pettybludart
Well-Known Member
Nice little Early-A you have there.Any upgrades you want to do to it,don,t be scared to ask.We,re all here to help one another.Good luck and enjoy looking cooler than your friends in their Hoondas.LOL
My 65 Dodge Dart GT Journey
- Thread starter Coryduran
- Start date
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Legendary Auto has the exact reproduction for the 65 GT upholstery; In fact, they used mine for their pattern. They also have the interior door and rear panels as well (used mine also).
Do they have a website?
Legendaryautointeriors.com
Frank Miller
Well-Known Member
The paint code is stamped into the plate that is always on the top of the driver's side fenderwell (next to battery)
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Cory,
Welcome to the club. I have a '65 Dart 273 GT further up the Valley. Mine probably had more rust (rear wheels and spare tire well) and I find repaired damage as I work thru it. Hope to be driving in a few more months.
I fix both old and modern, a fleet for 4 drivers - two '65 Mopars, '84 & '85 Mercedes diesel, '96 & '02 Chry minivans. Both really old (pre 1964) and really new vehicles (2005+) are the hardest to find parts for and the most costly. FABO helps a lot with parts and info. Old cars were hard to maintain before the internet. '60's cars are easy to work on once you find the parts. Most parts can be removed with hand tools, and there is room to swing a wrench. New cars have more pressed-on and plastic parts and a transverse V-6 is a beast to access in any vehicle.
Thoughts for your future work:
If you ever find a rust-free left fender grab it, they are a simple bolt on. If not, you can beat yours out and Bondo with a little practice.
Since you don't currently have rust thru, work now to keep it that way. You can greatly improve on the factory. Whenever working in the trunk, removing back seats or door panels, scrape and clean surface rust and spray or paint rust converter into all crevices and ledges where rust thrus normally occur. Look on the site for photos.
A carpet-type dash pad cover looks great for <$30. You can also get plastic overlays for <$100. For any part, check ebay, craigslist, FABO, and rockauto before Pep Boys. Differences can be 10x.
Forget re-upholstering seats. The foam and seat covers alone cost ~$700 for just the front. I got Cobra convertible front seats for $50, which are safer (head rests and shoulder belt loops), but havent' installed so don't quote me for fit. Many other seats will fit on the fairly flat floor. I have heard that if you drive into Tijuana there are many shops that will upholster in a day affordably, assuming your car doesn't disappear.
Be happy with the 273. Some people manage amazing times drag racing them, though with upgraded parts. Read the threads on swapping to a 4 barrel manifold, which allows more carburetor options, though the 2 barrel is fine for a daily driver. Switch to electronic ignition. Points are archaic even though Honda used them into the 90's. I have seen new Chrysler mid '70's ignitions with distributor fairly cheap on ebay.
Welcome to the club. I have a '65 Dart 273 GT further up the Valley. Mine probably had more rust (rear wheels and spare tire well) and I find repaired damage as I work thru it. Hope to be driving in a few more months.
I fix both old and modern, a fleet for 4 drivers - two '65 Mopars, '84 & '85 Mercedes diesel, '96 & '02 Chry minivans. Both really old (pre 1964) and really new vehicles (2005+) are the hardest to find parts for and the most costly. FABO helps a lot with parts and info. Old cars were hard to maintain before the internet. '60's cars are easy to work on once you find the parts. Most parts can be removed with hand tools, and there is room to swing a wrench. New cars have more pressed-on and plastic parts and a transverse V-6 is a beast to access in any vehicle.
Thoughts for your future work:
If you ever find a rust-free left fender grab it, they are a simple bolt on. If not, you can beat yours out and Bondo with a little practice.
Since you don't currently have rust thru, work now to keep it that way. You can greatly improve on the factory. Whenever working in the trunk, removing back seats or door panels, scrape and clean surface rust and spray or paint rust converter into all crevices and ledges where rust thrus normally occur. Look on the site for photos.
A carpet-type dash pad cover looks great for <$30. You can also get plastic overlays for <$100. For any part, check ebay, craigslist, FABO, and rockauto before Pep Boys. Differences can be 10x.
Forget re-upholstering seats. The foam and seat covers alone cost ~$700 for just the front. I got Cobra convertible front seats for $50, which are safer (head rests and shoulder belt loops), but havent' installed so don't quote me for fit. Many other seats will fit on the fairly flat floor. I have heard that if you drive into Tijuana there are many shops that will upholster in a day affordably, assuming your car doesn't disappear.
Be happy with the 273. Some people manage amazing times drag racing them, though with upgraded parts. Read the threads on swapping to a 4 barrel manifold, which allows more carburetor options, though the 2 barrel is fine for a daily driver. Switch to electronic ignition. Points are archaic even though Honda used them into the 90's. I have seen new Chrysler mid '70's ignitions with distributor fairly cheap on ebay.
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