Hello Slant Sixers,

I'm currently working on an article about drivable daily classics and would like to hear from owners of 63-66 Darts. What makes them special to you? What are the universal problems every owner seems to face? What sort of upgrades should be done to make it a daily driver? How is the mileage? What price can people expect to pay for a Class 3 driver? What is the availability of parts? All information and stories will be of great help.

I'd also like to hear from the Valiant people too. Particularly those with pre-67s. Same questions as above.

Thanks and kind regards,

Senator Jack

We might want to be careful what we say in response to this request for information. We have no way to know what publication this guy is writing for since he has not shared any info about himself or his project, and has not registered or even signed his real name. Look at what's happening to prices of "desirable" Mopars and then realize that media hype is one of the driving forces behind stratospheric price increases. It's fine to help people out, and it's good to bring more people into the community, but if we're too "helpful" here, we may soon find ourselves priced right out of our cars. At the very least, I think mister "Senator Jack" here should tell us a little more about himself and his project, and tell us his name, and give us some contact information in case someone might want to have a more detailed conversation with him on email. Just putting an anonymous guest post on a board is, I don't know, kind of lazy for a writer to be doing. Like he wants us to write his article and then he signs his name to it without mentioning the people who provided his information? Maybe it's just me, but if it's just me, it bothers just me.

Interesting. A guest whining about someone else posting as a guest.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Darts is good. Chebby is bad. Ford is bad with fire.

And you can quote me on that.

So Guest #2 wants us to supress information on our 40 year old cars we drive everyday so they wont become more valuable. I bought the Valaint for $350 in 99,,,,,if it cost me $700 now.....so freekin what.

Yeah hes prolly writing for a TERRORIST magazine! Be very afraid.

Just because hes paranoid doesn t mean anybody is following ME!

Here ya go Jack! http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11497
http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15253

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Holy smokes, I'm just trying to find people who have a love for the car, I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition! I'm writing an article about people who use their classics as daily drivers. I'm not going to take information and devise a plan of world domination of all slant sixes.

And I did register, but I didn't realize that 'Guest' had got attached to my post. But what, I should give out my name and phone and address and social security number? I don't know, I've been going to car shows for twenty years now and I had always been of the feeling that vintage car enthusiasts were helpful people who wanted to share their interest. I know I do! Perhaps, this is very unprofessional of me, but I have to say that 'Guest' is over-reacting.

Kind regards,

Senator Jack (I guess I'm not allowed to use my nickname either, despite millions on the internet doing just that.)

Hey, Jack, cool your jets. The post from "also a guest" is from someone not even registered on the site. I see you are registered. When you come to the site, just log on, and you will not recieve the "guest" designation.
Sandy posted some good info for you. He was not flaming you. He was taking "also a guest" to task.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I think guest #2 makes some good points. Jack, where's this article going to appear? Your own site/blog/magazine? Somewhere else? And yeah, as Charrlie_S requests, please do sign in so that other members can contact you (e.g. by PM).

The answers to your questions are fairly simple; I think you'll probably get much more helpful coöperation if you try a friendlier approach. I'm not mortally offended or anything, but when an anonymous guest swoops in and his first-ever post on the site is "gimme information", the hairs on the back of my neck kind of stand up on end a little.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Charrlie,

Yeah, I posted that reply between reading the first comment and then Sandy's. I had to shake my head a few times after reading that first comment. I just thought it so bizarre!

Thanks for the link there, Sandy. A lot of information and I can tell that the job was a labor of love. I thought the terrorist bit quite funny too.

Just to let everyone know, I'm writing this article because I use my classic as a daily driver and people always ask me if I'm worried about it getting stolen, hit, etc. Yes, it's worrisome, but I can't seem to drive around in new cars any more. I feel out of place whenever I'm behind the wheel of a late-model, as though I'm wearing someone else's underwear. I wanted to see if their were other people out there that felt the same way, but being this isn't car show season, I have to rely on the internet to get comments. Believe me, they'll all be acknowledged.

I'm doing so much research on the topic that the article probably won't be ready till next month. It's for a vintage culture webzine and I promise to post the link when it's done. I've always thought the Dart to be a great car and I'll be treating it with the respect it deserves.

Regards,

Jack

Thanks again and kind regards

Jack -

Thanks for the explanation. I hope you'll point us to the vintage culture zine; sounds like a place to read interesting things.

Please do click that "login" button at the top of your screen, below the "Slant 6 Forum" logo, enter your username and password, and then post your messages. (I have sent you a long PM in response to your question, which you will find when you log in). Welcome onboard!

-DS

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I couldn't have said it any better!

I love my '65 Valiant. It's roomy for a small car, with plenty of room for my 6'4" 300 lb. frame. It always gets over 20 MPG, and can climb up near 25 if I'm careful. OK, so it's not the fastest car in the world, but no biggie. I plan on heating up the slant a little, but nothing radical. I'm also getting parts together for a disc brake swap, but the stock drums aren't bad on such a light weight car. Basically I'm upgrading the car a bit, but attemting to enhance its original character, not totally change it.
It's not really a "daily driver" but it's at least a "weekly driver" I have a 70 mile round trip daily commute, so I don't want to put quite that many miles on the Valiant.

My daily driver though, isn't a modern aero-blob paymentmobile, but a beater '82 D150, also slant six powered. I get a kick out of the fact that my "late model" is only a couple years away from being eligable for "historic" plates! When I tell people I do 70 miles a day in a 20+ year old beater truck their reaction is "y-y-you can't do that!" Well I can too do that- I do that every day! I remember a time I got a flat tire on the way home from work- as I got out the spare and jack, a guy in a late model SUV pulled over to see if I needed any help. I thanked him for stopping, but said I had it handled. He said "You're gonna change it? I've got a cell phone." I couldn't help but laugh!

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Brian (Valianator)

'65 Valiant V100 170/T-flite
'82 D150 225/4-speed
'65 Dart 225 4 door
'68 Dart 225 4-door with Valiant front clip (future project)

The Darts and Valiants were the best engineered of the economy compacts of the 60's, period. The Slant Six engine is legendary for its reliability. There is really not much more to say. I have four '64 and '65 Valiants and the engines purr like kittens and the transmissions shift smoothly- and as far as I can tell none of them have ever been opened for repair. My Uncle's '65 (now mine) sat for 14 years in the mud outdoors. I put a battery in it and started it up- with 14 year old gas! I defy you to find anyone who owned a Valiant or Dart who doesn't look back fondly and say "that was a great car".

I have actually found one or two such individuals. Back in high school, one of my teachers found out I was into Darts and Valiants and said "I had a '76 Duster. Worst car I ever owned." And there's a guy on RAMC who periodically carries on about what lousy cars the mid-'70s Darts and Valiants were. In both cases, they are objecting not so much to the design and engineering, but to Chrysler's rotten mid-'70s quality control and corrosion protection. And they're right about both things. But, as with the Aspens and Volarés, nowtimes the poorly-made and poorly-protected ones have long since disappeared from the road, and pretty much only the good ones remain.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

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Ross Rither
1964 Dart, 170
225, super six.

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

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O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston