Here’s a story often told in secret piston-worshipping rituals, where only the most devoted internal combustion devotees are initiated into the sacred legions of the wrench-turning society. Man sees a Mopar body project. Man buys said rolling shell. Man is unhappy with previous work. Man starts over, and lo and behold, this 1971 Dodge Dart custom appears.
In 2020, when the largest part of this planet had other preoccupations, John Barnhart bought the blue body of a 1971 Dodge Dart to give it a daily driver career. The seller started a restoration but stopped after applying a coat of paint.
This is where proper gearheads are separated from the rest of the by-standing commentators and nosy know-it-alls: Mr. Barnhart said, “This isn’t the greatest job in the world,” and started all over again. New paint, new underpinnings, new powertrain, the whole nine yards.
It took 34 months and a mountain of dedication and skill, but the outcome is spot on. The restorer/builder trusted professionals to give the body its bright green hue, fixing it where needed and fabricating the interior. It was finished just in the nick of time to make it to the 2023 World of Wheels car show in West Allis, Wisconsin, last February.
Everything else happened in the man’s garage – a two-car facility, mind you, not some spacious, all-your-automobile-needs car spa. (Then again, Iron Man built his first suit in a cave, but this Mopar is solid-metal real and far better looking than the comics action hero).
Now, this Dodge’s motor started as a standard 383-cubic-inch V8 (6.3 liters) but got bored (of being so mainstream) to a much more respectable displacement of 451 cubes (7.4 liters). This, together with the 15x4s on the front, raises the inevitable question about this car’s fundamental mission. The answer lies in the rear – the drag radials are self-explanatory.
Also, the roll cage – tied to the frame – is not a standard feature for 52-year-old automobiles that one served as Dodge’s entry-level offer. The following details might get many Mopar followers trigger-happy: this reinterpretation of a Chrysler classic has a fiberglass hood. From a Chevrolet! Granted, the massive cowl is beautiful on any ZL-1 Camaro from the period, but it doesn’t seem out of place here.
John Barnhart may not be a man of many words on camera, but he points out all the critical aspects – like the custom-built interior and wiring. Also, while a classic looks the part while in original – or replicating – form, there are some features that we do appreciate in modern automobiles.
A back-up camera (the one with the monitor on the console, not the type that is whooshed out of the car and instructed to show the distance to the invisible obstacle behind the trunk using their six-year-old arms) and a GPS speedometer are excellent additions.
And the 10K RPM promises a lot of tire-tormenting, high-octane blazing fun. Unfortunately, at the time of the filming – the beginning of June – the custom ’71 Dart was not yet road worthy, with the wheels’ alignment still pending (among other finishing touches). We don’t have performance specs for this build, but we’re confident it’s complimenting the looks.
A plate under the hood, just in front of the radiator – see it in the gallery – reads, “Warning: there are no matching numbers or original parts in this old Mopar. Just a lot of hard work and plenty of love.” That’s a motto that defines the man. John Barnhart from Waukesha, Wisconsin, is not at his first try.
At the 2016 edition of World of Wheels, he got three awards for another Dart (a ’68 GT) he put together. He openly admits he is a true gearhead who likes building his cars before driving them. The second video better describes the wrench-throwing habits of Mr. Barnhart (there’s yet another Mopar there, too – a ’73 Plymouth Duster).
And, if that triple achievement doesn’t impress anyone, know this about the Barnhart family: the lady of the house is a hot-rod woman herself, with just as much appreciation for a good build as her spouse. There’s a nice story about the lovely couple that enjoys old Mopars (with fresh muscle): when they bought the Duster – in 2012 – the car had no breaks.
That’s a detail John found out AFTER a tire-spinning start, followed by an abrupt rear-ending of his pick-up truck, before finally stopping in the garage wall. Luckily, no severe damage was done to any of the cars – as Mrs. Mary Barnhart was keen to find out immediately after the incident.
It took a little longer to ask the same question regarding her hubby’s health – because her sister wanted to know about the driver first, not about the award-winning ’68 Dodge Dart GT sitting in the garage. What more proof of true-blue gearhead-ness could one provide to Planet Piston?
As for this 1971 Dodge Dart shining Synergy Green has the afore-lauded 451 linked with a bullet-proof A727 TorqueFlite with a full manual valve body and an 8¾ Sure Grip rear axle with 3.91 gears. Four-disc brakes replaced the original stopping system – but there’s no power assistance – and the steering is the classic rack-and-pinion manual.