Newbie: 1966 Dodge Dart GT

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Howdy group. I am excited to be the new owner of an original California classic 1966 Dodge Dart GT! This is an amazing survivor that is all original. The OG owners had the dealer in Long Beach add air conditioning and the shifter moved to the column. I am hoping to keep this car as original as possible and use it as my daily driver. I am the 3rd owner and I appreciate their pride in ownership.

Here is one photo...more to come this weekend :)

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Thanks RPMagoo. I am more of a classic Volkswagen guy (had 3 during my life) and still have my 1963 Karmann Ghia. But I am really EXCITED about moving on to American classics and am very happy to have found this Dart.

Quick question, is there a shop manual I can buy that will show me how to do repairs? Like the one the technicians would have had at the dealership back in the 60's...
 
Welcome to FABO. Nice 66 you have. Please stop by the 66 Dart thread and post some photos . The link should be just below. toolmamike
 
You can also buy reproduction manuals through places like Classic Industries or at major Mopar car shows and swap meets. E bay probably had them too.
 
toolmanmike said:
Welcome to FABO. Nice 66 you have. Please stop by the 66 Dart thread and post some photos . The link should be just below. toolmamike
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Thanks Mike! I will definitely stop by the thread and add photos this weekend.
 
Beautiful! Beautiful Dart :thumbsup: Looking forward to your posts here, enjoy the great tech's and folks here :welcome: You do know you just joined the best site going for help, how to and fun meeting great folks don't you :thumbsup: Welcome aboard
 
Veeco said:
Oh I definitely will. I am gonna need some help, this is my first American classic!
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Well, I know who to sell my old Karma Kea VW stuff to now , Vacuum box , water bottle and emblems, I snagged up before it was crushed .
 
It's true I have been classic VW all the way so far. I had a sobering thought about 6 months back while passing a gnarly wreck on some LA freeway. Driving any old VW as a daily driver is like driving a motorcycle, if you get hit you are screwed, maybe dead.
 
66fyssh said:
Great pictures.

Man, your car is a time capsule! Looks to be...oh...about 100% original :)
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It might be, you experts would know more than me. It's one of those cars that just screams OG. Can't wait to get it up high to really see the underbelly. To be honest, I didn't do my normal due diligence on this car. Everything just felt right. Gotta work on...

- Pretty significant oil leak that I will investigate the source of soon.
- Brakes are not very responsive and it pulls to the right pretty good. I am thinking a dual mater cylinder for DD safety.
- Not idling properly, died when starting from red lights.

Cant wait to get my hands dirty!!
 
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Regarding dying in a wreck, it reminds me of a story my dad told me once.

As a teen my dad had a straight axles 55 Chevy LT1/4spd/4.11s. So he had a '66vw to daily when the '55 was broke down. Anyways, as the story goes his neighbor, John Andrews, had a '63 Galaxie that was pristine. One day a truck pulled out in front of him and he slid into it hard and totaled the big Ford.

Later, with the wrecked ford back in the driveway, my dad and his buddy pulled up in the vw, and got out to check the damage on the ford. In the midst of the conversation, old Mr Andrews said "if it was you boys in that vw y'all would've died!" To which my dad's friend replied, " if it was us in the vw, would've come to a stop an had to walk another 50ft to get to that truck!".

Always made me laugh.
 
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Interesting story. I was just thinking earlier how much better my drum brakes work in the Ghia versus the Dart. But then I thought how much lighter it is! VW 1750 lbs / Dart 3000 lbs I need to have a good shop go thru the entire system. Don't plan on driving this baby fast but definitely want to be able to stop well. What would you suggest I upgrade that would still compliment it's OG status?
 
Great car!
Looks like it has factory AC.
A disc brake upgrade is a great idea. There are multiple alternatives. First you'll need 14" or larger wheels and should consider bigger as 14" tires choices are few.
 
SSVDP said:
A disc brake upgrade is a great idea. There are multiple alternatives. First you'll need 14" or larger wheels and should consider bigger as 14" tires choices are few.
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Are 15" wheels the best option? Wouldn't that require a different lug pattern? I kinda like these stock hubcaps but I do like a few of the non-stock options and don't mind going that route if I have to. Current tires are brand new (PO). In the future I prefer the thin whitewall look.
 
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66fyssh said:
Field Service Manual (FSM). Should be able to download one free.
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Thank you for this link...exactly what I was looking for. Amazing that it is free digitally. Is there anyone that sells a hard-copy?
 
In the excitement of seeing her I forgot to get her measurements. She barely fits in the garage...thank goodness...that would have been bad.

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toolmanmike said:
You can also buy reproduction manuals through places like Classic Industries or at major Mopar car shows and swap meets.
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Thanks Mike. The PO gave me his CI catalog and it is pretty recent, 2015. Tomorrow is looking like rain but I am hoping to take her out again for a ton of photos Sunday. I'll create a new garage.
 
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