1964 Dodge Dart 440 from North America - Comments

The catch for the driver's seat failed, so the seat would flop into the back seat.

The shift linkage or gears in the manual transmission became worn, so would stay stuck in gear.

The Slant 6 engine threw a rod.

This car was great right up until the time the oil seal failed and the engine threw a rod.

There had been no mechanical problems, and no repairs required.

The simple design was great, leaving nothing to go wrong.

The car was extremely easy to start, and always started on the first turn regardless of weather.

I wish that I still had this car. It looked cool, was fun to drive, and easy to work on.

I never heard of a 1964 440 dart. They made 170, 270, wagon, and GT models.

The 440 was not a Dart, it was the middle model of the medium sized Dodge line, above the 330 and below the Polara. The big Dodge was the 880/Custom 880. Perhaps the review writer was unaware that Dodge did make something besides Darts in 1964.

I posted the original review of my 1964 Dodge 440. The preceding two comments require clarification. Both responders are quite right--there was no Dart 440. If you will note, this site does not have a category for a Dodge model 440, only a Dart or Polara. Given the two choices, I went with the Dart category because my 440 was not a performance car, had no stylish options as found in a Polara, and had a Slant 6. I figured that anyone who knew the difference would know what I meant, although I didn't expect any commentary......Don't worry, fellows, I know my old MoPars pretty intimately!

I should also add that I had two Slant 6 engines in this car, and both of them failed by throwing rods. The original engine developed a knock and lost power; the replacement was a slightly lower horsepower '76 vintage and the oil seal apparently failed, and when that engine failed, the pieces of broken rod actually blew out through the oil pan and bounced off the road surface under the car. The Slant 6 has always had a great reputation, reportedly, but with two blown ones, I've been somewhat skeptical and prefer the 318.

I have two dodge darts one 64 270 and one 66 170. I think any engine given enough time will blow a rod or something. How many miles did you have on the 1st before she blew? I have never met one with less than 128,000 miles on it, I also have heard of them blowing, but not going easy. One I have started after sitting in a farm field for 6 years. EXCELLENT car buy one in any condition and leave it on the road. Easy to work on, easy on the eyes.

The Dart 440 on the other hand is an entirely different story that I am not qualified to comment on.

To answer the gentleman from May 7th, 2005: when I acquired the car, the speedometer cable had been broken for an unknown time, and at that young age in my life I didn't pay any attention to the mileage. I was a senior in high school, and for $125 it was enough to have a running, driving car. I replaced the speedometer cable. When the original engine blew, my parents were simply driving it to the airport to pick me up. The oil pressure gauge dropped and the engine developed a knock, so they pulled off. When I picked up the car, it had a very pronounced knock and would run, but didn't have enough power to drive although it would idle. The replacement engine was from a junkyard, so again I have no idea of the mileage. It was good enough to drive from Wisconsin to California and around town for a year. On the return trip, coming up the western slope of the Sierra foothills, the oil pressure gauge dropped and I immediately stopped the car and checked the oil. It was low, so I filled it (although it started out full). I resumed my trip and an hour west of Winnemucca, Nevada on I-70, heard a noise from the engine, and immediately shut off the engine. The oil was low again, so I refilled it. Basically, it lost 5 quarts of oil in about 200 miles, so I knew we were in trouble. I'm assuming the rear main seal dried up and cracked, allowing all that oil to blow out. It wouldn't restart with the key, but we popped the clutch (must have loosened the seized bearing!). It started, but it was obvious that she was done for with a very pronounced knock. We limped along at a slow speed, the knock getting worse until it went "bang" and stuff bounced up from the road and struck the undercarriage. 4 am with a snowstorm coming on in December. I sold it sight-unseen to a guy at the bar in Winnemucca for 25 bucks, who wanted the rims. Just another year, and I would have known how easy it was to rebuild that Slant 6, but driving my 340 Barracuda softened the loss somewhat. Years later I was in Truckee, California, and saw a '64 Dodge 440 hot-rodded up, painted white with a black stripe like mine, and I had to wonder...

The slant 6, these are truly awesome engines within the right hands. The slant 6 was a legendary tough, durable, and long lived among in line 6 engines. I currently own a 225 slant 6 original to my 68 Dodge 100 pick up, having logged over 407,000 miles, I stand true to them, and their legacy. The problem with the engines generally stem from the automobile set up itself, and the owners lack of knowledge, as to how to properly operate it, to get the most from it. The slant 6 was not intended to be a high reeving engine, problem is, many of the cars and trucks came outfitted with such gear ratios that running todays highway speeds it is subjected to such rpm's. Just because your car will run 70 or 80 MPH doesn't mean it should, check your rpm's, keep them below their peak for any distance. In my opinion, with proper care and maintenance, and a watchful eye to rpm's the slant 6 would last longer than any small block, or rice burner ever thought to. Engines back then were well made, and made out of great materials, oils were not as good back then, nor was filtration. If you want performance, and speed from your classic, well... steer clear of the slant 6, there are performance upgrades that can be made, but if it is performance you want, well, I recommend stick with v8's, but if you want unsurpassed dependability, and longevity, and are not concerned with speed, then a slant 6 is your light at the end of a dark tunnel. With the right tire, and gear ratios they will run and hold up to highway speeds, and produce remarkable fuel economy, and in todays date with fuel prices bumping the $3 a gal. mark, I am truly a slant 6 man. Simplicity, economy, durability, and longevity are very important to me, so I drive on a daily basis between my 68 Dodge D-100, and my 64 Dodge Dart 270, and rely on either of these for any, and all cross country journeys.

My family had several Plymouth Volarès with the Slant 6, most with the automatic transmission and one with the 4-speed manual. They were all great cars and I like Slant 6's, and wouldn't be afraid to own another in a heartbeat. In fact I did own a Dodge 440 with a Slant 6 and loved it. Although they are a great engine, as were virtually all engines made by Ma Mopar in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, I don't know that they necessarily deserve the mythical status that some people give to them. What the heck, I've seen plenty of them in the bone yard along with the rest. I would have to say that having owned a variety of Slant 6, small block, and big block Mopars over the years, it is awfully tough to beat the 318 for dependability, durability, economy, and just plain comfortable driving. Those are the reasons why my 318 Charger is my preferred daily and long distance driver, rather than my 340 Barracuda or 383 Newport. But hey, I wouldn't turn up my nose at another Slant 6, 3-speed manual Dodge. My Ramcharger also has a 318, but I could go for a Slant 6 in that as well and be satisfied.

When I was 15 we found a '65 Dart GT, slant 6, also with a thrown rod (which is why it was sitting a gas station). They sold it to us for $200 + $75 for another engine from a wrecked '68 Valiant they had sitting out back. We had a lot of fun learning how to swap the engines and got it running again. The '68 had low oil pressure at idle. Incidentally we had a '68 Valiant at this time, since new, and never had any oiling issues with the engine) I never drove the '65 Dart much and sold it a few months later (back in 1979). It was still running 2 years later when I spotted it at a local shopping mall. It would be cool if I still had it today.