The compact and specialty market represents 15 percent of the total market. The consumer will find that the Dart, the industry's most popular regular compact, steps up to meet the desires of both the compact and specialty car consumer for 1968.
The Dodge Dart GT line has been given a fresh, new look by the tapered full-length moulding on the lower character line. Most noticeable exterior changes include a new grille and tail lights with a wide, new applique between them.
A special decor package -- consisting of full-length body side mouldings and drip rail mouldings -- is available for the Dart 2-door and 4-door sedans.
The Dart 270 hardtop and sedan has a paint-filled, full-length body side moulding with the model designation "DART 270" integrated in the rear quarter portion. A new applique has also been added to the rear deck.
The Dart GT Sport is a compact version of the muscle car. The exterior will feature a unique, divided grille and there will also be power bulges on the hood to give a hint of the "muscle" under the skin.
At the rear of the car is a unique trim plate with two large, exposed exhaust tips that seem to speak "power." To complete this racy show-and-go package, the GT Sport will have either bold racing stripe along the side of the car or wild bumble stripes at the rear, and will come standard equipped with Red Line wide-oval tires and Rallye suspension.
Base engine for the GT Sport will be the hot, new 340-cubic-inch engine. Dodge's 383-cubic-inch power plant will be the only engine option available for this Specialty Car.
The Dart GT Sport is available both as a hardtop and as a convertible.
The 340, available in the Dart GT Sport only, is excellent for regular highway driving in combining high-performance capabilities and good fuel economy.
Furan cores are used extensively in the block casting. Bore and stroke are 4.04 x 3.31. The pistons have flat tops and the cylinder is similar to that of the 318-cubic-inch V-8 but has larger intake and exhaust ports and valves.
Hydraulic tappets give quiet operation and the intake manifold has large runner and branch areas. A different camshaft is used for automatic or manual transmissions. The four-barrel carburetor has air valve secondary throttle control. Other features include an unsilenced air cleaner, windage tray, torque drive fan, double-breaker distributor, and dual exhausts.
Improvements in the 383 for 1968 include: new cylinder heads with 10 percent more intake port area; new intake manifold that brings 10 percent greater branch and 50 percent greater runner sizes than the previous intake manifold; and a new carburetor with air valve secondaries and low-restriction dual exhaust system. Exhaust manifolds fit closer to the engine for body clearance.
The 383 engine is also equipped with an unsilenced air cleaner with aluminum decal and chrome valve covers for a "fully-dressed" appearance.
Dodge's 318-cubic-inch powerplant, previously available only on larger Dodge models, will be available as an option in 1968 Darts.
Fuel tank retention is reinforced. Impact absorption materials are used extensively on the instrument panel. The padding on the upper part of the panel is extended rearward to form a better shield over panel controls.
A complete padding is also added to the lower portion of the instrument panel.
Door locks have been changed. The inside door-locking button now must be pulled up before the inside door lever will operate the latch.
Folding front seats will be locked in place and activated by a special lever located at the rear edge of the seat to protect both front and rear seat passengers in the event of a collision.
All window crank knobs will be made of a soft plastic, formed into a tulip shape, that will yield in the event of impact.
Head restraints are optional for the 1968 Dart. These restraints are made of Utherane Foam [Ed: "Urethane" perhaps?] covered with a soft plasticol skin and are available on either bench or bucket seats.
A breakaway ash tray in the instrument panel and an impact-absorbing front seat back top are also standard items.
The impact-absorbing steering column jacket of 1967 was made of two section of tubing with an expanded section welded at each end. In 1968, design improvements -- including a single section of metal with perforations stamped during fabrication -- make the unit stronger, yet more yielding in case of impact.
A new set of seat belts and shoulder belts will also be featured. Two sets of lap belts are again provided for each seating compartment, with center lap belts optional on both front and rear seats.
Front shoulder belts are continued as an option. In addition, rear seat shoulder belts are offered as an option for the first time. Due to the anchorage design of the rear seat shoulder belt, they are not available on the convertible.
The system, researched, designed and pioneered by Dodge engineers, leads to more complete burning of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chambers, resulting in a reduction of unburned hydrocarbons.
This system differs from others in that a slightly altered distributor retards the spark at idle coupled with a special carburetor that provides a lean fuel-air mixture, thus reducing both hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.
For cars equipped with manual transmissions and for the Hemi engine, a sensing valve is incorporated in the ignition system that advances the spark to insure early ignition of the mixture during deceleration.
A new design in engine propeller shafts will be used on some Dart models depending on the engine-transmission-axle combination. Dubbed the IVA (Internal Vibration Absorber), the device is a foot-long steel tube with two molded rubber rings that is pressed into the main propeller shaft. The design appreciably reduces drive line noise.
Axle ratios for the 1968 Dart include: 2.76 to 1; 3.23 to 1; 3.55 to 1 and 3.91 to 1. The Sure-Grip (anti-spin) axles are available in all combinations.
Tires for the Dart will include five different sizes. They are: 6.50 x 13; 7.00 x 13; 6.95 x 14; D70 x 14 and E70 x 14.
1968 Dodge Dart Dimensions
(All dimensions are in inches)
| EXTERIOR | DART | DART 270 | DART GT & GTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2-Door |
4-Door |
2-Door |
4-Door |
2-Door |
Convertible |
||
| Wheelbase | 111.0 |
||||||
| Over-all Dimensions |
Length | 195.4 |
|||||
| Width | 69.6 |
||||||
| Height, Six* | 53.6 |
52.6 |
53.6 |
52.6** |
53.1** |
||
| Height, V-8* | 53.9 |
52.9 |
53.9 |
52.9 |
53.4 |
||
| Track | Front Wheels | 57.4 |
58.1 |
||||
| Rear Wheels | 55.6 |
56.3 |
|||||
PASSENGER SPACE |
|||||||
| Effective Head Room |
Front Seat | 38.3 |
37.3 |
38.3 |
38.0 |
38.7 |
|
| Rear Seat | 37.3 |
36.8 |
37.3 |
36.8 |
36.9 |
||
| Effective Leg Room |
Front Seat | 41.7 |
41.6 |
||||
| Rear Seat | 35.7 |
31.8 |
35.7 |
33.1 |
|||
| Shoulder Room |
Front Seat | 55.4 |
|||||
| Rear Seat | 55.4 |
54.8 |
|||||
| Seat Height | Front Seat | 8.9 |
|||||
| Rear Seat | 11.1 |
10.3 |
11.1 |
10.3 |
|||
| Minimum Knee Room |
Rear Seat | 3.1 |
3.1 |
.50 |
3.1 |
1.2 |
1.2 |
* Height Dimensions are based on a 5-passenger load
** GT only
Chassis Specifications 1968 Dodge Dart
| DART - DART 270 - DART GT | DART GTS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Std. 6 cyl. |
Std. V-8 |
340 V-8 4-bbl. |
|||||
BRAKES |
Type | Standard | Drum |
||||
| Optional (Disc Brakes) | Disc Front - Drum Rear |
||||||
| Size, inches |
Drum |
Front Wheels | 9 x 2.50 |
10 x 2.25 |
|||
| Rear Wheels | 9 x 2.00 |
10 x 1.75 |
|||||
| Disc Brakes | Front Wheels |
|
10.79 x 7.16 |
||||
| Rear Wheels |
|
10 x 1.75 [Ed: drums] |
|||||
CAPACITIES |
Fuel Tank, gal. | 18 |
|||||
| Engine Crankcase, qt | 4 |
||||||
| Cooling System, with Heater, qt |
170-cu.-in.: 12 |
273-cu.-in.: 19 |
340-cu.-in.: 18 |
||||
REAR AXLE |
Manual 3-Speed | 3.23 |
2.93 |
-- |
|||
| Manual 4-Speed | -- |
3.23 |
3.23 |
||||
| Automatic | 2.76 |
2.93, 273-cu.-in. |
3.23 |
||||
| STEERING | Manual, Standard |
Gear Ratio | 24.0 |
||||
| Over-all Ratio | 28.7 |
||||||
| Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock |
5.3 |
||||||
| Manual, Optional |
Gear Ratio | 16.0 |
|||||
| Over-all Ratio | 19.15 |
||||||
| Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock |
3.6 |
||||||
| Power | Gear Ratio | 15.7 |
|||||
| Over-all Ratio | 18.8 |
||||||
| Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock |
3.5 |
||||||
| Turning Diameter, Curb-to-Curb, ft | 38.7 |
||||||
| SUSPENSION | Type | Front | Torsion bar |
||||
| Rear | Leaf spring |
||||||
| Rear Springs |
Length, in. | 55 |
|||||
| Number Leaves | 4 (b) |
4.5 |
6 |
||||
| SPARK PLUGS | Standard Equipment |
Champion | N-14Y |
N-9Y |
|||
| MoPar | P-6-6P |
N.A. |
|||||
| WHEELS AND TIRES |
Drum Brakes |
Rim Size | 4.5 J |
5.5J |
|||
| Tire Size |
6.50 x 13 170-cu.-in. |
7.00 x 13 |
E70 x 14 (a) |
||||
| Disc Brakes |
Rim Size | 4.5 J |
5.5J |
||||
| Tire Size | 6.95 x 14 |
E70 x 14 (a) |
|||||
(a) Red Streak Nylon
(b) 5 with 225-cu.-in. Engine
S - Standard Equipment
F - Special Equipment, Factory-Installed
NA - Not Available
| ITEM | DART | DART 270 |
DART GT DART GTS |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats, Front | Bench-Type | S |
S (a) |
||
| Bucket-Type | NA |
S (b) |
|||
| Floor Covering |
Passenger Compartment |
Black Rubber Mat | S |
NA |
|
| Color-Keyed Carpet (c) | NA |
S |
|||
| Luggage Compartment, Black Rubber | S |
||||
| Headlining, Color-Keyed, Perforated Vinyl | S |
||||
| Armrests | Front Door |
Color-Keyed | S |
NA |
|
| Bright | NA |
S |
|||
| Rear Door |
Color-Keyed | S |
-- |
||
| Bright | NA |
-- |
|||
| Quarter Panel |
Color-Keyed | S |
NA |
||
| Bright | NA |
S |
|||
| Convertible Pocket Panel | -- |
S |
|||
| Ash Receivers |
Instrument Panel | S |
|||
| Rear Door or Quarter Panel | S |
||||
| Convertible Pocket Panel | -- |
S |
|||
| Lights | Ash Tray * | F |
|||
| Dome (except convertible) | S |
||||
| Convertible Pocket Panel | -- |
S |
|||
| Glove Box * | F |
||||
| Ignition Light W/Time Delay * | F |
||||
| Map and Courtesy (convertible) | -- |
S |
|||
| Selector Quadrant, Automatic Transmission (d) |
F |
||||
| Trunk * | F |
||||
(a) Convertible only
(b) Standard on hardtop, optional on convertible
(c) Nylon-rayon, loop pile material
(d) Standard with automatic transmission
* Available in Group only