Hi there from Spain! My name is Ruben. I own since 2006 a Dodge Barreiros 3700 GT, of course an A body. It´s powered by a 225 Slant Six with a 2 BBL Carter 4300S, with an automatic transmission Torqueflite A-904 and was made in 1973 at Villaverde (Madrid-Spain) by Chrysler Spain, formerly Barreiros-Chrysler factory. According to technical specifications this powerplant delivered 165 HP S.A.E. (144 HP DIN approx.). Through these 16 years I have enjoyed it as frequently as I have been able to and improved the engine running and reliability. When I bought it I was told it had 105.000 Km. (65.600 miles approx.) but it needed good maintenance and tended to overheating, what leaded me to improve cooling system with an auto electric fan, an oversize aluminum radiator and an oil radiator. Original engine never went totally well and one day the oil filter burst while driving in highway and the crankshaft resulted considerably damaged so I took the opportunity to look for another engine, a low mileage one from another 3700 GT, a unit transformed into a hearse. The running of this other engine was awesome and no overheating at all even with AC on with 35ºC in the street (95ºF). Another upgrading I got made was changing rear drum brakes for disc ones, as this model had braking problems in the rear axle, that gave it a bad name and a black legend of unsafe car. Now it has a 4 disc brake system that gives you a safe and predictable braking.
The origins of this model is an A body designed for Argentina called Dodge Polara and Dodge Coronado. When the 66 Dart production was ended in Spain, almost everything but body was manufactured in the Villaverde factory, so the existing equipment was used to continue manufacturing basically the same car although somewhat improved, with a new bodywork, the bodies were brought from Argentina but adapted to European taste: New front, rear, interior and instrumentation were designed to get a luxury car with a Sports touch. Although in USA, most A bodies were economy cars or muscle cars, in Spain this car and its predecessor, the 66 Dodge Dart were sold as luxury cars, considering the rest of cars manufactured in our country were smaller and more roughly finished.
Here you can see some pictures of my car, which has travelled all along Spain with the rallies organized by the Club Dodge of Spain, the last one taking us to Lerida which led me and my dodge doing more than 1500 Kms. (Almost 1.000 miles).
The origins of this model is an A body designed for Argentina called Dodge Polara and Dodge Coronado. When the 66 Dart production was ended in Spain, almost everything but body was manufactured in the Villaverde factory, so the existing equipment was used to continue manufacturing basically the same car although somewhat improved, with a new bodywork, the bodies were brought from Argentina but adapted to European taste: New front, rear, interior and instrumentation were designed to get a luxury car with a Sports touch. Although in USA, most A bodies were economy cars or muscle cars, in Spain this car and its predecessor, the 66 Dodge Dart were sold as luxury cars, considering the rest of cars manufactured in our country were smaller and more roughly finished.
Here you can see some pictures of my car, which has travelled all along Spain with the rallies organized by the Club Dodge of Spain, the last one taking us to Lerida which led me and my dodge doing more than 1500 Kms. (Almost 1.000 miles).