by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
This Dart can ‘Swing’
Gary Minsavage says there is something special about the cars the Chrysler Corporation produced in the 1960s and 1970s.
“It was a great two decades for Mopar cars,” he says. Mopar refers to the automobile parts and service arm of the Chrysler Group LLC. “The look, the sound was probably the greatest that company produced in all their brands: Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth.”
Minsavage’s 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 is this week’s Ride of the Week.
“I basically rebuilt it from the ground up,” Minsavage says. “It belonged to a lady who lived by my aunt. It was rusted out and hadn’t been driven in 15 years or so when I bought it in 1995.”
The Dodge Dart was produced for the North American market from 1960-1976, and a few years later in other markets. The Dart was a full size car in 1960 and 1961, a midsize sedan in 1962 and a compact from 1963-1976. The 1970 Dart was the first year of a redesign that brought the model its greatest success. It got changes to the grille and taillights, which brought the car closer to the design of other Dodge models. The Dart has front disc brakes, a Rally suspension, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio and a bright chrome tip exhaust.
The Swinger 340 came with impressive options: vinyl bucket seats, center console, power brakes, power steering and power windows. It also had a black “bumble bee stripe” at the back of the car, which Minsavage kept when he had the body restored and the car repainted from its original white to bright green.
The 340 model of the Swinger features the non-functional dual hood scoops on the front of the car which Minsavage kept.
“I could never figure out why the woman I bought it from picked the model with the hood scoops. They didn’t seem to fit her personality, but I’m glad she did. They make the car look powerful,” he says.
To make sure the Swinger is more powerful than it originally was, Minsavage replaced the original engine with another 340 cubic inch engine rescued out of a 1972 Swinger. He also installed an Edelbrock manifold, along with “J” heads and 2.02/1.60 valves. He also replaced the carburetor with a 750 cfm Edelbrock Performer carburetor and installed Hedman Hedders and a 727 manual shift transmission.
Minsavage says he usually makes rounds at the Wilkes-Barre area car shows in the summer and has taken his Swinger to the car show in Carlisle on occasion.
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