1963 Dodge Dart

The Dodge Dart of 1960 rested on a 118-inch wheelbase that was four inches shorter than the larger full-size Dodge. It had unitized body and chassis construction (a new feature), a standard 225 cubic-inch 'Slant Six', and offered in 'Seneca,' 'Pioneer,' and 'Phoenix' trim levels with two- and four-door sedan, station wagon, hardtop coupe, and convertible body styles.

A facelift occurred in 1961 and was followed by a complete restyling in 1962 with a 116-inch wheelbase. The base trim level for 1963 included the Dart 170, the intermediate Dart 270 Series, and the top-trim level GT. Dodge's compact Lancer ended in 1962 and the Dart was re-positioned to fill its void, although it was slightly larger and longer than the Lancer. A convertible body style was offered on both the GT and the intermediate 270. The base 170 Series was offered as a two- and four-door sedan, and station wagon. The two-door sedan had a factory base price of $1,980, the four-door at $2,040, and the station wagon at $2,300. All were equipped with six-cylinder power and approximately 51,300 examples of the Dart 170 Series were built in 1963.

The Dart styling was smoother, with a Dodge crest located on the hood, a single body feature line horizontally traversing the beltline complemented by a smaller feature line that ran horizontally at the lower side of the body, wrapping around the upper rear wheel-well and continuing back to the rear bumper. In the front was a concave grille flanked by single round headlights. The grille was made up of six sections or four double chrome vertical bars above the wraparound chrome bumper. Chrome was also used around the windshield, rear window moldings, and headlight doors. A Dart emblem was located on the roof 'C' pillar, and standard equipment included electric windshield wipers, dual horns, saddle moldings, sun visors, turn signals, cigar lighter, and armrests in the front.

The intermediate Dart 270 Series was priced from $2,080 to $2,430 and body styles included the same as on the Dart 170 plus a $2,385 convertible. Approximately 55,300 examples of the Dart 270 (not including station wagons) were built and all were equipped with six-cylinder power.

The Dart GT was offered as a hardtop coupe, priced at $2,290, and a convertible at $2,510. Dodge produced approximately 34,300 examples of the Dart GT during the 1963 model year, and again, all were six-cylinder powered. The GT trim level added a padded instrument panel, bucket seats, and wheel covers.

Two sizes of the slant-six were available including the 170 and 225 CID versions. Both had overhead valves, solid valve lifters, and five main bearings. The 170 CID used a Carter one-barrel carburetor and offered 101 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The 225 CID used a Holley one-barrel carburetor and had 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The aluminum engine block for the 225 was discontinued early in the 1963 model year. An all-new, compact, lightweight 273 cubic-inch V8 became optional after the start of the 1964 model year. 1964 was also the final year for the pushbutton control of the optional TorqueFlite automatic transmission

The 1963 Dart came standard with a three-speed manual transmission, while the three-speed TorqueFlite was optional. Other options included an AM radio, carpets in the 170, backup lights, heater and defroster, two-tone paint, power steering, front seat belts, well covers, windshield washers, and white sidewall tires.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020