Would you daily drive an early A?

-

drpreposterous

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
272
Reaction score
432
Location
Detroit
I'm thinking about it. I put maybe only 5-7K miles on my DD. Typically short distances.

I'm not kidding myself, I trust, about the safety issues. Even if I do a disc brake swap, dual MC, and four-point harnesses and scat procar seats (for the head rests), it simply won't be as safe as some 10-year-old Civic I could score for what I'd shell out for a Dart and the aforementioned mods.

That said, I have a superb A-body prospect to work with. Guy has a '64 Dart 270 sedan he will sell me for $2k, even though it is rust and bondo-free, clean interior (seats under plastic, yet!), a rebuilt slant six and rebuild Torqueflite, and--just for the cherry on top--dealer installed AC that works!

Michigan winters would ravage the body in a few short years, but I'm thinking it would be a helluva ride. What do you think?
P.S. my teens and wife have safe modern rides.
 
My '65 is my daily driver. 30 miles each way to and from work and any other places I have to go. Slant 6,no power drums all the way around & no power steering. I park it once the snow starts or the de-icing crap they put on the roads here would rot it out in no time.
 

Attachments

  • 010.jpg
    96.4 KB · Views: 863
I daily drive my 64. It's not fuel efficient with a hungry 360 but it sure is fun. Upgrading the brakes and seatbelts should be all the safety equipment you need - more importantly you will learn how to actually DRIVE a car instead of just riding along behind the wheel like in a newer car. I've been driving nothing but sixties vehicles for almost 10 years and have only been in one accident which was getting rear-ended by a guy in a minivan talking on a cell phone. He hit me at about 30mph and did about $400 of damage to my 65 Chevy van, and completely totaled his 93 mercury minivan.
 
Drove a 65 valiant with 225 and no ps or pb from 2003-2008 everyday 18 miles each way to and from work. If you properly rust proof the car it should survive the winter weather, but it has to be very carefully done. I would not trust a ziebart style rustproof company to do it. They are not used to dealing with classics that have zero rustproofing.

I am considering coating my inner fenders with roll in truck bed liner and then applying undercoating on top of that. And you absolutely need to apply a good cavity wax inside of the panels and frame rails.
 
OMG what did you just ask:violent1:Drive a A Mopar in Our Canadian winter no way LMAO but if I was in Southern California you know it,u ask. :tongue1:
 
OMG what did you just ask:violent1:Drive a A Mopar in Our Canadian winter no way LMAO but if I was in Southern California you know it,u ask. :tongue1:
So Snake....how do you REALLY feel?????
 
i daily drive my 68 dart ....non-power drums all around and no power steering......i have the most unique car parked at the university i attend.

in my area we dont get much snow bcoz its really really dry here but even the few times a winter we do get snow....she is still on the road

it is a lot different than driving a newer car ......you have to give yourself more braking time and and you cant away with some moves that you would get away with in a newer car

the best thing is get to know your car really well and when you get comfortable with it you wont want anything else

an older car like this is not too much to handle .......im a female under 5 foot under 100 lbs and this car without any power option has never been too much to handle for me

if you do go with the older car ....you will have a lot of fun.....sometimes i cant believe that my dream is coming true when im driving around in my car.....Good luck.
 

Attachments

  • CIMG1254.jpg
    75.3 KB · Views: 820
I realize my 67 isn't "early" but I DID buy it to drive and I DO. It does have a collapsible column, and I would think you could adapt a later column into your car. I didn't plan it that way, but my original buckets were shedding foam, so I bought a used pair of "race" seats off Craigs which turned out to be NICE seats, easy to install, and have holes in 'em for belts and harnesses.

My car does not have a shoulder belt mount, so I took a hint from and old Mopar option brochure, and mounted a shoulder belt anchor just behind the seat back on the side wall, up over the rear wheel well. It comes out of the top corner of the seat back, up a little and through the hole in the bucket.

24mzt6s.jpg


Here's some shots. I "illegally" shifted the center buckle over to the right to use the shoulder belt as all modern cars are, over the left shoulder and across the chest. I bought these belts second hand but new. They are just barely "out" of the two year NHRA cert, but I feel a LOT safer with them than with stockers which might be 40 years old.
 

Attachments

  • _MG_6025cs.jpg
    94.2 KB · Views: 800
  • _MG_6022cs.JPG
    98.3 KB · Views: 814
  • _MG_6026cs.jpg
    98.2 KB · Views: 792
Score a pair of bucket seats out of a Chrysler Sebring convertible - they have the shoulder harness built into the seats and most have adjustable headrests. Putting a set with cloth inserts in my black 66 Barracuda and the driver seat is power!
 
My car does not have a shoulder belt mount, so I took a hint from and old Mopar option brochure, and mounted a shoulder belt anchor just behind the seat back on the side wall, up over the rear wheel well. It comes out of the top corner of the seat back, up a little and through the hole in the bucket.

24mzt6s.jpg


That old picture is highly deceptive an inaccurate. The child has a seat belt on and he woman isn't smoking.
 
I drive my 73 Satellite every Friday if it's 30% rain chance or less.

I don't mind it getting sprinkled (hard to avoid in FL), but prefer not to drive in a torential downpour.

I'll do the same with my 66 Coronet when it's done.

I've never been a fan of front drums. My 73 already has disks, and my 66 has a disk conversion form an 87. The rest of the stuff is fine they way it came IMO.

...and I just found a 1st Gen Barracuda that might be close to what my wife wants, and affordable. It's a 273 4 speed car with a disk conversion.

That'd be nice to have in the rotation too. Hopefully going to look at it tomorrow.
 
I daily drive my 65 Valiant, 273 2 bbl, auto. It was rebuilt a couple years ago, and gets about 25 MPG. Manual steering, manual drums, and I drive it all year round.. sun, rain, snow.

valiant.jpg
 
Good defroster, wipers, headlights and snow tires if warrented!!!! A updated electronic ignition wouldn't be bad upgrade either. Alot of us and our parents drove manual everything cars and we're still around to tell about it. As long as there's not a loose nut behind the wheel.....lol, these cars can still get it done.
 
I plan to drive my 65 Dart once I finish it. I read a recent research study (maybe reported in Automobile magazine) that said accident statistics show that you are much more likely to be injured or killed in a smaller weight car. It said the typical crash test of running into a solid barrier is not representative of the real world where two vehicles collide. The barrier test is probably intended to make each car as safe as it can be, but hard to make a small car safe among SUV's, trucks, and the now mega "minivans". I am most afraid of side collisions, and I think those are the biggest killers in the real world. Few modern cars protect you well from that. For that, I feel safest in my C-body.
 
i daily drive my 1980 D150 from spring til first snow fall. I know its not a A body but its virtually the same set up as a 73-9 B body. (dodge didnt change the trucks at all mechanically from 72-80) has power steering and brakes with disks up front and drums out back, 318, A833 overdrive 4 speed, 8 1/4 rear with 2.76 gear.

Drives fine in rain! snow/sleet is scary though without sure-grip. the only downside id say is it sucks gasoline like its water. put around 4k miles on it this year

I plan on DD-ing my '72 Dart next year also once shes road worthy, 225 slant PS PB Auto.


you get tons of looks while having tons of fun driving a old car ;)

407230_3162939279054_1475152055_n-1.jpg


391609_4795935622942_930411376_n.jpg
 
I sure get a lot of smiles and looks in might and it "ain't all that nice," either.
 
Heck, my wife's car beets me to death like a one tun truck compaired to my 66 sedan
I drive it, and enjoy the simplicity and smooth ride, 2.700 lb car
don't need no power steering, and I can see better out of the 66 better
Yes these are great daily drivers.
 
-
Back
Top