A joke among car enthusiasts (or maybe it’s just one that I’ve heard) is that the last survivors of Apocalyptic Earth will be cockroaches driving Dodge Darts. There may be some truth to that: Between the rugged torsion bar suspension and reliable engines, a simple old Dart has a chance of being around long after the rest of us are gone. This two-door sedan has sunburned paint, but the seller claims that it’s a rust-free car. Based in the Denver area, this Dart might interest some of our mountain-time readers who want to roll in one of the most reliable cars on the road.
As the owner of a ’65 Dart wagon I bought from a salvage yard (painted the same turquoise color as this sedan), I have a sweet spot for rugged-looking Mopar A-Bodies. Mine is propelled by the Slant Six of anvil-aping lore, but the lucky buyer of this Dart gets the (I’ll say it) equally reliable and more powerful 273 (the ad doesn’t say what engine is under the hood – it’s an assumption on my part). If it is the original engine, it is no doubt the base 180-horsepower version, although the owner has upgraded it with an aluminum manifold and an Edelbrock AVS2. I have an AVS2 on one of my own cars, and it’s an easy to tune option for those who are looking to upgrade to a four barrel.
This is the only picture of the interior shown in the advertisement, but the seller does mention that it’s in good shape aside from the headliner, which is clear from this photograph.
A set of nice-looking headers will apparently come with the car. I would sell them to recoup some of the purchase price, but I’ve always been a cast-iron manifold kind of guy, especially at the power levels a 273 is likely to make. It’s a bit of a tight fit around the steering box in these early A-Bodies, but this car comes with the Torqueflite so you don’t have to clear the clutch linkage if you’re installing these long tubes.
The seller says that this Dart is a “rolling time capsule” that “needs nothing.” Some would argue that it could use a paint job, but I’m inclined to agree that it’s just right as is. A ’65 Dart is not luxurious or fancy, but it’s a unique way to enjoy the commute, and you could probably drive it until the end of time. This one is now on Craigslist with an asking price of $10,500.
Awesome car. It would make for an amazing restomod. Stuff a 340 under the hood along with modern suspension and brakes. Of course, the asking price is a bit rich.
to drive it anything other than a parade you will want to convert the front brakes at least to disk. Power steering by Chrysler is much preferred to power steering by Armstrong.
Excellent write up Aaron.
I like this Dart!
Agree on the Edel. AVS four barrel – I have one on my BB Torino and really like it-transition from idle is very smooth. Preferred over the downleg fuel delivery of a Holley.
Had leaks and noise from headers – pass on that.
Would love to own and care for this Gem.
Yes, upgrade front brakes.
Nice in what counts, great little V8 Dart!
Thank you!
Discs would probably not be a bad thing, although the V8 cars came with 10″ drums compared to the 9″ drums on my six-cylinder wagon. One time, someone pulled across two lanes from a cloverleaf into the passing lane when I was going 70 or so, and they didn’t hit the gas. Let’s say that was one time when I felt that bigger brakes would have been nice!
Put me in the , “why didn’t they leave it alone” camp, the 2 barrel it probably came with was more than adequate. Here you have a car that has withstood the ages, only to be cobbled with a 4 barrel and headers, I heard will cause nothing but grief below 40 degrees, if applicable, what are they going for here? To find a car like this, in this condition, and don’t give me that “rust free Colorado” schtick, is getting hard to find. It simply wasn’t driven, is all. This car lost its appeal for me, it’s a half axxed drag car, and now a half azzed economy car. I suppose it is a bit reassuring, that people still do this kind of “4 barrel and headers to the mundane” thing, but one or the other, I say.
I’m confused by this Craigslist advertisement. What is with the pseudo drag car pictures? And why are there pictures of people on a ski trip included ? I’m not Sherlock Holmes but I believe that the pictures of the car are not current. Certainly not the “drag car” photos that show the car with decent paint and American Racing Mags (I think). Maybe there is a reason why the front seat, dash, etc are not shown. Were they altered when the car was used at the drags? Geeze Louise, just take ten seconds and show us! On to another topic. I know that the patina cult may be attracted to this especially since it looks like the owner applied a clear coat or”shine juice” over the crappy paint. But to have any appeal to me; I would have to give it a decent paint job. And the car ain’t worth it. Even if it had half way decent paint instead of “cheaptina”; I’m not seeing $10,500 worth of car here. Let’s be real it’s a Dart and not particularly rare or sought after. It’s probably been beat on big time. The only upside to me is that it is a two door and has an V8. Couldn’t care less about the headers because they will be a PITA to install for little benefit. My final question is why are Craigslist ads so often just plain lousy? It’s almost like the sellers can’t be bothered to invest any real effort in providing potential buyers with the full picture. I don’t get it. Ok I’ll get down off my soapbox now.
looks like a different car, different bumper in front, no trim, looks like a 6 cylinder exhaust pipe. Either a scam or just stupid, why photos of a ski trip. ? weirdo!
Maybe the seller is proud of their pond hockey team.
The race car is a different car. It’s a 1964 and has a different license plate. Adding the 4 barrel isn’t going to give you much added performance. The stock 273 was rated 180 HP with a 9:1 compression ratio, a mild camshaft, heads that didn’t flow great and restrictive exhaust manifolds. But you will be using more gasoline. To get much more performance out of the 273 you will be spending some money for things like dome top pistons. If performance is what you are after a later 318 or 340.
No explanation for the ski trip photos.
This Dart is priced a little high but deserves a new owner who will give it a little love with a paint job and headliner.