1960 dodge dart

[christfr]

was digging at the first estate sale i have been to in months and found this really cool and in fantastic shape a 1960 dodge dart owners manual that i had to save. its fun for days but i dont need it any one out there into early 1960s dodge cars?

 

[58limited]

Looks to be in great shape. Try ebay if no one here needs it.

 

[rp2813]

I thought the Dart was the counterpart to the Valiant.  I wonder why they have a rendering of a full size Dodge on the front cover.  Maybe because the Dart/Valiant line I'm thinking of didn't launch until 1961?

 

[moparwash]

Here is the story....

The 1960 Dart was introduced to give Dodge dealers a lower-price full-size car to sell to compensate that Plymouth dealers would be primarily selling the Valiant for 1960 along with their existing lineup of full size cars even though the Valiant was not badged as a Plymouth. The advertising tagline was 'Nobody's kid brother, this one stands on it's own four tires'. (a dig at the Chevy Corvair and Ford Falcon, also introduced for 1960). In 1961, the Valiant was officialy badged as a Plymouth, and Dodge was given a fancier version of the Valiant, the Lancer, which was sold from 1961-1962. In 1963 the Lancer name was replaced by the Dart and both the Valiant and Dart switched to all-new styling for the model year. From 1963 until their demise after the 1976 model year, the Valiant and Dart were near-twins.

Below, the 1961-2 Dodge Lancer

 

[wayupnorth]

Thats right rp2813. The first Dart was a full size, lower end of the carline. I dont remember the exact way it went but there was a Phoenix and Pioneer model that year also. In '62 the Lancer was concidered the fancier new Dodge small version along with Valiant and then both evolved into their own always similar following versions, famous for their slant 6 engines that would not die. Up here, the car would rust completely out and the motors still ran perfectly.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for clarifying.  My friend's aunt drove a pristine metallic green Lancer well into the 1970's.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Some points of interest, starting 1960 all Chrysler products except the Imperial went to unibody construction.  1960 was also the year Chrysler products switched from generators to alternators, the first U.S. manufacturer to do so.  After the Dart became a compact, it did have a slightly longer wheelbase than the Valiant giving it a little more legroom in the back seat.

 

Ken D.

 

[nurdlinger]

I dont remember the exact way it went but there was a Phoeni

One model of Dodge Dart in 1960 was Seneca. The family of a friend of mine owned one.

 

[maytagbear]

My first car was a 1978 Plymouth Volare,

which was the successor to the Valiant. Body rusted badly by 1982, but oh, how I miss the Torqueflite transmission and that 225 Slant Six! We kept it until the late 80s.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[hydralique]

Volare . . .

When I was in college a friend of mine had a late model Volare. It was loaded with almost every option, V8, Torqueflite, stereo tape, very good a/c, vinyl top, etc. I rode in it several times and once drove it about 200 miles on a variety of roads. It was a schizophrenic car: very nice, composed and quiet in town or on the interstate, but uncomfortable on secondary roads. When it hit bumps the car would pitch and lurch and then bottom out. The only solution was to watch for bumps - especially those in corners - and slow down a lot. Chrysler clearly spent their money on that transmission and the air conditioner and spent nothing at all on the steering and suspension.

 

[wayupnorth]

At least in 1960 you could start a Chrysler product and drive away. When they had the "lean burn" engines, they didnt run worth crap, unless it was 72 degrees and low humidity. I had a 75 Coronet with a 318. Always started right up from cold but the first time you stopped, it quit and refused to start unless you shoved a screwdriver down the carb to keep the choke open. I guess both the slant 6 and V8 were notorious for that. The Dodge dealer never could get it to run right.

 

[lebron]

Hi . My dad talks a lot about his first car being a Dodge Dart. I would be interested in getting this for a father's day present.

 

[moparguy]

The Dart series in 1960-61 consisted of the entry level Seneca, the mid level Pioneer, and the top of the line Phoenix. The full size Dodge in 1960 was the Matador and the top of the line Polara. Everything got shaken up and these names dropped in 1962 with the smaller 'full sized' Dodges and Plymouths (though Plymouth names didn't change). Polara came back as a top line Dodge mid 1962 (and Custom 880 as a 'plus-sized' Dodge based on the Chrysler). And as others have said, the Dart name then went on the true compact for 1963. But Seneca, Pioneer, Phoenix, and Matador were gone from Dodge (Matador and Phoenix later to be used by AMC and Pontiac... and maybe even Pioneer was used by Jeep if my memory serves me!).

 

[wayupnorth]

You have a good memory. Jeep used the Pioneer name as a nicer version of the Cherokee and Commanche pickup

 

[moparguy]

Names were cool and also easier to remember than the alpha-numeric soup they serve up now... like what are most of them supposed to designate? I understand some (like the original BMW and Mercedes numbers and letter series) but I think most of the rest are just drawn out of a hat, lol! I am so glad that there will be a new Dart soon (albeit a cross pollenated Alfa/Dodge)... wonder if they will use a sub-series Seneca/Pioneer/Matador, LOL. May the new Dart be as successful for the new Chrysler/Fiat as the 'old' Dart was!

 

[twintubdexter]

Lots of fun info posted by members here. Darts & Lancers remind me of good times. My best friend's dad had a 64 Dart GT convertible with a slant 6. It was only a few years old when we got our driver's licenses and we'd cruise Steven's Creek Blvd in San Jose thinking we were part of the cool guys. Chrysler had that catchy jingle for the Lancer..."if you love driving then you'll love Lancer, it's what you want in a compact car." I remember this card I bought at Chicken Little's on Polk Street in San Francicso that said on the outside "A Tart, A Dart & An Old Fart"...on the inside it said "Name a desert, a Dodge and you." The day is coming when I'll forget everything I know except crazy stuff like this.

 

[countryguy]

My mom had a '67 Dodge Dart GT. It had the same problems with stalling in damp/wet weather. As soon as you took your foot off the accelerator it would stall. I had to brake with my left foot in order to keep my right foot on the accelerator and rev the engine a bit so it wouldn't stall. It was in the garage numerous times but the problem was never fixed.

Gary

 

[hydralique]

Daimler Dart . . .

The Dart name was also used, albeit briefly, by Daimler in England for a peculiar little sports car they introduced in 1959 and made until '63. In the late '50s Daimler had a very good engine designer known more for motorcycle engines than car engines design a pair of very nice aluminum hemi head V8s. Up to then, Daimler had been stodgy beyond belief and they had lost much market share to Rolls-Royce at the top end of their market and Jaguar at the lower end.

 

Jaguar, MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey all had made lots of money in the US market selling sports cars and Daimler figured they could as well, but they had little experience at lightweight cars and no suitable chassis. To speed things up they made a deal with Standard-Triumph for a modified TR-3 chassis and then designed a strange fiberglass body with big fender flares and tailfins, and dropped in the 2.5 liter V8. It was introduced at the New York Auto Show in '59 as the Daimler Dart. Chrysler immediately threatened a lawsuit so Daimler renamed it the SP250, although in non-American markets it was still sometimes referred to as the Dart.

 

With the V8 the SP250 was quick - some were even used by English highway police - but the Triumph chassis famously lacked rigidity and there were stories of doors flying open under some conditions. Jaguar bought Daimler in '60, mostly to get their production facilities. They improved the chassis, but their plan for the Daimler name was to use it only for TOL Jaguars so gradually all the real Daimlers were phased out of production and not replaced. The engine eventually found a home in a limited production Daimler badged Jaguar Mk II sedan sold mostly with an automatic transmission to an older market. It was much slower than the same car with the larger Jaguar 3.4 and 3.8 XK sixes, but because the little V8 weighed so much less many people feel it to be the best handling Mk. II variant.

 

[arbilab]

1967 was a problem year for Chrysler engines? Not so I could tell. In 1975 I gave dad $200 for his 67 Fury. It did need the exhaust crossover cleaned out and a new expansion valve in the airconditioner, but ran like a dream for a car with 140,000 miles on it and the air would literally form ice on the outlets. I sold it 2 years later for the same $200, in better shape than I got it.

That 1960 Dart was a stylish car. But the days of style were waning. Thunderbird would soon turn from its original style to that dreadful (by comparison) "bullet" look. Pontiac and Oldsmobile would soon turn from their large but stylish bodies of 62-63 to bulbous tanks. Ford was kind of like Star Trek movies, every other one was either bitchen or ghastly. 57, bitchen. 58, ghastly. 59, B. 60, G. 61, B, 62, G.

 

[whirlaway]

Stalling problems

Chrysler had a choke spring installed in the intake manifold,the dealers had a replacement which cured the problem,as usual some gottem and others didnt. I found out from my dealership,they replaced it and it was good to go then.Like the 57 and 58 Plymouths they would stall at every stop sign till they were good and warm.After that they would run like a top.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

My grandpa had a 1960 Dodge Dart Station Wagon--one of his prized cars--that unfortunately my mom took the driver's door off of, backing out of a driveway past a tree (there were three in a row, going up & down)...!

I suppose if I'm looking for a good replacement for my Honda & can't afford a good upgrade for my ride (though I'm still holdin' out for someone to build somethin' that's REAL reminiscent of Old Skool Chrysler) then I should consider a NEW Dodge Dart comin' out...!!!!

-- Dave

 

[twintubdexter]

slipping in another story...

Back in the mid 70's when I was a "kid" buyer for The Emporium Department store in San Francisco my good friend was one the clericals for another area, Notions. Her name was Vicky...actually Victorine. She lived with her mom and brothers in the Excelsior district which I called the Alka Seltzer district. Vicky had a car, a lot of people didn't have vehicles since San Francisco is a relatively compact city with good public transportation. Her car ( which she called "Baby") was an old 1958/59 Plymouth Fury that started life as a police or Highway Patrol cruiser. It was super-powered with a 440 V8 and twin 4 barrel carbuertors. Vicky was very short, only 4 ft something. Even with the seat all the way forward and my knees up against the dash she could barely reach the pedals and pretty much operated them with the tips of her shoes. At a stop light she'd stretch to keep her toe on the brake and when the light turned green she'd stretch and stomp down on the accelerator with the tip of her right foot and woosh...Baby took off like a rocket to Venus. I only rode with her a few times but the relatively short drive from Market Street to her house was like a death ride...remember this was "hilly"San Francisco. I was very young then but I think Baby gave me my first gray hairs.

If my stories are boring everyone please don't hestitate to tell me. At least they're true.

 

[hydralique]

That Plymouth probably had a 361, or possibly an early 383; the 440 wasn't introduced until '66.  If the car was a '59 then it could have had the 413 which wasn't available in '58. All of these engines are variations on the Chrysler "B" block which replaced earlier Chrysler big V8s such as the 331/354/392 hemi head engines of the '50s.

 

[rp2813]

Joe,

I love your stories!

 

[twintubdexter]

sorry, it was a big V8 and that's all I remember...I'm not much of an authority on anything except gaining weight

 

[twintubdexter]

and at the same time...

I had a 1970 Chevelle SS 396 with a Tonawanda Plant built 402 V8 (that's correct) with cowl induction and all I remember is that Baby's engine looked much bigger, even with that living-room sized engine compartment. Just like on first dates, I guess looks can be deceiving.

 

[hydralique]

When Chevy enlarged their big-block V8s for 1970, the 396 became a 402 as noted, and the 427 became the 454. The 396 was quite famous as a performance engine after its introduction in mid '65, the 427 had to wait for the '66 models. At the time GM had a rule forbidding more than a 400 cubic inch engine in a mid-sized car, so the Chevelle wasn't available with the 427, making a 396 Chevelle the best performing Chevy sedan available as it was smaller and lighter than a 427 Impala. Eventually the 396 could even be ordered in Camaros and Novas (!), but that was quite rare so the typical Chevy muscle car was the 396 Chevelle. When the under 400 cubic inch rule was dropped by GM 454 Chevelles could be ordered, but the 396 name was so famous that they kept it as a marketing name for cars with the 402 and never had any fender badges that said "402" - they all were 396 badges.

 

Although the big block Chevys are physically large and heavy, they really weren't bad compared to many other engines of similar capacity. They were also strong and breathed pretty well, making them some of the best performance engines of the era.