In Salt Lake. Yeah, saw it online before I saw it here. Sharp car
Who Is In the Market for Early ABodies These Days?
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In Salt Lake. Yeah, saw it online before I saw it here. Sharp car
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
i'd like to have another one.. have had three 64 valiants which are my favorite and a 65. would like to have a 64 valiant rag top or wagon. i have a small block swap kit (mounts, centerlink and dougs headers) that i have gathered laying here waiting for the right one. doubt i'll ever get one though. clean ones are getting expensive and i'm not sure i want to be bothered building another one.. our dart is enough i think.. thats why i like my mustang so much. i only tinker with it and don't have to work on it. but who knows if the right one comes along for the right price maybe i'd get into it..
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abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
they are cheaper then the 67-up cars and still old so they have gained popularity.
3forty
"Raw Power"
Retired and having money go hand in hand.Hey, @RustyRatRod, I'll answer this one for you. Not having a job is what this whole 'Retired' thing is all about. I retired on Jan 3, 2015. I am super busy with my car hobby, helping people with things and my little powder coating business, but it aint a JOB.
- Marvin -
Well-Known Member
I think, they are more reliable and they are much better built than the later ones.
Screws and metal instead of clips and plastic.
If You want to drive a lot - especially long distances - with your old car, maybe the early A is your choice.
Screws and metal instead of clips and plastic.
If You want to drive a lot - especially long distances - with your old car, maybe the early A is your choice.
Affordability.
Either you like their looks or not.
Either you like their looks or not.
Tims 66 Cuda
Mopar mid life crisis
66 Barracuda wasnt my first choice. It was almost complete and affordable.
Tim
Tim
Saw my first 65 Dart Gt locally at a u store it type place. No title, no drive train, some quarter rust and looked complete otherwise. Buckets and auto on the floor. It made my heart skip a beat. They are now on my radar. While the particular car I spotted is not for me, the little GT spoke to me.
Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
I don't know how people are saying early As drive and handle better. In stock form the early A's were chintzy and weak. Once upgraded with late A body (aha) brakes and drivelines, now we're talking.
I would have have to say the best handing and riding A bodies are 73 and up. My favorite are 70 to 72 which have really become expensive these days.
I have one early A, a 63 valiant wagon that I recently got running, driving and stopping. It's an interesting experience to drive it with the original brakes and suspension. Part of me says upgrading it is the next step in a natural progression. The other part of me says, leave it alone and love it for what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't buy another one, nor would I sell this one, it's been with me too long and it holds a lot of memories and now that its running, driving, and roadworthy, there is more bonding to come.
I would have have to say the best handing and riding A bodies are 73 and up. My favorite are 70 to 72 which have really become expensive these days.
I have one early A, a 63 valiant wagon that I recently got running, driving and stopping. It's an interesting experience to drive it with the original brakes and suspension. Part of me says upgrading it is the next step in a natural progression. The other part of me says, leave it alone and love it for what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't buy another one, nor would I sell this one, it's been with me too long and it holds a lot of memories and now that its running, driving, and roadworthy, there is more bonding to come.
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
You can't beat a HP 273, 833, 3.23 SG. In a early A.
I don't know how people are saying early As drive and handle better. In stock form the early A's were chintzy and weak. Once upgraded with late A body (aha) brakes and drivelines, now we're talking.
I would have have to say the best handing and riding A bodies are 73 and up. My favorite are 70 to 72 which have really become expensive these days.
I have one early A, a 63 valiant wagon that I recently got running, driving and stopping. It's an interesting experience to drive it with the original brakes and suspension. Part of me says upgrading it is the next step in a natural progression. The other part of me says, leave it alone and love it for what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't buy another one, nor would I sell this one, it's been with me too long and it holds a lot of memories and now that its running, driving, and roadworthy, there is more bonding to come.
Drive a 65 or 66 Formula S Barracuda or Dart GT with factory K-H disc brakes, manual steering, and HD suspension. A 66 Barracuda won SCCA stock class that year. They do handle the best. I have driven them all. All A bodies handle well with the factory HD suspension, sway bar, and disc brakes. Even your wagon would be sweet with 340 torsion bars, factory front sway bar, and HD +1 rear springs. Then add K-H front discs and an 8 3/4 rear with 3.23 gears.
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I don't know how people are saying early As drive and handle better. In stock form the early A's were chintzy and weak. Once upgraded with late A body (aha) brakes and drivelines, now we're talking.
I would have have to say the best handing and riding A bodies are 73 and up. My favorite are 70 to 72 which have really become expensive these days.
I have one early A, a 63 valiant wagon that I recently got running, driving and stopping. It's an interesting experience to drive it with the original brakes and suspension. Part of me says upgrading it is the next step in a natural progression. The other part of me says, leave it alone and love it for what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't buy another one, nor would I sell this one, it's been with me too long and it holds a lot of memories and now that its running, driving, and roadworthy, there is more bonding to come.
View attachment 1715978203
I will say this. 60 year old original suspension or paint or interior or tires..... There is word of difference when you add NEW suspension, or NEW paint or NEW interior or NEW tires!!!!
Yes the discs were an improvement and those early Mopar cars can benefit from a front sway bar, NEW TB or NEW rear springs and shocks!!
When they built cars in the 60s 70s NOONE ever thought about keeping one any longer than they had to..we all wanted the newest and bestest!!
Well know A bodies are the low price leader. For example, a 68 Dart to me is not as fancy as a 68 Charger. I see no real difference in quality of the metal and glass. I think the sheet metal was just as good from one to the other. The charger has bigger and heavier fenders just due to size. Quality the same. The interior was nicer in the Charger and you paid for that.
All cars have design flaws where sheetmetal tended to rust, every model a little different than another.
I have built every thing from 62 to 79, A, B, E, F. I see the early Mopar cars before 68 as nicer with trim and interior in general. Early A and B bodies always seem to come part, bolt and screws, better than 70 up E bodies and 68 up B bodies.
Mopar build quality really went to chit in about 76. There were some bad decisions made as to primer/paint especially with the F body. Labor issues.
Big thing today is the difference in what we find to work with vs say when the cars were found in the 80s, 90s.
All cars have design flaws where sheetmetal tended to rust, every model a little different than another.
I have built every thing from 62 to 79, A, B, E, F. I see the early Mopar cars before 68 as nicer with trim and interior in general. Early A and B bodies always seem to come part, bolt and screws, better than 70 up E bodies and 68 up B bodies.
Mopar build quality really went to chit in about 76. There were some bad decisions made as to primer/paint especially with the F body. Labor issues.
Big thing today is the difference in what we find to work with vs say when the cars were found in the 80s, 90s.
That's my personal opinion amassed from working on cars longer than you've been alive and I stand by it.I don't know how people are saying early As drive and handle better. In stock form the early A's were chintzy and weak. Once upgraded with late A body (aha) brakes and drivelines, now we're talking.
I would have have to say the best handing and riding A bodies are 73 and up. My favorite are 70 to 72 which have really become expensive these days.
I have one early A, a 63 valiant wagon that I recently got running, driving and stopping. It's an interesting experience to drive it with the original brakes and suspension. Part of me says upgrading it is the next step in a natural progression. The other part of me says, leave it alone and love it for what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
I wouldn't buy another one, nor would I sell this one, it's been with me too long and it holds a lot of memories and now that its running, driving, and roadworthy, there is more bonding to come.
View attachment 1715978203
I got my firsts early A back about 2002. I had a Mopar friend, RIP Hillybilly Jack that was eat up with early As. It was a 65 Dart. I liked it because it reminded me so much of the early Bs.
I had got down on 68-70 B project as they had got too high!! No sheetmetal for 66-7 Bs and few liked them anyway back then.
Worse Mopars I ever had were 70-1 E bodies and I had a ton back in the 80s. Rattle traps. 1000 pound doors. Huge dashpads!
I had got down on 68-70 B project as they had got too high!! No sheetmetal for 66-7 Bs and few liked them anyway back then.
Worse Mopars I ever had were 70-1 E bodies and I had a ton back in the 80s. Rattle traps. 1000 pound doors. Huge dashpads!
I must be a weirdo, because I like these old cars just the way they came. I like the way they drive, the feel of the road, the noises they make, everything about them takes me back to their time in this world. And it’s a time I cherish and get to relive when I’m out in my cars. That’s just me tho, I guess!
So do I. I tell Kitty all the time I may just put the 170 back in it and leave it stock. Who knows? That's kinda why I want another one. I'm lookin for either a 64 or 65 4 door slant 6 Valiant. I would leave that one bone stock and it'd be our new daily to give the Escape a break.
B-i-n-g-o
Well-Known Member
So, I've been wanting a mild fun car...not a hot rod, not a custom...and not something that'll trigger red light warfare. Happened upon a 63 Signet convertible, doesn't need much beyond a tune up.../6 pushbutton auto. I know I can't kill the engine, and it'll be relaxing to drive, with all that *character* that newer cars just don't have. And not an old Chevy II, Camaro, Mustang...so, excellent! Little bit more waiting on the seller, but can't wait!
That is exactly how I see it also. The whole experience is about going back to when I drive these old cars 50 years ago! But so many younger guys don't relate to such. They are too young.
The more door bug. I got it the first time about 10 years ago. Projects were cheaper back then (duh) and I knew a guy that horded out of date old farm equipment back in Missouri (the state of missery). He had a complete pretty solid 68 dart more door, solid sitting in the edge of some timber. But I never got around to getting it I had 6-7 old projects as it was. $400 was the ask $.
Bad part about more door is IF you ever want to sell it, hard to find a buyer, no matter how nice or cheap. I bet there are parts of the country where a good more door can bring a buck, just not where I have ever lived>
I have always though a person should be able to buy a "typical" Mopar project for a "realistic" ( as in not overpriced junk), restore with YOU doing most all the work, and NOT be upside down in the darn thing. Forget all the talk about it "just my (expensive) hobby".
I never could justify expensive hobbies so I always looked for good projects and worked my tail off the have a car I wanted. This goes back to the 80s. Back when I could buy, for example, a complete 69 383 Road Runner for $1000, I would have $7500 in it by the time it was restored, as in perfect paint, rebuilt drive train, new Legendary interior, etc. and that was ALL it was worth when I would go to sell it. Why would I sell it? because I had "my" keepers that were the good stuff, 6 pac and hemi cars. BUT my point is, I always figured a guy should be able to buy a project at a price where most anyone could restore it and it be worth the $$ he put in it!
I have today a 98% done 64 Belvedere more door I really like. I traded a $500 Volare for it, a solid poly driver. Good thing I like it, cause I could not sell it for it for its value in parts!! But like RRR, I like the idea of a good more door driver!!!!
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
This is a fascinating topic.
Myself, I just wasn't into the early A-Bodies, at least not to buy one.
I did have one that was given to me in the early '80s, it was a '65 Valiant wagon with a 225 (blown up) slant 6 and a 3 in the tree. Very rusty. White with a red interior. (what else?)
I sold it to a guy for 50 bucks who used it as a parts car for his wagon.
A friend of mine bought a '66 Valiant Signet 4 door (remember this is Canada, the U.S. equivalent is a Dart) that was a low mile ''survivor'' car in the mid '80s.
This car was in perfect shape and was a 225 slant six with a column automatic and 40,000 miles.
It was nice to cruise in and was a great car, but again it didn't do much for me...
My interests have always been '67 to '76 A-Bodies and '66 to '69 B-Bodies.
I have never owned an E-Body, and only a few C-Bodies.
You have to pick your battles, and I'm going to stay with what I've got...
However, I do like the lines of a '66 Valiant (or U.S. Dart).
You never know...
Myself, I just wasn't into the early A-Bodies, at least not to buy one.
I did have one that was given to me in the early '80s, it was a '65 Valiant wagon with a 225 (blown up) slant 6 and a 3 in the tree. Very rusty. White with a red interior. (what else?)
I sold it to a guy for 50 bucks who used it as a parts car for his wagon.
A friend of mine bought a '66 Valiant Signet 4 door (remember this is Canada, the U.S. equivalent is a Dart) that was a low mile ''survivor'' car in the mid '80s.
This car was in perfect shape and was a 225 slant six with a column automatic and 40,000 miles.
It was nice to cruise in and was a great car, but again it didn't do much for me...
My interests have always been '67 to '76 A-Bodies and '66 to '69 B-Bodies.
I have never owned an E-Body, and only a few C-Bodies.
You have to pick your battles, and I'm going to stay with what I've got...
However, I do like the lines of a '66 Valiant (or U.S. Dart).
You never know...
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