Forest Find! 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340
Well, the listing is wrong, this Dodge Dart Swinger 340 is a ’70 model, not a ’72 – similar, but different. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at this recent outdoor find. Located in North Augusta, South Carolina, this vintage Dodge Dart, has always been one of my favorites. It’s available, here on eBay for a current bid of $12,100, reserve not yet met.
Less can always be more, it just depends on how that “less” is configured and in this case it was a matter of installing Mopar’s high winding 340 CI small-block engine is a simple, stripped-down, lightweight package. Following in the footpath of the Dart GTS, and introduced in 1969, the Swinger 340 was the performance Dart follow-on. While certainly a potent package, the Dart Swinger did not sell in the volumes of its larger corporate muscle car brethren. According to www.swinger340specials.ca, ’70’s output was about 13K copies, a fairly sharp drop off from ’69’s 20K combined volume of both Swinger 340 and GTS 340 models. And internecine competition probably played a role too as the Duster 340 was new to Plymouth’s Rapid Transit System in ’70.
This Dart is a well-optioned car and even includes the broadcast sheet. Based on the images, it has been sitting outdoors, under a cover, and I have never, personally, had that turn out well. It seems that moisture, and everything else imaginable, ends up under the cover – and in many cases, inside of the car. That said, there’s no telling how long it was slumbering as such and the seller states, “This car is still as it was when I found it. I have not washed it yet“. Not known for its ability to resist rust, this Dart is not showing any signs of corrosion. The finish, in spite of the dirt, still appears to be reasonably shiny though it is a repaint. Apparently, there was a white vinyl top installed at some point but it’s obviously no longer in place. The seller mentions items that are included in the sale such as, “…all the original chrome, Hub caps, hood scoop chrome, Swinger badges, 340 badges…“. The exterior, all-in-all shows quite well.
Claimed to have only experience 40K miles, the 275 gross HP, 340 CI V8 engine is apparently a non-runner though the seller advises that he hasn’t tried to start it. Seems incongruous to state that it’s a non-runner if an attempt to do so hasn’t been made. The powertrain includes a Torque-Flite three-speed automatic transmission and a differential containing a 3.91:1 gearset. I know from the experience of a high-school friend who had a Duster 340 configured the same way, this Swinger should be a beastly performer.
It’s hard to tell much about the interior with all of the detritus positioned upon the bench seat – I’ll never understand why in the Sam Hill sellers don’t remove their “stuff” from the interior before photographing. Anyway, the interior environment appears to be a very standard, no-frills set-up. I would have some concern regarding what looks like condensation sprinkled about the driver’s side vinyl seatback – a stored car displaying moisture is not a good thing.
OK, this Swinger 340 seems like a pretty nice find; it’s a desirable model, in original shape that has not been hacked or messed with and possesses great documentation. In spite of this being a reserve auction, I’m pretty confident that it will find a new home, and soon. The question is, how much will it take to cross that threshold, right?
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now23 hours$7,100
2003 Porsche Boxster SBid Now1 days$5,500
1966 Lincoln ContinentalBid Now1 days$500
2000 Jaguar XJ8LBid Now4 days$1,250
1977 Datsun 280ZBid Now5 days$275
Comments
Wonder what type of seats you got when you did not order the “foam seat cushion-front”
It’s been dragged through the mud to move it from where it was last parked. If it was sitting in that much moisture what’s left of it is a parts car.
Did you look at the Ebay post? There are several real good shots of the undercarriage, no signs of rot or filler. It had one heck of a coat of undercoating applied at some point long ago.
believe it or not when a car gets sunk in the mud like that, what ever is below the mud line is usually preserved, the mud holds the moister instead of letting the moister get to the metal, now if it is sitting in a swamp or pond its rusted bad but mud saves it in a way.
40K miles? Yeah, and I look like Rock Hudson. Are they going to prove that? Even if it is true, these cars were rode rough. Those are hard hard miles. Then 12K+ to buy and over twice that to restore? These were a few hundred bucks not that long ago. People need to calm down. If you really want to spend 40 or 50 grand on a restored car, buy a new performance car, you will not be disappointed. After us old goats are gone, no young kid of today is going to want this, money flushed down the crapper. They might want a well preserved 2020 model performance car, though. At least leave your heirs something to cash in on once you are pushing up daisies.
Exactly. We keep telling one customer that his (apparently) 1-of-6 1929 Oakland Sport Roadster is wasted of time and money, but he persists in restoring it. And I swear, if I see yet another one of these “low mile, very clean” 1935 Auburn Speedsters or “Grandpa’s Sunday go-to-meeting car” ’32 Fords on the local used car lot for $3,500, I’ll scream. Now that all the old goats of that generation have largely died off, they’re worth more at the scales than the auction.
Apples and oranges Vallie, apples and oranges.
Hundreds of dollars not that long ago? Not that long ago now means twenty-five years, and I’m not sure 340 anythings in solid condition ever got that low.
In 1983, I bought a dark green GTS 340, white interior, 4 speed for 450.00. Beat the living daylights out of it and then traded it for a 68 charger with a 440 six-pack. Those were the days, although nobody appreciated them at the time.
How in the world did this survive as well as it did in the dirt is amazing. Car looks really good and yeah these cars ran well with minor mods at the strip. Luxury model, ps and pb.
Every car seemed to sell at lower numbers in 1970, at least according to history, or I could be wrong yet one more time and people were already gravitating towards stupid little foreign cars . Full size cars were enormous by then, even the Torino was massive.
Duster 340, 340 Dart, 340 ‘Cuda,,, they all are well known hot running cars. Chrysler never offered a mundane version of the 340, always a performance engine from day 1. The car up there will not be a sleeper these days, just the sight of a Dart and its expected to run hard especially with that hood. Cool find.
On the surface this thing looks like it’s in really decent shape for a forest find. This will be interesting….
Clean it up before posting. I feel it would be a more honest representation of the car. Does dirt and filth = $$$? (I’m not throwing Darts) 🙄
OK, so it’s a 70 Swinger 340 in semi-decent shape, a desirable car in a desirable color. But $12,100 for a non-running car where you have no idea of the condition of the body? There’s no way in hell I’d pay that much for it with all of the unknowns!
I say, if the seller wants that kind of money, he needs to put in that kind of effort. Clean it up, get it running you know, show some initiative for the dollar you’re asking. As it sits now, I’d say about 9 grand tops.
First off, never buy a car from someone who misspells the words “Duel” and “vynal” in the same sentence. Not a good sign.
Having owned 3 different 340 swingers (69 and 70), I can assure you these were some of the fastest, most fun, and most underrated muscle cars Chrysler ever built. The problem with 340 Swingers today is the same problem they’ve always had. They were the cheapest Scat Pack Mopar ever, and as well as they performed they never garnered much respect.
If you look at the sticker, this car was originally optioned better than most of the GTS cars you see these days. That’s pretty unusual for a 340 Swinger, and in theory that alone makes a great restoration candidate. Unfortunately, for what it would cost to do it right, most people would rather put that kind of money into a ‘Cuda, Charger, or Road Runner that would at least be financially viable in the end.
It’s a shame that A body cars are not perceived in the same light. I’d prefer a stripper 4 speed myself, but if someone wanted a nice 340 Dart and was willing to do the work, this could end up being a really cool car to restore and own.
P.S. not to nitpick, but I can’t let it go. the Rallye (not RALLEY) instrument cluster was standard on ’70 340 Darts and Dusters.
It’s over $17K now and the reserve still isn’t met. I have the same car, restored at GREAT expense with a 4-speed, so I’m lovin’ it🤗