1968 Dart conversion from sedan to hardtop

What would be need to convert a 68-69 Dart from a 2 door post car to a hardtop. I know the roof, windshield and side glass are different. Are the upper quarters different where they meet the roof line? Is the dutchman panel different? I read somewhere the doors are the same if you remove the post? Any input on this.

I am no expert , but I would guess that if you are not capable of doing the work yourself , it would be more cost effective to just track down a clean hard top.
Even one that needs work would likely be less hours and $$$.

After being involved in some restorations, I figured out that premium prices paid for relatively rust free sheetmetal and bodies that need less work is a good investment. Not getting any easier to find, at any price. I would think the project you are suggesting would be major and probably need donor parts from a hardtop car that could have been redone itself.

While on the subject of Darts, anyone ever use a 70 & up hardtop Dart shell, that needs quarters anyway, to build a '68/'69 Dart?

Know for a fact at one time an original 68 Hemi Dart had the last foot cut off the quarters to weld on 70/71 quarter ends. This was done so he could run in the newer class back in the day. It was then switched back to the 68 rear during restoration. The car is shown today.

If you know anyone really good at this (adapting big panels from a similar car): he might try making a car that may be fictional (although I may have seen a really good fake):
1962 Catalina bubble top

2 door post cars are cool. Why change it?

I’m sure you could find someone to trade you shell for shell. If I had a shell I’d trade ya in a heartbeat for a post car.

HT: pretty
SD: serious

Maximus: too much to be worth doing...

Sedan is also structurally stronger than HT, though that may not be a consideration.

Way too much work. The dutchman panel, rear window area, rear seat area, rear door pillars, trunk reinforcement along with parts you mentioned including the A-pillars would all have to be changed. As said above, use what ya got or get a hardtop. A handful of the original Hemi Darts were converted to 70-up style as mentioned above. You can find 70-up hardtops easier and cheaper than a true 68, just weld the rear tail light panel on, the 68 fenders are the same. Only difference in doors is where the locks are located.

Why bother? Like said, just find a hardtop, they're out there.

2 door sedans can be cool if done right though. The one below was for sale a few years ago.

Wasn't this a converted Hemi Dart?

Yes it was. Was also the Chrysler Power Magazine test car.

I believe it has been restored to 68 trim now.

WHY?

I ask myself that every day , and all I did was cut up a '65 factory a.c. car. LOL

To be specific - a person who desires to build a legal Stock or Super Stock '68 or '69 Dart hardtop may be able to find a nicer 70 and up body for less money than a 67, 68 or 69. If the quarter panels need to be replaced anyway, it seems to be a sensible route to take.

That's almost too bad in a way, might have been cool to see it restored as an early Pro Stock like the above pic instead of your garden variety Hemi Dart over-restoration.

^^^True Muscle there^^^

Ii wouldn't trade mine for a HT.

Gorgeous Dart COWBOY!

I'm like others to the point where if any conversions were to be done, I'd be going from a hardtop to a post car!

- EM

Hafta think the main reason that Chrysler chose a hard top over a post sedan for the '68 Hemi S/S cars was looks since the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" adage wasn't happening with lo-po, zero option sedans.

Not to say that Dart sedans can't be made to look mean but back in 1968 the majority of the 'youth market' wouldn't be caught dead in a Slant 6 grandma sedan. Looking at it that way, the '68 Hemi package car program would have been tough to justify to management if there was little to no potential for sales. The engineers knew perfectly well the post chassis was lighter and stiffer so choosing to design the package around a hardtop defied basic racing logic.

No matter though, the hardtops did OK anyway and still do!

The sedans look more like the old super stock wedge cars to me.

'68 and '69 sedans are legal for class with a 318 or smaller engine only. Wasn't a performance oriented platform. But, if you like them for what you're doing, that's fine too.

I know of a '69 Valiant sedan in Modified that I like and is mighty impressive and way up there on the "cool" scale.