Starter radio and the AC.
The car was a pet'd and pampered sunday super market shopper.
The head liner is ripped and scraped in one place.
It sounds like a caged beast when you start it. When it feels like starting that is...
It will be my car when it gets worked on, but it has had very little work and runs good.
I am 16 so this will be my first car if time and money permit.
A slant six- a caged beast??? lol lol Whatever??
The slant 6 is one of the best engines ever made, a benchmark of reliability. It will run forever if you keep oil in it. People (Chevy and Toyota owners) will likely make fun of you because of the distinctive "rattle" that the slant 6 makes, but you'll have the last laugh when their cars are in the junk pile and yours is still running.
The reason the car sounds so loud is the lack of a muffler and exhaust system.
I just tried to start it a few weeks ago and it acted as if the battery was dead, which I think was, or the starter had seized, not sure.
"...but you'll have the last laugh when their cars are in the junk pile and yours is still running."
Well, right now it has no exhaust system and a dead battery.
Next stop: "junk pile"
Put a new battery and exhaust on it. I drove a 71 Swinger in college. The slant six was extremely reliable even at 150,000 miles. I bought a 75 Duster with a crank sunroof next and many other Chryslers since. Its Mopar or no car!
That would really be a waste and a shame to junk a car just because it needed a muffler and a battery.
I'm thinkin about buying this hemi orange 74 dodge dart swinger for 1500 bucks. It seems like a good deal. Any thoughts?
"I'm thinkin about buying this hemi orange 74 dodge dart swinger for 1500 bucks. It seems like a good deal. Any thoughts?"
It depends on what you intend for it. A '74 Dart Swinger is a neat little car, and will be a good daily driver, but you have to realize that a 33-year old car is bound to need some work. Still, for $1,500 it would be a good deal if only the usual repairs (new starter, alternator, water pump, timing chain, brakes, fluid changes) are needed.
If you're looking at it as an investment, I suppose there could be some potential someday, but will probably never command "real" money.
Probably the biggest potential issue with these Darts is the way the torsion bars are made, and they can be extremely difficult to replace if they start losing tension and the front end is sagging. This can give you alignment problems and badly uneven tire wear.
Actually, I know a guy who bought a Dart Swinger for $1,500 on e-bay, and then paid another $1,500 to have it shipped to him across country. That thing was junk. I love Mopars, and I wouldn't have given over $300 for it, let alone $3,000. Just be careful buying a 30+ year old car and be prepared for some repairs.
I am 15 and am looking to find a first car I found a 74 dodge dart swinger with a slant 6 for $3000 with what the own says only 91000 original kms and a basically brand new interior does anyone think this is to good to be true? or even a good deal in the first place?
The slant six fired right up when the carb was primed. It ran for a few seconds, but had to be shut off because of a fuel leak which has since been repaired. The brakes still are out, but the engine runs. So far that is all I have found wrong. I am sure that there are bound to be many problems that have yet to be discoverd.
I have 2 Darts for daily drivers, both 74's, a Swinger and a Custom. Both cars are most likely well over 200,000 miles and still run great. Both are slant six's and the one even has a sure grip differential in it believe it or not, and after a tune up and hitting the gas hard doing 20 mph, it kicked the car sideways; impressive for a workhorse.
I just did a test on the Swinger and I am getting over 20 mpg on it, and have less than 2000$ in the car with almost every part replaced for reliability.
They are great cars; keep the body up and it won't rot. My wife even wants to keep both of them because she likes them so much.
You can have you big block classic and new cars; I'll take my Darts with a phillips screwdriver and 3/8 wrench.
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