New Dart - opinions wanted

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dpstark2

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Hello all,

This is my first post here- I've been a B-body guy for several years. I've been looking for an A-body to use as a daily driver for a while. I picked up this Dart for pretty low price knowing it was rough. I'd like some opinions from those in the know as to whether I should keep the good stuff and find a better body or save this one.

Here are the details- this is a pretty highly optioned /6 car. The motor is toast (which is sad, but doesn't concern me much). It has factory disc brakes and a factory 8.75" axle. Originally had the dual hood scoops and wing which are long gone. Needs seat covers, carpet, suspension front to rear (all of which are OK with me).

My big concern is the body work. There is very little rust on the car. The floors, trunk, and underside are absolutely fine. The front fenders are pretty good, but the right front quarter needs a small patch down by the door (not a huge concern):

2013-03-17%252016.52.03.jpg


The main issue is that both rear fenders are creased, and the rear valence is shot. I have a spare valence, but it needs minor work too. The drivers side door is not as bad as the passenger, but I have a spare passenger door in really good shape.

2013-03-17%252016.51.52.jpg


The vinyl top is shot, and some trim is missing but the roof appears solid. Both bumpers are really rusty, but straight. I'm not sure if they can be saved. I have another rear bumper that is better, but still rusty.

2013-03-17%252016.51.44.jpg


Anybody have a comment on the man-hours to fix those rear fenders, the door, and the rust spot? I'm not in a hurry, so finding a better valence and driver's door is possible. I think the body work is more extensive than I anticipated. And body work is the one thing I don't do myself... There's another Dart I'm considering that I could move the brakes and rear into and have a pretty nice running driving car straight off- but it's $4k more than this one was. I'm worried though that I'm most of the way to $4k just in body work here, not to mention headaches...

Thanks for any opinions!
 
don't know about the price but that body work look pretty minor to me.

amd sells new valance for it too.
 
I think you did fine,I would take your time and fix what you got. A little at a time and it has a lot of good hardware with the disk brakes and 8 3/4. Good Luck!
 
Thanks- I'll take all that into consideration as I move forward. I really wish the car were driveable enough to get around to the local body shops for opinions!
 
Get that sucker running and do some minor body work. It's a daily beater, so enjoy the heck out of it. That's what I would do...lol

Thanks for posting and saying hello! Very cool car!
 
Thanks again- I've been out looking at other cars, either to replace this one or as a body donor... and the results have not been good. It seems more and more that I got a good deal and a reasonable starting point with this car.

One in particular- a '67 Dart 270- was billed as "rust free" and "a driver." "All the electronics work." Etc.... Yeah right. One listen and I knew the motor was hurt (#3 was out). Underneath- no rust, but COVERED IN OIL. The trunk was rusted right under the rear window and virtually through near the seams. The body was good otherwise, and yes it's a good starting point. BUT NOT FOR $5000.

I'm working on a motor for this one, and hopefully it will be ready by the time I get through the brakes and suspension. Then my friends and I will start with that rust spot and the dents. The vinyl is a question mark, but I from what I can tell it's at least mostly OK underneath. I also picked up the car's spare K member, power steering box, and rear bumper this weekend (part of the deal). The bumper alone was worth the trip. It's pretty nice.
 
The old motor is out.

2013-04-19%252015.11.35.jpg


I picked up a supposedly good motor to either use as a core or temporarily put in the car. The motor that was in the car is the original motor and it seems to have never been opened up. I haven't broken the head loose to see what's up with #1 since I will probably just wrap it up and put it in storage- no sense in opening it if I don't need to.

I hope to get the engine bay stripped and painted in the next few weeks, then get a motor in it. Might as well service the transmission too while it's relatively easy to get at.
 
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