Good first project car opinions
Here is what I like the looks of, and can be had for a good value. $2500-5000
Dart/Valiant (68-72)
Chevy II (65-67)
Are they good starter vehicles for learning on? I want to do some restoration, but not major, and I am going to mod it.
Parts Availablity? Original and aftermarket
Can I shove whatever I want under the hood, aka are they roomy under the hood?(I am not going big right off. thinking 350-400ish range)
I plan on building a motor separate and then bringing them together.
Any thoughts or opinions?
The absolute cheapest and easiest car for a first time restoration is an early Mustang. Anything from a 64 1/2 to a 69 can be found for low dough if you look, and the parts are nearly free. Plus, they have great resale value.
The Chevy II will be cheaper and easier to find parts for than the Dart. A Chevy II is particularly cramped under the hood unless you go with an aftermarket front suspension. The Dart will hold any Mopar engine with the possible exception of a Gen 1 or Gen 2 Hemi if you get the right mounts. A small block Chevy will be cheaper to build than a small block Mopar any day of the week. You can make much more power with a SBC than with a SBM for the same money.
That said, a 340 Dart is a wicked little ride!
Actually if the Dart comes with the 225 s/6 cyl your are pretty much stuck with a 6 cyl unless you change the
sub frame as a V8 will not drop in with out major mods. Old Chevy Vegas used to be every where and were
fairly cheep and parts galore and a lot were fitted with the V8 It was usually a 265 but dropping a 283, 327
350 in one is pretty easy and you could still use the existing trans d/shaft etc.
Originally Posted By 57plymouth:
The absolute cheapest and easiest car for a first time restoration is an early Mustang. Anything from a 64 1/2 to a 69 can be found for low dough if you look, and the parts are nearly free. Plus, they have great resale value.
The Chevy II will be cheaper and easier to find parts for than the Dart. A Chevy II is particularly cramped under the hood unless you go with an aftermarket front suspension. The Dart will hold any Mopar engine with the possible exception of a Gen 1 or Gen 2 Hemi if you get the right mounts. A small block Chevy will be cheaper to build than a small block Mopar any day of the week. You can make much more power with a SBC than with a SBM for the same money.
That said, a 340 Dart is a wicked little ride!
Actually, the cheapest and easiest car to restore/customize would probably be an air-cooled VW beetle. They go together like Legos and parts are plentiful and (can be) cheap.
Chevy II with a Buick 3.8 Turbo in it... ooooh yeah. Saw it done once.... darn near perfect engine for those cars.
Originally Posted By AKABARON:
Actually if the Dart comes with the 225 s/6 cyl your are pretty much stuck with a 6 cyl unless you change the
sub frame as a V8 will not drop in with out major mods. Old Chevy Vegas used to be every where and were
fairly cheep and parts galore and a lot were fitted with the V8 It was usually a 265 but dropping a 283, 327
350 in one is pretty easy and you could still use the existing trans d/shaft etc.
That is good info.. there are a lot of darts with the slant-6's in in them and was wondering what would need to be done to support/mount an v8.
Not true anymore, while the 73+ K frame (along with brakes) is the desired unit due to the spool type engine mounts.
Schumacher makes engine conversion mounts to keep the /6 K frame.
Originally Posted By AKABARON:
Actually if the Dart comes with the 225 s/6 cyl your are pretty much stuck with a 6 cyl unless you change the
sub frame as a V8 will not drop in with out major mods. Old Chevy Vegas used to be every where and were
fairly cheep and parts galore and a lot were fitted with the V8 It was usually a 265 but dropping a 283, 327
350 in one is pretty easy and you could still use the existing trans d/shaft etc.
Originally Posted By freeride21a:
Originally Posted By AKABARON:
Actually if the Dart comes with the 225 s/6 cyl your are pretty much stuck with a 6 cyl unless you change the
sub frame as a V8 will not drop in with out major mods. Old Chevy Vegas used to be every where and were
fairly cheep and parts galore and a lot were fitted with the V8 It was usually a 265 but dropping a 283, 327
350 in one is pretty easy and you could still use the existing trans d/shaft etc.
That is good info.. there are a lot of darts with the slant-6's in in them and was wondering what would need to be done to support/mount an v8.
Change the K-member. That's about it unless you go big block or Hemi then suspension and drivetrain will need to be stronger.
Not to detract from your plans, why not a E-body mopar?
The only reason I ask is simply once the project car is bought, it costs roughly the same to restore either car.
But the E-bodies carry more value than the A-bodies will in the end.
Or in other words, you can recoup more of your money back if you end up selling or trading into another car.
The Chevy IIs are gaining in value to the Chevelles so there isn't as much discrepancy there anymore.
This, of course puts aside any sentimental yearning or other reason you may have for wanting to do it.
My first choice would be a 68 383 4-speed Dart or even a GTS if possible.
Second, would be a 67 Chevy Nova SS.
Also be aware that the Chevy IIs are rear steer so the oil pans, filter location, etc. are chassis specific and a little harder to find.
In any case, good luck on your search.
I haven't played with Mopar much, so I can't offer any suggestions there...but after building numerous small block Fords for early and late Mustangs, Broncos, and one jeep, and numerous small block Chevies for everything else, I'd not think twice about building another old Chevy.
Between the two of your choices, if you could get a Chevy II for the price you listed, I'd jump on it. Out here in California, they're going for more and more every season. Small block Chevies (SBC) are everywhere, and parts are incredibly plentiful. There is a simplicity to these motors that is delightful to work with when rebuilding them, and it can be quite rewarding.
I'm a fan of most old muscle, but after building Fords, Chevies were like a breath of fresh air. I'm not hating on Ford: I still love Ford body styles, and they have some great motors! But given a choice? Well––put it like this. We (being the wife and I) were recently entertaining the idea of installing a small block Chevy into a 1968 Mustang. The beauty of the early Mustangs can't be denied...but I'd much rather work on the SBC than the SB (or any series) Ford.
Another thing––Mustangs have these horrible devices in them called shock towers. They severely limit your ability to easily maneuver around your motor. My first play cars were Fords, and as a young guy new to cars, I naively thought that all cars were like that...imagine my surprise the first time I seriously looked under the hood of a 60's GM product and saw all that damn ROOM under the hood!
So––I'll cast my vote towards the SBC side of the house, regardless of what kind of chassis you put it in. Seems like the Chevy II chassis would be easy to work in, with plentiful parts.
Originally Posted By straatconst:
Not to detract from your plans, why not a E-body mopar?
The only reason I ask is simply once the project car is bought, it costs roughly the same to restore either car.
But the E-bodies carry more value than the A-bodies will in the end.
Or in other words, you can recoup more of your money back if you end up selling or trading into another car.
The Chevy IIs are gaining in value to the Chevelles so there isn't as much discrepancy there anymore.
This, of course puts aside any sentimental yearning or other reason you may have for wanting to do it.
My first choice would be a 68 383 4-speed Dart or even a GTS if possible.
Second, would be a 67 Chevy Nova SS.
Also be aware that the Chevy IIs are rear steer so the oil pans, filter location, etc. are chassis specific and a little harder to find.
In any case, good luck on your search.
Dude if I could find an e-body here in my price range I would jump on it so fast.. most here start at $16-19k. Heck I have a 2011 Challenger R/T 6spd. The cuda is one of my favorite cars of all time, but that also means premium prices.
mopar guy all the way, but even I will say chevy is cheaper and more parts out there.
the a-body barracuda, dart and valiant are going to be tight getting a BB in there. do able, but not fun. manual steering without a doubt doing it that way.
don't forget they will have 4 x 5 pattern instead of the standard 4.5x5 the rest of the mopars use. so wheels would be a bit harder to come by.
it is a simple swap to get them to the normal pattern, and most people do it when they swap out to disk brakes and 8 3/4 rear.
the common swap now is to use the 5.9 magnums out of the 1998 and up trucks. go back to v belts or keep the serpintine setup. go carb or efi from that point.
swapped one into my 65 coronet vert. good balanced driver with enough power till I turn it into a 408 stroker.
most repro parts are for the 68-70 b bodies, but price is pretty high.
66-67 would be next and can still be had pretty cheap.
