1962 Dodge Dart 413 Road Test

[Deano]

15.1 must have been spinning through 1st gear. 3800 test weight is more then what I would think

My 63 Plymouth Savoy 2 door with a 383 and auto weighed 3750 w/o me. Later, with the 440 6 pack it was slightly more.

 

[1971demon]

They were and still are one of the nastiest looking stockers at the strip.

The look and stance has grown on me over the years...

 

[Magnified]

These are one of my favorite cars from the past. I'm in the process of putting a Gen III 392 Hemi crate engine into my 62 Dart 440 Wagon out of Nevada. Was considering a Redeye engine, but because of all the extra modifications I would have to do to it for the oil cooler and intercooler I decided against it as it is too nice of a car too do it because I would need to modify some of the front section to make it work. Has 41,000 miles on it, original paint, was Poly 318, and is loaded, (9 Passenger, P.B., P.S., P.W., P.Tailgate, Radio, Deluxe Interiour, Front Seat Belts, Front Bumperettes, B.U. lights and A/C). I even have the original window sticker and build sheet. Should be a nice cruiser.

Where did you find that

 

[Magnified]

Back in 2011 friend of mine had a ‘62 B-body that he ran with a built gen II 426 Hemi. He told me that after the first time it lifted the front wheels during a run, the doors wouldn’t open because the frame twisted.

Real good rriend, and client of mine, had a GTO same time I did. I did frame rails jacking bars and he didn't. Eventually his got so loose he would be turning left at an intersection and could see light between the door frame and the A pillar.

 

[SilverBillet]

I guess he must not have connected and caged the car to prevent that from happening, either that or his cars chassis underneath was not in very good shape in the first place.
I wont be drag racing and will have just a slightly wider street tires on it so I don't need to worry about twisting it, it's just gonna be a nice driver.

They were all unibody’s. The rockers tied the front and rear frame rails together. They were pretty stiff but frame connectors are a must in real B-Body race cars. I actually owned a 64 aluminum Hemi Dodge Coronet 330 (see my avatar). It had an 8 point roll cage in it when I bought it but with no frame connectors. It was campaigned by Vernon Rowley out of Baltimore in the mid 60’s

 

[Prange]

Cheesy? They are so ugly that they are cool. Love to have one.

I meant the build quality.

 

[Prange]

Cheesy? They are so ugly that they are cool. Love to have one.

These are one of my favorite cars from the past. I'm in the process of putting a Gen III 392 Hemi crate engine into my 62 Dart 440 Wagon out of Nevada. Was considering a Redeye engine, but because of all the extra modifications I would have to do to it for the oil cooler and intercooler I decided against it as it is too nice of a car too do it because I would need to modify some of the front section to make it work. Has 41,000 miles on it, original paint, was Poly 318, and is loaded, (9 Passenger, P.B., P.S., P.W., P.Tailgate, Radio, Deluxe Interiour, Front Seat Belts, Front Bumperettes, B.U. lights and A/C). I even have the original window sticker and build sheet. Should be a nice cruiser.

Looks much better in wagon form.

 

[DavidKFla]

I meant the build quality.

Just like the new Hellcats?

 

[DemonSRT]

Where did you find that

A buddy of mine up in Winnipeg, Manitoba bought it over 25 years ago and drove it for about a year when it had the original 318 still then pulled the 318 and put a 413 into it but never got it to running condition. It just sat in his shop all that time. He was busy with doing too many other project cars, (10 others, all wagons), and then decided that time was going by too fast, getting older, and would never finish them all. When I saw it years ago, I had told him if he ever sells it, to let me know. Then, present day, I saw it on Kijiji after it was posted for a few hours and quickly called him and told him to take the listing down, I'll be there in 24 hours. lol. The car itself was sold originally from a Dealer in Virginia and went right away to California, where it spent most of it's time. Then it went to Nevada for a year and that was when Ron in Manitoba bought it and drove it home. It's to bad he did what he did by removing the original engine which is long gone as this is a extremely early car built in the first week or 2 when production started in 1961. It has differences from the later built cars that is cool and makes it unique. This doesn't have the outer aluminum sill plates as the later cars had and never did as there are no screw holes for them. It doesn't have the full front fender splash sheilds behind the headlight buckets, just smaller ones that only sheild the lower area behind the bumper. It dosen't have the rubber seal that goes along the top and sides from the rad cradle to the radiator that later A/C cars received as there are none of the holes for it in the rad cradle. The adjustable Hood bumpers are the 57-61 type instead of the normal 62 and newer type. And the hood side bumpers are very different and have metal stiffener in them that the later did not have as they added more rubber to them on the later cars instead of having the metal stiffner. There are other small differences, but not wanting to go on and on. lol

P.S. It also has the early 3 stud grab handles for the rear passengers to use to pull themselves up onto the tailgate which are much nicer looking instead of the later squared off 2 stud grab handles that just do not look right.

 

[Magnified]

A buddy of mine up in Winnipeg, Manitoba bought it over 25 years ago and drove it for about a year when it had the original 318 still then pulled the 318 and put a 413 into it but never got it to running condition. It just sat in his shop all that time. He was busy with doing too many other project cars, (10 others, all wagons), and then decided that time was going by too fast, getting older, and would never finish them all. When I saw it years ago, I had told him if he ever sells it, to let me know. Then, present day, I saw it on Kijiji after it was posted for a few hours and quickly called him and told him to take the listing down, I'll be there in 24 hours. lol. The car itself was sold originally from a Dealer in Virginia and went right away to California, where it spent most of it's time. Then it went to Nevada for a year and that was when Ron in Manitoba bought it and drove it home. It's to bad he did what he did by removing the original engine which is long gone as this is a extremely early car built in the first week or 2 when production started in 1961. It has differences from the later built cars that is cool and makes it unique. This doesn't have the outer aluminum sill plates as the later cars had and never did as there are no screw holes for them. It doesn't have the full front fender splash sheilds behind the headlight buckets, just smaller ones that only sheild the lower area behind the bumper. It dosen't have the rubber seal that goes along the top and sides from the rad cradle to the radiator that later A/C cars received as there are none of the holes for it in the rad cradle. The adjustable Hood bumpers are the 57-61 type instead of the normal 62 and newer type. And the hood side bumpers are very different and have metal stiffener in them that the later did not have as they added more rubber to them on the later cars instead of having the metal stiffner. There are other small differences, but not wanting to go on and on. lol

P.S. It also has the early 3 stud grab handles for the rear passengers to use to pull themselves up onto the tailgate which are much nicer looking instead of the later squared off 2 stud grab handles that just do not look right.

I was going to say too bad he pulled the original motor but you beat me to it. What a cream puff though. Really.

 

[DavidKFla]

I was going to say too bad he pulled the original motor but you beat me to it. What a cream puff though. Really.

How are you doing young man?

 

[DemonSRT]

Yesterday I went to Moparfest in New Hamburg, Ontario with 2 of my friends Tony and John. John who has several nice Late 50's & early 60's cars let me drive his all original turquoise Canadian 1960 Desoto Adventurer 4 door H/T. He took his restored salmon coloured 1960 Desoto Adventurer 2 door H/T, (which I do not have a picture of

). Both just beautiful cars. It was joy to drive with several people along the way making nice comments as we drove to and from the show.