb is the Vehicle Identification Number

 

[Stephen Mulkey]

That's a pretty good looking Dart.
I going a different direction with my reply.
Have you looked around the car and under for rust conditions of the frame, floors and other areas?
The conditions of the fender tag and the metal in the door vin tag pictures, plus Escondido area, if I remember is coastal and makes me concerned.

 

[kvanderstel]

It appears to be rust free, I checked the doors and trunk and it looks good, I crawled under the back and the gas tank looks good too, it looks like it's been undercoated, don't know if that is a factory option or not. Front suspension needs a rebuild, feels kind of loose. But the person who installed the 273 also added power steering. Top goes up and down easy and is in very good condition. Seats are good, but springs seem soft. Typical oil leaks.

As I look around I see a wide spread of prices for these cars so I can't get a fix on 11K, if that seems resonable.

 

[Stephen Mulkey]

If it's in pretty good shape and "no rust" it looks good and you probably already know the 273 was not offered in a 63 Dart. It started in 64 with a firewall reshape to accommodate the v8 distributor. I don't know, but I couldn't put much of a clean dart together for 11k
(I would still bargain with him though)

 

[cudamark]

I'm having a little trouble reading the block casting number. Can you verify it's 2806030? If so, it's the later '67-9 version. You would need to get the date code to refine it further. '67 came stock in two configurations, one is a 2bbl standard performance 180HP, and the other is the Commando/Charger version 4bbl 235HP. Both versions that year used 920 casting close chambered cylinder heads, a solid cam, and adjustable rockers. If it's the '68-9 version, they were all 2bbl and hydraulic cams, with the 675 casting open chamber heads. See if you can see the stamping on the driver's side front of the block just below the head gasket seam. If it's a '67, it will be stamped C273. IIRC, the '68-9 273's have PM in front of the 273 those years. If it matters to you which year it is (they're virtually identical) You would need to get the date code usually stamped in the same area as the C273, or get the date casting off the passenger side of the block up close to the top.

 

[cudamark]

Oh, and Escondido is not on the coast. It's inland a ways. Not an issue as a home to the car, but, there's no way to know where it's spent it's life up to now. The rusted fender tag concerns me, along with the obviously wrong VIN tag rivets.