The Dart is no more...

[dustertogo]

 Wow , sorry about your car but at least you're ok, thats what counts. I agree with the others, don't let it go to salvage. There are alot of good parts on it or you might even be able to fix it. Once you get the front clip off it might not be that bad. Almost everything can be fixed. I'm a bodytech and can tell you things always look alot worse with the smashed sheetmetal on them. I'm just glad you're ok.

[BBLM23]

Ouch!
Glad you are OK.

[kawazuki8097]

Glad you are OK! Geez - seeing the damage makes me sick in the stomach. sux to see all that time and hard work gone. 

[1967dart406]

glad your alright man

[fasttcars]

wow poor car .....good to here you made it out safely...

[SIKPUP]

  Hey DartKnight,

   I was just wondering about what brakes you were using on the front of your dart ?  The problem with these older cars is they stop slower with small drum brakes than all the new lighter cars with 4 wheel disc,  I guess I'm just trying to say is Braking is important with these older darts that need disc brakes in the front to be safe in todays traffic.   Everybody should put on at least 73 and up discs ,in their big or small block rides.

             Not trying to preach,just asking ? 

            Hope your feeling better today,
                                                      SIKPUP

[gregpurcell]

Hey! I'm glad you got out of that one ok. It occurs to me if you had just slammed the D-head who cut you off,(although I know it's instinctive to try to avoid a collision), there probably would have been less damage to you and the Dart. It's hard to Monday morning quarterback an accident, but I also hate to see jerks like that get off without a scratch! Good luck!
Greg Purcell

[Rate]

First and foremost, thank god that you're ok. That's a seriously hard hit, and a tribute to the tough cars they made forty years ago that you escaped only with a little messed up shoulder.

Second, if you're leaving the car at the tow yard, you're crazy. I know it'd be hard to look at it sitting in your yard that way, but you should pull out every single salvageable part you have. Even if you don't want to use them, somebody else will, and besides, have you seen the CRAZY prices that muscle car parts are going for on ebay?! Hopefully you'll get some good money for it from insurance, and can make up the difference from selling parts to build a new monster But don't just throw away money and let the junkyard make all of it.

[dangerdawg]

glad to hear you are ok.

[68GTconvert]

MAn glad you are OK>

[b569rr]

Probably still in shock to worry about parting it out. A former friend of mine totalled my '70 my GS Buick. It sat in a wrecking yard for 4 days until I decided to part it for cash. That was 20 years ago.

I say part it. Havew you seen what you can get for your tail lights and buckets? Glad you are OK.

Tom

[norwaycharger]

I know how you feel.
I had this great 72 Duster.
Got it in 94, sold it in 97 after i put a lot of work into it.
This is the car today

[attachment deleted by admin]

[69 GTS Clonvertible]

Glad to here you are still among the living. The vicodin will help with the after crash, aches and pains also.
I do agree with alot of people on the board.............don't let the wrecking yard have it, but I also understand that it's probably not at the top of your priority list either.

[Sixpak]

A good friend lost his original 68 383 S fastback Cuda in a similar way. If I am ever in a situation like that, I hope I have the presence of mind to NAIL THE SOB WHO CUT ME OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE.

[Bakaruda]

Good luck with the insurance company.

[scaldeddog]

It's hard to look at the car in that condition, but it really will be in your best interest to take any and all salvageable parts out of it. Even if you can save the valve covers and simple stuff like that, you won't have to buy it again. Get a twelve pack and a couple of buddies, and yank everything out of it next weekend - you can sell what you don't want later and recoup a big chunk of change.

Sorry for your loss Bro. 

[StrokerPost]

Man, that blows hard, glad you're alright. You said the guy that caused it didnt stop, did ANYONE stop that could back up your story, the lady in the SUV maybe? Glad your early AMERICAN iron kept ya safe.

[west]

this brings up a thought i had,you mentioned they let you have some of the electronics,did they release the whole car to you?most of the time the ins. co. will keep the car unless you can work out a deal.some companies will not deal.did you have collision or liability?
  when i get my car back on the road i'm going to have to spring for full coverage.because with liability i can just see the estimater opening up a bluebook and giving me $1500 for my 10k dart.

[Mean 318]

I can understand that you just want to end this, and start with your next Dart. Just something to think about, the Ins Co. will prbly sell you the car back for next to nothing! You can salvage a lot out of that car. Maybe help other people who are woking on Darts, or help you build a new car! Again, I wish you nothing but the best!

[DartKnight]

Ok, you guys have convinced me; I'll give the yard a call and find out what they want to get it out. As far as the stuff I took, they told me it was policy to forbid removal of anything unless a commitment was made to pay the fees; I told the guy I wasn't sure I was coming back for it, but he was cool enough to look the other way while I grabbed all I could carry. I had liability (it was all they would give me), but I had just worked out the paperwork the day before and nothing was signed or paid yet, so the cops cited me for no insurance because I wasn't in their system (CA has access to DMV and insurance info now due to a new law). I don't think it matters as far as the accident goes anyway, because of the slightly goofy laws, the cop told me that the lady who hit me was technically at fault since she hit me and I didn't hit the guy in front of me or anyone else while I was dancing all over the freeway. That seems weird to me, and I feel sorry for the lady since there was no way she could have avoided it, but at least that will protect me from some out-of-the-blue lawsuit or insurance haggles.

The brakes: they were still drums, but I've owned many 4-wheel drum cars, and I learned a long time ago not to push my luck there.  I have everything to do the swap, but I was waiting to move to my new house this week, which has a garage (finally). It wasn't the brakes as much as my poor decision to turn the wheel...

The phantom asshole driver: no one else even saw him do it, and the sole witness only saw me doing doughnuts in the fast lane, so I'm sure he's gone for good. That's what pisses me off the most: I know he saw what happened; how can you not see or hear a car skidding and spinning all over the place, and getting plowed right behind you? As far as hitting him square in the rear, I thought about that but since I initially tried to avoid him by swerving into another lane (which would have been bad because I noticed a split-second later that a car was next to me on the right), once those brakes locked, especially at that speed, I was done.

[ahhhh]

Glad to hear you came out unbroken, DartKnight, but I nearly shed a tear at the pic of your car 

Everybody should put on at least 73 and up discs ,in their big or small block rides.

Wouldn't any discs be far better than drums?  I have the KH 4 piston set up from a 69 formula S on my dart, and it stops pretty quick.

[west]

i would file a claim with the lady insurance co. afterall its not her money.most likely you will get a nice check.

[Poison_Dart]

Good to hear that you lived through this, your very lucky, most head on collisions at that speed results in.. well I won't say it , but you know!  it's also a good thing that while slidding sidways you did'nt go in to flip-n-roll , I experiance this as a passenger of a mustang back in the early 80's the driver was doing 90 mph trying to keep a '72 Satellite from passing
him, we wound up dropping off the shoulder he he tried to pull back on and we went into a sideway skid and then fliped about 5=6 times landing upside down, the driver broke his neck and arm, and I walked away with only minor bruises, I was lucky...  and  again You are very lucky.  Good luck with the outcome of re-couping the Dart..

[BoredandStroked]

Not to change the subject but I almost had the same thing happen to me. Day I got my license (finally) I drove about 45 minutes away so I could fill up on gas, and this num-skull in a pontiac vue (going about 55) decided to move into the fast lane, which was the lane I was in. I hit the brakes managed to slow it down from 75 to 70 before the brakes gave out. Tired to turn left but an 18 wheeler would have been my new  passenger with me so I tired the brakes again and they finally worked. Great time to have on your first night out. But anyways I digress.

Just to pound it in your head more, dont let that baby stay in a towyard. If it was me, check out the frame and how bad the metal is from the firewall back, then if its good, throw on a fiberglass front end try and find the parts, put a cage in it, mini tub, throw in a big block and on the side of the car paint, I AM COMIN TO GET YA!!! You can work with anything, just takes alot of time, research, and knowledge. If ya dont believe me I will show you progress pics of a 63 Chrysler I got. Good to see you are alright and hope you get well soon, I know how those shoulders hurt. (dislocated one of mine 4 times and the other 2 times)

[268darts]

It's a sad day to see the death of another Mopar. I'm glad to see you lived through it. And in one piece. You Sir definitly have a guardian Angel watching over you. If I saw that car at the JY I would have thought he came and got you. Sure would be nice to get a hold of that guy. That dummy will try that on an 18 wheeler and won't be so lucky.b  

Save the car. I see a lot of good parts just looking at the picture. I hope you find a H code GTS that needs what ever you can salvage.

[Ciscodog]

Damn dude - go buy a lottery ticket!

Glad you're okay

[1meanfish]

Too bad about your car but at least you're Ok. Salvage what you can and her spirit will live on in the next one!

[MVRCorp]

That's nuts. Wow, glad your OK. Be an "organ donor", There's mopars about to die out here. We'll finance your next Mopar. I'm in for the dash.

[DartKnight]

I talked to the yard today; it'll cost me $430 to get it out and another $100 or so to tow it wherever due to the difficulty of loading it up because of the severe damage to the front end. Every day it sits is another $40. As much as I want to save it, that's money I don't have right now being that I have to find another car like yesterday...if anyone wants it, I'll give you the title and it's yours  it's not worth it, though. 

[Mean 318]

Well that sucks man, but thats awesome that you would do that for another MoPar guy! Hope someone saves her, or at least part of her! Best of luck on your serch!