Clay still has tons of stuff. If you remember going into the woods behind the shop, that is still full and down in the bottoms behind the woods is filling up. Clay and Cole go out on Mondays and Tuesday to pickup new to them stuff.
Are dart sports mostly gone
- Thread starter Princess Valiant
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slantsixdan
=..=
A-bodies have mostly disappeared. The newest one is one year shy of half a century old.
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
How much do you figure changing the doors lowered the weight?
Real Mopar "car" guys!!!!!
Yes I recall a LOT of bone cars, plus always good project cars sitting up there by the shop! Good folk.
Mr. Sinister
Devastation Manager
Not certain but a full ‘72 door was noticibly lighter than the impact beam fortified ‘74 shell.
Just got off the phone with Cole at Clay's, asking how many dart sports they have. He said quite a few. Just mention my name and Cole will be glad to handle your needs.
Oh good grief. Nothing is mostly gone, everything goes through cycles depending on where you're looking. Heck I know of at least 4 other A-bodies within a couple miles of me (not including my 3) and I live out in the sticks, and one of those is a Dart Sport.
When I bought my Challenger I was looking for an E-body Barracuda, I saw none in my area in my price range for MONTHS. Then I bought my Challenger and suddenly there was Barracudas and Challengers everywhere in my price range and in better shape than the one I just bought
. Just how it goes sometimes.
But to be real, they made A LOT less Dart Sports than they did Dusters. Literally hundreds of thousands less. Here's your production numbers-
1971 Demon: 79,959
1972 Demon: 48,580
Total: 128,539
1973 Dart Sport: 79,428
1974 Dart Sport: 67,469
1975 Dart Sport: 38,235
1976 Dart Sport: 13,642
Total: 198,774
1973 Dusters: 264,974
1974 Dusters: 281,378 (highest production year for ALL Dusters '70-76)
1975 Dusters: 120,131
1976 Dusters: 34,681
Total: 701,164
So yeah, 73-76 there are 502,390 more Dusters than Dart Sports. There are more 1973 Dusters than all years of Dart Sport combined. So there was always 3.5x as many Dusters as there were Dart Sports, and despite 50 years of attrition I would imagine that ratio is still about the same, even if there are half as many now.
When I bought my Challenger I was looking for an E-body Barracuda, I saw none in my area in my price range for MONTHS. Then I bought my Challenger and suddenly there was Barracudas and Challengers everywhere in my price range and in better shape than the one I just bought
. Just how it goes sometimes.But to be real, they made A LOT less Dart Sports than they did Dusters. Literally hundreds of thousands less. Here's your production numbers-
1971 Demon: 79,959
1972 Demon: 48,580
Total: 128,539
1973 Dart Sport: 79,428
1974 Dart Sport: 67,469
1975 Dart Sport: 38,235
1976 Dart Sport: 13,642
Total: 198,774
1973 Dusters: 264,974
1974 Dusters: 281,378 (highest production year for ALL Dusters '70-76)
1975 Dusters: 120,131
1976 Dusters: 34,681
Total: 701,164
So yeah, 73-76 there are 502,390 more Dusters than Dart Sports. There are more 1973 Dusters than all years of Dart Sport combined. So there was always 3.5x as many Dusters as there were Dart Sports, and despite 50 years of attrition I would imagine that ratio is still about the same, even if there are half as many now.
Crap....what happened in 1975 for the sales numbers to drop off so much ?? Then 1976, did buyers abandon the A bodies to buy Aspens and Volares ??
Gas shortage, and yes they hadn't updated the A-body line at all because it was being replaced so sales were less competitive
QuickDart360
Well-Known Member
I own a 1975 dodge dart sport 360. It's my 1st car!! I know have had for give or take 19 to 20 years. Started as a 318 car. But was missing all drivetrain. Just a shell @ a junkyard. I immediately saw the potential so I had to have it. My dad knew the owner and asked about it however someone else had already given a down on it! So time went on my dad went back for parts for his customer cars (he was a mechanic). So he realized dart was still there. He asked why it was still there they said the person who gave a down never came back! So he was able to convince them to sell and they agreed. It became my car. Or my shell lol! My dad had a totaled dart slant six. We removed its guts to use for mine just a reseal and rering. Ran ok but never was happy with a 6. As time went on an uncle happened to have a 1975 chrysler Cordoba 360 just sitting. I convinced him to sell it to me. My father and I took its guts and did a proper rebuild I found some 340 X-heads and used the mopar 280 cam. I still have it today!!
Writing was on the wall with smog and gas prices. Toyota and Datsun sales were up.
My first job in 76 pumping Mobil gas we were highest in town, full service premium $ 0.699 a gallon self service saved you a nickel a gallon. Regular at $ 0.599 self service. Unleaded was somewhere in the middle.
QuickDart360
Well-Known Member
Sorry for such a long winded story! Update i have recently changed rear gears from 3.55's to 3.91's. Reason for this i also swapped the 280 cam for the 292 loved /hated mopar cam. Stabbed it 4° advanced and replaced the airgap intake for a Victor340 single plane. Seems to be a happy combo.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
The short answer is yes! Both Aspens and Volare's cut into the Dart and Duster numbers. I picked up a car for a client that was a 76 Aspen Pike's Peak car and when I delivered it we went through the paperwork, it was actually a 76 Dart Sport body in white that had the body panels changed to Aspen!
^^If you look at the profile view of the Volare, you see some obvious styling cues from the Duster!!
By '75 or '6 the Duster was getting pretty long in the tooth for that place in time.
The oil shortage would bite everything is the ***, except Texas!
Only thing that could rust faster than a Volare was a Datson!!
By '75 or '6 the Duster was getting pretty long in the tooth for that place in time.
The oil shortage would bite everything is the ***, except Texas!
Only thing that could rust faster than a Volare was a Datson!!
YES ! I was working at a Dodge Dealer back then.Aspens, We sold 100 ish a month.
What Darts we had were sitting well into 1977. Lucky there weren't many.
I still remember a Hang 10 and a Spirit of 76 that sat for quite awhile.
I almost bought the Spirit but the guys I worked with said what do I want with such a gay car...
Yeah, I bought a Aspen instead.
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WAS A ASPEN F BODY !!! We actually got a full semi load of replacement fenders.
Pennsylvania was a killer on them. New cars on the lot were rusting just sitting there.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
I was working for a British car/motorcycle place that sold Cortina's and Norton's and there was a body shop down the street that already had a couple of Aspens in with fenders that were rusty on the top, and they were only a couple months old! I seem to remember that Chrysler was using recycled metal for the first time on the fenders...
not many seats and what could be there would be frames. John's Salvage in Seguin
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
Well, it looks like I was into Dart Sports before Dart Sports were cool!
I actually prefer the looks of a Dart Sport over a Duster.
I have a '74 Dart Sport 360 4 speed car (rough but restorable), a '75 Dart Sport 360 column automatic (a little rough around the edges), and 4 other Dart Sport parts cars of various years, and 5 '71 to '75 Dusters... 2 projects and 3 for parts.
That doesn't include the Valiant and Dart 4 door parts cars with a smattering of '68 to '76 4 door Dart and Valiant parts cars.
I even have a '74 Dart Sport slant 6 Hang 10 project car which is complete and restorable.
And lots of spare parts.
And nobody wants them...
Yeah, I'm sick!
I actually prefer the looks of a Dart Sport over a Duster.
I have a '74 Dart Sport 360 4 speed car (rough but restorable), a '75 Dart Sport 360 column automatic (a little rough around the edges), and 4 other Dart Sport parts cars of various years, and 5 '71 to '75 Dusters... 2 projects and 3 for parts.
That doesn't include the Valiant and Dart 4 door parts cars with a smattering of '68 to '76 4 door Dart and Valiant parts cars.
I even have a '74 Dart Sport slant 6 Hang 10 project car which is complete and restorable.
And lots of spare parts.
And nobody wants them...
Yeah, I'm sick!
^^^ If you restored one to perfect, there would be guys that offer you pennies on the $ or to trade you a woreout motorcycle, or a box of kittens!!
Seems very few today actually want a non driving project, or they want a perfect 50-60 year old classic with every thing 100% new or rebuilt, for nothing. The cheaper the model the harder it is to find a buyer with a nickle. In other words, it is easier to sell a $50,000 69 383 Roadrunner, than a 318 $5000 Dodge Dart. Unless you will trade for a $1500 motorcycle in the winter! Or a box of kittens.
Seems very few today actually want a non driving project, or they want a perfect 50-60 year old classic with every thing 100% new or rebuilt, for nothing. The cheaper the model the harder it is to find a buyer with a nickle. In other words, it is easier to sell a $50,000 69 383 Roadrunner, than a 318 $5000 Dodge Dart. Unless you will trade for a $1500 motorcycle in the winter! Or a box of kittens.
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
Yeah, you're right!^^^ If you restored one to perfect, there would be guys that offer you pennies on the $ or to trade you a woreout motorcycle, or a box of kittens!!
Seems very few today actually want a non driving project, or they want a perfect 50-60 year old classic with every thing 100% new or rebuilt, for nothing. The cheaper the model the harder it is to find a buyer with a nickle. In other words, it is easier to sell a $50,000 69 383 Roadrunner, than a 318 $5000 Dodge Dart. Unless you will trade for a $1500 motorcycle in the winter! Or a box of kittens.
Is triple scrap price asking too much?
I'll just hold on to them...
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
Reed K?
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
Yep, I picked the car up out in California from the Chrysler engineer who raced it. Had a Toronado front axle under the front!
I've owned a couple of Dart Sports and a Dart custom (4 dr) in the beak cars. Good cars, but I prefer the Duster/Valiant front end. As of now for A-bodies, I only have my '76 Duster. I will only give that up when I get a '70-72 to takes it's place, and I'm not looking hard so... lol
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