Saving cars that have been abandoned for decades is a difficult task. That's because they usually spent a lot of time out in the open, which often results in severe damage to the frame and the body. But some classics get lucky and survive decades of neglect in one piece. Like this 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340.
Retired from road use many years ago, this Mopar was parked by its owner on what appears to be a massive field. Nobody else knew about it until someone who was doing landscaping in the area discovered it. Word got out and YouTube's "Shade Tree Vintage Auto" found out about the Dart, which was located only seven miles (11 km) away from his home. And he decided to save it.
The story goes that this car was with its second owner for 40 years. And while it didn't spend that much time off the road, it's quite obvious that it's been parked for quite a few years. Enough for the body to get rust spots, for the tires to get flat, and for the windshield to crack.
But is a car like this worth saving? Well, it definitely is for the guy who bought it, because the Dart Swinger 340 was his dream car when he was young. He talks about that in the video below. But this Dart is also a somewhat special Swinger 340.
Because, unlike its 1969 siblings, it left the assembly line with a bumblebee stripe delete. Apparently, it was also stripped off the usual "Swinger" badges on the front fenders. So it's pretty much an unassuming sleeper beyond the quick release pins on the hood. My kind of Mopar!
Unfortunately, the engine no longer runs. It did when it was parked, but it overheated, so it's safe to say that it will need a bit of work to fire up again. The bad news is that the 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8 is not the original, numbers-matching unit, but it has a warranty block, so it's pretty much a period-correct Chrysler crate engine.
While the Swinger trim wasn't restricted to a certain type of engine in 1969, the 340 was exclusively available with a four-barrel variant of the 5.6-liter LA V8. Rated at 275 horsepower and 340 pound-feet (461 Nm) of torque, it wasn't the most potent Dart available at the time, but it had plenty of grunt to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start in less than eight seconds.
Moving onto to better news, the car comes with a big envelope of papers and documentation, including the build sheet and an owner's manual. The even better news is that the guy who bought wants to fix it and put it back on the road. Hopefully, the Swinger will also get a proper restoration soon. Until that happens, find out more about its story in the video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News