For anyone who knows at least something about the compact portion of our musclecar heritage, you already know that while a lot of early Novas, Ford Falcons and other specimens of compact iron were not really geared toward performance, their relatively nimble structures made for ideal performance builds anyway.
Nobody understands this better than /Drive’s Mopar guru, Mike Musto, âWhen the Dodge Dart was introduced, it really wasnât introduced as a performance car,â says Musto of the A-Bodyâs history. âIt was introduced as a car that your grandmother would buy, or your aunt would buy, or a school teacher would buy.â
Simplicity really seems to be that attainable goal for most resto-modders, as Geoff Gates of Alloy Motors in Oakland, California makes clear, âWe kept it [the Dart] really simple. Itâs got a small-block 360; itâs got some go fast parts on it, like a COMP cam and an Edelbrock intakeâ says Gates of the Oakland Dart build. Gates also shares with us that our featured Dart utilizes a 727 Torqeflite transmission, one that Gates himself describes as âindestructible.â
To build upon the Mopar sledâs structural rigidity, the Dartâs 727 gearbox is linked to an 8-3/4″ rear assembly with 3.55:1 final gears. According to Geoff Gates of Alloy, a state of timelessness was the goal with their super-clean, Dodge Dart build, âThe general look of it… I just wanted it to be mean and nasty!â says Gates of his subtle door-slammer.
âAs far as where I think the hobby is going, itâs more about things that are timeless,â says Gates of what he perceives to be the future of motoring. âThis car will look as cool as it does now, 15-20 years down the road.â With that kind of craftsmanship, combined with a unique taste for Mopar A-Bodies, we have no doubt that this will prove to be an extremely valid statement about what could be one of the Mopar worldâs most profound, midsized builds!
Fanatical about everything LS and Buick Turbo-6, it goes without saying that Sal Alaimo Jr. is on it, when it comes to covering anything late-model. But his musclecar roots can be traced back to Chevelles, Skylarks and the rest of the A-Body family of GM performance!
