So what got you into A Bodies?

-
1970PAValiant

1970PAValiant

master of the break down
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
269
Reaction score
3
Location
Allentown
So I've been wondering how everyone got into A-bodies. I know a bunch of Mopar nuts and they all like Chargers, Challengers, Roadrunners, etc. and they always are confused as to why I picked the "affordable everyday car" as my one friend calls them.

My love for Mopars came in '98. My dad always liked vintage european cars, VW bugs, MG's, and his biggest he has Triumph Spitfires. One day looking out of my Gym class I saw this big old car that I thought was awsome 'cause the high beams were on the floor and it had bench seats (I had a GF at the time and buckets did not allow her to be close to me) so rounding up my $$ and $1000 later I drove home a '72 dart with a slant 6. Granted the previous owner didn't know diddly and never upkept it, so on the way home all 4 wheel cylenders broke due to rot. but it was love at first sight. the car may be on but the memory lives on in my '70 valiant
 
riding down the shore in the back of my grandmothers gold 66 barracuda with the back seat folded down looking up at the stars through that big back window
 
Honestly I was just in the market and I love old american cars. I was looking at a lot of cars, but I narrowed it down to a duster and my dart. They were asking the same for both cars, but the duster was worth less money, in worse shape, and the dart was all original and in even better shape than the duster which was a lot of aftermarket stuff. After I owned the car, I started looking into mopar and the whole a body line up more and I just fell in love even more than I already was.
 
When I was a kid, I had a model of a '70 Dart that I used to play with til my mom trashed it.

Then one day last august, I drove my first A-body. A four door /6 '71 Dart. I was immediately in love. A-bodies rock!
 
I was brought up around mopars. I allways loved the look of the dusters so I figured I'd have one of my own.
 
My grandfather had a 71 2 door Swinger. 318 230 HP 7.25. Was a nice car. I got to drive it ocassionally and it would light up the right rear rollin about 30 MPH. My first cousin told me last thanksgiving I could have it. He got it after my grandfather's death. It's been rotting away in my cousin's back yard ever since 1993. A few days later I called him to arrange it and he had changed his mind because his son pitched a fit. So, that's when I started looking and found my Scamp. I've had MANY Mopars through the years, but it wouldda been nice to get the one car that gave me the bug. Just wasn't meant to be I guess.
 
I ordered a 71 340 Demon when I was a senior
in high school.Had a 67 Nova 283 4 speed
before that.Don't have a clue why I chose
a Demon but I'm glad I did.I now have one
the same color and love it
 
The day my dad came home with a '71 Swinger /6. I was 4. I still remember seeing him pull into the driveway with it and being pissed because he took my Mom for a ride right away but I had to wait, lol. It wound up being my first car. Lots of memories growing up with that car.

It became my Mom's when we got a '75 Monaco wagon. My first drive was when I was 11. Dad was at work and Mom was busy with something so I swiped the keys and took the Dart for a ride. My Mom noticed the car missing and figured someone stole it, and for some reason, came looking for me before she called the cops. Well, I was nowhere to be found of course. My Mom freaked out thinking somebody stole the car and kidnapped her kid! Suddenly, she sees the car turn onto our street but couldn't see anybody driving it. If I sat at the very edge of the seat, I could work the gas and the brake and barely see over the steering wheel, so from outside it probably looked like the car was driving itself. I pull into the driveway, all casual, like I've been driving for years. I had never seen anybody so angry and happy at the same time. We can laugh about it now.

So many stories... I could go on and on.
 
the guy next door when i was growing up was a motorhead and always have differant cars,(he was a gm nut--gtos were his gig) but every now and then he would bring down a mopar frist a 70 super bee 383 four speed(f--kin beautiful) but one day he came by with a 69 dart 340 4 speed with 373 gears and bench seat! he took me for a ride(i got to ride in all of them!)that was all it took, i fell in love and about 4 years later we were at the drags in the twin cities and told me of one for sale, that night(night) i saw the car-- 69 gts 340 4 speed, bought it then and there(1200.00 back in 78)after 25 years i had to sell it,(orginal owner found me and bought it back)after about 7-8 years i replaced it with this 67. thats that
 
My second car was a white 72 dodge dart swinger 318. Had a black vinyl top.
Bought it for $500 and drove the hell out of it. That 318 never let me down. a FAULTY GAS GAUGE DID QUITE OFTEN THOUGH.
 
My first car was a 71 Duster ,green with a slant six:thumrigh:It was the family car before my parents gave it to me and it got me all though high school.Loved Mopars ever since
 
What got me into A bodies?
About 900 bucks.
Initially.....
 
My first car was a 67 dart gt 383 when I was 17 49,000 miles original paint body etc. Still have it but it's sat now for the last 25 years. Great street drag car. Ate up many a chevy. Ran 14.00 100mph 3.23 posi auto headers 780 holley. Kept it for my son , but he wants some Toyota corolla GTS RWD. Oh well.
 
I was away on a company course in Toronto. Saw a full page ad for the '68 Barracuda on the back page of a magazine. That spring I was driving my new Barracuda. Couldn't part with it.
 
For me it was strictly MONEY.

In 2004, we wanted to build our son a mid - late 1960s Muscle Car car for his Senior Year of High School. We had a limited budget and the asking prices for Camaros and Mustangs was just crazy. in one case, someone wanted $5000 for a rusted-out POS 68 Mustang..Couldn't touch a 1960s camaro for less than $10K in semi decent condition..

So I asked a buddy of mine who happens to be my Moto Guzzi mechanic what he would suggest and he told me that the only car that was a good candidate for what we wanted to do and was still undervalued was a 1967 - 69 Dodge Dart. And so we went with the Dart, a 1968 GT.

Originally we were going to dump its original 273 and replace it with a 360, but then things kinda got out of control and before we knew it we were stuffing a Big Block into it...

And that's it.

--
 
between 16 and 21 i had several chargers, superbees, ect.. but Demons were always rare around Chicago so when i seen it i pulled the trigger, 3 grand for a non running missing seats, gas tank, intake, carb, and so on it was a lot of cash for one in 1991. but glad i got it.
 
my dad was a mopar guy that got me addicted funny thing was he worked on import cars.
 
In high school I always wanted a 1970 Dodge Challenger, but finances dictated that I ended up with a 1974 Duster. Now I have the 1970 Challenger, and recently picked up a little Valiant as an economy car...

I have had 6 Dusters total, though, I love those freakin' cars. I'd love a Demon, too!
 
Easy. Here is a picture of the car my folks brought newly-born me home from the hospital in (and the house they brought me home to):

1117.jpg


Some of my earliest memories are of being strapped into a (primitive early) infant seat and hearing the sounds of a slant-6 engine being cranked and starting.
 
Revhendo said:
What got me into A bodies?
About 900 bucks.
Initially.....
Click to expand...
x2. When I started driving (legally) they were just an affordable car. I had just turned 18 and got the chance to ride in a Duster that was caged/tubs were kicked into the frame etc. Motor was built/tuned by Hamburgers Performace, tunnel ram on a 440, loose convertor and 456 gears. I was hooked......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top