Plymouth hit pay dirt in 1970 when they introduced the sporty Duster, a fastback derivative of the Valiant compact. Dodge lobbied for a carbon copy to sell in 1971 and designated it the Demon (Dart). That moniker created a stir with the clergy, so it became the Dart Sport in 1973. The seller has a nice 1974 edition for sale, but its badging is off for a couple of reasons. Located in Rigby, Idaho, this Mopar has a bunch of new parts and is available here on craigslist for $10,995.
Dodge Darts were little changed in 1974 but sold well thanks to the OPEC oil embargo and a sudden spike in gas prices. The most noticeable difference was bigger bumpers as mandated by the Feds. A ton of these cars were built with Chrysler’s 225 cubic-inch Slant-Six, which was perfect for buyers who had been living in long lines at the gas station. Shoppers who wanted some spirit under the hood could opt for a 360 CI V8 as the hot 340 had been retired after a successful run from 1968 to 1973.
When you pop open the hood, you’ll find a 318 V8 with an unknown number of miles. We’re not aware of this being a numbers-matching car, but the decal callouts advertise this as a Dart Sport 340. But there was no such thing as a DS 340 in 1974, so putting 360 decals would have been closer to accuracy, though still overstating what lies beneath the bonnet. There is a fair amount of bling on the engine and an aluminum radiator, so maybe it’s been beefed up.
The pool of new parts comprises the brakes, suspension pieces, and a water pump. It’s said to be a great driver, but it needs the speedometer fixed. While the paint looks great, I’d peel off those decals if they won’t damage the finish. The front seat has been recovered, and the back seat seems like one that folds down, opening to the trunk pan that could have been replaced or painted.
↩️ reverse sleeper 😴 Dixon 😲
Or find an older 340 to swap in – & maybe a 4 speed.
Boring out the 318 gets you to 340 cubic inches while retaining the “numbers matching” block. Adding a stroker crank gets you to 360 cubic inches. A stroker crank has the added advantage of allow the owner to beef up the bottom end by replacing the OEM cast crank with a forged crank and having the block drilled for a four-bolt main bearing kit, so the resulting “short block” can stand up to additional upgrades, such as an improved intake and exhaust to flow better, for even more power!
You’d have to overbore a 318 by .130 to make a 340. This is probably going to be used a cruiser, most older cars are, regardless of what the owner says it’s going to be used for. If the next owner wants more performance see if a simple change or two, such as headers, cam optimization, swapping converter, gear change or tuning will make them happy. The cost of rebuilding the 318 from scratch with that large of an overbore might warrant a swap to a 360, cores shouldn’t be too expensive and you can get better performance with a milder combination. Besides, how much value does matching numbers bring to the table for a 318 equipped car versus increased performance of a 360, probably not much if any.
A 4spd conversion is always a plus.
Steve R
Robert, nothing in your post is true or remotely accurate. Wild misinformation.
I’d get a sticker that says ‘440’ and drop a slant six in it! Nice Dart! ’68 Dart was my first car. (Should have kept it)
If going high tech, get a Gen 3 392 with the ZF transmission. If not, a 360 works fine. Of course the 318 could be freshened up and be respectable.
This is a pretty decent deal, IMO. Certainly not overpriced like so much Mopar that we see here.
All dressed up in that slick new suit and shoes without a penny in it’s pocket.
A 318 ???? What a waste. Anything with a 318 cant even get out of its own way !!!
But a 318 can become a 340 after a trip to the machine shop! That’s how Chrysler did it, the 340 is a bored 318, and the 360 is a 340 with a stroker crank fitted. Source: Wikipedia (see link below):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_LA_engine