Time Capsule: 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger GTS 340
Dodge had redesigned its successful Dart compact line-up in 1967, but it lacked pizzazz. That changed in 1969 when they rolled out the Swinger, a sporty 2-door hardtop. And it could be had with a 340 V-8, which turned it into a little muscle car. This 1969 Swinger 340 looks to have the snappier GTS trim and is a one-owner vehicle. This car is in a garage in Fort Collins, Colorado along with a lot of other boy toys and is available here on craigslist. The seller does not put a price tag on his prize, instead of saying he would consider reasonable offers. Thanks, Ikey Heyman, for another fine tip for us!
The 340 had a successful and long run in Chrysler products. From 1968 through 1973, nearly 217,000 cars would leave the Mopar factories with the engine, 1970 being its heyday. While Dodge produced about 20,000 Dart Swinger 340s in 1969, only 3,600 of them came with GTS trim. That puts the seller’s car in a somewhat rare company. We’ve seen a lot of these cars pop up on Barn Finds, and this is one of the nicest ones yet. Thanks again, Swinger 340 Specials, for the production playbook.
We’re told that this Dart wears its original Bright Red (R4) paint and has zero rust. The white vinyl top and rear stripe look just as good. Just 62,000 miles have accumulated in more than 50 years. That is likely due to having been in storage for so many years, although we don’t know if that’s where it resides today or somewhere else. The seller says it runs well and we suspect it would still leave rubber streaks on the pavement even with a TorqueFlite transmission.
The interior looks quite original, although the photos provided don’t really show it in a flattering way. The headliner looks as though it might have a tear, or that could just be a seatbelt tag in the line of sight. For a car that’s said to be a GTS (or Custom as the seller refers to it) the steering wheel is surprisingly bland. A copy of the VIN or the build sheet would help confirm that this in fact is a GTS. The one thing I think detracts from the overall appearance of the car is the semi-Gangster whitewall wheels. Thin-line whites or even raised-white letters tires would look better, IMHO.
The 340 Mopar’s generally fetch good prices when nicely kept. Hagerty suggests that a 1969 Dart Swinger 340 could be a $50,000 proposition for just the right car. Excellent would cost you $30,000. So, the seller clearly knows what he has by setting no specific price. It would be interesting to know if this car sells and for how much or if it reappears later online for sale at a specific price.
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Comments
Dude. Really.
DUDE! Really???
The Tires, Dude, the TIRES!
Are you senile? No way, man, no way. They gotta go.
And hey, nothing original about the rattle can spray in the trunk. But back to the subject at hand, dude….. the Tires!
The. Tires.
A set of Cragar SSs with whiteletters would POP on this thing.
All it needs is fender skirts. Egads.
This is one of my favorite cars. Appears to be a very nice car.
Who ever put these tires on a cool muscle car must be smoking too much weed. Wait could they be located in Colorado?
…or not enough!
Or Oregon, hell it could be magic mushrooms that tainted the owners thinking in Oregon !
Ditch the whitewalls for a set of redlines ASAP
White hat, white shoes fellas! And a white belt to match! Makes me think of Clark Grizwalds brother!
I do remember Dodge commercials back then. The guy who played Captain Bingham on Mchales Navy did many for Chrysler. It was called the White Hat specials meaning white vinyl roof and white wall tires.
But that was then and take those off
& get 4 new whitewalls like those in the trunk!
The ones on the car are for old cars prior to ’63 or maybe older than that. lol
http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising/1969/69_dodge_dart_white_hat_special.jpg
&
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRzobeTk3W4
The white hat special is not necessarily a muscle car.
I’ve never seen a GTS that didn’t have
bucket seats with console and floor
shift and a metal spoke steering wheel.
I cannot find any evidence of a ’69 GTS Swinger anywhere. One or the other, but not both.
It’s not a GTS. Those were not marketed as Swingers, they had “GT SPORT” embedded in their bumblebee stripes, and GTS hardtops had standard bucket seats. Still a great find, except for the tires.
No Joke, Its BUFFUGLY.
Those tires complete the candy cane appearance package going on here. All wrong for a 340 Dart then again I’m sure somebody out there will fall in love with it.
Mags, decent tires, rumbling exhaust, drive it to church on Sunday.
Ok… Going to call what I see.. first it’s a Chrysler blue engine from 72 or 73. If a true 340 not a 360 from 74. My Cousin had the same Dart in green. Strips and it was a swinger with a 225 1 bbl. Somebody put a GTS hood on it. With out a vin number it’s a clone. Wrong dash and seats. It’s a very clean 62,000 Dart. I get it .. pull the 225 for a v8. The trans could be a 904 or 727. And if the rear end is original ..then it could be a 7 1/4 or 8 3/4. Without more information. And if it’s clean no rust as is $10,000. Again buyer beware .🐻🇺🇸
Sorry…..my 1969 Formula S 340 engine still wears the blue from the factory.
Stillrunners, was your car a automatic? I have a original factory Dealer flyer that shows the 4-speeds hemi orange as mine is. Yours must be an automatic.
don’t be sorry. How does it run?
Some of what I see seems off , like the blue engine, instrument cluster, etc., too bad there wasn’t pictures of the undercarriage as it should have heavy duty springs, 8 3/4 rear axle , 727 transmission & the big u joints in the drive shaft.
340 Swingers didn’t have those side
moldings either.
So many folks like “mix-and-match.”
I guess a digital tach is on the dash.
Not kewl for Mannix with those tires! lol
Those are not even radials – a set of cheap blackwall radials will make a big difference in handling, tracking, etc.
But why didn’t the owner get tires to match the spare with sporty ultra thin whitewall?
Would they be more money than wide whitewalls?
I’ve always been partial to raised white letter tires, but many ppl seem to have moved on from them. These white walls are nasty looking !
Well, seller doesn’t mention anywhere in the ad it’s indeed a GTS. I’m by no means any Mopar expert but I’d think one probably couldn’t combine the full length side trim with the Bumble Bee stripe as it simply looks awkward? And did a ‘posh’ model like the GTS come with rubber floor covering?
Does a free pantsuit in orange or plaid come with the car?
Or, how about a Neru jacket for the Disco night scene?
I’m hip man, dig them white walls, eh?
Dude Sammy Davis Jr is rolling over in his grave because you said disco🤣 we didn’t have that in the 70’s! It was all about peace and love! PS I actually had a Neru jacket he sold in his clothing line! Wish I still had it and a 69 340 Dart! I’d be styling 👍
Ken,
Your words may be true, I’m a child of that era as well. However, these cars DID survive into the “Disco” generation. When Disco died, so did the clothes! Big hair, however, somehow survived. Glad the “BeeHive” and “CatEye” glasses are GONE!!!
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/dodge/69dd.html
Dodge ad shows swinger stripes with a 340 hood and dual exhaust, but doesn’t mention it being a gts. Also shows bench seat, but no side moldings. Something has been added to the sellers car, either the moldings, or the stripes and hood. Caveat emptor….
No VIN tag, build sheet photo, or Galen Govier decode. Buyer beware.
DUEL!!!
These cars always make me think of that movie!
Shouldn’t. The car in Duel was a Valiant. 😉
Yeah sounds like a do it yourself GTS. But that’s ok so long as you know and the price is fair. It’s a sharp one. Change the tires for raised letter or red lines and save the wide whites for either your 58 Dodge or a 78 Stuz Blackhawk.
Add some curb feelers to those toilet seat white walls and reflective adhesive tape and you may complete the old dude mods…
If it was a GTS it would say it on the fenders. And I don’t think “Swinger Custom” was ever a name these had. It’s either the Swinger OR the Custom. But – besides that – nice car!! It looks fabulous! Though the wide whites are incorrect, thin white wall would be more accurate – they actually work well for me – because you notice the nice white vinyl top and nice white stripe around the trunk, and the tires pick up the white also – against the fabulous red paint! Overall – really really nice! Too bad I could never afford this…
I want to buy it just so I can rip those ugly white walls off the otherwise great looking Mopar and then I’ll seep better at night knowing I made the car world a better place…
First of all, 1969 Dart 340’s had Turquoise engines, for the most part…but, a few have been purported to have had the engines painted Red or Street Hemi Orange. So, learn to research before you speak.
Secondly, This car is not a GTS, and nowhere does it say GTS in the ad. I will never understand why the authors cant read a little more carefully. The car looks like a Swinger 340 to me, which is a more basic car.
It appears to have optional side moldings…I welcome someone to shed their knowledge on the availability of these side moldings on a Swinger 340…but, only if you actually know what you’re talking about.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/1969-dodge-dart-swinger-340-digital-repro-depot.html
Wide whites should never be used on anything after the 50’s! Horrible looking things.
My group of car guys had a saying. “No price, no sale, not interested!” Move on. I hate “sales” like that.
As others have said, it’s not a GTS. It’s a Swinger 340, that seems very clear and kosher. The car seems legit though a VIN or the fender tag would back that up. The side molding may be dealer installed, owner installed, or factory installed. Weirder things have happened and they are correct Dart items.
Not all GTS had bucket seats.
Plenty of good stuff to see below.
https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising
/1969/1969_a.jpg
https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising/1969/1969_i.jpg
https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising/1969/1969_za.jpg
https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising/1969/1969_postcards.jpg
https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/vintage-advertising/1969/1969DartSwinger340.jpg
I will go out on a limb and say that this was a slant six (no “V8 badges on the front fenders) ’69 Dart Custom (which in ’68 was known as the Dart “270”) with an engine swap and added a Swinger 340 hood (a GTS hood would have “GTS” letters on it) and Swinger Bumble Bee stripes (the stripes could be had on 2 door Swingers and Swinger 340’s, but not Customs).
I say this because it is very unlikely that someone would drill the length of the body for this side trim, and the bench seat is consistent with the “Custom” series trim level. As for the tires, red or white line or blackballs, please – no RWL tires on MoPars until ’70.
Well your limb may be broken because. 1 none of the provided Swinger 340 above reference factory literature have V8 badges either.
2. We don’t know how the molding happened but neither do we know if it’s drilled (OEM style) or just stuck on and it’s quite likely if the original owner wanted the molding.
3. The seats look the same as shown in the above reference factory literature.
Nick, If you look at the E bay photo of the jack you will see, what appears to be a hole drilled for the side molding. I agree with RNR that the body was or is from a Custom or 270 Dart. Still would be a Fun car to own and drive. I made a 72′ 340 van once, with all the correct items that would of been had, if they ever made one. It was a blast from the past, just like this car will be.
I purchased this car and the engine has been painted on the top only still has original turquoise paint just below the valve covers. This is a true 340 dart swinger all original with 62000 actual miles.
Russ, what possessed you to add GTS to this story?
First of all, bucket seats are for Puritans. Your best girl can’t sit next to you on a counsel with a shifter coming out of it.
The Dart Swinger was more along the theme of the Roadrunner, nice engine
in a no frills car. A young adult could easily afford a 340 Swinger and have a great fun car. The later evolution of this strategy was the Demon 340.
A lot of 413 and 426 Max Wedge engines came in plain wrappers. Once the
hood was popped, that’s all the crowds wanted to see.
Moral of the story, great mopar engine, great torqueflite trans and strong rear end, have fun.
While you are ditching those whitewalls, don’t forget to jettison Gramma’s spiffy wheel covers while you are at it.
I am not a expert, but am familiar with the 69′ Darts, being I own a 340 swinger for over 30 years and been collecting parts that long. The side molding is from a “Dart Custom” (273 or 318) not a 340 option, wrong intake, the instrument panels are from a Swinger(could be just a Swinger or 340 Swinger), rubber mats are from a Swinger, not a 340 Swinger, the bench seats seem to be correct except for the back of the front, head rests are correct for the bench as well as the shoulder belts for the 340 Swinger or GTS, not for a Custom or Swinger. GTS chrome trim on the peddles, rear arm rests should have ash trays, correct Manual and the motor should be turquoise with the 727 automatic and Hemi orange for the 4-speeds. As always stranger things could of developed differently. It could be a 340 Swinger, but as parts were added, they were not replaced with correct parts as with the side trim and master cly and PVC.
I have purchased this car and it is a true 340 swinger original build sheet was still in very good shape very little damage only where spring on seat rubbed it slightly. This car it all original and in near perfect condition. The engine has been painted from only the valve covers up. Original turquoise paint from there down. Just to shade so light on all the questions about this one.
This car just looks wrong in to many ways…forget about the white walls and hubcaps..someone may of just had poor taste . That molding on the side is just wrong. Dealer installed molding was just a vinyl strip that people put on to prevent parking lot dings. This is the trim molding from a regular dart. I agree with RNR, nobody would of put that molding on a 340 swinger. I am also sure that this was a 6 cylinder car. I have no problem with clones, but do it right and don’t represent it as the real deal
I know how to find out….. Call GRAVEYARD CARS… that guy knows everything about everything Chrysler Ever Made… Call Marc… all he needs is the serial number…
If this is a clone or a tribute, the white vinyl top should have gone bye bye. Same with the toilet seat whitewalls, reclines would be an attractive addition. Still further, the 340. Is it to 69 or 70 specs (forged internals) or 72 on? Too many questions for a buyer to make a reasonable offer, unless you just like the car. Even further, the unibody structure, how much metal has been replaced (if it was done right). How much bondo has been used? If this car were local I might look, it checks some basic boxes, 69, nice hood, 340 v8, 727 trany (unfortunately is it built to 6 cylinder specs?). Again why not a 4 speed if it is a clone? Could be a money pit…
Needs dual rear radio antennas and some proper wire wheel covers. White fur pillows in the back seat would work with a white shag dash cover.
I agree. It’s just a nice , fun Dart.
I know what its missing, besides fender skirts… a continental kit!
Love the ironic vintage product placement, the box of ‘Wash ‘n Dri’ disposable moist towelettes, individually foil packaged. Mom always had some along with her when I was a kid. A product perfectly suitable for life today.
Had a 69 GT (read slant six) convertible. Vinyl bench, same shifter. Swapped those for Mustang buckets. Really played havoc with love life.
Had horrible Black & Chrome drilled into top edge of the fender. Removed it & filled said holes. Replaced alternator every year due to being sucked dry by lowering & raising convertible top. First & last Chrysler product.
Basically, I like the car. I can change anything I want later, if I were to buy it. But, I’m not interested. Too much money for all the things that just do not add up. Plus, ad deleted by author. Guess what!?!?