1968 440 GTS Darts (Only 6 Built)

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69 Cuda 440

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Anybody ever see one of the '6' 1968 Dart GTS 383 (with a factory built 440) Super Stock 'only' cars.

Only '6' were built in late-December 1967, and delivered to 'specific racers' prior to the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, to run legal in the NHRA SS/EA class.

* Dick Landy
* Ron Mancini (Greater Detroit Dodge Dealers)
* Charlie Allen (Saddleback Dodge)
* Rockville Center Dodge (Long Island, New York)

These cars left the factory capable of running right on 12.00 @ 118 MPH, which was under the SS/EA
National Record of 12.18.

ronmancini.jpg
 
Dick Landy won the SS/EA Class at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, knocking off
several of the 'new' Ford factory-built 1968 428 Cobra-Jets.

Dick made it the 'Semi-Finals' of Super/Stock Eliminator.

Other SS/EA competitors, 1968 SS396 Camaro's
 
I never knew that or saw this pic. Now its on my list of things to look for. Although I would likely find a HEMI first. Thats a cool car. How about the knife blade following the body line.
 
Here's another,

Charlie Allen of Saddleback Dodge (Santa Ana, California)

By the 1968 Springnationals [June 1968] these cars were running 11.80's @ 120 MPH

callensaddlebackdart.jpg
 
couple more pics
 

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wow that is awesome. at the last fall fling, DICK LANDY'S daughter was there selling off some of his old memerobilia. i got some killer pieces. this was among them, i gotta be honest i thought it was a ss/ hemi. even rarer!
 

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I think they found one of these a few years back in a barn some place around Saginaw Michigan. but my memorie sucks. i know a freind of mine found a four wheel drive vega station wagon the only one that ever made it out of the tech. center. and what did he do sold it back to GM they crushed.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
I never knew that or saw this pic. Now its on my list of things to look for. Although I would likely find a HEMI first. Thats a cool car. How about the knife blade following the body line.
Click to expand...


Pretty sure that is the "wings" of the bee...although it does look like a knife blade lol
 
These 1968 Dart 383 GTS cars were specially prepared with a 440 engine.

The Dart GTS cars had 10" Drum Brakes, and the full GTS interior with bucket seats and console.

And a secret 'Skunkworks-prepared' car, including, Hooker Headers 'fenderwell'.

They left the factory with a B & M tricked up 727 transmission, 2500 RPM stall converter and
manual (reverse pattern) valve body.

The Competition in 1968 SS/EA Class.

* 1968 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang 428/335 HP
* 1967 and 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS396 - 396/325 HP
* 1968 Chevelle SS396 - 396/375 HP
* 1966 Pontiac GTO - 389/360 HP Tri-Power
* 1967 Pontiac GTO - 400/360 HP Ram-Air
* 1967 Pontiac Firebird - 400/340 HP Ram-Air
* 1968 Pontiac Firebird - 400/340 HP Ram-Air
* 1964 Plymouth Belvedere - 426/365 HP Street-Wedge
 
A great article about Ron Mancini's 1968 Dart GTS 440 (SS/EA) in the
December 1968 Hi-Performance Cars Magazine.
 
All six cars came with the 383 4-barrel emblems. Over a decade ago I heard someone found the Landy car in Minnesota but nothing has ever come of it. I don't think that any of them have been found yet. I know where 14 of the Mr. Norms GSS Darts are, where are the other 34?
 
rhinodart said:
All six cars came with the 383 4-barrel emblems. Over a decade ago I heard someone found the Landy car in Minnesota but nothing has ever come of it. I don't think that any of them have been found yet. I know where 14 of the Mr. Norms GSS Darts are, where are the other 34?
Click to expand...
interesting...
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
These 1968 Dart 383 GTS cars were specially prepared with a 440 engine.

The Dart GTS cars had 10" Drum Brakes, and the full GTS interior with bucket seats and console.

And a secret 'Skunkworks-prepared' car, including, Hooker Headers 'fenderwell'.

They left the factory with a B & M tricked up 727 transmission, 2500 RPM stall converter and
manual (reverse pattern) valve body.

The Competition in 1968 SS/EA Class.

* 1968 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang 428/335 HP
* 1967 and 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS396 - 396/325 HP
* 1968 Chevelle SS396 - 396/375 HP
* 1966 Pontiac GTO - 389/360 HP Tri-Power
* 1967 Pontiac GTO - 400/360 HP Ram-Air
* 1967 Pontiac Firebird - 400/340 HP Ram-Air
* 1968 Pontiac Firebird - 400/340 HP Ram-Air
Click to expand...

I don't think the factory did the actual cars. They were delivered to an outside vendor for installation of all the SS specific parts. I can't remember the company that did the install.
 
Maybe my memory isn't that good, but I remember Muscle Car on Spike did something on a 440 Dart. Made by Norms. Came with fenderwell headers. Not safe for the street because with the headers you cant turn the wheels lock to lock without hitting them! Fast as all get out though. At the time the owner lived somewhere around Milwaukee, Wi.? I'll see if I can find a link for it.

Ok, found the link. Start viewing at the 10:20 mark for the episode. One BAD *** Dart.

http://www.powerblocktv.com/episodes/MC2006-17

ENJOY!!!
 
I remember about a decade ago, Jackson had a warehouse fire that destroyed a ton of cars. In the lot was a 68 M Code Dart. I have no idea any of the details of the car. I read about it in Old Cars Weekly.
 
Tom Hoover of Chrysler Performance was involved in putting the engine together
for the Ron Mancini 1968 Dart GTS.

But the article in the December 1968 Hi-Performance Cars Magazine put out
all the details of the car.
$(KGrHqZ,!qcE88ftTz9SBPhvTTHkfQ~~60_57.JPG
 
Louie70Dart said:
Maybe my memory isn't that good, but I remember Muscle Car on Spike did something on a 440 Dart. Made by Norms. Came with fenderwell headers. Not safe for the street because with the headers you cant turn the wheels lock to lock without hitting them! Fast as all get out though. At the time the owner lived somewhere around Milwaukee, Wi.? I'll see if I can find a link for it.

Ok, found the link. Start viewing at the 10:20 mark for the episode. One BAD *** Dart.

http://www.powerblocktv.com/episodes/MC2006-17

ENJOY!!!
Click to expand...

I didn't look at the video but I am sure that is Colin Comer's car. Having worked for Mr. Norm he said they never put fenderwell headers on the GSS's, but alot of them had them added afterwards. He would either use the 67 383 manifolds or had a local muffler shop in Berwyn, IL named Iggy's that made underchassis headers. I had a set once, but threw them out.
 
I saw both Dick Landy's and Rockville Center's 1968 GTS 440 SS/EA Darts at the
1968 Super Stock Magazine Nationals (New York National Speedway).

We tried to find out about these cars from Chrysler Performance in August 1968, and
they wouldn't tell us anything, other than they were factory sponsored cars and
were not available, as only a selected few were built.

We were running a 1964 Plymouth Belvedere 426/365 HP 'Street-Wedge' in SS/EA,
and got buried by the Rockville Center GTS Dart during class run-offs at the Super
Stock Magazine Nationals.
 
I have the Supercar 1/18 scale die cast and its has the 383 emblem on the front fender.
 
I had heard somewhere a while back that Hurst Industries did all the work putting the 68 Hemi Darts/Cudas together. I wonder if they also did the 440 cars too??
 
Some debate whether Hurst put these '6' cars together in December 1967, or
if they were done by the 'Skunkworks Team' at Ted Spehar's Performance
Automotive (Gulf Station off of 14 Mile Road in Birmingham, Detroit).

Some question about whether the Cylinder Heads were prepped by Kenyon,
and if the engine machine work was done by Dee Nichols of N & S Automotive.

From what I found out, the cars left with the stock cast iron intakes on the engines,
and it was up to the '6' car owners to change the intake to their choice of an
aluminum high-rise intake (Edelbrock or Offenhauser).
 
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