This 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger has been stored since 1999 and it’s reported to be complete and mostly solid. And yes, it ran when it was parked in 1999. It can be found here on eBay in Corpus Christi, Texas. There is an unmet opening bid price of $2,499 and no reserve after that.
The term patina was all the rage in 2019 and it has been for the last few years – maybe it still is. I’ve had a couple of vehicles that looked like this car, paint-wise, and I personally like the look. But, I also like a pristine on-a-velvet-turntable-in-the-living-room vehicle that looks better than new. This Dart was stored on a farm in central Texas for two decades but they don’t say whether it was stored inside or outside. I’m assuming the best, that it was stored inside.
The Dart Swinger was new for 1969, or at least the hardtop Swinger version was. The 1969 Dart has my personal favorite grille, the last of the great Dodge Dart grilles, but that’s just one opinion. This car has quite a few areas that need attention, says Cap’n Obvious. It appears to have been restored at some point in its life, with some now-exposed bodywork cracking and sagging like a Hollywood star and/or starlet that has undergone one too many procedures.
Cars can and do rust on the Gulf of Mexico where Corpus Christi is located, but the seller says that the all-important frame rails on this one look solid. Not to mention that at least for the last 20 years it’s been in central Texas. The back seat looks good other than the top portion being dried, fried, and bonified in need of replacement. Luckily, seat covers are available. They’re not cheap, but they’re available.
The 225 cubic-inch slant-six most likely needs help if the last time it ran was in 1999. I’m always worried when I see a vehicle with caps missing on things that should be covered, especially if they’ve been uncovered for 20 years. Let’s hope that they haven’t been open the whole time. The seller has uploaded more photos here so you can see the underside and other areas of this Dart. Are there any other fans of these early Darts out there?
Oh yes I love the A-body Darts. I’d bet money that a fresh battery and some ether would get that slanty to fire right off. Or, worst case, a new set of points. I’d love to hear it start after all that time!
The worse thing people seem to do as soon as an old engine fires up is give it a rev to, just let it idle and let everything warm up before slowly bringing it up to say 2000 r.p.m.
would say – not changing the oil first – on one that’s been sitting…
Yeah it would those slantys are awesome engines.
Got to love the late 60’s. Even the most square person could buy a car like this, suddenly, they’re swingers. This particular Swinger is pretty lackluster. You could fancy these up pretty well. I think the only option on this car was an automatic. You could restore it, but then you’d have a basic ’69 Dodge Dart. Somebody will probably put a hemi in this and race it. As is, not much fun.
I suspect most of the people who bought Swingers were thinking “playground” rather than “playboy”.
Seriously – I remember these basic Swingers being driven by old maid school teachers, librarians, and blue-collar retirees.
Body not bad.
Make a pretty good basis for restoration with a 360
I say 5.7 Hemi but I agree.
Always liked the 68-69 darts. Great body style that doesn’t cost a arm and a leg to make a cool day 2 cruiser. Cost a fraction compared to 68-69 chargers or e body to make nice.
Yes – defenitely also my favorite Dart – the grill – the gauges – even the color – and last but not least – the engine. Love this car!
Good luck to the new owner!
Don’t touch the outside. Pull the /6 and associated drive line and retrofit a 5.7/6.1 Hemi. Love the car just as it looks. No need to go neck deep on paint and body.
Nice car for its age and history. I see remnants of an A/C system, too bad the rest is gone.
If the price was right, someone could have fun with this car, re-doing things as the budget allows.
The price was right. Sold at $2650.00 for a car that could make a nice cruiser from. Very little rust.
I had a 69,340 swinger ,it was amazingly similar to this car ,interior the same ,just the 340 ,with a 3.91 rear end,they would give a big block a run for there money at a lot less money. A swinger like this is a pretty light car,
I absolutely love these cars.
Thanks everyone for the “GOOD” comments on a basic car that has potential. Dave, I still have my 340 Swinger w/4 speed. The interiors are similar, except the 340 has shoulder belts and the door panels are a different pattern. I know this because I used them in mine, because they were laying around and at the time you could not buy any elsewhere.
This car has shoulder belts – they are clipped to the sun visor bracket (I remember this feature, typical for all MoPars that year, from driving my Dad’s ’69 Polara). You can see the belts hanging through the windows.
This car sold for pretty much what a Swinger 340 went for new….
Building my ’69 340 4-speed Swinger was the best thing I ever did. Driving it into the side of a house at 80 MPH was the worst. But with just a few day 2 mods (mild purple stripe cam, weiand intake, holly carb and headers) I used to surprise a lot of big block Camaros and Mustangs. Even stock, those cars were some of the best sleepers ever built.
I hope whoever buys this one just cleans it up, fires up the 225 slanty, and leaves the rest of it alone and drives the wheels off it. It’s a classic relic from a better vanished time when cheap simple cars were still fun.
If it were me, I would get it running as is, like you stated, while I worked on a mild 360/727 to put in at a later date. I imagine 340s are scarce these days. Of course you could make a 318 into a 340 I suppose.
My 68 Valiant had shoulder belts. 170 cid 6
Not sure what “remnants of an A/C system” are seen. If car had been equipped with factory A/C, it would have had pushbutton controls, not the slider levers this car has.
It would of been an after market AC system, with the controls on the blower unit itself, under the dash at the center. The holes in the firewall for the factory lines on the passenger side are not there and it appears that a hole next to the wiper motor was made for the after market unit. If you look hard, the flooring is not carpet but rubber, as used in the lower end models. The seating is also on the low end.
Mine was the same shift as this oneit was ordered just for speed,no power options ,only an am radio,of course this was a car I bought used and took the word of the seller,it was before the internet so it wasn’t that easy to check vin numbers and such.Its easy to forget that before the internet it wasn’t easy to check what a car was ordered with.
I have always wanted one of these. I have heard the “leaning tower of power” can be upgraded to make decent power and they are known for long life. Any idea how much power they can make?
Steve, there is more to a 340 then a 4 inch bore. By the time you bought all the special parts you could of paid the price for a 340 ready to go. Example: double timing chain, forged floating pistons and pins, shock pinged crank, also forged like the other early small blocks, connecting rods are also heavy duty. Windage tray, X, O or U heads (2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves) The “J” head will work, but you have to have the heads worked into 2.02’s, the exhaust valves are the same. I believe the rocker arms are also harden over the stock 318 for durability. Intakes are a dime a dozen as stock, but you may want to customize it to fit your needs. Note: I put on a set of tuned headers and 2.5″ exhaust pipes and it made a big difference, either it be a 318, 340 or 360. What goes in, must come out!!!!
Sold for $2,650.
Theres a nice fresh 440 Six Pack engine in my showroom looking for a home…
I would leave the 6 in there and just a bit of mild work will give a lot of V8’s a run for their money, Lynx Manifold with a side draft Webber or a Japanese Nikki carb which was a knock off of a Webber anyway, so you can have a bit of performance and still nice to cruise with along with a set of headers as well as mild internal work, balance mild cam etc. We used to race one of these in a stock car and beat a lot of small block Chev and Fords around the 1/4 mile dirt track and then on Saturday night after racing fit it into a sling shot and go drag racing on Sunday, change the manifold over for a 6 carb (Amil carbs). The one thing you need to do is change the studs that hold the manifold on because they are very soft.
This is what I am talking about. Build up the 225 to, what? 225hp? That would be very cool.
The BEST part: One could AFFORD this kind of TRANSPORTATION. Most was an easy driveway fix. NOT 200 bucks an hr at the shop. AND RAN FOREVER if maintained. Of course, auto business needs to SELL new cars, so it had to RUST and quit at some point. BUT, still, did the job. Except not SEXY. We all know that corps need ya to think SEXY to make $$$$. And thats been our weakness. :(
Not Sexy?
https://www.garagekeptmotors.com/vehicles/845/1969-dodge-dart-gt
well said Lee –
a ‘mini’ Roadrunner in my book!!! with a 340/360 and some chassis tune, wow.
NOT THIS one. Leave as is. and just DRIVE IT. Beats a yoda or nissan. :P