For Sale 440 Dart GTS
- Thread starter 69monaco
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78Brougham
"Chump"
Attention seeker... his name's not Richard is it?
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
Aww come on they are not that bad. Worst thing on them was the brakes, and skinny tires.
They are one of the most fun cars when you stomp the loud pedal down and hang on. Of course mine was not stock either.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
First new car @ 18 was a '67 Dart.
It was my age that that damn near killed me numerous times, not the car.
bluefury361
Old Man with a Hat
The "M" code Darts and Cuda's were the lessor known 69 A12 cars.
67-Fury
Senior Member
They are not as elegant or as smooth as a C body of course, but they are still a lot of fun. My Dads 340 3:91 Geared Swinger is a lil terror on back roads and through town. Not so much on the highway, with only 25" tires.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Pic, please?
67-Fury
Senior Member
Pic, please?
Sorry for the late reply. This is a old pic but i don't have a current pic as of yet. I have done a lot of work to this car in the past 2 years and i still have quite a bit to do to it. It is all i have left of my dad so i cherish this car dearly and the priceless memorys of driving in it with my him. Cant wait to drive my son around in it when he gets older. Car has a lot of power even for it being pretty stock. If i was a hot head, i probably would of wrecked it by now for sure.
carfreak6970
Member
I have! they are fun to drive. Have a 68 convertible with a slant six that I fixed up and have been driving during the summers for the past 12 years. Not the fastest car, but can keep up with rush hour traffic in Pittsburgh PA just fine.
Working on getting my 67 Dart with a big block and a four gear on the road this summer.
I've been saying that exact same sentence for years.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
Thanks, I never felt they were a blast , more of a pop up carnival ride feeling as in Oh crap is this tight, cramped , rattly death trap gonna hold together kind of feeling.
carfreak6970
Member
lol!! yea I have felt that in some other people's "compacts" of similar vintage. It is not as a plush ride as the Cbodies, but it is nimble enough to be enjoyable and still feel in control. If you ever find yourself in the pittsburgh area during the summer Ill give ya a ride
carfreak6970
Member
unfortunately same here... but for mine all I need are to hook up the brakes, install the glass, bumpers, and install a seat and it would be road worthy!
patrick66
Old Man with a Hat
I owned a '69 440 GTS back in 1988 as a restored car. Back then, I started the '69 GTS Registry, back in the day where phone calls and in-person title searches were the rule. Mine was Burnt Orange Metallic with black top, interior and butt stripe. It was also the only documented front disc brake car known of a total of 635 M-Darts built.
And yes, that driver side manifold is 440-unique and ultra-expensive.
Contrary to popular belief, these were NOT a Hurst-conversion! They were line-built, just like all other '69 Darts.
They are not at all squirrelly. They are a straight-line car. Not a canyon carver.
www.gtsregistry.com. All of my information is now part of this webpage.
And yes, that driver side manifold is 440-unique and ultra-expensive.
Contrary to popular belief, these were NOT a Hurst-conversion! They were line-built, just like all other '69 Darts.
They are not at all squirrelly. They are a straight-line car. Not a canyon carver.
www.gtsregistry.com. All of my information is now part of this webpage.
rapidtrans
Senior Member
Those A body big blocks were a handful.
And, yeah Dad had one of those home also. A 68 Formula S conv. 383 4spd.
I’m in 8th grade and he hands me the keys to move it so one of the big brothers can get out of the drive. The manual I could handle. The manual steering and brakes made it a beast. Course I still had to take it around the block for a spin as they shuffled cars in the drive. Yeehaaa!
And, yeah Dad had one of those home also. A 68 Formula S conv. 383 4spd.
I’m in 8th grade and he hands me the keys to move it so one of the big brothers can get out of the drive. The manual I could handle. The manual steering and brakes made it a beast. Course I still had to take it around the block for a spin as they shuffled cars in the drive. Yeehaaa!
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
"The manual I could handle"
We will never hear those words again from today's 8th grader.
Xenon
Senior Member
I have had big block Darts since 1968.. They have all the same structure
layout as a B body just in a smaller package... Quite robust and able to
handle a big block...
My current Dart started life as a 383 Dart auto... That lasted about 6 months..
Then in went a 440.. Then build the 440.. Then fenderwell headers.. Then out
comes the 440, replace the inner fenders, and drop in a 426... Then in 1978 built
a much stronger 426.. Currently is sitting with a stock 1970 426..
layout as a B body just in a smaller package... Quite robust and able to
handle a big block...
My current Dart started life as a 383 Dart auto... That lasted about 6 months..
Then in went a 440.. Then build the 440.. Then fenderwell headers.. Then out
comes the 440, replace the inner fenders, and drop in a 426... Then in 1978 built
a much stronger 426.. Currently is sitting with a stock 1970 426..
And I get my ride/drive in June?
rapidtrans
Senior Member
Looking back I think Dad kinda liked driving a stick. He had few co. cars with a manual mostly A bodies with the six but a Simca and Sunbeam GT were fun cars.
patrick66
Old Man with a Hat
The '69 440 cars were built in batches. Darts had five, and the 'Cudas had three. Options were very limited, due to the lack of underhood room. Automatic transmission with console was mandatory, so no factory 4-speed was available. No power brakes or steering. No air conditioning. No disc brakes. Rear ratios were 3.23, 3.55, and 3.91. Color options for interior, exterior, butt stripe and vinyl top were the same as other '69 GTS cars.
"But, Patrick, you said no disc brakes? How's that, when you said yours had them?" Easy.
In 1988, the interwebz was just a wet dream for MIT and DoD geeks. I had the ownership history going back eight previous owners in three states from 1969 through 1988. I called each and asked if they remembered the car...yes, they did! All remembered the disc brakes, including the original purchaser. The car came from Hinckley Dodge in Salt Lake City. Over 20 years, it had gone through the original 440, two 383s, and the date-coded engine it came to.me with. It had been painted Silver, at one time, too. It had owners in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, before me.
"But, Patrick, you said no disc brakes? How's that, when you said yours had them?" Easy.
In 1988, the interwebz was just a wet dream for MIT and DoD geeks. I had the ownership history going back eight previous owners in three states from 1969 through 1988. I called each and asked if they remembered the car...yes, they did! All remembered the disc brakes, including the original purchaser. The car came from Hinckley Dodge in Salt Lake City. Over 20 years, it had gone through the original 440, two 383s, and the date-coded engine it came to.me with. It had been painted Silver, at one time, too. It had owners in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, before me.
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