New '63 Dart Owner
Hi, new project arrived home last night. The wife bought it for me to restore for her. Time to learn about early A-Bodies! 1963 Dart 290 Ragtop with a 170 /6
That'll be a Dart 270, which was the high trim level (Dart 170 was the low level, and Dart GT was the premium level). Note the "170" and "270" trim levels don't imply anything about what engine any given car was built with. All '63 Darts had the 170 Slant-6 as standard equipment, 225 Slant-6 as an option.
Tune-up parts and technique suggestions in
this post, including
valve adjustment. Carburetor operation and repair manuals and links to training movies and carb repair/modification threads are posted
here for free download. Do the
Fuel line mod, and look at doing the
HEI upgrade . Reputable parts suppliers listed
here. Also see
this thread (yes, you have to log in to see it, which means you need an account—which is free).
What color would the /6 have been painted
Red. "Chrysler red" as sold by Mopar Performance is not a good match, but "International-Harvester Red" as sold by Martin-Senour paints (NAPA, last time I looked) is. See
here.
Was there factory A/C on this first year body style?
No. A/C was a dealer-installed option, and it wasn't supposed to be installed on cars with the 170 (225, yes).
Was there standard transmissions and if so what did the dash look like where the pushbuttons are?
Yes, 3-on-the-tree. The dashboard looked the same except the left cover plate had no pushbutton holes.
Would a '63 have a fender tag?
Yes, on the left inner fender.
