213,000 miles... its a baby! I'm sitting at 318,000 miles (it was my dad's daily driver for 25+ years then got occasional use for the next 25 years after that.
I would start a new thread with an introduction of yourself, your experience level etc. and the history of the car and your Grandfather.
The back story is almost more important than the car. I have seen grown men cry talking about their cars and the adventures they have had.
I would also start looking for a local MOPAR club and some car shows, don't worry if it is not a trailer queen, everyone will enjoy seeing a survivor and watching your progress year to year.
Post photos of every inch of the car inside and out and underneath. Because the car seems to be very original you have to decide if you want to keep it that way or resto-mod it. The rebuild of the engine will set you back 2000-3000 dollars due to it being a 273. other engine options are available and will mostly drop right in and be way cheaper.
BUT first and foremost as my dad always said... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" meaning fix what needs to be fixed for safety and functionality, then enjoy the car for a while, save up some money and then work on another project on the car. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES take the car all apart, it will never get put back together (ask me how I know!)
Lastly talk to @DentalDart about his experiences, he got a dart, didn't know much about 60s Darts and started learning, Its been fun watching his progress. He is probably closer to your age, the rest of us are old farts!
