I just had an impulse to buy a 1971 Dodge Dart V8

[matthew1]

That 440 was a good engine from people I've talked to. Faster to 60mph than the big Hemi, but slower in the 1/4 mile. 383 was no slouch either.

[JRL]

I had one of those (convt) for a short while, many, many, maaaaaaany years ago!

[castconcrete]

I lusted after and finally purchased a 68 Dart GTS from a friend who was the original owner. 340 with the torque-flight transmission. One of the only cars that I have owned that when cruising along at about 80 miles per hour and you decided to "put your foot in it", it would literally throw you back against the seat.
The car was a blast, to bad that it would probably cost me about $50,000 to replace it today.

[jessicawagner]

Very cool car! I didn't know that you are a classic car guy.

Well, it's always nice to dream. You never know, maybe someday...

Yes really its awesome... with yellow colour

[LagunaPete]

Mopar's are a ton of fun. They are also quite dependable. Some in fact are nearly invincible. For example,Chrysler Corporations "slant 6". Two engines, by design are genetic brothers to one another. The first was the 190 cubic inch, proven to take punishment at levels even the best engine designs cannot come close to. This especially holds true for the 190's bigger more popular younger brother the 225 cid.
You can resurrect these engines right inside the bone yard with no surprise. Fresh fuel in the float chamber along with a fully charged group 27 battery, I estimate at least 95% of these engines will fire right up if they are not missing the parts to do so.
I was at Pomona swap meet here in CA one day and there was this guy selling some PTFE additive (slick 50 type stuff). Part of his gimmicky salesmanship was that he had a 225 slant six idling on a stand up high. The engine had no oil pan. Allegedly, he claimed because of his additive. Not true. A 225 slant 6 will run without any oil in it anyway I said to him. He looked at me and put his finger over his lips and said Shh I know don't tell anybody. Hey now I did not say it can tow a trailer up the grapevine without oil, but you know what? That engine, I would not be surprised if it would make it a 1/3 of the way up before it stopped. They don't seize either. Let it cool for 8 hours, go at it again. Now you're 2/3 of the way up and then wait another 8 hours and you are on your way to the top. Incredible engine. Not that I would ever do that to a slant 6, but I would not ever bet my money against it. Many Darts were equipped with the 225.

[matthew1]

Yes, my college buddy had a brown 2-dr 1974 Dart with a 225. We cut the roof off one drunken Saturday, and he continued to drive that car for a year+.

I had a 1979 Volare station wagon with the slant-6, don't know what displacement.

Thanks for your post, LagunaPete, reading information and personal accounts like yours is priceless.

[abscate]

I married into a 1979 Volare with the 225 CID slant six and we drove it for 7 more years, poor as church mice.

The other day I spotted a rare classic that I hadn't seen on the roads for mote than 15 years I'm sure. It was a VW Karmann Ghia. I think they were early to mid 60s production. Basically a Beetle with svelte bodywork. I could put up with the odd Sunday drive if the car evoked an emotional response in me like that car did. I grew up in the rear seat of a Beetle.....

from mid 1950s to 1974 - at which point smog had made that air cooled engine obsolete.
Body designed by Ghia of Italy, made in the Karmann works in Germany.

My very first car was a 1972 KG convertible - drove it for 4 years in Buffalo until it became a farm cart.