Mom and daughter looking to restore 74 Dart or Duster

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cutaway5

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Hi everyone.
I am so glad we found this site. My 16-year-old daughter and I are shopping for project cars. We found a 74 Dart Swinger 2-door and a 74 Plymouth Duster.

The Duster appears to need less work and I just love the body style (from my younger days!) My daughter just loves cars and shares my "Old Car Fetish."

Can anyone advise me on whether one of these cars would have greater potential value than the other, if all things were equal? Also, what price range could we expect to pay for an "off frame" restoration, with a solid body and very little rust? Front floor pans in the Dart are rusted out, what should I expect to pay to have that done right?

And, most importantly, WHERE can I find all the bits and pieces I can't seem to locate through JC Whitney? I cant find a turn signal assembly for the Dart anywhere.
Thanks, I hope some of you can advise us. It has been a dream of mine for so long to restore an old but drive-able MOPAR, and anything you can do to help us will be much appreciated.
 
My I be the first to welcome you 2 here and by the way happy mommy day,this is a great site and i am sure you will find what u 2 need.PS any picssssssssssssssss
 
Welcome to A bodies. I would get the car with the best body. Parts are easy to get through different Vendors other than JC Whitney. There is a lot of members here with both style cars. BTW Happy Mothers day.
 
Welcome!

In the Mopar world, there is no such thing as a "frame-off" restoration because they are uni-body cars. A common mistake, but we know what you mean.

The Duster (like a Dart Sport/Demon) would be worth more than a Dart Swinger in the end. But as was mentioned earlier, the condition of the car you choose should be a big factor in your decision.

Lots of parts could be gotten through the classifieds here. But check around for any salvage yards that may be in your area, or perhaps a rusted out similar "parts car" from a private party.

Good luck!
 
Welcome aboard!
As far as advice you've come to the right place lots of people willing to help.
As far as parts:
There's the classified forum on the site
Site sponsors
There are many companies that handle parts:
Classic Industries
Year One
Van's Auto
Dante's
Layson's
Just to name a few.

Oh! Car show swap meets are also a good source too.

You and your daughter have fun working on your project which ever one you choose.
 
Welcome! a few important points in addition to those above. Check the Vin numbers and they should match the Drivers door and Fender tag. A true V8 car will be worth more to restore in most cases. The closer to all original condition the better.
 
welcome aboard
i too am a fellow georgian
between the 2 i would agree that the duster would be a better choice as the 74 dart isnt much of a popular yr unlike the 67-69 body styles or the 70-72 darts. as for a restoration shop that will vary they seem to be you get what you pay for sometimes even getting screwed i think you would get better results from a shop or somebody local that favors mopars. and my opinion towards JC Whitney is that they sell crap thats why it is so cheap. another place to find parts is in local wrecking yards those yrs of darts and dusters can still be found in there you could also get your turn signal switch
 
Wow, another lady on FABO on Mother's Day. We're gonna get along famously! :-D

Welcome aboard girls! You'll find what you need right here ... maybe even the perfect car. Hit the classifieds, read the build threads for "your" models (for pricing / general info), and don't be shy with questions. You'll find a lot of help here.
 
First welcome to FABO.Hope you are doing this for a car to keep because neither car will likely be worth more than the restoration cost.
 
Places like Year One (Not to far from you) offer many parts to restore the car. Keep poking around to find better pricing on parts. Year One tends to be a bit more expensive though not all other places are cheaper. There is also a few decent people on here that are selling there parts. Also a few "Vendors" here that sell resto parts.

As far as potential is concerned, a lot would have to do with total amount invested to restore and what one would be willing to pay for the car. In example, I have a car that was run for only 2 years. I can find great examples of the car in factory original shape or well done resto shape. The car is hard pressed to sell for over 7K. The car? A Dodge Magnum, not the new version that is a station wagon, but the Cordoba based car called a Magnum.

It is in my opinion that a Duster would be better to do, but then again, Dart lovers will jump up and wave the "Dart Flag" around as a better ride. Which one suites you is the car for you. Tasters choice in the car game. Get what you want, do it how you want to do it.
https://www.yearone.com/
 
Welcome to this great site called FABO!! It's good to see other
women and girls that have an interest in car's. Whatever kind of car you buy......
don't be afraid to ask lot's of question's here on the board, as their
are numeruous good people here, wanting and willing to help you. There are ton's of resource's, including going to a good magazine store and buying
MOPAR book's, Mopar Collector's guide, Mopar Muscle, and other's, maybe a thicker book called Hemming's Motor New's, and including the Internet in general. You will learn alot here! Good luck, The Dodge Bros.
 
Welcome...happy mothers day....buy the car with the least amount of rust....check out rockauto.com for parts
 
Welcome aboard, I personally would buy the one that needs less body work/ paint work. That cost allot.
 
Wow, tough call! Do I welcome you to FABO first or say Happy Mother's Day? Both are #1 priorities but I'll say HMD since that is such an important part of your life.
As others have said, and although I prefer a Dart, the Duster will be your best bet here. What I haven't seen is the suggestion to look up a local Mopar club. The club members should be your best bet for both best pricing and sources for parts as well as local shops to do any work you're going to farm out.
Good luck and have fun because that's what this hobby is all about.
 
I prefer Darts over Dusters as well, but after '72, I prefer the Duster, as they screwed up the front end less on the Dusters compared to the Darts and Dart Sports (no offense intended toward '73-up Dart owners, I still like those, just prefer the Dusters of those years).

Whatever you do decide to go with, definitely spend more money if necessary to get a solid, non-rusty car. In other words, one that needs minimal bodywork. You'll be money ahead in the long run, whether you do the bodywork yourself or not.
 
Welcome aboard and let me give you from all the For A Bodies Only folks Happy Mothers day to ya.. :cheers:
As you can already see there is a bunch of great tec's and folks here :thumleft:
If it's a MoPar I will be happy :cheers:

Enjoy this great hobby
 
Welcome to FABO!

You will enjoy this site. Great people and information!

Ma Snart
 

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