The 1967-76 era of the Dodge Dart compact started out being rather stodgy, but reliable. Wanting to spice things up a bit, Dodge created the Dart Swinger 2-door hardtop in 1969, and it was available with or without a powerful 340 cubic inch V8. This 1973 edition has the middle engine choice, a 318 CI likely with a 2-barrel carburetor and a lightly used 49,000 miles. Located near Springfield, Missouri, this nice survivor-quality Mopar is available here on craigslist for $7,500. A bravo goes to “Barney” for the tip!
In the late 1960s, Dodge was on a youth movement, hence “The Dodge Rebellion” advertising campaign and corresponding products like the Charger. For the most part, the Dart was a small box on wheels, so the company gave it some pizzazz with the Swinger, even though a Slant-Six engine was still standard. Plymouth soon petitioned for a hardtop to join their popular Duster, so the Scamp was born (a Swinger with a Valiant front clip).
The Swinger was largely unchanged in 1973, with a beefier front bumper to distinguish it from the 1972s (part of the safety movement for better collision protection). The rear bumpers would get a boost in ’74, but most of this front and rear protection was accomplished with large bumper guards with rubber mallets. With the 318 V8, this Dart should be peppier than the inline-6 without giving up too much at the gas pump.
This car has had the same owner for more than 40 years (mid-1980s?). It’s a decently equipped Dart with power steering and brakes, and factory air conditioning (the inside vents were still under the dash rather than incorporated). The vehicle was repainted about 20 years ago, and the only noticeable rust (surface?) may only be in the trunk. Once you get it home, you will need to treat the engine to a tune-up, and the A/C will need a charge before Summer. Also, pressure wash the engine compartment, too.
Had a yellow one,slant 6,auto,A/C was a great car..
Nice to see one with a 318 AND factory A/C. Hope it finds a good home. Most of these rotted away the first time they got wet, and were junked decades ago, if the front end didn’t fall apart first.
Jesus on the dashboard!
I like the car and the price!
I had a 72 and the gasket around the windshield wiper wore out so driving in the rain and it rains a lot in Everett Wa. Anyway it would drip rain water onto my foot on the gas pedal getting my socks wet. Annoying way to start your work day. This one I believe the odometer has rolled at least once either way its a nice clean car to just cruise.
I had a ’74 Custom 4-door I was setting up for my son; had the same issue. Turned out to be the fresh-air intake box drains were clogged with crud, lord only knows if & when they’d ever been cleaned out.
Got the louver assembly off & troweled it all out, then high-pressure water until the drains ran clear.
But
It also had a bad windshield gasket & I replaced myself. Still leaked like a sieve. Because of me, not the W/S or gasket. Turns out I needed to butyl the frame side & silicone the glass side.
Sweet ride, decent price. GLWTS!
they were , and are, considered a ” Gramma ” car . boring , plain , average . and the fact that they would not go with a bucket seat /console shift interior did NOT help them escape their ” Taxi cab ” frumpiness. they COULD have escaped Lee Iacocca’s K car nightmare , had they sold to the right market . we in the dealer network just wished they would have gone the way of Studebaker . it would have saved face
Perhaps you’ve never seen a 68′-69′ Dart GT or GTS? Not too boring or “Gramma” like to me. Remember the K car era well and Chrysler did what it had to do to survive, and survive it did, very well, until it was ultimately sent to it’s current state of sadness. Had a 84′ Daytona turbo new and it was a great car overall.
Is it me or is this just a good looking car. Only compact hardtop in the 70s.
I had the exact same car except Plymouth Scamp with black vinyl top. With the 318 it would pull scratch from a dead stop and was quite peppy 0-60 but then would top out quickly because of gearing. Used to keep extra ballast resistors in my glove box because it was always burning those out rendering the ignition dead. Super easy to change out though with two bolts on the firewall (maybe Mopar knew?) Overall a great car and when I sold it in 1989 it had over 250k miles and I actually made a little money over what I paid 10 years earlier. Great commuter car.
Nice to see one without the “naugey hide ” top . To Troy – the windshield wiper shaft seals also dry rot on these , causing the water drip on foot and interior floor.
I had a yellow 73 swinger 318 in 1989 . had a brown vinyl top that was in shreds by 89 . man it was TIRED. But personally always liked the styling. Particularly the peak nose. But I agree needs buckets and a floor shifter. Never seen a 73 with either.
I absolutely HATE bucket seats and centre-console shifters!!! What I want, are bench seats, nothing remotely “sporty”, automatic transmission on much of anything newer than 1948, and shift on the column, if you please, unless we are talking 1938 and earlier. I never cared for the nose on this era of Dart — much preferred the 1968 style. I like sedate luxury sedans or economy “gramma” [if you must!] cars like this which school-teachers drove. I drove a 1968 Dart for a time when my 1946 Ford was in for repairs: great car! Economical. Enough power to drive in my way on any road: no “hot rod” pretensions. Easy to manoeuvre. Good sensitive A.M. radio (considering the relentless classic rock, heavy metal, and hip-hop crap on F.M. these days, I listen almost exclusively to A.M. anyway). And in a car, you can carry the same A.M. station for 100 miles and more (don’t try this on F.M.!) Effective air-conditioning also on that ’68 Dart. By the way, I am old enough so that my prime era in popular music is 1946-1954 (1955-1962 is okay) — but much newer, and I’m OUTTA here!!! “Good times — great oldies” formats are about 20 years too up-dated for me! And I like the sorts of cars people associate with living in “The Villages” (Gee! — I wonder WHY…)
I was wondering how long it would be before one these showed up here. I had a ’73 Swinger with the 318. Gas mileage? With that engine, it would pass everything except a gas pump. That is, of course, if I could get it to start without having to raise the hood, take the breather off and shove a matchbook cover in the the “flapper” in the carburetor! Anyway, I guess the 13 mpg wasn’t all that bad, unless the tank was close to empty and all the gas stations had their “NO GAS” signs out during the great “gas shortage” of the mid-70’s! I bought it in early ’76 and when I finally got smart and traded it in, the “rust bunnies” were starting to make a trail around the bottom of the vinyl roof. Oh, the car I traded for? A new ’78 Toyota Corolla with a 5 speed stick and 26 mpg that I kept for 6 years and gave it to my son in college who promptly ran it up a telephone pole guide wire in Tallahassee. Oh well, win some, lose some.
Funny. When I got rid of my 73 Dart , I replaced it with a 78 Corrola. Course that was in 1990. But it was mint. One of the 3 best cars I’ve ever owned. Should have kept that one
It’s nice to see one of these without the vinyl roof for a change, although the vinyl could have been removed when the car was repainted and never replaced, as I rarely saw one of these without the vinyl roof on top. The Swinger version was the sportiest version of the Dart you could get, at least until the Duster made its appearance in ’70 or ’71. The 318 can become a 340 with a “bore job” at your local automotive machine shop, and if you throw in a stroker crank, 360 cubic inches can be yours! GLWTS!
Or, maybe a Demon.
True. The Demon/Dart Sport came later than the Duster, though, by about a year, IIRC. The Duster showed up in ’72, the Demon followed in ’73, then they changed the name in ’74, when the Bible Belt complained about the name. The Plymouth equivalent to the Dart Swinger was the Plymouth Scamp, a trim level on the Valiant coupe.
I liked the styling of the ’72 examples best, the Federal Bash Beam bumpers didn’t do the car’s styling any good. The big bumpers were in front for ’73 only, the Valiant/Duster and Dart/Demon/Sport were all gone by ’74, to be replaced by the execrable Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen twins, who got the Bash Beam bumpers at both ends of the car in ’74.
Swinger in ’69. Demon in ’71. Yes, people did take issue with the names.
Love it!
I emailed the owner and got some info. He mentioned the dreaded “needs carb work” but runs ok, and will probably need brakes soon, but stops ok. Also said he laughed at an offer from a local of $5300. I dunno, with the rust and carb issues and brake issue (credit for the honesty!) I can see needing to invest a lot to make it right. I would love it as there’s a rock song with this car in it by Clutch (“Spacegrass”) and my kids love it too! Is $7500 off base? If it was rust free, then maybe.
Seller be laughing again if you buy it for $7500.00 !
Yeah thats too much. He says he’s putting it on some local auction in a few weeks called Sexton Auction. Could be a shock to the system there!
I’m not a fan of Chrysler products. However, I did have a 79 van with a 318 and it just ran and ran and ran some more. Great motor.
I wasn’t a fan of Chrysler products either, kinda always stuck with Fords. In 85′ I bought a new Plymouth Caravelle 4 door, it came with a fuel injected 4 cylinder turbocharged engine. Had as much hp as that 318 V-8 and would leave the “teenies” in their Camaro’s wondering what happened when I punched that turbo and left ’em sitting at a traffic light. Guess I “punched” the turbo one too many times; the dealer wanted $2500 + to replace it, so I drove down the “Trail” in Orlando and traded on a new ’89 Olds Cutlass. Oh, in ’86 bought a new Plymouth Horizon “Duster”. It had a carburetor on the same 4 cylinder as the Caravelle, but no where near the power. At the 4 year mark on the Horizon I’d had the carburetor rebuilt 4 times and other parts were in need of replacement. Time to say “bye bye” and bought a new ’90 Ford Ranger pickup that I drove for 12 years until the “itch” for new hit again, lol
Yeah I’m no expert , and not normally a mopar guy , but this one is sentimental to me. Still I’m thinking 5 grand tops.