Written by Fred Proctor
In 1984 I bought a bone stock 1973 Dart Swinger with a 318. At
first I didn't appreciate the beauty of having a V-8 driven car, but
that changed after talking with some buddies. It was not long before
the little Dart lost its 2 BBL carb for an Edelbrock manifold, a
Holley 650 4 BBL, and dual exhaust. After some time I moved from
Seattle, WA, to Colorado Springs, CO. It was here I sold the Dart to a
good friend of mine for $2000. That winter he forgot to check the
antifreeze and the engine block froze and cracked. The freeze plugs
didn't budge at all! The following summer I bought it back from
him for $500 and proceded with a major drivetrain overhaul; I pulled
the old engine, 904 transmission, driveshaft and 7 1/4 rear end and
replaced it all with a 360 cid engine with the intake system from the
318, a race-prepped 727 transmission, a shortened driveshaft, and an 8
1/4 rear end. The Dart was zippy before but now it was downright fast
(scary my wife called it).
With marriage came a desire, at the time, to have a "family" car, so I
traded it in for a then-new 1987 Tempo. A BIG mistake I must say now! I
currently have a 1975 Dart Sport with the trusty 225 slant six.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of my old Dart I'd love to know.
It was a super blue 1973 Dart Swinger with a black vinyl top, bench
seats, ralley wheels and a grille painted black with a center silver
stripe. The dash face had holes drilled in it where I had mounted a
"Swinger" emblem and the left inner roof post cover had holes from
where a tachometer was mounted. I know it was sold from a used car
dealership in Colorado Springs, CO, in 1988.
Please E-mail me at freondude@juno.com.
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