Hello, I am sort of new in here.

[Bills65Dart]

Glad I was admitted in here, thank you. I do not have neither, F, M nor J body car, but I have a well, guess my nick says it all. A '65 Dart, it is a 4 door.
Originally I am from Norway, far north. In the A bodies only forum I have a thread about my Dart and history of that, and also my mistake ending up with Fords. But back with Mopar now, and I am 58. It sort of took it's time, but I am happy I am on the right side now.

Anyway, I think from 1991 or so, and up to 2012-13, 40 weekends a year more or less, I drove by a tiny little farm where it was sitting a Dodge Aspen outside the barn. It sat with the front to the road, and it was a station wagon. For all those years, I was looking at that Aspen, driving a Ford, and dreaming about that Aspen. On Friday when passing it one way, and on Sunday when passing it the other way on my way back home. I am still dreaming about that Aspen, but now I am living in northern California, my wife is from here.

I have a '04 Grand Marquis as my daily driver, and it sits out here sometimes in front of the Dart, sometimes behind it, and I still dream about an Aspen, either 4 door, or a station wagon would even be better. I have no place to fix it, or whatever. Can not afford one that is all shiny and restored by someone else, but still dreaming.
Looking almost every day online to see if there is one that fits my wallet and is close enough. Perhaps a running and rolling project. No idea if it will happen, but the dream is there.
225 would be completely fine, A/C is a must if I am ever going to take my wife for a drive, Power steering too, and automatic.

Well, life is not always easy.

Perhaps this ended up in the wrong forum here...

 

[Justwondering]

Bill65Dart ...
You could substitute 1977 Green Chrysler Cordoba for your Aspen and that sounds like me. LOL

Welcome. Have to be patient. Check here: All of Craigslist and key in dodge aspen and see what you get.
Each of these sites (forfmjbodiesonly, forabodiesonly, forcbodiesonly) has a mopar car for sale forum... check those.

Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

JW

 

[Aspen500]

Wanting an F-body is reason enough to be here!

Years ago, i had a pair of '66 Dart's. One was a base model 2 dr sedan with one option, a 225 instead of the standard 170 and that was it. The other was a GT, 273 4 brl, 4-speed, factory disc, factory AM/FM, p.s., the works. I miss both of them but at the time, a couple cars had to go and I needed my truck so it stayed and my Aspen was never even an option to sell, and never will be!

 

[Bills65Dart]

Wanting an F-body is reason enough to be here!

Years ago, i had a pair of '66 Dart's. One was a base model 2 dr sedan with one option, a 225 instead of the standard 170 and that was it. The other was a GT, 273 4 brl, 4-speed, factory disc, factory AM/FM, p.s., the works. I miss both of them but at the time, a couple cars had to go and I needed my truck so it stayed and my Aspen was never even an option to sell, and never will be!

Here is my story.
My second 1965 Dodge Dart.

 

[Bills65Dart]

Bill65Dart ...
You could substitute 1977 Green Chrysler Cordoba for your Aspen and that sounds like me. LOL

Welcome. Have to be patient. Check here: All of Craigslist and key in dodge aspen and see what you get.
Each of these sites (forfmjbodiesonly, forabodiesonly, forcbodiesonly) has a mopar car for sale forum... check those.

Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

JW

Thank you, and thank you for the link. I was not aware of that one.

 

[Justwondering]

And thats why we like Aspen500 ... a man that knows what's important and champions the ASPEN cause!

Woot Woot....
JW

 

[Justwondering]

Bill - thats a great story. Loads of pictures. Thanks for sharing.
JW

 

[LSM360]

Welcome!

We understand the dream for a certain Mopar!!! You'll find it your Aspen wagon with A/C!!! You are in Cali and there are a lot of good inexpensive ones out there so like others wrote, just be patient, and it shall come

 

[Sub03]

Heey, a fellow norwegian on the forum.
That's a cool Dart Bill. Good luck in your search for an Aspen.

 

[Bills65Dart]

Heey, a fellow norwegian on the forum.
That's a cool Dart Bill. Good luck in your search for an Aspen.

I need to motivate myself and get the Dart up and running properly first.

 

[Bills65Dart]

Welcome!

We understand the dream for a certain Mopar!!! You'll find it your Aspen wagon with A/C!!! You are in Cali and there are a lot of good inexpensive ones out there so like others wrote, just be patient, and it shall come

Over the years I have lived here, I have many times wondered how an older car would be to own here in California. And I am not talking about the 1965 Dart I have, there is no inspection of that car, just pay insurance and registration and that's it. But, a 1976 to 1980 car is different, and what if I find a car out of state, would that be possible to get on the road here, and even if it is a California car, what does it take to keep it running, does all the smog equipment have to be kept intact and working, or how are those things here in this state. So, maybe we need to move to a different state.

 

[LSM360]

California can be strict. I'm in Florida, and it's no problem. I think the Aspen you desire would be smog exempt.

 

[Bills65Dart]

California can be strict. I'm in Florida, and it's no problem. I think the Aspen you desire would be smog exempt.

View attachment 40867

A car with the model year 1975 and older is smog exempt in California. An Aspen is 1976 or newer.

Smog Inspections - California DMV

However, there has been talking about making cars from 1975 to 1981 exempt too, but only talking and rumors.

But, I don't know what it takes to get it through the smog inspection, that is my problem. And, I have yet to find any information about it.

 

[Bills65Dart]

Or, was all Aspen California "approved", no matter what ?

 

[Mikes5thAve]

Even back then they had california emissions packages.
As far as I know you can get a car that age licensed in California as long as it's emissions parts haven't been removed and it can pass smog. Seems like a joke when you see some of the junk they're picking up and driving locally on Roadkill and different youtube channels.

 

[Bills65Dart]

Even back then they had california emissions packages.
As far as I know you can get a car that age licensed in California as long as it's emissions parts haven't been removed and it can pass smog. Seems like a joke when you see some of the junk they're picking up and driving locally on Roadkill and different youtube channels.

I have found a little more about it. From what I see, on cars so old that they can not hook up a computer to it, they measure the gases out of the exhaust, then they look for a sticker in the engine room saying it is California compliant. The next is to see that all the emission parts are in place, and connected. I don't know if they check if they work, but it says they check it is in place. And, from what I understand it has to be fairly original. If a part is replaced, it has to meet the OEM part that was on the car from factory. It also listed an example of something that did not have to be original. If a hose is formed in a certain way, with for example an angle on, they were ok if someone put a universal hose on that could be bent the way needed.

I am not against clean cars, don't get me wrong. I have no issues with parts being as they originally was. But, on that old cars I suspect that some parts might not be available anymore.
What I do have an issue with here in California is that if someone develop a better part than the original one, a head for example that gives lower emissions by itself, it will not be allowed to use it. So, even if California has managed to get cleaner air, they have at the same time ruled out a lot of new inventions and technology that could have made it even cleaner, just because it is a two sided thing, one is to make the air cleaner, and the other is to make as much money as possible. And, as we all know, authorities very often go over board with the making money thing, especially if it smell of "tax" or "fee". Then it ranks very high. It is like that all over the world, and I come from Norway, and it is notorious for their taxes and fees. If they could charge a citizen more in taxes and fees than the citizen makes, if that was possible, they would do it. In a heart beat.

In my opinion, if the car let out less emissions than the rules for that years was, it should not matter what parts people put in the car.

 

[Mikes5thAve]

The only thing is especially back then cars were built specifically to meet california emissions when they were sold there so most cars if they were sold in other states wouldn't have the sticker saying it's california compliant because they aren't.
I would guess when someone brings a vehicle in that it wouldn't be a problem as long as the emissions equipment isn't missing and the tail pipe emissions are within their standards. Or like other places you can probably find a garage somewhere that would let it thru anyway.

 

[Bills65Dart]

The only thing is especially back then cars were built specifically to meet california emissions when they were sold there so most cars if they were sold in other states wouldn't have the sticker saying it's california compliant because they aren't.
I would guess when someone brings a vehicle in that it wouldn't be a problem as long as the emissions equipment isn't missing and the tail pipe emissions are within their standards. Or like other places you can probably find a garage somewhere that would let it thru anyway.

My wife has a '06 Charger, Daytona, and a cold air intake. When Chrysler got the air intake approved they got a number for the aprovement. Last time the car was in for smogging, it was failed. The air intake did not have a sticker on with the number. I said, but this car has been smogged with the same cold air intake and it has not been a problem before. I know, the guy said, but this year we have gotten far stricter rules, if it is something that was not on the car from new, it has to have the sticker on. So, my wife had to take a picture of her intake and engine room and send it in an email to Dodge, and they sent her a sticker. And, regular shops here does not do smogging. Only special places, and sometime you are asked to go to a Star approved smog place, so I would not rely on being able to work around things.

Anyway, I have gotten a Chilton 1972 to 1979 American car repair manual, and from what I see there is not a whole lot of emission stuff on an Aspen in for example 1976. PCV and EGR, more or less. And I guess the catalyst.