340 4-Speed! 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger
I have been eyeballin’ fourth-generation Dodge Darts for a while now. The clean simplicity of their lines, especially the pre-Federal bumper versions made from ’67 to ’72 presented a perfect balance for a budget compact, an everyday family driver, or, in 340 mode, a very stout performer. My favorites are the ’68 and ’69 and some of that is due to their performance configuration. The 1971 introduced Demon changed things up a bit leaving the Swinger, or the traditional Dart coupe such as this 1972 example, without the bite that it had just two years prior. No worries, everything can be “massaged” and that’s exactly what has happened with our subject car – stay tuned for more. This Dart is located in Stuart, Virginia and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $7,000 with four bids tendered so far.
Right out of the gate, this Dodge got my attention because it’s green! Yeah, I know, sounds silly, but green will catch my eye every time. The exterior condition is fabulous though the hood nostrils are a matter of taste I guess. So many of these vintage Darts have a hood scoop or an air induction setup of some kind but this one seems a bit outsized – and it doesn’t appear to actually function. The black hood treatment is curious too as a black-out finish is usually applied in satin or flat black, not gloss as is the case here. Regardless, it looks OK as a styling cue. The rest of the external presentation is minimalist and to the point. The seller’s assessment is, “This car is not perfect but is not a Bondo bucket“.
Many of these Dart retrofits end up with a 360 CI V8 planted under their hoods (blacked out or not) but the seller, in this case, stayed with a 340 which was the Demon’s performance engine for ’72. In this case, the original 318 CI V8 got the heave-ho and the current powerplant was boosted from a 1970 Mopar something or other and is now married to a four-speed manual transmission (said to “shift like butter” further connected to an 8.75″ differential. The whole enchilada “runs awesome” though the driveshaft has a vibration.
The interior continues the basic, clean and tidy vibe. Bucket seats, sans center console, have been installed in place of the original bench. According to Dodge period literature, buckets were reserved for the Demon only. There are no upholstery rips, tears, fade, splits, etc. and this Dart’s insides maintain a close to original appearance. The only suggestion that I could make would be to vacuum the driver’s side footwell – it’s all about appearances at sale time, right?
OK, so it’s not original or a matching numbers high dollar Mopar trailer queen but it is a homemade and modified hot-rod and that’s what it’s all about. This no reserve auction is going to deliver, to someone, a pretty good buy, vibrating driveshaft or not, wouldn’t you agree?
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Comments
I actually like the color, but agree the hood should be repainted flat black…after removing that fugly scoop. That would also up the sleeper vibe.
These later 71 – 76 Darts will never be worth as much as a 68 GTS or 69 Swinger 340. But considering how undervalued all 340 Darts are, who cares if the numbers don’t match? Besides, the 5 on 4 1/2″ bolt pattern is a plus if you ever want to change the original Rallye wheels. If you don’t mind the styling and colors, this would be a fun car to go out and make some Mustang and Camaro driver’s cry with.
P.S. In my own experience,
the next thing an A body driveshaft usually does after it starts vibrating is throw a U-joint. It could be something else, but if it’s the driveshaft itself, it should be easily fixed with a re-balance by a qualified professional.
My ’70 Dart was like this only white, and was like 98% of all others, slant six with automatic. I always liked the looks of these cars.
Had a six popper too. Three on the floor. Loved it to death. Never needed this much power. The only thing I wished it had was air and an FM radio back in those days. (I eventually went to Radio Shack and got me a little FM modulator, but the air conditioning was elusive. Okay not that, it was too expensive for a guy making 90 cents an hour)
I would put the single scoop .Paint the hood flat black and change out the rims and tires.Leave them packed away ..
I had a 70 dart swinger factory 340 with an automatic yellow and black fastest car in town sure wished I still had it
Ugly hood!
Why don’t people vacuum out the floors when they are going to take pictures?
I like the color, $10,400 now.
Driveline angles are probably not
hard for me to not like this one. I think i got from the ad the the original 360 was traded for a 340. I would preferred a 71 but this one ticks my clocks
Wow! A A727 Torquuflght would be the first thing I put in it! Fix the driveshaft and Column. Off to the Races!