Monday, February 23, 2015

15k: Trans Am Style Restorod: 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger

Few things get the octane in my blood pumping quicker than a vintage racer themed American 2-door from the 1960s.  True vintage racers tend to be expensive and not street-able, but slap together a decent restomod with a few stickers and I'll bite.  The car doesn't even need to be a model that was campaigned back it the day, it just needs to look the part.  Like this 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger restomod found here on eBay currently bidding for $15,000 with a few hours to go, located in Laguna Hills, CA.

The fourth generation Dodge Dart was introduced in 1967 on Chrysler's A-body platform.  Sales of the A-body were phenomenal when Valiant, Dart, Demon, Duster, 3700, Centura, Charger, Valiant Drifter, Valiant Pacer and Scamp sales were all combined, but the Dart accounted for the bulk of the sales and is the easiest to find parts today.  This one has been given a complete makeover and looks ready for a track day.  Noticed, I said "looks" because plenty of classic cars look like they'd do great at the track, but when push comes to oversteer, they end up being about as reliable as a Greek bank account.


Under the hood is a 360 cubic inch Dodge V8 that is running all manner of Mopar hop-up goodies that should add up to something in the 350-400 horsepower range.  The entire setup looks period correct (always a plus with restomods) and fairly tidy, but could use some wire cleanup to look really sharp.


The interior is very basic and looks like a form-follows-function setup with a number of aftermarket touches that could be replaced with something a bit more vintage appearing.  Surely there is a steering wheel that could be bolted into this thing that would look as good as the genuine Minilite wheels do on the outside. 


See a cooler restomod racer? tips@dailyturismo.com
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39 comments:

  1. DT, it might fun to have all the DTers list their favorite terrible car model names. I promise not to be overbearing if you do...maybe. "Swinger" is a pretty bad one. Disturbing.

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    1. Gives whole new meaning to: "I should probably run it by my wife first...."

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  2. I guess I could have answered the question while I was there. I don't know if they're "cooler", but here are two that I like:

    1966 LOTUS ELAN
    [img]http://images.craigslist.org/01515_dkH1nRqong0_600x450.jpg[/img]

    1965 MUSTANG
    [img]http://images.craigslist.org/00P0P_lHlkQPO8NqF_600x450.jpg[/img]

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  3. The Chevy II Nova tops my list of poorly chosen car names. Sounds fine to English speaker, but to Spanish speakers it was "No va," or "No go."
    Nice little DFodge though.

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    1. Ha ha! You're right. That's a baaaad one.

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  4. Completely off topic, but it's a bummer to hear Takanobu Ito fell onto his sword. What a mess.

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  5. Speaking of Japanese cars, I get that ball rolling with the whimsically named Isuzu GIGA 20 Light Dump. Oh, what a relief!

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  6. Replies

    1. Ha ha! A classic, especially with the ladies.

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    2. Or any guy over 50.

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  7. Remember, car names are reflective of their era.

    I recall some folks getting squeamish over the Ford Probe.

    This is a pretty car and much of it sounds very well thought-through but I think on some of the drivetrain pieces he went a little too far toward 'vintage' for a car that's not a road-racer or a restoration. Detroit Locker an odd choice for a street car, don't see the rearend ratio listed but I'm sure it could use at least a 5-speed Tremec rather than the 4-speed Mopar box.

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  9. I'm sticking with my Isuzu theme for now and give you the mystical Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard...

    [img]http://www.lovebodykits.com/uploads/userfiles/images/isuzu/mux/zercon/zer-a2.jpg[/img]

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    1. Glad I saw that before lunch, and not after, I don't have a spare keyboard around.

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  10. The manual trans and accusump on this Dart make me think the builder had road race intentions as well as the statement that it's "at home on a road course." The seller states it has been run at Willow Springs and Buttonwillow (the go-to So-Cal road courses).

    But the flat-as-Kansas vinyl seats and other parts choices have me thinking (as Vince and mrkwong) that it was built more for looks than actual track duty.

    For a Dart it may have acheived high cornering speeds but do any regular track duty and you're going to want some deeper bolsters and cloth or suede seats. There's not much to brace against and vinyl - regardless of which Porsche it was harvested from - has a very low coefficient of friction.

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  11. Woohoo! I signed up for LiveJournal so that you guys wouldn't be victimized by my future poor proofreading skills. Let's see how it works. In the meantime, I give you not A car model but an entire company! Società Ceirano Automobili Torino was better known as...you guessed it...SCAT. Yuck.

    [img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4145/4840788114_1fe6e1657d_m.jpg[/img]

    -K2 Mystery Car

    [img]http://www.virtualcar.it/public/media0a/nicolis_padova_08.jpg[/img]

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    1. Seem to have worked. But I still have to prove I'm not a robot (who knows, really) and I don't see any way to edit my post above. Help?

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    2. Does this mean you'll be posting more, because your posts are so few and far between now.

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    3. I could you use some help here, I think. I can't even go back and correct the typo above. Do I have to have a Google account instead? I clearly need to be able to edit posts because I suck at going slower and actually paying attention (all of that is too easy and makes too much sense - why start now at my advanced age?). But I don't want my post to be deleted, then reappear as it seems to be with several DTers.

      Delete

    4. I know, right? I really have absolutely nothing to say about the subject of cars. It's sad really. It would be better if I was something more than just another one of the walking dead that seem to inhabit the interwebz who have nothing to say and no real opinion on anything.

      I'm hungry. Brains.....!

      [img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i102/andymauro/mechanic-zombie-side.jpg[/img]

      Delete

    5. K2 - our humble site is based on google's Blogger architecture, with all of the advantages & drawbacks that result from that.

      Revising comments does not seem to be possible on the Blogger platform.

      DT Head Honcho Vince can add to the discussion; maybe there is some other way to enable editing, but the commenting system in general seems to be Blogger's weak point.

      Delete

    6. K2's enthusiasm is the only reason why I stopped lurking on this blog. That level of knowledge can be daunting and most people come across as know it alls, but not K2.

      K2 seems genuinely interested in sharing knowledge and encouraging others to be equally inquisitive. I hope they don't stop because I've learned tons since they appeared, whomever they are. I'm not trying to be a kiss a** here, it's just that you don't run across people like that very often on the web. Usually they're jerks.

      Delete

    7. Thanks CFlo. I’m sure you have to field this type of question all the time. I shall endeavor to be more careful in the future.

      And thank you Bolo, for the kind and supportive words. I understand how my enthusiasm sometimes comes across as overbearing and triggers a negative reaction in some fellow enthusiasts.

      To tell you the truth, I’ve been using DT as a way to procrastinate from things I need to get done so it’s probably not a bad idea for me to disappear every now and then. As a compromise, I’ll just go radio silent two days a week so that those that find my comments annoying get a break from me. Maybe the DT folks will implement a “Hide K2 Mystery Car’s comments” feature.

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    8. K2 -- I believe one of the greatest indicators of the health of a blog is a measure of the quantity and quality of its comments. You (and many others) bring a level of expertise, humor, and verbosity in the comments that is extremely fulfilling to a writer like myself...and as Bolo noted, your enthusiasm has a snowball effect -- others find themselves wrapped up in the moment and contribute additional info. I'd also like to point out that Kaibeezy started life as a commenter (and prolific tipper) who made the transition to DT staff/ hired goon-- sort of a Jiminy Cricket meets Paulie from Goodfellas. Keep up the intensity!!
      Vince
      DT Editor-in-Chief

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    9. Thanks, Vince! Hopefully, Kaibeezy doesn't mind that description and I hope you guys had a good visit.

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    10. Let your concience be your guide, Vinnie, and don't put too many onions in the sauce.

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    11. Hey, I only put three small onions in the sauce...

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    12. You buttered your bread, now stay away from the garbage.

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    13. Hey now. I am neither allium cepa, nor refuse. That being said, taking the past two days to get important stuff done was a really good thing. The results were tremendous. Still, not to get all namby-pamby, but I missed you guys! Most other car blog/sites are elitist bore-fests.

      [img]http://downtrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-14-at-5.27.46-AM.png[/img]

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  12. One before I go. I do know one thing and that's that I never want to drive a Deliboy. A Toyota Deliboy, that is.

    [img]http://a1.smlycdn.com/data/product2/1/83057eeedd7449e1288edea14500c12fdfdf37f2_m.jpg[/img]

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    1. That has elements of old Ford Transit in it.

      Delete

  13. And what's a Deliboy drive these days? Why, a Mitsubishi Delica of course!

    Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear
    [img]http://rocksolidshifts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Mitsubishi-Delica-Space-Gear.jpg[/img]

    Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon
    [img]http://www.riverize.com/91-delica-excd-black-p25w-3.jpg[/img]

    Delicas for sale

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  14. Saw this on Jalopnik - Mazda Scrum Wagon
    [img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--MUxItay8--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/17mc7h9d2in5bjpg.jpg[/img]

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    1. Like! Imagine being at a dinner party and you're asked what you drive; "Oh, I drive a Scrum Wagon." Nice one, Sean.

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  15. Honda Life Dunk - score!

    [img]http://i.drom.ru/~autovl/catalog_photos/honda/life_dunk/honda_life_dunk_9741.jpg[/img]

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  16. The Buick lacrosse. I believe it's a Canada only car. In french Canada lacrosse can mean two things, the act of masturbation or to trick someone.

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    1. I've heard that and that it has something to do with teenagers. I've also heard that it's not true, but I don't speak French. Anybody out there that can clarify this for us would be much appreciated. BTW, we also have the LaCrosse here in the States and have had for a long, long time. It's a surprisingly good car, though low on panache. Thanks for bringing that one up, William Robinson!

      [img]http://www.automotiveaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010BuickLaCrosseBadge001small.jpg[/img]

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  17. Deliboy by day, superhero by night…Suzuki Mighty Boy! Too bad this meme didn’t catch on because it could’ve been a lot of fun. There are so many kooky named cars out there. I’ll drop it with this one last entry, especially for DT. I know how much you like El Camino-like cars, guys! This Mighty Boy likely boasts one of the smallest pickup beds ever made, straight from the factory. I don't believe it's ever been seen here on DT.

    [img] http://www.suzuki-tech.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Mightyboy.jpg[/img]

    ReplyDelete

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