Early A's getting pricey

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i remember when i was looking for a body,, i wanted a 64/65 i couldnt find one,,,,i found this 66 rust free,,,in a cotton field,,,,seems the 65/66 more 66 are comming out of the wood work,,,,
 
Ya, I've noticed a bunch of '66's pictured on the net and for sale on ebay lately too. I haven't seen a '65 Formula S for a while, but a few '66 Formula S cars have popped up. I have no proof, but after watching the market for the last 7 years I've noticed there seems to be more '66 S cars than '65 S cars. They're nice because they all seem to have front discs and larger rear end but in '65 those things don't seem to appear.
 
I'll just clarify what I mean by 'piece of crap'. I don't mean to diss either car, I just mean they are in need of a lot of work, a real project cars and in the early A-body world you don't want to embark on such a thing unless the car is something special, IMHO.
 
im sure there may be more s cars in 66,but more 65 cudas produced then the hole 10 year name plate run,,,i perfer the 64/65 to the 66 as far as body style,,only reason i have this 66 is was rust free,,,i had a parts car,,and it was only 300.00 forthe shell..im really liking the 67 /8 /9 fast backs,, but im sure there are none of those in rust free condition to be had at an affordable price,,i just drove past a junk yard,, and there was a clean,,,no trim,,67 dart,, sitting inside at the gate,, i may go look at it,,,se what the story is,,

as far as 65vs 66 im not sure if disc braks were available in 65 i use to know all the specs,, but over time,,forgot,,,i do know not that it matters,,that the 65 fender S emblem is a one year item,, 66-69 are all the same,, 65s emblem,,the mounting pins are different,, and the emblem has a tiny curve to it,,i had a real nice emblem,, and i let it go,,,,should of held on to it,,as far as the rear,,only a 7 1/4 in 65....but optional 3;91 gears,, 66 S car came with the 8 3/4.. ive heard the 66 is a tad narrower then the rest,, but i never checked to see if it was true,, any one know??
 
This went for $18,000 with a /6, broken taillight, and looks like something's wrong with the hood chrome.
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i know its a rag top and all but $18,000 ?? thats crazy.... the rate this hobby is going i'm gonna cash out and buy a new mustang ragtop.....
 
OK, I hear what you're saying, but is it REALLY ridiculous? I mean these cars are all 35-40 years old, so cars and parts aren't exactly in large supplies. Never mind the fact that production numbers on these things is soo low compared to others by Fard and Chebby. In the early 90's I seriously looked at a nice 68 cuda rag for $10,000 and thought it reasonable. The house I had sold in the mid 80s for 40,000 was just recently listed for 125,000. My loaded 86 XT sold for 16,000, all that would buy me today is a stripped out Cavalier.

Another way to look at it is if these cars were still only worth 2,000, how many people would tool up to make repro interiors, sheetmetal or trim parts?

I too long for the days when I could go the boneyard and score a bunch of parts for my "old Dart" when nobody cared about them, but now more people are realizing that this "compact" platform makes for a nice driver/racer. One positive thing is if you want that ragstang, your bank will probably accept your "old collector" vehicle as collateral :)

Putting a new lock and alarm system on my parts storage!!

Grant
 
I have a '65 Barracuda - which my dad bought when I was 11 years old - and I "inherited" about 10 years ago.

It's pretty much a survivor, as I've only made a few minor upgrades (all of which could be put back to stock condition very easily)........... like Cragars, XHD springs, a vintage Edlebrock DB3 intake, etc.

I think it's pretty neat knowing that the value of this car is rising daily. And it's also nice that more and more parts are becoming available for this (and other similar vintage) cars..... even though many if them are quite pricey.

Anyway, my take on the popularity trend is that all the old Fords & Chevys (pardon me for actually putting those foul words in print) have been bought up, and gearheads are looking for something different. Since Chrysler never sold the big numbers of cars (like those other manufacturers did), it makes Mopars a bit rarer - and way cooler. And the fact that Mopars were engineered better (in many aspects) makes them way, way cooler. This trend is also making older Mopars more expensive. It just goes with the territory.

And I get pretty puffed up driving my pre-muscle Cuda....... knowing that it has become something of a hot item. But even though I'm quite "stuck" on it, I have to agree about the 67-69 Cudas. They were by far the best looking of the three Cuda body style series - and I can't believe that we're not seeing them go for much higher prices.
 
I have paid and seen parts like a tail light lense for my 64 over $200, and just saw a couple of GT emblems for $80. Forget headlight bezels, I need a chery pair, but only a few I won't mention their name makes them. I would have to refi the house for em. I know parts are high becasue I have spent as much on the front end alone as the car sold for new in 64. Even if you adjust for inflation the stuff is getting out of reach.

I agree I always wanted an E body but they were as high as A bodies years back, now they are only for the very rich. Man if that is $18K my Dart is work 50K, well I have $25 in it before the paint, body and interior.

$80 for only this...

dartGT.jpg
 
My 71 Dart is not my year of choce for a dart... It seems the past few years price has really gone up. I am still happy with what I have so I will sit content!
 
I saw a 66 Formula S Cuda on e-bay last night (don't remember the auction number) that had a starting bid of 24.5k. I is not even a numbers matching car. Engine is replaced with a 318 ind has different wheels on it.
 
I consider early A-bodies 1960- 1966, they all had the same K-frame etc. up to then. The early Lancers and Valiants were "so ugly they were cool".I was told by a friend of mine. I like my 62 Valiant wagon, but my bills like money so she's gotta go. The A-bodies in general were set up to be durable, efficient, reliable autos and damned if they weren't.
 
Makes me wish I still had my Dad's 64 Dart GT with buckets /6 and pushbutton tranny.

I took my driving test on that car. He kept it for 9 years and traded it in for a '73 Charger 318 SE.

All of the A bodies are going up. I'm looking for a '72 Demon that I can make into my original 340 automatic. Can't even find a body
 
The parts prices are just as bad. I was at Carlisle in July, looking for parts for the wife's 66 cuda. Found 2 NOS taillights for $800 and a pair of beautiful fender mounted turn signals for $300.I'm sure they'll be there next year too.
 
if every body would go one year without buying a car.
the prices would sink like the titanic.
but theres poeple out there that have more money than other things
so thats the way it goes.
 
the n o os tail lites you seen were in a big white tent correct ???those guys are from michigan,,,i have delt with them years ago,,,back when they didnt know a tail lite from an arm rest,,they also had a almost new rear window trim for a 66 they have had those tail lites for 5/6 years,,but sadly enough it wil cost you that much to rechrome a nice set of tail lite housings and buy repop lenses,,i talked with pauls chrome,, guarrantyed for life to rechrome mine 300 a side,,best guy to deal with im told...so theres 600 ,,,but i have hasd n o s lenses for years waiting ,,,,and turn signal indacators are out of control,,,,,
 
I usually find good deals at the Mid-Ohio Mopars swaps and Chrysler Classics. Most of the vendors are MoPar guys selling MoPar stuff..not Brand X guys jumping on the band wagon. The Nats are a joke and so is Carlisle price wise.
There was a fool there at the Nats selling electronic Ign kits for 350.00 the Summit price is 195.00, I usually tell vendors they suck if their prices are through the roof, it's crap they think they've all got something rare. I do/did a lot of shopping on Ebay for my '62 parts, scored a bunch cheap and in nice shape, and vendors wonder why they aren't making money?
 
Yes, the taillights were in the white tent. I already have repop lenses, so I guess I'll look up Paul's Chrome and get the housings done. I would like to find some nicer fender t/s lights, but I'll be damned if I'm paying 300 bucks.
 
I know of a '63 Dart 270 wagon for around a Grand, maybe less.
Nice enough car, runs drives, mostly there, has 2 fair-sized dents, needs taillights (legal, just beat up).

I thought about acquiring it to do one of my 360 Magnum/904 conversions, but my $$$ are weak right now.

Anyone with interest can e-mail me for more info.

Mark.
 
You cant find any early a's around my neck of the woods. Every so often you see one but it's bone stock 6cyl, never modified. There have been a few in the paper for like $6000 all stock.I bought my 64 Valiant for $3000 3 years ago this month.
 
catsncudas i may have a set of turn signal housings,,,if thats what you need,,,and you can buy the orange lenses now,, from a vender called blue moon cruisers,,they are almost perfect,, you can only tell if you out them side by side with an orignal,,,they are the only reopo turn signal lenses for a 66 that ive ever seen,,
 
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