i am considering a hot rod soon and i want an a body. dart or duster is the question. any suggestions(advantages/disadvantages) thanks.

I would go for a '70-72 Duster or a '63-'66 Dart since they are best looking and lightest weight of the two types you mentioned.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines

While I have a '65 Dart and think it is great. I would suggest the Duster. Bigger wheel wells make for more tire room, bigger engine compartment makes for more possibilities in the future. Just my .02 worth.

Where are you at? I found a '67 Barracuda coupe that is an abandoned race car project. It could be a '68 or '69. The rear floor pans and chassis members have been removed. No glass or doors, what's left of it is solid and straight. This would make an excellent race car.

67 to 69 Valiants are lighter than Dusters. Also cheaper to get if you can find them. Kind of like Dollar General Stores, sort of off the beaten path. Lots of people on the west coast almost give these cars away.

If you're even thinking of a V8 swap, I would advise avoiding the '66 and earlier ones. There are very few headers for these cars that fit without cutting up the fenderwells - not a particularly good idea on A-bodies since they are extensions of the frame rails and contribute a lot to the overall stiffness of the car. The pre-'67 cars are also considerably tougher to find resto parts for. On the other hand, they're less commonly seen hot rodded, and light weight.

The '60-'61 cars have an oddball suspension that has far less aftermarket than later ones. The '62 cars, while sharing the extremely distinctive Virgil Exner styling of the older ones, roll along on the more modern suspension, making disc brake conversions and handling upgrades easier.

The '67-'72 A-bodies are all very similar for performance purposes, and are probably the most "mainstream" choices. They have the best aftermarket support of all A-bodies, enough room to comfortably do a V8 conversion if you decide on one, but are a little heavier than the early cars.

The '73-'76 cars often came with the large bolt pattern from the factory. They are the heaviest of all A-bodies, though, and I do not think the styling is as good as earlier models.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair