What can you guys tell me about early 70's Dodge Colts

big fan of the way escorts look and these little buggers look sort of similar.

what sort of engines work well in them and how much fun are they to drive when given some mild modifications?

if i were to ever get one it would be used as a fun street car.

i am not in the market for a car i just really enjoy talking about them with you guys.

but when i can afford a "new" toy i want to have as much info as possible to make the right choice.

http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/847709112.html

is that about what they are going for now in decent shape?

You are too late. Most of the remaining Colt related rally stuff in the US just went to Finland.

If you get one, I'll dig up the Bilstein numbers for replacement suspension.

Back in the day, you had the hopped up C2/C3 Colt engines and lots of goodies.

The price on the NH car is a little high.

Wilson

---

"Talk about drugs. Driving a car like that, going that fast, it’s like all the drugs at once." - Tommy Byrne

"Now, Pinky, if by any chance you are captured during this mission, remember you are Gunther Heindriksen from Appenzell. You moved to Grindelwald to drive the cog train to Murren. Can you repeat that?" - The Brain

wvonkessler Wrote:
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> You are too late. Most of the remaining Colt
> related rally stuff in the US just went to
> Finland.
>
> If you get one, I'll dig up the Bilstein numbers
> for replacement suspension.
>
> Back in the day, you had the hopped up C2/C3 Colt
> engines and lots of goodies.
>
> The price on the NH car is a little high.

good to know.

i would imagine i am not the first person to fall inlove with the escort and then notice how similar tho 70s colts are. and relatively chaper too.

Greg Donovan Wrote:
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>
>
> i would imagine i am not the first person to fall
> inlove with the escort and then notice how similar
> tho 70s colts are. and relatively chaper too.

But since the Colts were just disgusting cheap junk cars nobody really loved, when they hit the wrecking yards 20 or more years ago, they were crushed immediately.

I've seen on on the road and 1 in my fave wrecking yard in the last 7 years here in NO RUST LAND.

They're gone effectively.

On the other hand a car i see as what should rightfully be "The Escort of the Americas" the 240 Volvo, there were 11 240s at the pull-a-part in Lynwood (25 miles North) last week and about 9-10 STRAIGHT non rusty 240s in the Tacoma wrecking yard (26 miles South) just a coupla days ago.
And that's just in 2 yards.

Truth is the Volvo is better sized for US roads both physically and powerplant-wise.


And there are endless parts available to keep the bugger going.

As much as I like Xartties, the Volvo is a better argument from the simplicity point of view and with the engine placement well back in the motor-room, it is a surprisingly well balanced car.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Greg,

It's never too late for a Colt. ( If you want a 95.3" wheelbase rallycar.)

That said, it IS nearly too late to build a Colt to vintage spec's. I'm one of the last guys in America with a couple of OEM LSD's but have nothing for the 1600 engines. I also have all the old Mopar published info prepared by Scott Harvey.

However, you CAN build the Colt that's never been built if you have a couple of chassis ( one to build / one for spare body parts):

- Use the Escort build spec's as a guide for chassis prep
- Use a Starion 2.6L Turbo engine & 5sp. (Bolts right in)
- Use Starion front Struts & Brakes (With JVL's Bilsteins)
- Use a Volvo rear diff with LSD & Disc Brakes.
- The rest is standard rallycar prep common to anything.

This package will easily give you a very torquey RWD 2,400lb car with 200-240 HP. I don't know about your area, but around here good donor Starions can be bought for about $500.

Rich Smith

the volvos are very attractive.

i think that if i were to build a rally car the volvo would be the way to go for a RWD car.

there is someone in town here in fargo with a very nice old colt.

but for a fun street car that i could play around with at a rallycross or autocross i think a colt could be a blast.

i am noticing that they are tough to find however.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2008 12:34AM by Greg Donovan.

Greg Donovan Wrote:
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> the volvos are very attractive.
>
> i think that if i were to build a rally car the
> volvo would be the way to go for a RWD car.
>
> there is someone in town here in fargo with a very
> nice old colt.
>
> but for a fun street car that i could play around
> with at a rallycross or autocross i think a colt
> could be a blast.
>
> i am noticing that they are tough to find
> however.
>
That's the thing, and it applies to masses of otherwise excellent cars.
Waddya do when you need a BLINKER LENS?
Or a lower control arm?
Or gawd forbid a windsheild.
You're bugged royally.

It and a stack of other cars, would have been a fun, cheap beater car 20 years ago.

Now unless you already have a stash of critical parts, there's no point in purposely saddling yourself with sourcing problems in advance when plenty of easier routes exist, easier routes to having the same fun.

Cause good cheap fun is what we're all after.

Greg in that respect despite age and experience difference, I'm in the exact same boat as you, we're searching for a fun way to play on an near non-existant budget in troublingly insecure economic times.
It ain't easy, bro.
>
>
>
>
> Edited 1 times. Last edit at Oct 14, 2008 by Greg
> Donovan.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

yeah, if i want to have fun as cheap as possible the old 90 FWD legacy is looking even more attractive than before since i have one that isnt rusted out and runs great.

but unless someone wants to foot the bill it is not going to be a rally car anytime soon.

co driving was fun but i cant even afford to do that anymore. so it is rallycross when i can.

thanks for the info everyone.

i agree that unless i stumble upon acres of cash a 77 colt would be a terrible rally car for me.

JVL is sooo right on this one. Too many old cars aren't supported with replacement parts nowadays. Windshields, suspension bits, lights, body parts and so on. I had to replace a fuse box on a late 90's Saturn...obsolete part already.

At the high price of scrap, the even higher price of real estate taxes and the lack of volume for rebuilding cars 20 years old, it will continue to get ugly.

Few old cars are desireable and available at the same time, Volvo, Vw, RX-7 and some Z cars are popular enough to be still around in numbers sufficient for new parts, Craigslist and wrecking yards. Old 510s, RX3s, Colts/Arrows even the AE86 will get harder to keep going. It's a sad thing to wait 6 or 8 months to get a used windshield for $200.

The trick would be to get a car you like, then get 2 or 3 replacement shells for parts before you spend any time and money violating the first one. That's why I had 3 Audi CGTs, have 3 Maxda 323s and am collecting Datsun Z cars as we speak. Does take up a bit of land also.

Other info sources on these Colts and related cars would be Steve Nowicki, Henry Krolikokski, and Scott Harvey Jr in MI. They all had/have these cars. Be also aware that the late 70's/early 80's Plymouth Arrows share the same underpinnings and drivetrain as the last couple of year of 70's Colts. The 2.6L Fire Arrow setup is a better drivetrain for long term support; you can get a lot of later engine parts that were shared with the Conquest/Starion line of the late 80's, that will often bolt right in. However, the Arrows were not used internationally for rallies, so are not 'classic world rally cars of the day'. The Arrows WERE the car to beat for several years in the US as P class cars, before the G2 and G5 classes came along, and were VERY quick in capable hands. They are all 'twitchy' to drive in a rally, with the short wheelbase, and the simple, leaf sprung live rear axle. The 2.6L made them nose heavy; the 1.6L engine with C2 'Safari' parts was the 'classic' rally engine for a long time.

All are VERY simple cars to work on and maintain. But you do need to build a stash of parts, partcularly body parts and glass. The poor paint and primer system used on these cars made them rust from the outside-in, so body parts are pretty rare anymore. Since the rest of the parts were common within the Mitsu car/ligth truck family for many years, finding and substituting drivetain, suspension, and steering parts has been relatively easy through the recent past. We were buying all new steering link parts and bushings as late as 5 years ago.

Mark B.

so, it would be a spendy little rally car but it sounds like they were fun to drive and would make a great street car.

Greg Donovan Wrote:
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> so, it would be a spendy little rally car but it
> sounds like they were fun to drive and would make
> a great street car.
>
>
If you like 4.7 very vague turns lock to lock steering, a rear axle located soley by the buggy (leaf) springs, front brakes about 8" in diameter, and a transmission with a whole so large between 2nd and third that you could drive a truck thru it, then it sounds like a GREAT street car.
A great big pile of shit.

Come on, really.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

john vanlandingham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A great big pile of ...............
>
> Come on, really.
-------------------------------------------------------


Comrade,

My British cousin, Dennis, said I must now taunt you a second time:

"Your mother was a hampster... and your father smelled of elderberries."

Zoe...Now let huss see zee violence inherent in zee the syst'em.

Rich Smith

so what your saying is that it would need a new steering rack, turret the rear suspension and convert it to coilovers and a new setup to locate the axel it would be a great car.
john vanlandingham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Greg Donovan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > so, it would be a spendy little rally car but
> it
> > sounds like they were fun to drive and would
> make
> > a great street car.
> >
> >
> If you like 4.7 very vague turns lock to lock
> steering, a rear axle located soley by the buggy
> (leaf) springs, front brakes about 8" in diameter,
> and a transmission with a whole so large between
> 2nd and third that you could drive a truck thru
> it, then it sounds like a GREAT street car.
> A great big pile of shit.
>
> Come on, really.
>
>
>
> John Vanlandingham
> Sleezattle, WA, USA
>
> Vive le Prole-le-ralliat
>
> www.jvab.f4.ca