Swing me! A 1969 Dart Swinger 340 4speed in Austria, Europe
Dear gearheads,
there was an addition to the family...:D
After careful consideration, an ongoing struggle against reason and a lot of back and forth I became a proud owner of a matching numbers 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 4speed.
I found out about the car 'cause of a good friend of mine. He owns the local Mopargarage (Doc Stinger's Mopargarage in Voitsberg, Austria - he owns and drives the Funny Car Challenger Stinger II). The story sounded adventurous: the car is in Slovenia, supposedly matching, cheap (too cheap?), but a lot needs to be done ... Somehow weeks passed and I couldn't get the car out of my head - I grew up in my fathers matching numbers 1971 Duster 340. I love this car - fast as hell! For me the best combination of performance and agility (cornering). The demand for performance was suddenly there... and finally I agreed with Doc Stinger and he drove to Slovenia to take a look at the car, because I couldn't do it (damn work) - all the numbers were checked and everything was matching. Really big thanks to Doc Stinger for the help:thankyou: - he drove to Slovenia, checked everything, checked the floor, trunk, all numbers and called me (I stood whispering in the archive at work ^^), he sent me a lot of pics... And then it was clear - he loaded it on the trailer and took it with him.
Big thanks also to my dear Mr. Papa, who helped me to undermine my reason.:thankyou:
So now to my car:
It is a real LM23 P code. LM is therefore a real swinger, the Dart Muscle Car par excellence, because the GTS had a problem with an entry price of over $3,000: the RR with $2,800. So a cheap version was needed for the young buyers: The Swinger. Cheap but fast:)
My Dart has drum brakes, no brake booster, but power steering a 340 with the 4speed transmission...
He has his strengths and weaknesses. The chrome is still very good and all the moldings are there. But the paint is really dull - but at least I can park relaxed in front of the supermarket for the first time in my life.:D
ori look was quite different:
E55: 340-4Barrel 69-73
D21: heavy Duty 4Speed Manual Transmission
LM23: Dodge Dart/Demon - Swinger - 2 Door Hardtop
P9B: 340 275HP 1-4BBl 8Cyl - 1969 - Hamtramck
373959 Sequence Number
Farbe: F8
D2X: Deluxe - Vinyl Bench - Black
X9: Black Upper Door Frame
509: Built 5/09/1969
R11: Music Master Radio AM
V1X: Full Black Vinyl Top
V8W: Transverse Stripe White
The engine compartment still looks wild, but I already have the original air cleaner, orignal manifold, original valve cover, original intake... Thanks to Muggi's spare parts warehouse and that from my father^^ ... so the aim is: back to the original Look (terrible battery tray, that aweful heating hose, ...)
So the first things on the to do list are: engine and the interior. Because the engine compartment is currently causing eye cancer. :( For the next years the Dart stays rocked blue, he gets old patinated Cragar: Muscle Car Day Two Look ^^ His great weakness: left rear side - there he once had a graze shot ... frame wasn't damaged.
It will certainly look like the Fender Tag again, but it will stay that way for the moment. The aim now is to bring the engine back into shape (back to an original look), as well as the interior. In the trunk is still the ori spare tire from 1969 - great condition (but of course unusable). The Dart came from Los Angeles (6400 Regio Ave; Buena Park CA 90260) to Slovenia - I sadly don't know very much about the car.
Found this pic in FABO - this is more or less like the Fender Tag and how my Dart should look. Someday my Dart will have this look again.
I'm really looking forward to drive my 340 4speed - my first "thoroughbred" muscle car. The transverse stripe will be changed to the swinger stripe again, so that I can say: "My name is Marvin, and I'm a Swinger Guy!":D:D
Dear gearheads,
there was an addition to the family...:D
After careful consideration, an ongoing struggle against reason and a lot of back and forth I became a proud owner of a matching numbers 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 4speed.
I found out about the car 'cause of a good friend of mine. He owns the local Mopargarage (Doc Stinger's Mopargarage in Voitsberg, Austria - he owns and drives the Funny Car Challenger Stinger II). The story sounded adventurous: the car is in Slovenia, supposedly matching, cheap (too cheap?), but a lot needs to be done ... Somehow weeks passed and I couldn't get the car out of my head - I grew up in my fathers matching numbers 1971 Duster 340. I love this car - fast as hell! For me the best combination of performance and agility (cornering). The demand for performance was suddenly there... and finally I agreed with Doc Stinger and he drove to Slovenia to take a look at the car, because I couldn't do it (damn work) - all the numbers were checked and everything was matching. Really big thanks to Doc Stinger for the help:thankyou: - he drove to Slovenia, checked everything, checked the floor, trunk, all numbers and called me (I stood whispering in the archive at work ^^), he sent me a lot of pics... And then it was clear - he loaded it on the trailer and took it with him.
Big thanks also to my dear Mr. Papa, who helped me to undermine my reason.:thankyou:
So now to my car:
It is a real LM23 P code. LM is therefore a real swinger, the Dart Muscle Car par excellence, because the GTS had a problem with an entry price of over $3,000: the RR with $2,800. So a cheap version was needed for the young buyers: The Swinger. Cheap but fast:)
My Dart has drum brakes, no brake booster, but power steering a 340 with the 4speed transmission...
He has his strengths and weaknesses. The chrome is still very good and all the moldings are there. But the paint is really dull - but at least I can park relaxed in front of the supermarket for the first time in my life.:D
ori look was quite different:
E55: 340-4Barrel 69-73
D21: heavy Duty 4Speed Manual Transmission
LM23: Dodge Dart/Demon - Swinger - 2 Door Hardtop
P9B: 340 275HP 1-4BBl 8Cyl - 1969 - Hamtramck
373959 Sequence Number
Farbe: F8
D2X: Deluxe - Vinyl Bench - Black
X9: Black Upper Door Frame
509: Built 5/09/1969
R11: Music Master Radio AM
V1X: Full Black Vinyl Top
V8W: Transverse Stripe White
The engine compartment still looks wild, but I already have the original air cleaner, orignal manifold, original valve cover, original intake... Thanks to Muggi's spare parts warehouse and that from my father^^ ... so the aim is: back to the original Look (terrible battery tray, that aweful heating hose, ...)
So the first things on the to do list are: engine and the interior. Because the engine compartment is currently causing eye cancer. :( For the next years the Dart stays rocked blue, he gets old patinated Cragar: Muscle Car Day Two Look ^^ His great weakness: left rear side - there he once had a graze shot ... frame wasn't damaged.
It will certainly look like the Fender Tag again, but it will stay that way for the moment. The aim now is to bring the engine back into shape (back to an original look), as well as the interior. In the trunk is still the ori spare tire from 1969 - great condition (but of course unusable). The Dart came from Los Angeles (6400 Regio Ave; Buena Park CA 90260) to Slovenia - I sadly don't know very much about the car.
Found this pic in FABO - this is more or less like the Fender Tag and how my Dart should look. Someday my Dart will have this look again.
I'm really looking forward to drive my 340 4speed - my first "thoroughbred" muscle car. The transverse stripe will be changed to the swinger stripe again, so that I can say: "My name is Marvin, and I'm a Swinger Guy!":D:D