Would you daily drive an early A?

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I would daily drive my 66 dart but I keep having front drum brake issues. Just has me a little scared lol.
 
I don't think our 65 Dart had rear seat belts and by the time we got rid of it in 1980 the fronts might have been used a dozen times!
 
I would buy a daily driver, because my dart sport has never seen water since i had it 6 years , never even washed it , all it got was paint sealant and wax.But you cannot buy anything around here full of rust and maybe sitting for years ,if you do happen to find one .It would have to be shipped from a dry us state , then is not worth the money .I would love to have a slant six daily driver 2 or 4 door.
 
Not on Michigan salted roads in winter. Rain in the summer is not an issue but winter salt is.
Bob
 
I've had to daily drive my '65 when the Neon crapped out. That was October and November, rain, snow showers, etc. It really wasnt bad but you've got to know how to drive a RWD car in the snow...lol
 
I drive mine to work most days. But I live in So Cal and the weather makes it easy. I have another vehicle for what little bad weather we do get. I wouldn't want to have to drive it in rain or snow. If I have to put the top up, then why bother?

The list of missing creature comforts is definitely long. Windshield washers and intermittent wipers would be nice. Having to roll down the windows to adjust the mirrors is a pain. Heck, just having to roll down the windows manually. I can only get three decent stations on the AM radio and none of them play music, only news and talk.

But being in a 47 year old Mopar with the top down trumps all the bad stuff.

Once I get it restored, I will definitely be getting agreed value insurance coverage from somebody like Haggerty.
 
I wouldn't drive it in Detroit in the winter. Why trash it out?

That said, daily driving older stuff depends on the area...not just because of snow and salt either.

I have an old car (Porsche 914) where I'm stationed right now in RI, with my Dart stil in CA. I don't drive the 914 daily even in the summer bacuse the roads suck and beat me to death, and traffic is horrible. I used my 63 (Ford) Galaxie as a daily driver in SoCal and in Phoenix with no problem for years. My Dart has a three on the tree, so not ideal for daily, but OK if needed. Lack of power brakes and steering in an A body doesn't bother me. Something bigger it would be an issue, but not the A body.
 
rgp266 said:
winter salt
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I have to admit, when I drove mine last winter it was BETWEEN snows and on DRY roads. Idaho even started using salt a few years ago, and Spokane doesn't know anything else. I don't think the fools even own any plows over there LOL
 
my goal with my 65 cuda is daily driver when it gets here to chicago suburbs from maryland! 318 auto front disc brakes dual master cylinder, ready to roll! Nice daily driver is its build ideology and my goal from the start! 14 inch ralley wheels 8.25 rear so it also drive shaft converted to u joints. All modernized electronic ignition mopar of course! It will get decent gas milage if one stayes out of 4 barrels most of the time.....LOL Just for fun and I go 15 miles to work on suburban streets early am and early pm golf course super...plenty of room for my golf clubs too!! LOL Also my Lady loves it on weekend rides to anywhere we wish park walks, golf rounds elswhere, ect....car shows.....
 
I drove a 65 Valiant beater for 7 years and drove it all year around. When I bought it for $600 it was sitting in a field for 5 years did some floor work, threw blankets over the seats, new fuel & brake lines, fuel pump & tank, carb, and a basic brake job and tune up. Only let me down once, water pump, still drove fine when I sold it. Funny I'd get **** by people for driving in the winter but I point out that they were driving a $30,000-50,000 car and I was driving $1000 beater.
 
I daily drive my 65 Barracuda and love it. I have the suspension exactly where I want it. The interior is an extension of me. She drives and handles almost perfectly. I have power steering, manual brakes, I added rear seat belts (for my infant daughter) and slant six.
 
Yes. Slant 6, a/c car with a few upgrades like electronic ignition, dual master cyl., disc brakes, and maybe shoulder belts, I would enjoy that more than any new car. It would help if rainwater didn't leak inside lol.
 
I lived in Detroit and would NOT drive the car year round. You could drive it a lot although I wouldn't want to drive it in late Dec, Jan, Feb or early March because of the weather. Not sure what traffic is like by you but I HAD to have disc brakes 'cause the traffic was so aggressive. I did use my '66 Valiant convertible in November about 5 years ago when I loaned my minivan to my Mom, even drove it in a snow storm! I just wished I had fixed the defroster ducts.

So I think you can do it, it's just that I wouldn't do it all 12 months. Here's someone that drove in Michigan a Ford Model A all year long. -> http://www.365daysofa.com/
 
DRIVE IT!!

I am a strong believer that you must have Disc brakes, a sound front suspension, and excellent tires to have good driver. Lap belts are more than we had when I was a kid and we survived somehow.

Good luck and enjoy!
Mike
 
/6,the perfect daily driver.minimal maintenence,quiet,reliable.
 
". I am most afraid of side collisions, and I think those are the biggest killers in the real world. Few modern cars protect you well from that. For that, I feel safest in my C-body.
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Along with that valid point also add whiplash with the front seat low back cushion.

Consider a 4 dr to add a pillar next to you......using rear doors calls for something better than a 4 point shoulder harness.

Consider 96 to 2000 Sebring convertible seats with built in shoulder belt & adjustable headrest.....add a shoulder belt lock switch to override the normal shoulder harness locking reel (which allows considerable movement toward the steering wheel). The convertibles between 96 & 99 come with a seperate seat computer that locks the shoulder harness if your decellerating at a rapid rate....good if you forget to lock the shoulder harness with your own lock switch.

Reinforcement of the floor structure to support seats that have a built in shoulder belt is a must otherwise you get to travel with your seat as it breaks away from the floor.

I've done the above since I drive my 65 Dart 70 miles a day in heavy fast moving traffic all year round with occasional ice, snow, & heavy downpours.
 
DonPal makes excellent points.

When I had my 69 Dart 2 door decades ago, a guy a few blocks away had one that had been hit on the side and the door folded in. I wonder what happened to the driver. A 2 dr post car might be safest. Unfortunately, my 65 Dart is a 2 dr hardtop. My C-body is a 4 door.

I already have Sebring convertible seats for my 65 Dart and Cobra convertible seats for my 64 Valiant (haven't installed). The factory seats look neat, but I didn't like the whiplash potential and no shoulder belt. Also, they need re-upholstering which is ~$700 just for covers and buns and I only spent $200 for both sets. I already made floor brackets for the Sebring seats and am considering cabling the seats to the seat belt floor holes to secure as Don did. I will look into the retractable lock switch since I don't see a seat computer.
 
I will look into the retractable lock switch since I don't see a seat computer.
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Note the shoulder belt locking control was seperate in it's own module up to around 2000 & then slid into one of the functions of the main computer after that.....you'll need the parts of the two harnesses if pulling one of these modules.

A recent Ebay item for the seat belt control module PO4671300AB:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200168864243?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

A wiring diagram for the shoulder belt control incorporating the locking switch:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107913...tInstallation?locked=true#5787647238943925138

Since you need some juice for the power seat as well it's necessary to consider an underhood fuse box (along with handling lights, HEI, etc.) to avoid pushing your weak Dart harness, box, bulkhead connector, etc into outer space.

The double throw toggle switch interrupts power to the shoulder harness solenoid to accomplish the goal of locking up the harness and keeping you away from the steering wheel on impact.

My daughter's 65 Dart came out of a wrecking yard; it had some frontend damage, windshield smashed just above the steering wheel, and bent twisted steering wheel.....we assume that driver didn't make out so good even though the damage to the car was minimal.
 
I'm guessing you guys that want 5 point harnesses, anti-lock brakes, and roll bars in your 60's cars dont ride motorcycles
:angel9:
 
Daily drove my last Duster until the snow came. Daily drove my '79 Magnum for 8 years in all weather.
 
I'm at work right now :) and my '63 Dart wagon is in the parking lot. Not much longer though, when the snow comes, along with the road salt, she's parked.
 
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