Learn Me...1965 Dart

Thinking about a purchase. My local Craigslist has a pair of 1965 Darts for $1900 (but very flexible $$ due to timeline and divorce). Parts were swapped from one to the other after an accident, so neither is currently a runner, but one is close.

Does anyone have knowledge of how well supported these are out there in forums, parts availability, etc? The last thing I want to get as a project is a unicorn that I have to hunt for parts and knowledge. 

Floor is good, one rear rocker has rust. He has replacement rear quarters. All trim is there. Was a good runner prior to accident and movement of parts to other chassis.

225 engine in it, 170 spare engine, 2 spare transmissions.

I'm thinking about a "not perfect" restoration on one. First get it running, then sweat the aesthetics, but never to a "classic car show" level. And if there are enough parts (seller says there are), maybe a fun, rough, rallyX/rat rod/racecar out of the other chassis.

Early a bodies are becoming more and more supported over time

Good forum is www.forabodiesonly.com

Slant six is almost impossible to kill, and they are dead simple to work on. However, the mopar tax is real. Its almost as bad as corvette tax. So, plan to spend more on parts for these than you woulda chevelle or mustang. 

It's a four door car - nothing wrong with that but it does limit its value.

I like them, but being 4 door only get it if you like it. Don't plan on making alot of money off it if you do sell them. 4 door been around the same price for a decade but they will go up. But it's a mopar so expect to pay at least double for every thing.  

Duster and Big Frank, thanks for the heads-up on the Mopar tax...I wasn't aware that was the situation. Probably won't affect the decision too much.

As far as being a 4 door, I'm OK with that. Actually, probably prefer it to having to squeeze into the backseat like a 2 door. The lower price is on my side when purchasing, and I really don't care if the price is lower if I ever sell it. The car would be purely for the enjoyment of working on and driving rather than an investment.

I am surprised (pleasantly) that the A bodies are gaining support. I figured they would have seen the height of interest already and support would be declining.

these guys might be able to help

https://www.slantsix.org/forum/index.php

also, 2-dr and 4-dr might be the exact same floorpan, therefore if you ever get the masochistic urge, you could turn one into a 2 door. Nothing wrong with a 4 dr though.

The hard to find bits are trim and bodywork, and interior bits. They'll drive you nuts trying to track down replacements. But the mechanical parts are super easy to find - you've got a 50-50 chance of your local auto parts store having any given replacement part sitting on the shelf when you walk in, and if they don't, they'll have it in a day or two.

The main problem you'll likely encounter is rust. One of the sneakier places they can rust is under the front cowl drains - if this happens, you get wet feet when it rains. The holes are pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for. Also, swapping from the stock single master cylinder to a later dual-reservoir unit is a very good safety upgrade.

These had a weird 5 x 4" wheel bolt pattern that makes finding wheel upgrades difficult - along with reverse-threaded lug nuts on the driver side. Both can be changed, if you're so inclined. It's fairly easy to make these cars go faster and handle better than they originally did, but making them objectively fast without a V8 swap is a challenge. And V8 swaps are a bit harder on '66 and earlier Darts than later ones due to a somewhat narrower engine compartment.

Agent98 said:

these guys might be able to help

https://www.slantsix.org/forum/index.php

 

That's a good forum.  Good info in the ARTICLES, as well. 

For A-Bodies Only (FABO) has some good info, but some Slant-Six haters as well.  

Like Matt said, most of the problems can be addressed fairly easily.

My '64 Valiant is close kin.    These cars can be very practical classics, and fun cars to drive.

I'm all about 4 door muscle cars right now. 4 doors means we can play without battling every baby boomer with a checkbook and a yearing for lost youth. 

.... all about 4 door muscle cars right now. 4 doors means we can play without battling every baby boomer with a checkbook and a yearing for lost youth. ...

AGREED

I really don't have the space for these, but going to look at them Sunday afternoon. Seller has offered both for $900 if I take them within 2 weeks. I hope it's an obvious yes or no...either stupid easy to make one a runner and in reasonable condition, or too far gone to bother. 

Early A bodies can be very frustrating. There is no value there but mopar community think everything is triple gold plated. So you are sitting there with a car that is all in worth maybe 8-10K perfect but you'll pay a pretty penny for the non mechanical parts. After living with 66 barracuda for many many years, I'd look twice before I considered another one. 

Thanks for the advice, guys. Sadly, I'm going to let these go to the great junkyard in the sky...

Maybe he will find a different buyer in the next couple weeks, but he has to get rid of them by mid-January (divorce).

If it was 5-8 years from now, I would love to take this on, but there's just too much going on in my life (kids in college, house addition, etc). I hope someone can pick these up. There are two running slant sixes (170 and 225), complete trim for both cars (a gold mine!), and reasonably OK interiors...what a shame if they are crushed.