Mar 17, 2020  •  For Sale  •  15 Comments

1972 Dodge Dart Swinger Barn Find

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Update 3/16/20 – This one got bid up to $2,325 but has been relisted here on eBay again for some reason.

From 2/29/20 – This 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger is fairly similar to one that a friend of mine had in the late-70s/early-80s but his had a different engine and not as much rust. This one can be found here on eBay in Holden, Missouri with 22 bids and a current bid price of $1,000 as I write this.

This Swinger looks good in some of the photos and the bidders must think that it’s worth at least $1,000. I can’t imagine paying that much for a car with this much rust on it. Kudos to the seller who has to be as honest as the day is long to have included so many great photos showing not only the good parts but the bad parts of this car.

My friend’s Dart suffered from rusted frame rails that basically broke in half and the car looked like this and was undrivable until he welded it back together himself. After that, he changed the original 318 to a 340 and it was an absolute screamer and a great car for years. I’m sure that this Dart can be fixed and so are the bidders. Our friends at Classic Industries have replacement parts as do other suppliers.

The interior and everything else is original, and it’s an AC car. It was found in the back of a pole barn where it had been sitting for who knows how long. You can see the floors are pretty much gone and with that, I’m guessing that rodents have lived and died and performed other duties in this car and everything will have to be stripped out and thrown into a big dumpster and set on fire. Well, maybe not that drastic, the seats can probably be reupholstered. The back seat looks good for the most part but the fabric portion is deteriorated. The trunk also has rust-through and will need lots of work.

The engine is an optional 225 cubic-inch slant-six – you know ’em, you love ’em. The seller says that they were told that this one could be running and driving within the span of a weekend. I don’t doubt that one bit, but that slammed stance will most likely be the biggest issue with this car, and then there’s the rest of the rust. Can this barn Swinger be saved?

Comments

  1. GM nut
    Feb 29, 2020 at 7:47pm

    I’m sure it has a broken torsion bar front right too.

    Like 12
    • Gaspumpchas
      Mar 1, 2020 at 10:02am

      GM nut I’d be thinking that the bar is ok but the anchors under the seat are rusted out, Fixable but a nasty job. And if its that bad the rest of the car is too. Lousy pics of this rust bucket, Junk IMHO.
      Looker over good. Caveat emptor

      Like 7
  2. Rex Kahrs Rex KahrsMember
    Feb 29, 2020 at 8:06pm

    So it was found in a pole barn, but evidently it was subsequently dragged into an adjoining field where it was allowed to really be exposed to the elements, and continued to deteriorate. Good stewardship of your vehicle, not!

    Like 5
    • Steve R
      Feb 29, 2020 at 8:21pm

      The seller is a flipper. It won’t sit in the field long enough for the car to deteriorate more than it already has. If you look at the sellers completed listings it appears he’s more interested in moving his cars than getting top dollar.

      Steve R

      Like 7
  3. Dave Suton
    Feb 29, 2020 at 10:14pm

    The problem with these A bodies is that Chrysler never put front fender liners in to protect from rust. The whole front suspension would rust right out of them. This one might just be the torsion bar, but might also be shock tower mounts and K member. Always reliable and long lasting, but all had this one flaw.

    Like 4
  4. Howard A Howard AMember
    Feb 29, 2020 at 10:48pm

    Yabba-dabba-doo,,,a/c might need( to be) recharged.

    Like 4
  5. Skorzeny
    Mar 1, 2020 at 12:00am

    No Scotty, I know ‘em, I hate ‘em. It’s probably not worth doing but I would go built 318 and 4 speed.

    Like 1
  6. Arby
    Mar 1, 2020 at 3:38am

    I always wondered if the marketers knew the various connotations when they named this car?

    Like 2
  7. George Louis
    Mar 1, 2020 at 2:12pm

    The way the car sits it might be a right broken torsion bar. It would be nice to know where car was originally sold.

    Like 1
  8. Del
    Mar 1, 2020 at 2:47pm

    Toast. Man. lotta junk here today

    Like 3
    • bone
      Mar 2, 2020 at 3:10pm

      Another positive comment from you- too bad its not a Chevy, right ?

      Like 2
  9. JOHN
    Mar 1, 2020 at 4:49pm

    We used to get these in our welding shop one after another. The rear spring hanger boxes would rust and the leaf springs would end up Inside the trunk! The front end would also drop as the cross member holding the torsion bar socket would rot and the torsion bar would twist the socket and down the front end would go! This is a rust bucket!

    Like 3
  10. don
    Mar 2, 2020 at 3:15pm

    With the slant 6 and the amount of rust I’d say this is really a good parts car- That grille is 1972 only, so its worth a few bucks, and the bumpers are pre – 5mph required and they are prone to dents so if they are both good its worth another few hundred. The rallye wheels are a nice find too – Remember the front clip and door shells are the same for Demon . I guess in this day and age maybe 1000.00 for a parts car isnt too bad

    Like 2
  11. Jesse Mortensen Jesse MortensenStaff
    Mar 4, 2020 at 1:48pm

    Sold for $2,325!

    Like 0
  12. Ryan Hilkemann
    Mar 17, 2020 at 4:45pm

    Well that went fast!

    Like 0

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