ZZZ,No, Im not sleeping-thats the paint code for Anniversary Gold! The Dodge Brothers formed a new car company in 1914 during the dawn of the automotive industry in America after running a successful machine and assembly shop for other automakers. Purchased in 1928 for $170 million by Walter P. Chrysler, Dodge cars took their place as a mid priced brand sandwiched between high line Chrysler and budget Plymouth. It was a bold move for Chrysler-he had formed Plymouth and Desoto to force the sale of Dodge! The company celebrated by offering a 50th anniversary package on Darts and Polaras in a special color scheme of gold over gold and a 50th anniversary horn cap logo.
Now theres no time for a nap-we have to look over this rotisserie restored beauty! The VIN decodes like this: L V8 Dart 4 Dart GT Convertible 4 1964 2 Hamtramck plant And heres the fender tag: A5 Pushbutton Torqueflite automatic F1 Music Master 2 watt AM radio H5 Heater with defroster J6/K6 black convertible top N8 "Dual Jet" electric windshield washer pump T8 48 amp battery Z7 Stone shield molding ZZZ Anniversary Gold exterior ZZZB Anniversary Gold interior, bucket seats 1964 was the first year for the 273ci "LA" block and the first year for a V8 in an A-body Dart, so lets start there. The "LA"designation stood for "light A," in reference to the 50-plus pound weight savings over the standard Polysphere A-series engine. 273 Cubic inches comes from a 3.31" stroke and a 3.63" bore. This "over square" geometry results in good torque with high RPM potential, and it lighter weight certainly helped handling! This particular motors been gone through mechanically and detailed beautifully! Street Hemi Orange (not correct for 64, but darned good looking nonetheless) paint coats the mill while the air cleaner, radiator and bracketry are finished in their correct black sheen. The washer fluid pouch looks NOS, the belt and hoses are new, as are the master cylinder, alternator, water pump, battery,cables, spark plug wires, cap, rotor.Get the picture? The motor fires on the first attempt and runs flawlessly. The cosmetics are totally up to par, with the paint in the engine compartment gleaming back at you. Close the hood-lets continue the tour! Lets finish with the mechanicals-duck underneath for a moment. The entire floor pan was blasted to bare metal and built back up with paint before having an even layer of undercoating applied to keep the heat and noise down. The front and rear suspensions and all brakes have been gone through and theres a fresh dual exhaust system and gas tank. Mechanically sound with the rebuild and maintenance free with the undercoating this is an awesome car to cruise around in!
Our Dart was restored by a body man as a side project. His father, the shop owner, warned him about how long it takes to build a car to this level, but he didnt listen. In the end, he ended up paying himself about three dollars an hour for his labor! There are three morals here: 1. You cant build this car for this price. 2. It takes a lot more time than youd think to restore a car. 3. Listen to your father! Anniversary Gold wraps the body tightly, showing just how much time was spent making the body straight. From one rechromed bumper to the other the bodywork is exemplary! Just enough stainless trim runs the flanks at the rockers and double trim delineating a black paint stripe at the tops of the body lines. The grille is as restrained as it is straight and shiny and the hood molding adds interest up front. All lenses are in excellent shape, as are the hubcaps, wheels and new 185/80/13 whitewall tires. The top and top boot are in excellent working order and are covered in new Legendary material. The interior reads like a Legendary catalog. New seat covers, new door panels, new carpet-the works. The dash is in beautiful shape, all the gauges read properly, the steering wheels restored and the chrome is in great shape. The door emblems look new, the dash brightwork really adds to the feel of the car and the armrest bases and pads are excellent. Theres room for four to sit comfortably-grab some friends! The previous owner (the man who owned the car prior to its restoration) was a real record keeper, too. Theres a notebook showing when anything from oil changes to transmission rebuilds to wheel alignments took place. Thats great, as he owned the car for more than twenty years!
All of this comes with the car so youll have this chunk of history to peruse,assuming you can pull yourself out of the drivers seat! Dont wait, dont sleep on it-pick up the phone and strike gold!
