Car of the Week: 1969 Dodge Dart GTS ‘M’ Code

dodgechargerfan

dodgechargerfan

CanadianGary
Administrator
IMG_5780.JPG


Back in 1972, Mickey Tate was probably the only 15-year-old 1969 Dodge Dart GTS ‘M’ Code owner in the country. There weren’t many parents around at that time — or any time for that matter — who would allow their kid behind the wheel of such a hairy machine. But Tate’s dad was different.

“Two months before I turned 16, my dad bought me an “M” Code Dart. It was yellow with a black interior and it did have an AM radio in it,” says Tate, a resident of Mt Morris, Ill., “He was a big hot-rodder himself. In 1967 he bought a brand new, first-year Mercury Cougar GT. It had a 390 four-speed, and my mom’s car was a ’66 Olds four-speed, 4-4-2. Those were the two cars that we had when I was 11 years old!

“My dad used to be a pretty good local racer, so he was into those cars in those days.”

Read more.
 
i almost had a 1969 plum crazy purple GTS for my first car when i was 16. it was the 383, 4 speed version and i was that close (holds fingers ½" apart).....then the dealer fired it up and romped it. dad looked at me and said "no fucking way". :(
 
A guy I know is selling a Dart.
I don't know much about it except it is a 6 cylinder, body is clean and straight. It needs paint,clean interior. He wants $5k,I think it is worth more.
 
DFB said:
A guy I know is selling a Dart.
I don't know much about it except it is a 6 cylinder, body is clean and straight. It needs paint,clean interior. He wants $5k,I think it is worth more.
Click to expand...
5k is about right for a Slant 6 car that doesn't need a ton of work.
 
dodgechargerfan said:
Damned near bullet proof and very low maintenance.
Click to expand...
the Ford is pretty bullet proof too. but the advantage to the Nine is that the whole ring/pinion assembly is modular and can be pulled out (the front) as a unit and worked on and set up on the bench, instead of thru the back of the diff housing while in place.
 
mongooz said:
the Ford is pretty bullet proof too. but the advantage to the Nine is that the whole ring/pinion assembly is modular and can be pulled out (the front) as a unit and worked on and set up on the bench, instead of thru the back of the diff housing while in place.
Click to expand...
The 8 3/4 is the same way.
"Switchin' pigs" is how you drive your car to the track on tall gears for good fuel economy, swap in stump pullers and win, swap back for the drive home.

IMG_5813.JPG
 
dodgechargerfan said:
The 8 3/4 is the same way.
"Switchin' pigs" is how you drive your car to the track on tall gears for good fuel economy, swap in stump pullers and win, swap back for the drive home.

View attachment 35304
Click to expand...

huh.....i didn't know that. i guess i always thought the 8.75 was the same as the 8/10 bolt GM. i've never worked on a 8.75, but i've owned a few.
why is it that so many racers, regardless of engine brand, seemed to use the Ford 9". even Strange Engineering used it for their custom rears.
 
mongooz said:
huh.....i didn't know that. i guess i always thought the 8.75 was the same as the 8/10 bolt GM. i've never worked on a 8.75, but i've owned a few.
why is it that so many racers, regardless of engine brand, seemed to use the Ford 9". even Strange Engineering used it for their custom rears.
Click to expand...
Besides the things we've already mentioned, strength and modularity, they were plentiful.
Which means they were cheap to get.
The aftermarket took that to mean preferred or popular and based their "new" designs on them.
And of course, parts were plentiful and cheap, relatively speaking.
 
My Uncle Charlie bought the Swinger.
1971-dodge-swinger.jpg

It was a bold move for Uncle Charlie, but he was getting up there, I think he was 70 when he bought it. I loved it. This one was the same color and everything, though the webpage said they came w/a 340, I'm pretty sure Unc's had the Slant 6. I loved the grillework, the roofline, the color, and it's smaller, compact size compared to all the huge landyachts running around back then.

When he bought it new (and I think his was a '69 or '68, he decided to drive it down to the Coast from his home in Atlanta. About 70 miles from Biloxi, he'd somehow managed to enable the hazard warning lights. That system was new in 1968, as were side marker lights. He had no idea how to turn them off so he kept driving. After a while, he got the attention of the highway patrol, who pulled him over and they both spent a few minutes on the side of the road trying to turn them off.

The horn was something I always remembered on these cars; the "button" wasn't a button at all, or a horn ring or anything else you'd expect or be looking for. You'd just squeeze the steering wheel. There was a thin, rubber lining all the way around the inside circumference of the steering wheel, and you'd just squeeze the wheel, wherever your hands happened to be.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top