I’m guessing lots of folks view the 1970 Dodge Dart as more or less a grocery getter, and in its base form that’s probably not an unfair assumption, as many of these came with 4 doors and a slant 6. Not that there’s anything wrong with either, but muscle cars were still in high gear at the turn of the seventies decade and many buyers were still looking for more than lackluster performance, though the budget-oriented compacts were starting to gain ground in the market by this time as well. Looking back over five decades to the very early seventies, the 340-equipped Dart seemed like an ideal meet-in-the-middle offering between the two, and if you’ve been in the market for a nice driver-quality example this 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger here on eBay might just meet your needs. This one’s located in Webster, New York, with bidding already up to $15,650 but still shy of the reserve.
A 340 was the top dog when it came to engine choices in the ’70 Dart, but buyers who went to their Dodge dealer the previous year could drive away with a big block. Speculation is the Dart now topping out at 340 cubic inches was in response to a new model that was introduced this same year, a car you may have heard of called the Challenger, and the powers that be may have been thinking anything larger under the Dart hood may interfere with sales of their newest offering. But the 340 was no slouch, making somewhere around 275 horsepower in stock form, plenty of go-power for a car weighing in at not too much over 3k pounds. While the powerplant here is not the numbers-matching original, it is date-correct, plus it’s also said to be mildly built and a strong runner. The 727 TorqueFlite is stated to be the factory component.
Back in my youth, I used to spray most of my cars black no matter what the original color may have been, during those good old days when DuPont 99A Pitch Black acrylic enamel was cheap and easy to work with. But some good news here is this one hasn’t had a color change, as the seller says it’s an original TX9 car, with one repaint under its belt a long time ago. The finish is still looking sweet overall, and as far as I can tell the body isn’t showing many obvious signs of rust or other issues of concern, other than the seller pointing out a few bubbles on the rocker seam.
Things are said to be original inside, with a little sagging on the driver’s side of the bench seat, although other than that the interior seems to be well-preserved. One obvious upgrade is the aftermarket radio, but that tach in the dash is from the factory. The seller states the floor condition as nice, and we do get one photo of the undercarriage which seems pretty solid. I’m really digging this one and curious just how much further north the price has to go before it can exchange hands. What’s a reasonable price to pay for this 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger?
No grocery getter here. Looks like it’s ready for some serious action. Nice car!
Got that right hess. ✅️
As others say, looks awesome in black. Love the column shift. 3.55 is great, but.. I’d swap in a 3.91 ⚙️ if i didn’t drive it much. 🙌🏁
If there is bubbling in one spot theres a good possibility there is going to be more in the near future.I’d bring a magnet.Sharp car for sure though that looks great in black with the stripe. Since it’s not a #’s car and it’s starting to bubble I’d guess around 20- 25k.
Used to see these fill the staging lanes on a Sunday at the drag strip. 340 swingers and dusters bracket racing. Solid performers, don’t recall seeing too many in black, looks good.
Rare in black. This is a great buy if it stays around the 20 grand mark.
I think the theme here is that dodge was killing it, in terms of design and horsepower during that time. A majority of the dodges that you see are in high demand (in that timeframe). Its too bad that they lost a step and we went from these monsters to something like the plymouth reliant and those garbage models from the 80s.
Garbage? The Ks saved Chrysler. No one wanted performance cars, no one. They filled the back of used car lots gathering dust. Are you old enough to remember those times? I will admit, as far as performance cars went, the 340s in the smaller platforms were a fairly well balanced car. Also, fairly dependable. Certainly better then the crazy idea of putting a big block in one.
I remember well. 1986 i bought a Javelin AMX 401 with GoPack for 3000 bucks…with only 50000 Miles on the clock. A friend of mine bought a 71Cuda 440 with 60000 Miles for 300 bucks less…damn we idiots sold those cars 5 years and some rust bubbles later for about 2000 bucks each to a shady dealer because nobody wanted those gas guzzlers anymore, nobody…😂
I bought a one owner 73 Duster 340 with 40,000 miles on it in 1979 for 1500 bucks – from a Chrysler dealership ! It was in the back ; no one wanted it, except for a 17 year old me
I have a lot of friends older than I, that tell me of stories like that all the time. I was just a tad late for those kinds of deals but even in the early to mid eighties you could get some really nice old iron for not much money. Last year for the 340 in a Duster and you don’t see too many of the 73 340 cars nowadays.
I had this same car, EXCEPT. It was white, 6 cylinder 3 speed , no radio, in fact, if it cost extra it didn’t have it. I loved that car, I can’t imagine how I would feel about this one.
I had the same car also but it was a yellow 74 swinger 6 cylinder.
I had a Duster six with a 3 speed as my first car here in America, and I truly loved it. I thought I was like nobility having it. Where I came from, none of my peers even drove, much less, had a car. The US was the land of dreams for me, and that six popper was a big part of it. I knew all about performance cars, and even then, just saw them as wastefully foolish.
I had a 71. 340 Duster. It was B-5
Blue. Bucket seats, A/C, console, light package, tinted glass and a radio. I bought it used and a friend and I worked on it. It was a blast to drive and spot on reliable. My father had the first Vitamin-C Orange Duster in our county in 1970. Slant 6, Automatic, with a black vinyl roof. Everyone stared at it because it was a new model and the color. It ran forever. The A-body platforms were great!! Anyone who had a Dart, Duster, Demon, Scamp, Swinger, or Valiant, will tell you that!
I bought a new 1970 Duster 340. Blue Fire, buckets, console 4 speed, factory
air. Loved it, and surprised a lot of people!
Not a Mopar guy but I’ve always loved the 340 powered Darts! I have one of those air cleaners sitting on the shelf in my shop
Tom, hang on yo that air cleaner. I see them fetching some pretty big money at Mopar swap meets and in classifieds. That is, if it is exactly like that one.
1970 340 will go somewhere between $18K to $24K in a #3 or #2 condition. In my opinion most of the stuff on Craigslist, or e-bay are good #3 or on the upper scale of #3. Otherwise lower, all the way down to a #6-Parts only. This particular car is bid up to $20,100 or there abouts. which I think is a fair price, since it does have rust bubbling up on it. just my opinion, only been in the business about 60 years, so I don’t know everything.