Clean 1973 Dodge Dart With V8 Power!
As the proud former owner of at least five Dodge Darts, I feel qualified to write about this one—even though mine all had the ultra-reliable 225-cubic-inch slant six and this splendid 1973 example is powered by Chrysler’s also-reliable 318-cubic-inch V-8, good for 150 horsepower. (The 340 was the line topper.) It’s for sale here on eBay with bidding at $7,400. The location: Beverly Hills, California. Yes, a Dodge Dart in Beverly Hills.
This was a very good year for the 111-inch-wheelbase Dodge Dart, with changes including those massive bumper overriders you see above, mandated by federal law. Some 134,979 were sold. The vendor claims this very clean-looking car has mostly original paint, set off nicely by an intact (or replaced) black vinyl roof. The chrome, subject to peeling and rusting on these cars, looks good here. And the cream interior is very nice also. There’s a column-shifted automatic for the 318, and both engine and transmission are said to be “in great condition.” Of course, having said that, the seller adds that the motor is running rich and needs a carburetor replacement. Air conditioning is noted, and I can see the vents and hoses, but unclear if the system works. The engine bay is quite tidy.
The other mechanical faults that we know about are a brake booster that functions as intended but has a vacuum leak in the intake line, and a leaky transmission pan gasket. “This is a very nice vehicle that will need a little work to make it a perfect daily driver or a weekend cruiser!” the seller says.
A photo reveals that the original hubcaps and steering wheel are part of the deal, and maybe the original wheels, too. That’s good—I’d be inclined to bring this one back to bone stock.
There’s not much more to say about this car. If you’ve been wanting one of these, it’s a very good candidate, though the bidding has already gone pretty high. The faults are pretty minor, and at 95,000 miles it’s got a lot of life left in it. The data plate below indicates the car was build in late 1972.
The ad mentions possible use as a daily driver, but that’s not likely in 2020. These cars can be a lot of work around town (especially if power steering isn’t part of the picture), and they’re totally bereft of any modern conveniences. AM radio, anyone? Summer use and shows is a more likely future for this car. Do you agree?
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Comments
Personally, I feel that the front grille treatments on these later Darts were not nearly as good looking as previous versions. To me, it seems as though it was a “phoned in” type of effort. Otherwise, a nice clean example! GLWTA! :-)
I agree – Plymouth did a much, much better job with the Valiant/Duster nose.
The front looked basically the same until the end. I like the looks of the rear on this one, but not a big fan of what they did with the 1974 to 76 models.
Looks like Axel Foley left his car behind when he moved back to Detroit.
Right. His car was a 71/72 Chevy Nova. The poor thing was a wreck! Lol. Great looking Dodge though
His car was a battered and deep fried (sorry, Wisconsin joke lol) 1968 Nova.
Not what I’d expect from the filthy rich Beverly Hills, maybe the neighbors complained?
Nice wheels.
The car belongs to one of the servants lol.
The first car I owned was a 1973 swinger like the one listed above. I was seventeen years old fresh in the Air Force living in the dorm. I got a loan from the base credit union for $1,954.00 to buy the car. My swinger was a two door with the 318, no A/C and 54k miles. It was butter scotch yellow with a green vinyl top and green interior. Loved the car when it wasn’t going through starters, I must have replaced at least eight starters on that car! Oh those were the days……LOL!
My buddy had a 1972 Cuda 340 that had a big appetite for starters. We used to tease him that he should mount them with wing nuts so that he could save time removing them!
The paint color name for your car was called Honey Gold. With a green top and green interior, it would have looked quite nice!
I drive my ’74 Dart every day and it is not a lot of work.
I don’t need any of the modern conveniences you think are important.
I agree.
Easy to maintain, economical, reliable, fast with basic comfort and good looks.
I am happy.
Oh, with lots of money left over in the bank, as I am not out to impress the next guy, but rather please myself.
I couldn’t understand that comment either. I’ve owned 4 Mopar A body cars of this time period, and they always seemed like easy drivers to me. The one thing you have to be careful of is if your particular does not have power brakes, being able to brake quickly enough in modern traffic. If you want to put in an AM-FM radio (without chopping up the dash!) that could easily be done. This car has power brakes and a/c. What more do you need?
And it has power steering too , so its a very easy to drive cruiser!
It’s a fixer upper but appears to be a solid California body to work on. I like the red paint, the proven 318 and the convenience of the Torqflite automatic transmission. The Dart, liked the Nova and Maverick, was not too big, not too small..a perfect compact for it’s day. Hope the air conditioning works. I just pray American manufacturers realize their mistake of abandoning cars to make all SUV and pickup trucks. I’d gladly buy a car like this Dart in 1973 or 2020.
It doesn’t have California plates and the dealer plaque on the trunk is from Fort Smith Arkansas. It looks nice, but an up close inspection would be wise.
Steve R
Back in the 70’s I had a ’68 Dart GT with the slant 6 which was a lot of fun.
I raised the compression a tad by milling the head. And my boss at the garage where I worked, showed me how to adjust the trans so it would shift quicker.
Everybody got a laugh when the GT would chirp the tires as it shifted into 2nd.
And I remember getting about 23 mpg on a trip with that little car.
One time, I won a $20 bet when I told my boss I was gonna stick a Holley 650 4 bbl on it just to see if it would run. It took two carb adapters from JC Whitney to mount it. And so long as you gave it the gas REAL slow, it would take it without stalling. Of course it wasn’t practical at all, but I proved my point and won the bet. The $20 didn’t cover the cost of the adapters though.LOL
I have owned 4 of these cars over the years. Two 4 door sedans and two 2 door hardtops like this. Three had the slant 6, one had the 318. I’m very much a fan of these, as they are a good sized car with a comfortable ride. The color combination is unusual – red is not common on these, the light tan interior and black top go well with the car. So many were yellow, green, or brown. The steering wheel needs to be put back to original! Take it or leave it on the wheels. I can’t believe this sold for $9600 – but it does have the right options, 318, a/c, power brakes and steering, and a nice color combination. Good chrome is also a major plus! I like the 73 and later models. The one disadvantage is the last year for vent windows on the hardtop was 1972, so this 1973 doesn’t have them. They’re great for driving around when it is warm but you don’t want to use the a/c. 1973 was also the first year for some emissions controls like EGR and delayed spark advance, which reduces power, but those can easily be bypassed. None of those repairs is a big deal. Good luck to the new owner!
Alex Foley drove a 1970 Chevy Nova which, like the Dart Swinger and it’s twin, the Plymouth Scamp, looked way better and was several inches shorter, with vent windows and smaller bumpers.
Thats a matter of opinion ! lol
This was a bare bones box, with 4 wheels and a steering wheel, light, great with a 340 in it, or a 383, had to do suspension work brake work and rear end work to stay alive w a bigger motor, the 318 factory built car is probably the best 1/2 way mark to save on upgrades, but like the Nova, it was Chrysler’s answer to basic transportation, nothing to write songs about, middle America loved them cause they were cheap, lotta folklore over a not so special car
A really clean V-8 car with A/C!!! Hhhhmmmm!!!
I had a slant six version of this back in 1989, and loved that car! Same year and colors outside with a black interior that had a bench seat which had high bucket type seat backs for the outboard seat & a fold down arm rest.
It was really rusty, just an old beater back then, but that is the car that made me fall in love with the slant 6.
My dad had the Plymouth Scamp version of this thing after a string of Pontiacs. I remember being enormously underwhelmed.
After a few months, he couldn’t stand it. The seats were worse than his Lemans, as if that was even possible.
This was long before American companies actually thought ergonomics were important.
With the light beige interior, I’d bet this car originally had the white vinyl top . I had several red/maroon A bodies that were that way ;it seemed the cars with darker interiors (black , blue , green ) had the black tops . The “overriders” mentioned are just bumper guards and were an option with different styles available , though many cars didn’t have them -That front bumper and the reinforcing beam behind it is very tough anyway and hard to bend !