Dodge redesigned its compact Dart in 1967. Though it sold well enough, “boring” might have been a word used by young people to describe the car. So, to draw in the youth market, the Swinger was born in 1969 as a 2-door hardtop often ordered with “inspiring” colors. This 1972 Swinger wears its original Hemi Orange paint but has been off the road for 35-40 years (fatal engine issues?). Located near Tacoma, Washington, this well-preserved but non-running Mopar is available here on craigslist for $8,000. Thanks for the cool tip, “Curvette”!
Swingers could be ordered from mild to wild. While Chrysler’s venerable 225 cubic-inch Slant-Six was standard, 318 and 340 V8s were optional, with the latter rated at a peak of 275 hp before the measuring stick changed to SAE net in 1972. The seller’s car (which retains its build sheet) has a 318 that apparently crapped out at just 59,000 miles. The vehicle was parked rather than fixed (late 1980s), and some liberation of parts from under the hood took place, so it’s only partly complete.
For an inop car, some care was undoubtedly taken to preserve the Dodge. The body and paint look quite good, and rust has been held at bay. The interior, including houndstooth upholstery, is tidy for the most part. However, the car once wore a white vinyl roof whose covering had been removed. So, you’d need to replace or repaint that area.
Restoring this vehicle may largely be a mechanical exercise. The seller says he/she has a good engine to go with the sale, though we’re not told what it is (dare it be a 340?). Also, parts can be provided to convert the automatic transmission to a 4-speed. It already has front disc brakes and was set up for factory air conditioning, but that hardware may be gone. This seems like a good project since the body is sound.
An EV2 bargain that probably won’t last long… The 340 callouts and scoops are sure interesting as they holes in the hood look like they are factory. Id like to see the fender tag as I cant make out the build sheet numbers.
The interior a plus but it looks like a cheap respray as the factory paint finish was a lot nicer than that. A grocery getter with some attitude.
An interesting prospect for sure!
4sp and 340 would certainly have this Dart swinging Jay 🏁
I see LH23G2B on the sheet. I don’t know all the trim codes though.
All the hoods, even the flat ones had the holes underneath, that’s just how they made them. My slant 6 ’72 Swinger is the same way.
The windshield wipers say it all
I always liked the Dart better than the Duster but I’d take either with a 340 4spd. I’d take this one the way it is, how many V8 2dr mopars are there for sale any more at this price that aren’t total rust buckets.
$8000 for a non-running example that will need paint seems a bit steep IMHO, but given what’s happened to prices in general, and old car prices in particular, who knows? I’m glad the vinyl roof is gone, it would save me the trouble of removing it, LOL! Paint the roof white to mimic the missing vinyl top, along with refreshing the red paint on the rest of the car, rebuild the engine, transmission and brakes, then have fun!
I wish my Mom had bought one of these instead of the 1972 Maverick she finally got, but that’s life!