1971 Dodge Dart Swinger

[DustinsDuster]

so some of you on here knew about this, but a lot didnt. my mom just sent me some pics, so i thought i would post them up.

basically, my mom's friend in California had this car as a daily driver. she bought it for $300 cash a few months before i visited and drove it everywhere, rain or shine, with no problems. with my Duster down, and a restoration on the horizon, i needed a way to get rid of all the parts i wouldnt be using on my Duster build. since seemingly no one around here seems to have a need for Mopar parts, i decided to find a solid car to put my entire drivetrain and suspension in and sell it for a reasonable price to finance the Duster build. im not looking to turn a huge profit here, just trying to get some money for my parts.

as it sits, i am pretty excited. i plan on flying out to California in the spring, giving the car a tuneup and driving it home. i know the car might look rough to some of you, but all i see is potential...a little work and effort, and i should have a decent looking, rust free, mid to low 12 second driver that stands out.

anyway, here are some pics:

[Ricky]

she needs some work but should be nice.

[slobalt]

Don't see many cars like that anymore. Looks good for its age......

[DustinsDuster]

i didnt notice this until looking at the pics just now; but it looks like it even has A/C! looks like ive got some other hard to find parts to put on ebay, hehehe.

im going to ask my mom to try and get pics of the engine bay and under carraige to get an idea of what i have. if this thing has disc brakes, i should be able to sell them as well, small bolt pattern discs are hard to come by anymore.

[sLoWnStEaDy]

how much you think you will try to get for it when done?? My dad always liked those, but we just started the "restoration" on his truck...

[DustinsDuster]

i dont know, depending on if i get the paint all done and what not, probably somewhere around $6-$6500 depending on how much i have to put into it.

we'll just have to see who wants it and whos willing to pay what for it.

[logans dad]

To fix that up you will have at least that much in it. I don't think you know what your getting into. What engine is in it, 318 or 6 banger?

[DustinsDuster]

To fix that up you will have at least that much in it. I don't think you know what your getting into. What engine is in it, 318 or 6 banger?

Vic, i understand you are older than me, and i can respect your expiriences throughout your lifetime, but are you honestly going to sit there and tell ME that I dont know what im getting myself into in restoring an old Mopar?

the car is rust free. the paint is bad, but i can do the little bit of paint and bodywork myself. the seats are torn, but i have all new seats and a console to go into the car. i have an entire suspension setup and an entire drivetrain just sitting around. how do you figure i have $6k to put into the car?

[ZEE]

I think all he's saying is the time and money you put into it you probably won't get back what you put into it. I built a Duster once. Had over 2000 in the motor and alot of other mechanical upgrades. In the end I still just about had to give it away. Nobody wanted to pay 3000 for a 500 dollar car no matter what was done to it.

[DustinsDuster]

i dont know, we'll see how it goes. i know you couldnt build the car for what im asking, so im hoping to find someone who wants a fun driver/racer.

[logans dad]

Im not cutting you down in anyway Dustin. The car body is good but its not a bucket seat 4 speed car. If it was I think you would have a money maker.

[DustinsDuster]

i understand what youre saying, but im not shooting to sell it to the crowd that cares about numbers matching cars and originality. im shooting for someone who just wants to drive the piss out of the car and have fun with it.

look at this dart that has a factory iron headed 360 and a less streetable setup thats at $6k already with a buy it now at $16,500...even says it has rust in the trunk!:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Dart-1970-Dodge-Dart-Swinger_W0QQitemZ260186800686QQihZ016QQcategoryZ62 01QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here's a 318 Dart from Arizona with a $5k opening bid
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Dart-Swinger-1970-Dodge-Dart-Dart-Swinger-318-with-AC_W0QQitemZ250191329313QQihZ015QQcategoryZ6201QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i know what it all comes down to is what someone will pay for it. if the market has changed by the time i get it together, and i am hurting for money, i'd probably sell for less. just saying what i am wanting to get out of the car.

[logans dad]

Those two cars are more of what people are looking for. The one your looking at is like a car old gramps would drive I'm sorry to say. Go get it and in a couple years when you still have it and maybe with a different motor we will see. Is the molding on the side stick on I wonder or are there little fasteners to hold it on. I would strip everything out of it and put a couple nice buckets in it and a cage and posi and sell it that way. I mean take the carpet out, head liner and make it light. Put some nice wheels on it like the Duster had and I cant figure out why you sold those? The Duster looked good with them but then you might break even.

How is the truck project coming along? I see the same happening with this Swinger, your Duster and the pickup. Dustin, I hope you prove me wrong!!!

Remember I got into it with your friend about never getting out of a car what you put into it?

[DustinsDuster]

Vic, i think youre not understanding what i am saying. how will my car not be like either of those two? why strip everything out of it? im keeping it a street car; a lot easier to sell that way. i already have a pair of original Abody buckets and center console to go into it. the molding on the side just sticks on, thats why you can see a bit of it gone on my car with no holes behind it. this doesnt bother me at all because i plan on sanding the whole car down and repainting it anyway. besides, i never really liked that light grey to start with, probably paint it something brighter.

also, i sold the draglites because i plan on getting Prostars for my Duster, i like their looks more than Draglites. it wouldnt have mattered if i kept them, the backspacing wouldnt have let me put them on this Dart without minitubbing it.

as far as my other projects go, i'll start with my truck; as of this moment, i have a complete untouched DSM wiring harness, a wiring harness thats already been modified to fit a RAM50 to study to make mine, two ECU's, two main relays, a complete 4G63, small 16g turbo, 2G exhaust manifold, the DSM's dual fan radiator, Walboro 255 inline fuel pump, and a spare RWD trans for the 4G63(i am pretty sure i'll break at least one of them before i can figure out an alternative). i already swapped 1g bucket seats and center console into my truck as well. as soon as i am moved into my new house, the bed is coming off my truck to fix the small rust spots, and i have already made plans with a friend to build a custom intake manifold for the truck application. i dont even want to get into the stuff i have researched and plan on doing with it. the only reason i havent done the swap yet(other than spending money on all of my projects at once) is because i knew i couldnt afford to get everything that i wanted in the timeframe (before this winter), so i decided this summer that i would spend the winter collecting everything i need for the swap, and i would take a week or so and do it this spring. remember, this is my daily driver, i cant afford to have it off that road for that long at a time...

then there is my Duster. hopefully you'll remember most of this, but in case you dont, i'll reiterrate. i have picked up a complete 360 R motor, of which i plan on using everything except for the rotating assembly. that rotating assembly will bolt into a spare 340 block i have sitting around, and will turn it into a 379ci stroker i can sell to make a little extra cash. i also have a 727 core and a Dana 60 housing to build. remember, this is all on top of the current 360, 727 and 8 3/4 rear that were in my Duster, that are all going into the Dart when it gets here.

as for cosmetics, i managed to hunt down a complete set of chrome trim to install a vinyl top on my car(they dont make reproductions, so this wasnt very cheap). i had a pair of quarters, but DHL destroyed them, so they had to go back to the sender. i also have an all aluminum richmond 4 speed, tilton 3 disc clutch, and SFI approved flywheel sitting around to sell as well if you know anyone interested.

if that werent enough, i am also currently following up on a lead on a complete '88 5.0L for cheap/free for my Sunbeam project.

so what do you think Vic? do i get your approval for making moderate progress on three projects at once?

[logans dad]

I will let you know in the year Im giving you. My hats off to you for all your projects. Lets see how long it takes and the amount of money it cost you.

I would do one project at a time, Finish it then move to another. I would have night mares lol with all you have going on.

[DustinsDuster]

im hoping in a year i'll have the 4G63 in my truck and driving around, the Dart will be in the mid 12's, and my Duster should be on a rotisseree with new rear floors, cage installed and some bodywork started.

honestly, i dont think im much more than $1500-$2000 away from all three of those goals, and its not hard to come up with that much in a year.

[logans dad]

I would of let it be until I read the 1500 to 2000 for all these projects, Come back to reality Dustin. That wont even hardly by wheels and tires for the two cars. All the little things are going to nickle and dime you to death and I cant wait for you to realize that the old fuck was right. I wont post anything else on this as Ive said all I can say.We just need to see whats up in like a year. I know you can do all this but its the money thing that you dont understand. Now right a book back and I will still feel the same way.

[DustinsDuster]

oh, im sure little things here and there will add up to more than $2k; i was just talking about big hard parts. i havent decided which one im going to get yet, but a moderate rebuild kit for a 4G63 shouldnt be more than a few hundred dollars. making the intake manifold for my truck probably wont cost me much more than a case of beer (thanks JJ240 in advance). i guess i still need an intercooler for my truck, but for the size i need and all, i dont think finding a used one for $100-$200 will be too hard. im not sure how much getting exhaust bent up for the truck will be, but at Denny's, dual 2 1/2" exhaust was only like $150 if i remember correctly.

i kindof forgot about the broken rocker arm in my 360, but even still, replacing that and the retainer/keeper shouldnt be more than a few hundred dollars either. and i need a torque converter, thats less than $350 shipped(already checked with Virgil). rear floor pans for my Duster are under $150 for the pair, and a cage should be under $300 for a 10 point, that is if i go with steel over chrome-moly.

even being generous on the amount ive spent, thats around $1700. i know damn well i will spend more than that, but spending a few hundred here and there, it's not such a hard hit to take. i totally agree that i will probably spend double that with all the little stuff added together, but really, thats not very far off how much i spend on my cars every year...

[Drifte]

I take it your doing a custom intake manifold to try to avoid beating in your firewall? Im excited to see the truck done, and the duster bare and getting the attention the body needs. If you can get a pic of the dart (in entirety, the pics seem to crop one or both ends its so freakin huge) i can chop it a little. fresh paint, wheels etc if ya like.

[DustinsDuster]

I take it your doing a custom intake manifold to try to avoid beating in your firewall? Im excited to see the truck done, and the duster bare and getting the attention the body needs. If you can get a pic of the dart (in entirety, the pics seem to crop one or both ends its so freakin huge) i can chop it a little. fresh paint, wheels etc if ya like.

no, i cant run the stock DSM manifold because it'll face directly at the firewall. since it's a log style intake manifold, i could just block off the stock end, open up the other end, and extend it forward a few inches to clear the coil pack, but after talking to JJ240 about it, it sounds like it might almost be easier to just use the flanges and make a new manifold.

i'll ask my mom to move it into the street or something so she can get a good profile picture of the car. i'll send it your way once i get it.

i didnt say so before, but thanks to all for the compliments and opinions. its always nice to see things from a different POV.

[boxmakingman]

Let me know when you go. I might want to go, it sounds like it could be a fun ride back.

[DustinsDuster]

i will do that, i just mighthave an open seat for the ride home. im pretty positive my friend Bill is going with me to take pics and what not, but im not 100% sure who else is. i'll let you know, it's always nice to have another mechanically inclined pair of hands around...