# A Model of my Dad's '68 Dodge Dart...



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

My Dad had a real car like this, that I remember seeing, NOT, it got traded off, (A whole OTHER story), but I got a picture of the real car and thought I'd model it, just because, well it was my Dad's, and its a Mopar....

The real car, however had a 318 in it. With that, I went the route to use the small block that came with the Little Red Wagon as that is a 273, and the 318 was built off the same block and so, used it, BUT I'm rethinking it, as the 273, really, had a look all of its own, even tho, the block was the same except for inside bore. So I thought why not? Sadly, I found out "why not"? It looks really nothing like a "318" on the outside so....

Anyway, I got the frame ready for the motor (thought I had the motor done) but thats all gonna change!

BUT, heres some pictures of the start:



















This ----^

Is the model of the 273, I was going to use as a "318" but have since, changed my mind....I "souped" it up a bit by adding a 2X4 intake to have 2, four barrels on it. BUT that too, was never done EVEN THO I had found the intake at my Dads shop so....(Needless to say, he spoke of it, but it never got done and he had traded off the car anyway....My guess was that if he kept the car, he would have added that to it, BUT, it never happened, partially because the intake may have been in a place he wasn't able to either find it quickly, or simply didn't know where it was! (I've found these same intakes are a bit pricey too!) Specially for the Mopar "LA" 318!










This green is a 2 part coating, I used a Testors Flat Beret Green base/primer to allow it to dry, wet sanded lightly, to then add a color coat of Testors Model Masters Gloss Bristish Green Metallic, This color was wet sanded as well, and between each coat it was wet sanded to equal 3 coats the last coat looks GREAT!



















The hood gave me a little trouble painting it but.... (had some odd swirling, and second scratches), that I had a difficult time, covering but, seen above I think they covered well after the 3rd wet sanding with 400 grit wet/dry paper....










I think so far, it turned out pretty well! NOW, I need to figure out the engine and get that sorted as the frame is just about done and ready for the engine!

More to come as I progress! 

As always, ENJOY!


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Cool car ! I will be watching this build. My Dad also owned one of these. I'm pretty sure it was a 68. The body looks the same anyhow. It was red with a black stripe across the rear of the car. He only owned it for a short while. Dad was a weekend trader. You never knew what would be sitting in our yard come Monday morning.

I also remember the 273 engine. I owned a 66 Barracuda that came factory with a 273. It was a strong running little engine !! No Hemi for sure, lol. But still a strong and dependable engine.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build ! :thumbsup:


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

DCH10664 said:


> Cool car ! I will be watching this build. My Dad also owned one of these. I'm pretty sure it was a 68. The body looks the same anyhow. It was red with a black stripe across the rear of the car. He only owned it for a short while. Dad was a weekend trader. You never knew what would be sitting in our yard come Monday morning.
> 
> I also remember the 273 engine. I owned a 66 Barracuda that came factory with a 273. It was a strong running little engine !! No Hemi for sure, lol. But still a strong and dependable engine.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build ! :thumbsup:


I almost seem to think it was everyones "FIRST" Mopar, the Dart, back in the day....

Anyway, my model seen here I went to try to make that 273, look like a 318, only because my Dad's real car, had a 318 in it.....I myself, would LOVE to have an old Dodge A100 with a 273 in it, truck or the Van version....They went good, weren't light, but got decent mileage, and with the small 273, had decent power for what it was, and yes, VERY reliable V-8's! Not a Hemi, nope, BUT was damn strong for what it was!

But only to NOT take one, would be to find the same auto, with a slant 6 in it.....They damn near run forever!

But with my Dad's real car, I'm trying to replicate it as close as I can and I'm simply not satisfied with the engine (My Dad planned to put an Offy 2 four barrel intake on that 318, and never did, and I found the intake when I was last in his shop so....Thats why it was seen here my Step-Mom told me the whole L-O-N-G story on the plans he had till he traded off the Dart, which is a whole OTHER story too!

BUT the Dart got traded off with a 318 with a 4 barrel Carter on it, and ran really well, the only issues I know of was the bench seat in the front was torn.....Mostly rust free too! BUT I'm modeling from an older picture that I think was taken with a Polaroid camera! SO, the shade of green is as close to the real color as I can get!

Thanks for watching! I have to come up with a Small Block V-8 to replicate a 318, I'm just not happy with the motor seen here for what I'm trying to do! Also, the Dart my Dad had was an automatic too, not a standard as the engine depicts!


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## jingle (Jun 22, 2007)

Hi Hemi, Its me Howard, Please PM me.





-Hemi- said:


> I almost seem to think it was everyones "FIRST" Mopar, the Dart, back in the day....
> 
> Anyway, my model seen here I went to try to make that 273, look like a 318, only because my Dad's real car, had a 318 in it.....I myself, would LOVE to have an old Dodge A100 with a 273 in it, truck or the Van version....They went good, weren't light, but got decent mileage, and with the small 273, had decent power for what it was, and yes, VERY reliable V-8's! Not a Hemi, nope, BUT was damn strong for what it was!
> 
> ...


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## whiskeyrat (May 7, 2012)

She's looking good Hemi! Love the green! I had a '71 Dodge Dart Swinger, yellow with a black vinyl top, black interior and a 318 up front. Loved that car. It even had a 'factory' alarm installed in it, which consisted of a separate key-hole to arm and disarm it, and a school bell mounted on the left inner fender that rang if the doors were opened without turning the key-switch. Had to sell it because the K-frame was so badly damaged, the tires would wear out within about 3000 miles, and back then I didn't have the money to keep replacing them, or to get the frame fixed!


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

Whiskey,
They were good cars, BUT sounds like yours may have been wrecked, OR it was rusting away. (The K-Frame in them are not cheap to replace!!!!) To this day, they're big money! Unless you have a good friend that can cut steel plate and weld then you might be good to go only buying materials!

As for my model, yep, I like how that green turned out...I'm on a hunt for a good '70 Challenger TA or RT that has that "340" in it, as that is the "look" I need the 340 to achieve for this to have a "318" ....as the engine seen here looks to much like a 273 for me....(I'm detail anal that way! LOL) I'll find one, sooner or later....


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

I agree with you about the 225 slant six,....they will run forever. You may never bring home a trophy on race day with it. But put a good 3 speed transmission behind it, and you got a very strong and dependable engine !! 
IMO one of the best engines ever built.


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

DCH10664 said:


> I agree with you about the 225 slant six,....they will run forever. You may never bring home a trophy on race day with it. But put a good 3 speed transmission behind it, and you got a very strong and dependable engine !!
> IMO one of the best engines ever built.


Don't you know it on the 225 Slant 6, my grandfather had a 4 door Volare, that was a Baltimore Area Taxi, he bought atan auction in 1980, when he got it, it had 260,000 miles on it, and in 2001, it DROVE itself to the scrap yard *GULP* I hate it that it went, I was no where to get my hands on it then, but it got to 449,600 miles the minute it stopped before the crusher and was "lifted" in....ALL on a up-kept Mopar 225 Slant 6....ALL I know that was EVER done to it was plugs, wires, oil, filter, trans flush, and radiator flush, air filter, and fuel filter (Most of which BEFORE I went over-the-road driving), I did all that work for him, myself!! The under body was pretty good, not serious rust anywhere and was a solid car.....I wished I still had it even tho, it was an old Family Car, was a safe one none-the-less!


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