Are dart sports mostly gone

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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Is it my imagination or have dart sports mostly disappeared.

I don't know why 2010 stands out to me as one of my best car years in my life. I was looking at a 75 dart sport in perfect original condition for a thousand bucks. My dad said, I should look for something older, so I did.

Seemed like original dart sports were around and they were no big deal.

Now I'm trying to put together a 74 L code 360 dart sport and seems like dart sport specific parts are gone and without a trace. Taillights are nearly impossible to find and the breed of car just seems very seldom seen. I really don't think I have ever seen one at a car show. Maybe a scarce few sightings over the last 15 years.

I am wondering if they were low production or what happened to most of them?
 
I bought and sold a nice roller in March of this year, I still see them around. My BIL had one in the early 80's but it was rusting bad by the late 80's and junked because they were not valuable then. It was an L code 360 black on black car too! Here is a picture of my future wife sitting on his car in 1981...

74 Dart Sport.jpg
 
HemiSSDart said:
I bought and sold a nice roller in March of this year, I still see them around. My BIL had one in the early 80's but it was rusting bad by the late 80's and junked because they were not valuable then. It was an L code 360 black on black car too! Here is a picture of my future wife sitting on his car in 1981...

View attachment 1716336852
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Was it an auto?

Mine is in pieces but it was yellow with black stripes. With the same deluxe wheel covers as the black one in your Pic. This car also has bench seat with center armrest and an auto on the column. Kinda weird for a "performance" car of the day

I was able to find the build sheet and I have the fender tag which is how I know it had wheel covers. Of course they are long gone and the car has rusty cragers now. I think it was raced a lot and not well taken care of.
 
Princess Valiant said:
Was it an auto?

Mine is in pieces but it was yellow with black stripes. With the same deluxe wheel covers as the black one in your Pic. This car also has bench seat with center armrest and an auto on the column. Kinda weird for a "performance" car of the day

I was able to find the build sheet and I have the fender tag which is how I know it had wheel covers. Of course they are long gone and the car has rusty cragers now. I think it was raced a lot and not well taken care of.
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Yes and auto with bucket seats and console.
 
I think that all of the Darts/Valiants/Dart Sports and Dusters are harder to find than they were 20 years ago. I used to see them in people's side yards or out in fields. I remember buying them for under $500 each years ago.
This year, I picked up a Dart Lite and a 4 door Dart...

3 Ds 3.JPG


I'm building the 4 door to be a quick cruiser with a 360 and an A-500 overdrive. The Dart Lite has no title and all the "Lite" parts are gone so it will be used as a stunt car for a video I'm planning.
 
I have a 73 dart sport and we pulled a 75 dart sport out of Newport, Washington in July. I can get you the complete taillight assembly for your car at the Junkyard near the house when I get home. I know where they are sitting in one of the storage busses. This Yard will be closed in May due to Owner not finding a buyer for the yard.
 
There was a yellow 74 that was in the For Sale section maybe 2 months ago
 
Sorry for your situation.

When I was searching for an A body project , my choice of car
had to meet several qualifications, one of which there had to be plenty of parts available.

I saw that almost a million 70-72 Darts were produced, and the differences between them were minor.

There was so much OE, repop, and speed equipment available for it I had to go for Dart

Check out the new wiper motor for $75

PXL_20240326_144440781.jpg
 
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Just like Dusters of '73 to '76, they used to be everywhere.
They built a lot of both.
Now you don't see them much anymore in alleys and fields.
And not many driving around either.
I collected a few of them years ago and there doesn't seem to be much of a market for the ''beaker'' cars.
P.M. me if you need small items, I just may have them.
But, shipping these days might be expensive...
 
The other issue is cost- cost to produce re-popped parts, shipping, Chrysler going after companies who are reproducing parts but not getting proper license. Look at Layson’s fiasco at Carlisle a few years back. People making parts got scared and stopped.

Market is also changing. Plain and simple: there is just not a call for these 50+ year old cars that were not produced that much.
 
Looking back to the late 80's-90's from here at the end of 2024, I wish I had kept a couple of the parts cars I bought for my Demon. My first Mopar was a 72 Gold Duster with a 318 and AC. It was rusty, and the bad tailight panel made me find my Demon. If I had known they would reproduce them eventually, I'd have kept it. I agree with what Kern Dog said, all the A bodies are scarce. Actually, all the cars from the 60s - 70's era are getting scarce.
 
I'm looking for some duster interior parts. Manly a rear seat and front buckets. Does that yard have any?




Stephen Hotz said:
I have a 73 dart sport and we pulled a 75 dart sport out of Newport, Washington in July. I can get you the complete taillight assembly for your car at the Junkyard near the house when I get home. I know where they are sitting in one of the storage busses. This Yard will be closed in May due to Owner not finding a buyer for the yard.
Click to expand...
 
I'm pretty sure that Chrysler made more Dusters than Dart Sports over the years, and rust has been a problem on both models. But Duster styling remained more popular and that kept more of them in running condition. Besides the front clip, taillights and minor details, they are the same car. When I got my race car, it was a Duster. I already had plans to convert it to a Dart Sport when a return road fender bender accelerated the change. I'm in the minority as far as Dusters and Dart Sports are concerned but overall I always liked Dodge styling better than Plymouth.

The Mopars with Big Daddy car show/swap meet in Ocala, FL always has some Dart Sports. I never did a count but I'm sure they are outnumbered by Dusters. As the number of older cars decline, I guess the quantity of certain models will vary based on region with some disappearing completely.
 
clay and sons, in catawissa, mo, has over 1000 mopars. i have seen some dart sports there. they are a go to place for lots of people, world wide. the number of the kid in charge of daily operations is 636 222 4892. his name is cole. they are open from wed-sun. tell him that rick woolsey told you to call. they always take a BUNCH of stuff to Indy swap meet in march. they will also ship it to you.
 
Also with everything moving to Facebook and the shitty algorithms they use for naming stuff Duster dart sport Demon those kind of things are harder to find in the marketplace app. I’ve seen A bodies listed as prowlers and other random *** shitty Chrysler vehicles not the good ones from the 70s
 
I saved my Lite in October.
I have been finding a few parts on Marketplace.
But it's not your imagination, they are few and far between.
20241112_171551.jpg
 
They share so much with other A-body's. It's not to difficult to get most parts. Except maybe the very front or rear pieces. That 360 car is super rare and sweet! In 1974 Chrysler built 109,000 of the Dart and Dart Sport, and for the Duster and Valiant (2 door models) 459,000. Huge difference.
 
Over the decades I have had tons of Dusters, and just 1 Dart Sport ans 1 Demon. Just what came along.

Back in the 80s, 90s.. there were so many B,E body builders. Even hemi cars were not hard to find. I never considered a Duster, until the very late 90s and then they were cheap drivers.
But....I recall ready to spend $$1800-2000 for a 69 340 Dart that needed nothing about 1998, but it was winter in Mo. and the owner let it sit outside one nite and the block cracked!!:BangHead:
 
E8252F29-02E5-4906-B470-ADA13610D375.jpeg
EB3EB9D2-70C3-4419-AD31-3B08DB2D6499.jpeg
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Beaker for life. ‘74 Dart Sport
Glass hood factory scoop
All factory steel, doors replaced with ‘72 model to reduce weight.
I have owned this car for over 30 years.
 
I've had 3 Dart Sports, one 74 and two 75s. The 74 and one of the 75s were L code cars, and they were both black with black bucket and console interiors, and black stripes. That was in the late 90s or early 2000s. The last one was a slant 6 in B5 blue originally, bench seat column auto.
Still have the fender tag from the 75 L code car, it was so rusty that it was too far gone to fix. The motor and transmission were transplanted into my 70 Dart Custom.
 
I have a friend that is just finishing up a 74 Dart Sport. It's super nice, and I think he will post some Pic's here soon.
 
Princess Valiant said:
Is it my imagination or have dart sports mostly disappeared.

I don't know why 2010 stands out to me as one of my best car years in my life. I was looking at a 75 dart sport in perfect original condition for a thousand bucks. My dad said, I should look for something older, so I did.

Seemed like original dart sports were around and they were no big deal.

Now I'm trying to put together a 74 L code 360 dart sport and seems like dart sport specific parts are gone and without a trace. Taillights are nearly impossible to find and the breed of car just seems very seldom seen. I really don't think I have ever seen one at a car show. Maybe a scarce few sightings over the last 15 years.

I am wondering if they were low production or what happened to most of them?
Click to expand...
Check out post #16 ?? is it. Yes Clay and sons is a great place for parts. Good people. I have not been there in maybe 12 years so it might be getting somewhat picked over!

If you think Dart Sports are hard to find parts for, try doing AMC!!! :thumbsup: :BangHead:

IMG_0309 - Copy.JPG
 
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