New from NM (66 Dart GT)

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porksoda

porksoda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
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Location
Clovis,NM
Hello everybody!
I just recently picked up a 1966 Dodge Dart GT with the 225 /6.
This car has factory air conditioning and is pretty solid.
I have been eyeballing this car for a while.
The first time I saw it I really liked it!
The car has been parked in a barn for the past 10-12 year. The previous owner said the brakes failed and it roll back and bumped into a tree(dented bumper and trunk lid).
I did find a replacement rear bumper, front fenders, and front grill/light bezels.
I am excited to learn about these older cars.
I currently have a 1998 Dodge Dakota with a 318 magnum.
I have been a mopar fan as long as I can remember.
I have been wanting a project car for a while now and now I finally have it!
Well I will keep you all updated on my progress with it.
Tomorrow I am going to get some fresh gas in the system and a new battery.
Wish me luck,

Pablo
 
Well here is the car I just picked up yesterday.
I got the car from a guy in Amarillo,TX.
I will use this thread for me to update everything I do to the Dart. :)

The car is a 1966 Dodge Dart GT:

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Let the project begin!
 
We took the car off the trailer earlier today.
Tomorrow I am going to try and find a battery for it.
I am also going to get a fresh tank of gas for it.
 
Welcome to FABO and congrats on your 66. Looks like a nice one. You should be able to find some parts down south where you're at. Most of the rust free parts come from your area. The headlight bezels are the hardest to find. I have a few sets and all are dented. They all need to be stripped, sanded, and straightened.
Keep us posted of your progress. There are quite a few 66 owners here so help isn't far away. toolmanmike
 
congrats on the dart,,,,,weird to see a car from that area with rust in the engine bay,,,, cant remember seeing a GT with out a finish panel on the trunk,,,,
 
toolmanmike said:
Welcome to FABO and congrats on your 66. Looks like a nice one. You should be able to find some parts down south where you're at. Most of the rust free parts come from your area. The headlight bezels are the hardest to find. I have a few sets and all are dented. They all need to be stripped, sanded, and straightened.
Keep us posted of your progress. There are quite a few 66 owners here so help isn't far away. toolmanmike
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information!
Ill keep in touch with you.

fstfish66 said:
congrats on the dart,,,,,weird to see a car from that area with rust in the engine bay,,,, cant remember seeing a GT with out a finish panel on the truck,,,,
Click to expand...

Thanks!
Well the previous owner told me that the passenger side fender is not the factory fender. It was all he could find.
I actually found someone parting out a 66 Dart and I found 2 front fenders and a bumper.
 
congrats on the dart,,,,,weird to see a car from that area with rust in the engine bay,,,, cant remember seeing a GT with out a finish panel on the truck,,,,

I'll bet the finish panel got removed when the trunk lid was damaged. Where's the holes though?
 
Looks great, you'll enjoy fixing it up,you have something nice to start with.just did the headlight bezels on my 64,270. I did the front grill also.lots of work
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Moe
 
toolmanmike said:
congrats on the dart,,,,,weird to see a car from that area with rust in the engine bay,,,, cant remember seeing a GT with out a finish panel on the truck,,,,

I'll bet the finish panel got removed when the trunk lid was damaged. Where's the holes though?
Click to expand...

maybe the trunk lid was replaced some where along the way
 
Welcome to FABO from SoCal, Pablo. You're going to have fun here!
Gotta say though, your username "Porksoda" doesn't sound particularly appetizing. Much prefer Diet Dr. Pepper as my soda of choice. LOL
 
Well my friends and I got the car running today!
Runs great!
We got all the old gas out of the system and threw a spare battery in.
All the lights work around the car also.
We did move the car a little bit to see if it will go.
The front breaks need to be redone.
The drivers side front drum locked up for some reason.
All the drum hardware was pulled out in order to free it up.
I am going to replace all the brake hardware, shoes, and wheel cylinders.
I also found a decent set of tires at my local discount tire.
They did not have(nor does anyone) have the size thats on it already (185-80-13).
The discount tire did have a 185-70-13 for $30 each so I will probably run those.
 
Here's a few photos I have collected of white 66's. I agree with 70DartMike, the white with a black top is a super clean look. There is a few white race cars from the past too. The last white Dart you see was from the Mopar Nationals a few years ago. Pettybludart (a member here) saw the photo and had to have a 66 of his own. He found one on e-bay and had it shipped to Canada. He has transformed it into a small block stroker drag car. The last photo is his car, not quite finished but burning up the track this summer. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours. toolmanmike
 

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Welcome to FABO and the Early-A club!Do I see spare tail-lights in the box in the trunk?Any good spare ones not needed?Let me know through a private message.Thanks
 
porksoda,

Welcome. I think your roof trim is specific to the GT trim, which I also have in my 65. I think all originally had vinyl roofs, but many people paint the roof. Black gives the vinyl look, but I will paint mine white, which looks good against the light yellow body, plus is cooler in the summer. Your trunk looks great. Most have severe rust in the spare tire well, sometimes even CA cars.

Many people replace the Slant Six with a V-8, which is fairly easy in 63-66 Darts since the same K-member (but requires a rare V-8 steering link). The small-block V-8 is very similar to your Dakota's magnum engine. However, with gas so high, I recommend keeping the six if a daily driver. The slant has many lovers.

You have the factory AC, which has a very robust compressor. The one "must do" recommendation many would advise is to replace the single brake master cylinder with a later dual reservoir type, which is much safer.
 
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