7/25/2023 0 Comments 1968 dodge dart![]() Over the years I bought about 50 of these, mostly 10 year old ones, with about 100K on them. In those days milestones like ten years and 100,000 miles brought dark visions of imminent collapse to Mr. (Later, after experiencing Aspen and Volare, they bought Toyotas). I have driven a lot of Chrysler unibodies, but those engineered in the 1970s (like the Volare and the 74-78 C body sedans) had nowhere near the rigidity of the earlier cars.īefore there was Toyota, there was Valiant and Dart.Īnybody looking for a car that would run forever, bought Valiants and Darts. Also, Chrysler somehow figured out how to take a Unibody and make if shudder over bad roads like a BOF car. Although the old A body was certainly susceptible to rust, the Volare/Aspen took body rust to a whole new level until some changes were made after the first couple of years. I have read that much of the engineering staff was on layoff during this time, so deveopment was very under-staffed in a company that was a real mess by that time. One of the problems was that much of the engineering work was carried out during the 1974-75 recession, when Chrysler was in horrible financial shape. You are correct that the engine/transmission/differential was largely carried over (although this was about the time that the Lean Burn system came out across the whole Chrysler line) but pretty much everything else was new. The new design had some issues that were not resolved for several years. Instead of the traditional longitudinal torsion bars, the Volaspen used a new torsion bar design with the bars mounted transversely. Also, the front suspension was completely different. The Aspen/Volare was substantially different from the 1967-76 A body Dart. ![]() So how about you “old folks” what say you about the Dart? I dubbed it “The Kelvinator”, and it went on to live up to its namesake’s reputation as a reliable appliance box, if not a (literally) cool one, given that it lacked AC. ![]() I used to recommend these cars as cheap used wheels for friends, and I helped one, a single mom, buy a white one just like this one for a few hundred bucks. I winced when my Dad bought it, but I learned to respect and appreciate its ways: the most tossable American plain-Jane car of its times, not to mention the most rugged and reliable. At least they all howled in protest together, instead of the fronts threatening to pop off the rims in typical Detroit understeer fashion. Nothing like a stripper with the least amount of weight on the front wheels to accentuate the generally good handling qualities of the MoPar A-Bodies, despite the tiny 13″ tires. The Dart was remarkably neutral in its handling, unlike almost any other Detroit car of the times. But the hole between second and third was way too big, especially if one was really pushing it in the hilly curvaceous roads of Northern Baltimore County. The 115 hp 170 six was a surprisingly strong runner, and revved much more happily than might be expected. And it desperately needed a four-speed stick. It was actually pretty fun to drive, except for two flaws: obviously, the steering was too slow, but at least it wasn’t numb like the Chrysler one-finger power-steering of the times. Can you imagine that happening nowadays? Two different upholstery treatments in the same car?Īnyway, it served him flawlessly, and still ran like a top when he traded it in. ![]() I guess that’s all that was handy on the assembly line that day. The only upgrade was the rear seat upholstery: it was the nice pleated vinyl from a Dart 270, unlike the thin, flat front upholstery. His had the 170 inch six and three-on-the-three, manual steering and manual everything else. He drove a ’68 baby-shit brown stripper two-door sedan for almost ten years, on his commute from Towson to Johns Hopkins hospital (what else would a neurologist drive?). And I guess we both qualify as old folks. My Dad certainly wouldn’t agree with that label. If ever a car developed a reputation for being a stalwart appliance during a time when all-too many American cars were going in the crapper, the Dart, and its slightly shorter stablemate Valiant were it. I have a lot of respect for Michael, and don’t want this at all to be some sort of pissing match with him, but I was more than a wee bit surprised to read that. Those were Michael Karesh’s thoughts at TTAC on Dodge’s decision to revive the the Dart name for its attractive new compact. After all, Dodge is bringing back the Dart, which old folks remember as a POS. ![]()
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