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Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Dodge Darts are very common on the Alameda street; we've seen a '64 coupe, a '64 wagon , a '69 convertible , another '69 convertible , a '70 sedan , and a '75 Swinger so far, and that's not even counting the Valiant siblings. By comparison, Falcons and Novas are quite rare. Clearly, that Slant Six is an engine to be reckoned with! I found this car parked between the '69 Olds Cutlass convertible and the '56 Morris (all three cars are owned by the same person), and right across the street from the '54 Ford and '47 Plymouth . Yes, it's that kind of block. Two doors, vinyl top, original black plates- great to see this car still going strong. While it most likely has a Slant Six, it was possible to buy this car new with a 383 or 440 big-block and experience the joys of zero header clearance. galleryPost...
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For those of you who thought the last '69 Dart GT convertible we saw in this series was just too nice , here's one that's taken a much rougher route during its nearly 40 years. Looks like it already had quite a bit of Bondo-centric rear bodywork when it took some sort of impact above the left rear wheel and went from "slightly rough" to "beater" just like that. Still, it's a convertible and the top still looks intact, so it will stay on the road. Perhaps some ambitious owner will get the bodywork done at some point... or use it as a parts car for a nicer Dart convertible. The "GT" badging means this was the top trim level for the Dart in '69; the GT came standard with a Slant Six, though the dual exhausts on this example suggest the presence of a V8 under the hood. The '69 Dart GT with optional 273-inch V8 listed for $2,976 new. That was 39 bucks more than the 302-equipped '69 Mustang convertible and $330 more than the '69 Corvair...
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DOTS Truck Monday has worn enough of a groove in our routine to become sort of a tradition, but so far we've just seen pickups. What about vans? It's been half a year since we saw our last DOTS van , so this nice specimen of a forward-control Dodge fully deserves its day of glory. This Tradesman is Job Rated! With a Slant Six under the hood next to the driver, you know this van really can get the job done. I have a friend who drove one of these (which cost him $100) from Los Angeles to Guatemala and back, and the only problem he had was a sidewall puncture caused by a huge thorn. Surfers like these vans, too, because the engine cover makes a nice warm seat when you're all cold and wet. The forward-control Econoline gets all the press, but I've always liked the A100 just as much. Looks like this van's owner uses it to haul motorcycles, if we are to judge by the stickers. galleryPost('DOTS69DodgeA100', 15, '1969 Dodge A100 Van Down On The Street'); First...
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I've been guilty of Chrysler A-Body neglect once again, despite having quite the backlog of Dart and Valiant photos in my DOTS collection. This isn't because they weren't great cars for their time- cheap, reliable transportation, and pretty quick when equipped with V8 power- but, because I see so many of them in Alameda, I tend to forget that they're quite rare once you leave the island. Today we're going to look at an A-Body you don't see every day, even in Alameda: a Dart GT convertible. After you look at the photos, be sure to vote on your favorite DOTS car this week- Friday is DOTS Poll Day! The GT was the top trim level for the Dart in 1969, selling for more than the base Coronet 440. This one is in pretty good shape- not a show car, but a driver in fairly original condition. Too bad it's not a 4-speed car, though it might have a Slant Six. Buyers who opted for the Dart GTS got the 275-horse 340. The single exhaust suggests that this is indeed a Slant Six...
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I met Randy in the 90s, back when both of us worked at a certain musclecar-parts company with the same name as an X song , and since then he's been helping me out with the scoop on all things Mopar. He's also a pretty good writer and has quite a story to tell about a pair of '69 Chargers he's owned since the 80s... Imagine how it felt to be a Tennessee high school kid with a genuine 4-speed-equipped big-block '69 Charger R/T back in the Late Malaise Era. Probably even better than it felt being a California high-school kid with a genuine Hurst dual-gate-equipped '67 GTO , I tell you what! So, let's hear Randy's tale in his own words. Fasten your seat belts, folks- plenty of twists and turns, heartbreak and redemption ahead! 1982 A time when VW diesel Rabbits and late model Cutlasses with big tires on all four corners roamed freely among the few big blocks that were still being daily driven. The once proud 'shine running country of East Tennessee was being...
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