It’s almost the weekend, days that I associate with visits to junkyards from my misspent twenties in search of spare parts. And while this field of Darts isn’t really a junkyard, it may as well play the part for this post. After all, it’s quite a collection of decaying Mopars, all surrounded by nice spring shrubbery.
With images at hand, let’s take a look around and see what we find. And once again, these images come from the Cohort courtesy of Hyperpack. As he indicated on his upload, the vehicles were part of the surrounding lot at G.O. Car Auto Sales in West Mifflin, PA.
So here’s a section with quite a few sad-looking Darts, mostly from ’63 and ’64. I’m always somewhat conflicted by images such as these, in more than one way. First, always troubled to see these old cars go to seed, with many seeming to have been salvageable when they were last moved. Then, sensing that regardless, they still have plenty of goods to be rescued to bring life to someone else’s project. And finally, always finding the looks of rusty junked cars rather attractive, especially when lying against nature.
Need some ’64 Dart GT trim? Now, don’t get too excited. If I recall correctly, most of these were to be sold or scrapped. So these images may have been taken the last time these siblings sat together as a family. A broken and down in their luck family, but still…
So whatever you see here, it’s probably already gone to poachers better hands.
Here’s a ’63 270 model, with that googly Space-Age face looking at us.
And I know it’s been said at CC a few times, but the ’63-’64 Mopars mark a rather peculiar styling period. A brief interval featuring leftover space-age detailing from the Exner years, mixed with the sobriety of the new Engel regime. It’s quite a unique era.
Not that Engel was free of Space-Age fixations. He certainly had those as well. After all, these Darts carry the face of Engel’s Chrysler Turbine cars rather prominently.
Now, the asymmetrical interiors suggest more Exner than Engel, with that speedo pushed to the left of the steering wheel in that ‘dynamic’ looking instrument panel. That and the neat-looking transmission push buttons on the side.
Elsewhere, the remaining sheet metal of these compacts’ was becoming rather sober.
The reddish one is a 270 model, if you must know.
Let’s revisit the white ’64’s interior. As per info left on the Cohort, this GT was purchased as a parts car back in 1989. Looking at its condition, it will still serve that purpose well to some Dart enthusiast 25-plus years later.
Hubcaps still in place (!).
One more look at the ’63 brownish one. It is also a 270 model and carries a 225 slant six with a Torqueflite automatic.
That should do it for today’s tour, with one last look at the vacant googly eyes of the reddish ’64. However, this won’t be the last visit to this field, since in many shots it’s obvious there’s more to this lot than forgotten Darts. A few of those will be worth further visits.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1965 Dodge Dart GT – The Elemental MoPar
Curbside Classic: 1964 Dodge Dart 2 Door Sedan
CC Effect: I saw a nice and clean, stock-looking Dart 2 door cruising down the street yesterday. A ‘65 or ‘66 with the horizontal tail lights and less Space Age front end. A once common vehicle; not so much anymore.
Fondly remembering 61 Dart PHOENIX convertible.👍. Other than 62 downsized Dodge and Plymouth, one of Exners most controversial designs. The early 60s Chrysler Corp compacts IMO were far better than GM, especially Corvair. Too bad these featured Darts didn’t have Fingerhut covers (as shown on one) big enough to cover the entire car! Any other old timers remember Fingerhut? 🤣 😂
If you mean the clear plastic seat covers? Never knew that they were called Fingerhut, I remember them in the parental Hillman Minx from over 60 years ago. My legs always stuck to them, ouch.
The Dart GT was a minor hit, and one of the precursors to the Mustang. There was was a surprisingly (to Detroit) large segment of the market that wanted a smaller but nicely trimmed sporty sedan/coupe. Single persons, younger couples, two-car families, etc.. They had seen (and possibly bought) what nicely trimmed European imports were like, and they were sick of big cars. These offered a much nicer experience in terms of interior, handling and image than a comparably priced big, heavy mid-trim car, especially the sixes.
The Mustang sucked all these sporty compact buyers up in one irresistible package.
I remember these ’64s well. We were living car-less in Manhattan then, as you do. Many weekends, particularly in the summer, I’d hop in a taxi with my parents heading to the nearest Avis garage to pick up a rental. 90% of the time it was one of these. Always without A/C! Those were the days, my friend.
Just came here to ask how could ANY time spent in junkyards be called “misspent”!!??
+1! 😉
Then in the Great White North, the Dart got the “Plodge” treatment and got a Valiant front clip and interior with a Dodge body (and Valiant in Canada became part of Plymouth for the 1967 model year).
https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Chrysler-Canada/Plymouth/1964-Valiant-Brochure/index.html
To Hummel…There was a whole Fingerhut company. Those seat covers were strong as an 🐂 OX, but as you said totally uncomfortable. Cold in winter, hot in summer, and got stickier as they aged. In the late 90s, I bought an 83 Roadmaster with those covers still on rear seat looking fresh. At one time Fingerhut put out a catalog of a variety of products. Believe, like that Roadmaster, Fingerhut is long gone.
I live in the Pittsburgh area; in fact, my brother bought a 1984 Dodge Diplomat from Go Car in the early 2000s. It’s currently off the road but complete, and I’m hoping to recommission it this summer. The poor thing isn’t worth much money but it’s so homely I find it lovable, like a mutt, and I would hate to see it go to scrap or a demolition derby.
Go Car was originally a Rambler dealer called Clark Motors, and then Bill Stevens AMC/Jeep. At some point, it became “Mifflin Auto Sales” and later “Go Car.”
I don’t know what their business model is, but I there’s a very active auto body shop attached to it, and I’ve always assumed the “car sales” aspect have been more or less a hobby.
Once you see the 1961 Ford, you can’t unsee it.
That Dodge is meant to be evocative of the Chrysler Turbine Car.
It’s a bit more complicated than that, because the ’63 Dart was still styled under Virgil Exner’s reign, and undoubtedly done before the Turbine, because the Turbine car is credited to Elwood Engel, who had just come from Ford to replace Exner. The front end of the Turbine is very similar to the one on the La Galaxie show car Engel designed a few years earlier.
It’s one of my design mysteries that I have not quite ever resolved. What are the odds that Exner would copy the front end of the Engel’s La Galaxie, and then that Engel comes over to Chrysler and uses that front end design again on the Turbine? A curious coincidence, or?
I have always been curious about the glove box door on these. It has only a grab handle, no latch, thus nothing keeping it in the closed position save for a spring I guess. But cars from earlier years had already had a latch to close that door.
My Dad’s Valiant had that same glove box.
It may have had a cup “holder” in the open position, which would have been nothing more than a circular cut out in the stamping, if it was there at all.
The glove box door on 63-4 and possibly ’65-66’s too.. operated on an over center spring. Over center keeps it up and again over center keeps it down too.
Center was set at about 1/2 way between open and closed.
No lock needed for functionality. Possibly for security a lock could have been added.
’63-66 valiant A body cars are probably the same too.
MoPar used the “over center” spring concept as well on the clutch pedals for many 1960’s-1980’s clutch pedals on lots of cars and D series trucks.
My mother had a 63 convertible with push button auto. She gave it to my older sister to drive. Cool car but Cleveland winters did a number on it.
Sad to think all those hard parts got scrapped .
-Nate