Need help deciding, and a pic request

[Dude]

So here's the deal: I'll soon turn 18, which is the legal driving age here, and i've always wanted myself an old american car. So now one guy here might be selling his 1969 dodge dart 4 door for a very resonable price.
I've never really liked small cars and especially not 4 doors, but here's the catch, it's got a ~400hp 360 in it. The engine was rebuilt last year after a valve broke and made a hole in a piston so the engine should be in rather good shape, i've only had a quick chat with the guy and he didn't really go into detalis but here's what he told me; it has a new block, new heads, intake and carb(didn't get any names) headers, a rather large purple shaft and brand new high comp pistons. It also got a 3" exhaust with apple racing straight throu mufflers. I understand that could be anything between 250 and 450hp without any names mentioned... He also got brand new tires, not even put on the car yet. and it's got a 83/4 rear...
So here's the bad stuff: a 904 transmission(he said something about either a b&m shifter or a b&m shift kit), this is the weak point right? Is it an accident waiting to happen or will it hold up? The interior is not in top condition, but it's in black leather. It's got front seats from a datsun 100A, but he does have the stock front seat left. And it's a 4 door...

No rust and painted a few years ago. Stock outside.

Beacuse they're probably a bit more expensive over here i see no point in telling the price, but i've seen 2 doors with 318's for alot more

So what do you think? Should i buy it, it is a rather bitchin sleeper. Or should i try to find something else? I could always put the engine and rear in something a bit better looking, but i'll never get any money for a 4 door without a engine.

And i would love if you'd post some pics of some 1967-69 4 door darts, to help me see the potential.

 

[69signetv8]

Still difficult to answer without a price? Need a $ base line. Guess it sounds fine.

 

[Dude]

i guess somewhere around 3000-3500€, somewehere around $4000, but bare in mind that we have alot less american iron here which brings the price up, and that the dollar is kinda low right now

 

[Dude]

here 's some darts for sale on the biggest finnish "cars for sale" page so you'll get an idea of the prices

 

[ValiantMike]

I'd rather have that 1966 Dart, 4th down on the page you linked. Looks like the same price range, although I don't care for the hood paint, but you could blacken that out. My personal feeling is that a 2dr car will most likely be a better return on investment(if there is such a thing with old cars), all other things being equal. Mike

 

[rumblefish360]

I agree, @ 3200E. It may be a big price difference, but, your also likely to spend that much on getting up to that point if not more. Also a Blown /damaged engine to start with could turn out to be just junk and a loss of moneys.
http://www.nettiauto.com/viewVehicl...r_type=&pfrom=&pto=&yfrom=&yto=&search=Hae&PN[0]=simp_search&PL[0]=simpleSearch.php?display=none@id_vehicle_type=@id_make=19@id_model=240@id_car_type=@id_fuel_type=@id_gear_type=@pfrom=@pto=@yfrom=@yto=@search=Hae

 

[flyboy01]

This is just too funny!

 

[busted knuckles]

Are you sure you want to buy a project car? The cost of the car and then add to that, the cost of repairs, add to that the cost of stuff you forgot to add to the cost of the repairs. Do you have the time and place to work on this? Not trying to persuade you either way, just stuff you need to think about.

 

[70dart]

I've seen 4 door cars made into 2 doors that looked pretty awesome, you really couldn't tell it used to have 4 doors.

 

[Flatlander]

That's on b-a-a-a-a-d Dart. Does it come with a mullet?

Seriously, I'd buy the '66 Dart and get the hood painted.

 

[Dude]

I guess i didn't make myself clear enough, it's not a project, it's a car in rather good shape with almost no faults but the 2 extra doors.
I agree that the '66 looks alot better, but i'm debating the good looks vs lots of horsepower, and i'm starting to lean against the "more horsepower" option... I'll get to see and drive the car someday next week and could use some advice, this is my first old american car so please give me some tips what to look for and stuff!

Valiant mike: if it had the same engine in it as this one i wouldn't hesitate a second! And are you kidding about the "return of investment" thing? these cars just goes up in price!

rumbledish360: read the first post again, the engine is rebuilt after the accident

70dart: they do that all the time here, sometimes it looks great, more often not. And i'm not ready for something that large just yet...

thanks for the comments guys

 

[DragginMAster]

you can look at my photo garage...

granted it is still multi colored...

4 doors are nice, easier to get in and out of the back seat, and make great sleepers. There is not that much added weight either.

 

[Dude]

Looks great Dragginmaster, but the sleeper illusion ends when you pop the hood and the charger looks amazing, i hate it when people put new alloy wheels and stuff on old cars and make them look "new", but those two look just right...

 

[ValiantMike]

Dude, I guess it all comes down to what you are looking for, and how much you are willing to spend. If you read my post again, what I was stating that is, all other things being equal, a 2dr car will go up more and quicker in value than a 4dr car. Want to check that, go on Ebay and check prices on the same cars, 2dr verses 4dr. Any of them. Quite a big difference. Remember that most of these cars cost relatively the same when new, minus performance and cosmetic options. Don't get me wrong, some people prefer 4dr cars. Some prefer wagons and trucks. This is just a rule of thumb. It all depends on what you are personally looking for. As far as checking the 1969 Dart out, I would get all the specs on the engine build including pistons, bore, headwork, cam profile, port work, valves, bottom end work, and any other info on this engine. Swallowing a valve and holing a piston is pretty serious damage to a motor. What work was done after this? Were cylinders bored and oversized pistons installed, or was it just a quicky repair? Who did the work. Can you speak to that person? What gears in rear? Does it have suregrip? Any trans work? 904 trans should be ok for 400hp, in fact a lot of people prefer them because of weight savings. Check front end for recent work. Check body thoroughly for rust and prior damage, including all frame areas. Take tons of pics and bring them back and post them here, so we can all look it over and give you opinions on it. Best to go about this wisely, which you seem to already be doing, and ask plenty of questions and get as much info as possible, before pulling the trigger and buying. Good luck on your purchase and if you need more help, theres plenty of it available here. Mike

 

[Dude]

Thanks valiantmike, just the kind of answer i came here hoping to get! i'll try to remember to bring my camera and hopefully you'll get some pics soon!
As i said, i've only had a quick chat with the guy, and he told me that after the valve broke he put new pistons in it and had the head rebuilt by a professional. It didn't have a lsd.

 

[rumblefish360]

rumbledish360: read the first post again, the engine is rebuilt after the accident

Ooooops, sorry. But then again.........

 

[demon seed]

It sounds like a pretty good deal Dude and would qualify for what I would call a sleeper. As mentioned get some more specific info, such as rear end ratio, stall converter and body pictures and let us know. One other thing, I didn't see mentioned whether the crank was replaced after the engine ate that valve, something more to ask. Also what's the highest octane fuel sold where you are, I'm guessing 100.

Terry

 

[Dude]

It sounds like a pretty good deal Dude and would qualify for what I would call a sleeper. As mentioned get some more specific info, such as rear end ratio, stall converter and body pictures and let us know. One other thing, I didn't see mentioned whether the crank was replaced after the engine ate that valve, something more to ask. Also what's the highest octane fuel sold where you are, I'm guessing 100.

Terry

We've got shell v-power which i think is 99 octane, and the average gas station usually has 98 octane as the highest.
Is it absolutely neccesary to change the crank after what happened or is it ok to use the old crank?

 

[demon seed]

At the very least that crank needs to be checked for straightness, they can bend when they smack things like valves and at the same time it needs to have a mag-particle inspection to check for cracks, the other result of hitting a valve. I'd ask the seller if the crank was replaced or at least inspected.

Terry

 

[Dude]

At the very least that crank needs to be checked for straightness, they can bend when they smack things like valves and at the same time it needs to have a mag-particle inspection to check for cracks, the other result of hitting a valve. I'd ask the seller if the crank was replaced or at least inspected.

Terry

thanks for the info, i'll remember to ask him that.


Doesn't anyone have any pics of cool 67-69 dart 4 doors?

 

[DragginMAster]

when you say cool you mean... completed projects?

 

[Dude]

when you say cool you mean... completed projects?

That looks great!!

 

[65s]

First car? 4-door? What's more likely to get you some T 'n' A over there in Finland, 2 doors or 4-doors? Go for that option, forget about the big horsepower!