71 Dodge Dart Swinger in England

[uber cool]

Just imported this from Houston Texas. Saw it listed on ebay and was just the right time for a new project. Think I'd just watched a few programmes on youtube like road kill with a Duster and another with a Valiant and got me think, they look kind of cool!

Anyway a quick phone call to the seller in USA and the deal was done. Arrived in UK on 10th Oct 15 and I collected on 17th Oct once it had cleared customs etc.

First few photos at the dealers in Houston Tx.

Not quite sure what went wrong with the interior, think it mush have been part way through a dashchange. Luckily came with a boot full of spares and the old dashboard

Plans will be to sort the interior and then make UK road legal. Think I will also put the Rally wheels back on.

 

[xLURKxDOGx]

Awesome!!! Looks like its gonna be a fun one. Ive always loved the look of the swingers. What your plan, restore or resto-mod???


Jake

 

[mccoymail]

Looks great, welcome to the site!! I've got a 71 myself and family in Godmanchester..

 

[mccoymail]

Oh, we call it a trunk. Not to be a smarta$$ but someone here will not have a clue what you are talking about!!!

 

[66fyssh]

Your Swinger is "Uber Cool"

It will surely turn some heads in the UK!!

 

[67Dart273]

Oh, we call it a trunk. Not to be a smarta$$ but someone here will not have a clue what you are talking about!!!

I've never understood where "boot" came from, or that matter "bonnet" LOL

"Car trunk................."

That project will surely be an attention getter "over there."

 

[ArizonaKid]

Oh, we call it a trunk. Not to be a smarta$$ but someone here will not have a clue what you are talking about!!!

Look in the back of a haynes manual, they come with a translation dictionary.

 

[uber cool]

Thanks for feedback guys, I sure am excited to get stuck in,

I forgot about the translations, wing and fender is another lol. I should have know better as I'm on a chevy truck forum as well as i have a 59 Fleetside Apache too

 

[diymirage]

any chance we can get some captions with that video?


(just kidding)

so what are the plans?

it looks like the swinger was a A/C car, are you planning on restoring that?

and you know this will come up in conversation sooner or later, so it might as well be me...are you going to repaint the engine bay the proper color ?

 

[uber cool]

I'm tempted to take the AC vents out to clean up the interior. I will go body color on the engine bay. But I might change the colour and go for a gun metal silver with matt black hood and the rally wheels back on.

PS your Duster sounds sweet

 

[moparmat2000]

Super cool swinger. Looks really good w the magnum 500s on it now. Might want to be sure the rallyes in the trunk are large bolt pattern. 71 A bodies had a 5 bolt 4" diameter circle. The magnum 500 wheels on it are 5 bolt 4.5" circle. Someone may have upgraded to the big bolt pattern.

 

[kiss]

save that rim blow steering wheel, that's worth $$$

very nice!

 

[uber cool]

Super cool swinger. Looks really good w the magnum 500s on it now. Might want to be sure the rallyes in the trunk are large bolt pattern. 71 A bodies had a 5 bolt 4" diameter circle. The magnum 500 wheels on it are 5 bolt 4.5" circle. Someone may have upgraded to the big bolt pattern.

good point I'll check that out.

Yep , with Magnum 500's the rim blow steering wheel, 360 cu engine I think someone at sometime invested a bit of money in the old girl. Did this model come as standard with disc brakes or drums, the VIN is LH23, so is that the high spec model?

few more pictures

 

[kiss]

That rim blow steering wheel was stock on that car. They were in a lot of 71 vehicles. That Dart has the full body trim package which commonly got rim blow steering wheels in 71.

 

[uber cool]

Awesome!!! Looks like its gonna be a fun one. Ive always loved the look of the swingers. What your plan, restore or resto-mod???


Jake

I like the resto mod idea. Maybe a color change and different wheels, 15's or 16's

I'm thinking along these lines at the mo.

But it wouldn't be the first time I've started with a vision and gone completely the other way

 

[moparmat2000]

LH23 (dart premium 2 door hardtop)

Standard V8 mill would have been the 2bbl 318, optional 340 which i think is overrated IMHO. 340 is same as a 318 in all aspects as far as crank rods etc. Except one. The 340 has a 4.00" diameter bore compared to the 318 having a 3.910" bore. You got a better dealio with the 360. 4.00" bore same rods as a 318/340, however it has a 3.58" stroke compared to the 318/340 3.31" stroke.

For a future build you may concider wanting t punch it out to a bigger bore, add a 4.00" stroke crank and build a 408/410 inch stroker.

Nice project car though. Lots of good advice, and information on her. Lots of good folks willing to help too. Your pic of the end result you want is freakin cool. I love the gray.

A piece of advice, dump that edelbrock foam element air cleaner. One backfire pop and it will melt and fall into your engine.

Matt

 

[diymirage]

keep an eye on your coolant temp...that looks like a mighty small fan on there

 

[uber cool]

LH23 (dart premium 2 door hardtop)

Standard V8 mill would have been the 2bbl 318, optional 340 which i think is overrated IMHO. 340 is same as a 318 in all aspects as far as crank rods etc. Except one. The 340 has a 4.00" diameter bore compared to the 318 having a 3.910" bore. You got a better dealio with the 360. 4.00" bore same rods as a 318/340, however it has a 3.58" stroke compared to the 318/340 3.31" stroke.

For a future build you may concider wanting t punch it out to a bigger bore, add a 4.00" stroke crank and build a 408/410 inch stroker.

Nice project car though. Lots of good advice, and information on her. Lots of good folks willing to help too. Your pic of the end result you want is freakin cool. I love the gray.

A piece of advice, dump that edelbrock foam element air cleaner. One backfire pop and it will melt and fall into your engine.

Matt

Hi it wasn't a v8 car, its was the straight 6, so someone's swapped it out at some point. I only have the sellers word it was a 360cu, it might not be, any easy way to tell?

Very good point on the air filter I did think that when I first saw the photos, but then forgot

 

[moparmat2000]

Casting marks on side of the block will be a 7 digit PN , and cast into the block it will say 360, along with a casting date.

 

[uber cool]

Casting marks on side of the block will be a 7 digit PN , and cast into the block it will say 360, along with a casting date.

cheers will check that tomorrow (it's midnight in UK now)

 

[moparmat2000]

360 block pic 10-30-78 casting date. Pic is of RH passenger side of my block. Drivers side is where you will see the 7 digit PN, and engine cubic inch size cast in.

 

[360DartGT66]

This'll be nice to follow. Good to have more people on here in roughly the same time zone.

That instrumentation change-out attempt looks like it needs a little attention ... I love your idea for the finished car!

 

[uber cool]

This'll be nice to follow. Good to have more people on here in roughly the same time zone.

That instrumentation change-out attempt looks like it needs a little attention ... I love your idea for the finished car!

yeah too right, looks like a 5 year old fitted them

 

[stansblue72]

Your dart looks like a great starting point. That silver one in the pitcher is beautiful. I went with 17" wheels on mine.

 

[Dustert73]

Be careful with that foam Eddy air cleaner. I was using one during the tuning of my 318, it pretty much melted when gas shot back through the carb into it. I'm still finding foam pieces stuck in the carb...