Comments: 1-15, 16-20
I had this car for about 10 years and over that time period lots of things have gone wrong, I don't even remember the entire list. It's easier to list what hasn't been replaced: The 318 cid engine and the 3-speed transmission. These ran without breaking down. Although the engine was burning oil at 143K miles and smoking. It was worn out, but it ran.
Everyone who had one knows that rust is a major problem for 70's mopars. I had the trunk completely rust through in one spot. And where the tire went in the trunk, after every rainfall, I would get 3" of water in there. Also some rust over the dashboard, but hidden. After rain, water would leak inside the car, onto fuses, short something out and buzz. It would also leak onto my legs as I drove. I found this ridiculous, but didn't know how to fix it. The major place where almost every 74 Dart rusts is the rear quarter body panels. Even if you see no rust, it has probably been repaired. They all rust there (from my limited experience anyway).
Body panels had some misalignment. Like trunk didn't close perfectly. I heard it was common for 70's mopars. And the doors. It was much noisier inside than more modern cars.
It had a bad carb for most of the time I had it and only got about 14 mpg, combined with tranny with no overdrive. Once the carb was fixed, it got more like 16-17. Which is not much for a compact car. I carried a 5-gallon can of gas with me in case I ran out. So the whole car smelled like gas. I think refilled every 200 miles. City driving was abysmal, about 10. I did ran out of gas once or twice. Oh, and I should mention the gas gauge wasn't working right. I had to tell how much gas I had by the mileage. It didn't of course had a trip odometer.
It had some kind of annoying starting problem. A mechanic fixed, but I didn't know what it was. Ignition switch maybe.
The trunk had absurdly little space in it. You couldn't put anything in it. And it leaked badly as I already said.
AC never worked in it. The first year I had it, the car was overheating and we had AC disconnected. Although I don't know what exactly it was.
One good thing about it, it was relatively easy to work on. Spark plugs are not hard to swap. Some other things are easy. I replaced the water pump on it myself. As well as the fuel pump and filter. The radiator was replaced, but not by myself. This is the most redeeming feature of the car, you can basically service it yourself - and you will need it.
These older cars have to be in great shape to be usable. If it's neglected, like mine was, it will give lots of problems. Mine used to stall in rainy weather, and lose power steering, and power brakes. One time it stalled when I was coming down a steep hill, that was just wonderful without any power. Carburetors were a love/hate relationship for me. They were easy to service without all these sensors, but were not as efficient as fuel injection and ultimately more problematic.
At the end of the decade I had it, every few weeks something would fail on it with regularity. The door locks (by that time I never bothered to replace them), speedometer, then speedometer cable (not even mechanics could fix that one, and sometimes it would just die when driving) Several alternators.
I turned this car into a total beater, with peeling paint all over the body, and rust. I hit and replaced one of the front side panels and painted it the wrong color. This has nothing to do with car's reliability, but in its final years with me, it looked like a total beater and I stopped worrying about its appearance.
One huge problem was, it went through many tires. The front end had trouble staying aligned or something like that. I would fix something on it every month and finally it needed even more repairs, like a total front end rebuild and I just gave up on it and sold it for next to nothing.
Because it was RWD, it was very unstable in snow and rain. The rear end was very light. Even 2" of snow could mean it getting stuck. I once almost got into an accident because of that. Hit the brakes and the car turned 180 degrees, onto the oncoming lane. But even then I prefer RWD.
It's V8 engine (318 cid or 5.2L) was realiable. Like slant six. But it was worn out with somewhat more than 100,000 miles on it. Today they build these engines better. Also it was pretty weak. It sometimes struggled uphill. I found that absurd given how light the car was and the mileage it got. (I got a small block Chevy after that with a 350 V8 and it had much more power, much better mileage and was much heavier.) I don't know if that was because the old 318 had bad compression. But in the 70's both 318 and slant six were pretty weak engines with high gas consumption.
I think I would consider owning another one, but with lower miles and one which has been garaged. Even in that case, these cars are high maintainance, and really not as good as newer V8 vehicles. They don't cost very much on the market. These cars are 30 years old and stuff rotts on them, wears out, rusts, etc. I got fed up with endless problems in my Dart when it had only 147K, but it looked like it had half a million miles. Age killed it more than miles.
I think one thing that's better than 70's mopars are early 80's mopars. By that time, they learned how to properly galvanize the body metal and I saw far less rust on early 80's sedans.
Keep in mind parts are getting harder to find than they were 10 years ago.
After about '72, emissions killed all the power in the 318 engine. The one I had had only 145 horses. Prior to that, I think it was more like 200 hp (?). So it was a weak compact car which had terrible mileage. It didn't have a very good horsepower to weight ratio.
I did like my Dart, but it was one of these stupid "first car" things. I will probably always remember good and bad things which happened to me when I had it, and what I did with it, where I went, these sentimental reasons. I am also glad I learned a lot about automotive things on it. I think way cooler vehicles are bigger mopars, full size with either 318 or 360 or 383 engines.
My brother just bought a 74 dodge dart. It has 104k miles.
There is no rust anywhere on it. The paint is still in great condition and the engine and tranny are running great. It has a lot of low end torque and if you mash it from 0, it will spin the tires. Obviously it has the 318 cid engine. AC does not work and the previous owners cut the hoses. The only thing that has been replaced on it is fluids, plugs, wires, tires and belts. Everything else is original and the car shines and reflects everything around it like a mirror. Gas mileage is low at about 12 mpg, but nor me or my brother care as we have a car from 1974 that is in pristine condition. We put a sound system in it, dual exhaust, Edelbrock intake manifold, 4-barrel carb, chrome air cleaner and valve covers and now it runs about 260 hp. It burns serious rubber, but it did that even before we did anything to it. It does 0-60 in about 6 seconds. This is an awesome car! Especially for my brother to have as it is his first car and he is 16. He bought it from my uncle who's aunt owned it, but she died for $750. It had a few minor dents, but we got them out easily without damaging the paint.
Re the reference to emissions controls reducing horsepower, yes they probably did have some effect, mostly from having to reduce compression ratios to be able to use the lower-lead (and eventually, no-lead) gasoline. But the biggest reason that hp ratings dropped significantly in 1972 was that beginning that year, the manufacturers had to advertise net horsepower, not gross horsepower like they had been doing before.
I found the review to be much more accurate and realistic account of a Dart with a 318 than the comment above. You do not double horsepower ratings by adding a 4-bbl and a dual exhaust. And you are not going to get six second 0-60 times in a 1974 318 Dart--you might as well be claiming that you flew it to the moon-it would be about as believable! The fact that you can spin the tires means only that you don't have much weight over the drive wheels-you can spin the tires on a 4-cyl pickup truck if you want to.
I guess, though, to someone who is 16, a 1974 model must seem like a rare old collector's car--even if it is a Dart!
Hello. I wrote the comment about my bro with the dart above. Well I'm sure most darts are crappy old cars, but this one is actually pretty nice. it's been garaged all it's life and was owned by an old lady. that's why it is so nice. it is a great car and it's reliable. we have had to replace a lot of things in it, but it runs good now. it is my car now. I bought it off my bro. it does run 260 horses with what it has because it does not have power steering or ac. I turned it into more of a muscle car. it has a low powerful gear ratio which is why it's 0-60 time is quick. it is probably more like 7 seconds, but still pretty fast. I think it has the torque-flight tranny? I'm not sure though. I put rims and tires on it so it looks cool. it looks more like a muscle car. heck it is one now. well my experience with it has been great and I'm glad I have it. it's quick enough to beat those imports because of it's low power range.
Darts are VERY popular Mopars and a Dart with a 318 that has performance upgrades can easily have a low 0-60 time. And yes, they are all 30+ year old cars, I'd like anyone to find a 30+ year old car that DOESN'T have problems. In its day the Dart 340 could easily outrun a big block mopar, a Charger for example. Basically it comes down to this, a Dart is a car that is basically going to need full restoration, just like any classic Mopar. And once it's restored and equipped with an upgraded small block 318-340-360 or even a big block 383-440 it is an awesome car for street or strip.
P.S. Good luck with your '74.
I have a '74 Dart Custom with the 225 slant 6 and 244,000 miles on it. The engine was rebuilt at 189K, but it is the original engine. It does have the original TF 904 transmission in it though and stills works perfectly. I don't why people have to give these cars such a bad rep. After 31 years and almost a quarter of a million miles the only thing that don't work is the speedometer (the odometer stills works though-the needle just bounces around a bit). The only rust through is in the bottom of the trunk, but the spare tire fixes that. The body is completely strait and the only sign of rust is the paint bubbling on the rear quarter panels. My point is that not all old Mopars are in need of full restoration. I paid $500 for the car and the money I put into except for gas is $50 for new front shocks and things like oil changes and filters---and I have put almost 30,000 miles on the car! That just goes to show that if you take care of your Mopar it will last forever.
Hey my name is Billy and I am 17 years old and I live in Kansas City Missouri I too have a 1974 Dodge Dart 4dr.Slant Six. I think that they are great old cars. Mine is Sublime green with Crager S/S rims. the only thing wrong with mine is the heater core. I have an all original motor with 147k miles. It just runs great. I just recently won the Chrysler Classic car show with first place in the A Body modified class 70/76. I'm telling you fix em up and they'll win the shows because the are so rare because everyone wants the 2 doors. Good luck on yours.
I drive a '74 Dodge Dart custom with slant six. My dad bought it from an old lady for $500 and it had only 18,000 miles since it was garaged for almost all of its life. So far, everything is original except for small stuff like tires and brake shoes and my crude sound system comprised of a head unit mounted under the dash and two speakers in the trunk that I got for $5. People like to joke about old cars like mine, but I know I could easily outrun them. The only problems with it are some rust on the front fenders and the bottom of the trunk, and lately the transmission's been going and it's not doing so well up hills as it used to. I also had some problems with the seat belt interlock, but that's all taken care of. Still, it's a good car and it's my first as I'm only 17 and I got the car last year. The only things I don't like are the narrow wheel base and the way the back goes almost straight down instead of sloping down gently like on a roadrunner.
Why people like Darts
I won an eBay auction for a 74 Dart custom 4-door, an "old-lady" Sunday car from Florida with 23,000 miles on it. $1,700 I paid. I had it trucked to my boyhood home in Pittsburgh, flew one way to Pittsburgh from my current home in Alaska, started her up -- the slant six purrs like a kitten even at age 31! -- and drove it home to Alaska, about 4,025 miles. I just arrived yesterday (9-23-05).
She never gave me a problem!
Of course, I first had a mechanic look her over to make sure the odometer reading was authentic, that the car was all original and strong enough to take a beating on the Alaska Highway. It was. I then got new tires and shocks on her and replaced hoses and anything else that looked to be weak.
And then I pointed her north and gave her some gas. (Lots of gas, by the way, especially in Canada where it was selling in some places for about $5 a gallon!)
The only setback was the windshield and grille took a beating from rocks on the Alaska Highway. And now there's 27,000 miles on her.
The body, by the way, is solid for a 31-year-old Dart, which seemed to roll off the assembly line with rust in the trunk and back quarters.
Indeed, I got dozens of comments from people -- Nice Car! -- and lots of beeps from passing truckers.
And I was passed by a lot of truckers. That's because darts with 225s were made to be passed. And that's OK with me. My passing days are over.
Anyway, I got the feeling that people liked the Dart because it was, well, a Dart.
It's funny. The car that was least likely to turn heads in 1974 was a Dodge Dart. Now, however, the Dart seems to get more attention than your typical classic car with all the bells and whistles.
Perhaps we've reached a time when these simple, practical, sensible cars are what people miss.
Look for the resale value of these "old-lady" Darts to increase as more and more people in this complicated world yearn for a simpler time.
Mine is not for sale.
Stay warm.
-Tony (b7bingo@mtaonline.net)
Back in high school, My brother and I built, and raced, late 60's - early 70's Mopars for our fun. since that time I have progressively gotten into more and more complicated projects, and have of late been into the import scene. A couple weeks ago my brother called me up and says "Hey I found a car... Dart, looks to be a 74 model, sitting in the weeds at this guys house" so yeah, I jump in the car and run out there, and sure enough, check the VIN, it's a 74 2 door, 318 but its nothing, but a shell and motor.
After a couple minutes of discussing what it COULD be, I approach the owner and ask how much he wants for it, he says "take it home boys, and make her shine". so I did, and I am.
So right now, I have a 74 2 door in my garage, engine on the stand getting worked over, a lot of rust to get rid of, paint, and some interior work to do, but you know... it's a refreshing break to open the hood and see the engine instead of a layer of wires and hoses, and know I don't have to worry about a silly computer. Besides, having experience with these bad boys in the past I know what they can become. My driver car in high school was a 67 with a 383.
Before you comment that dart are old junkers or a waste of time, maybe you should take a moment and try one out, gimme a couple months, and I guarantee this lil 318 powered mini monster will eat everything in the area alive. 0-60 in 6 seconds with a 318? yeah, I've done it. I believe the kid.
Good luck on the project lil man. rock on!
I have a 1974 Swinger. I'm the second owner and the car has 80,000 miles on it. The car is a 10, no rust, no dings, no dents, no door problems etc. It is one bad ass, this car will smoke most cars on the road today, and all the people saying negative stuff just don't have a clue of what they have. A 1974 Dodge with the 318 is one bad ass ride.
Interesting how things change: in 1974 a Dart with a 318 was an old lady car, something grandma drove to the supermarket.
Now, it's "one bad ass ride"? lol.
Yes, it is interesting how these cars have come into their own. It's an indication of how new cars are crappy, ugly, and stupid looking in comparison to some of these old '70s cars. A '74 Dart is a breath of fresh air in a time when every car on the road looks like some generic Toyota. And with a '71 318 2-barrel rated at 230 horsepower (up substantially from the 150 hp rating for a '74), the 318 is not too shabby when facing the realization that the 440's are all in heated, climate controlled garages out of reach of most workaday enthusiasts. With a few minor upgrades to that 318, you have a 300-horsepower, 2-door sport sedan. I think that commands a little more respect than "lots of laughter".
Once again--the '71 hp rating is GROSS rating; th '74 hp rating is NET rating. The hp did not drop substantially from '71 to '74.
And it's a sad state of affairs indeed when a 318 is considered a performance engine.
Don't scoff at the 318. It's already one of the most reliable engines ever built, and it has surprising performance potential. Nobody realizes it because Dodge had no reason to tap it for performance with engines like the 273, 340, and 383 as base engines for performance models. People who bought most grocery getters were perfectly happy with the 318 2-bbl. Performance or not, anyone would have to admit that it's nearly impossible to beat a 318 for reliability and durability.
Dodge detuned all their engines after 1971 to comply with emissions/environmental restrictions. The 1972 340 and 440, for instance, lost compression ratio, intake valve sizes (the 2.02 and 2.08 "coke can" intake valves were gone) and horsepower compared to 1971. The 383 also disappeared, replaced by the more anemic 400. True, they began measuring horsepower differently, brake versus net, but the 1974 318 didn't have the same power/performance as the 1971 318. Now to be fair, some of the later 318 designs did have very good flowing heads that were superior to the earlier design, but they were strangled by emission control devices. Depends how you define substantial: it may not be 230-150 = 80 hp, but I would still guess that horsepower loss was measured in the "10's-of".