We have an interesting car to show you today.

The vibrant orange color grabbed my attention first. I can exactly decide, but it looks more like Go Mango than Vitamin C Orange. Those 70s Mopar colors sure were something.

Looking past the paintwork, there was something odd about this car, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

What is it and where does it come from?

Officially, it came out of the factory as a 1974 Dodge Dart Sport, which, looking at the car, doesn’t make much sense.

I got to talk to its owner – Daniel Armer – who works in IT infrastructure.

Basically I design, implement, and maintain business networks, servers, and telecommunications systems – all the things that live in air-conditioned closets and data centers that make the Internet and applications work.

We should all thank Daniel for making the Internet work, so we can post pictures of ancient cars, whose “Use by:” date has long expired.

Daniel learned to work on cars the hard way. Growing up, he couldn’t afford a new car, so he would buy old beaters, get them running and use them as transportation…only so they could break back down again.

Today, he makes enough money to drive nicer cars, but keeps the hobby, since it’s good to have something purely mechanical to tinker with, after spending all your day troubleshooting servers and networks.

He bought this Dodge Dart Sport a couple of years ago.

The previous owner had successfully completed a body transplant and repaint but was unwilling to take the project further. Daniel got the car with a bunch of mechanical work needed, which just happens to suit his skill set perfectly.

That’s not a Dodge!

I swear it looks like a 1970 Plymouth Duster, and in a sense, I’m not wrong.

It says 340 on the hood scoop, which was the performance model named after the engine displacement.

However, these are not the original 340 stickers and they were never placed on the hood scoop mainly because the Duster 340 never had one. They only came with a flat hood from the factory.

The scoops on other models were fake anyway and only contributed to increased drag if anything.

Finally, this particular dual-snorkel scoop was never offered on a Plymouth from the factory. These came on Dodge Darts and dealerships would install them at an extra cost on your Plymouth, so we can consider this an aftermarket treatment.

Does your brain hurt already?

Yeah, mine did too as I buried myself in early 1970s car photos to try and get a sense for what I’m looking at.

At this point, it should be obvious we have some Moparstein’s monster here. But in order to fully understand the irony of this Dodge, we must go back to see how it came to be and how it came full circle back to its roots of being a…Plymouth!

1970s Mopar badge engineering

If you think badge engineering is a 21st-century concept, you should look at what auto manufacturers were doing in the 60s and 70s.

Cars back then probably shared even more components than they do today – chassis, powertrain, suspension components, brakes, interior pieces, and even sheet metal.

Often the economical way to create a new product line was to take a successful car from a sister brand, slap a few new body panels, different grill, and an option package, and dish all the leftover budget into marketing.

The Dodge Dart started out in 1959 as an affordable full-size sedan. As the economy changed, the Dart downsized into an intermediate and finally a compact car around 1963.

The Plymouth Valiant was also introduced as a compact car in 1959.

Come the late 1960s and auto manufacturers were racing to create a performance model for each market segment. Compacts were great to mod out even back in the day because they were lightweight and inherently cheap – pretty much the hot hatches of their day.

Based on Chrysler’s compact A-body platform, the Valiant and Dart were perfect candidates to get performance versions. However, their bodies were still very square and not even remotely sporty.

In order to compete with other emerging compact performance cars, Plymouth created the 1970 Duster. It was a redesigned 2-door version of the Valiant with a curvy body and semi-fastback-style rear end.

Meanwhile, Dodge launched its own compact sporty car – the Dart Swinger 340 – which was essentially a Dart with some go-fast parts and the 340 ci V8 engine.

The problem was, the Swinger was still brick-shaped and not very sporty-looking. So, in 1971 Dodge took the entire Plymouth Duster body, swapped in a Dart front clip, and renamed the car Demon.

Apparently, Christians were big on compact performance back in the day, because outcry from religious groups in 1973 forced Dodge to rename the car again to Dart Sport 340.

Around the same time, Dodge designers ruined the car forever, giving it the ugly beak grille.

So what is this car anyway?

Well, as we stated in the beginning, the car was produced and registered as a 1974 Dodge Dart Sport.

However, the previous owner had transplanted a 1970 Duster front end, going full circle and making it a genuine Plymouth once more.

It’s reverse badge engineering! Absolutely hilarious!

The aggressive dual-snorkel hood scoops are actually functional and look great in black, accenting the body color and matching the blacked-out grille. The stripes are tasteful as well, and even though I’m not sure about the chrome delete and body-color bumpers, I’m still willing to give this car an “A” on the bodywork.

But what lies beneath the peach-colored body panels is no-less interesting. As it appears, this Dodge Dart is true to its name.

A real compact rocket

In 1974, the 340 ci V8 was replaced with the 360 ci version and the model was renamed accordingly.

There’s no such thing as a 1974 Dodge Dart Sport 340. And indeed, the VIN indicates the original engine of the car was a 318 ci V8. Apparently, the previous owner really liked the early 1970s styling, so he swapped in a period-correct engine.

This is where it gets interesting.

At its introduction in 1968, the LA 340 cubic inch V8 engine was a phenomenal hit. Specifically designed for drag (…and street…) racing, the engine came with a forged, shot-peened crankshaft, connecting rods and pushrods, as well as forged pistons.

Despite only featuring 2-bolt main bearing caps, the engine would rev higher and sustain a 10.5:1 compression ratio on pump gas.

The high-flow cylinder heads were a true marvel with big ports, big valves, high-rise dual-plane intake manifold, atop which sat either a four-barrel carburetor…OR…a six-pack.

An aggressive camshaft operated the large 2.02-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves. The windage tray prevented the crankshaft from beating the oil into a butter, unlocking some top range RPM.

Simply put, the 340 ci V8 is Chrysler’s ultimate small-block performance engine in the late 1960s and 1970s.

The one under Daniel’s hood is no exception.

Daniel got the engine already rebuilt with forged internals. The cylinders were bored 0.030 over and equipped with domed TRW L-2322 forged pistons creating a 12.5:1 compression ratio with the stock heads. A Moroso deep-sump oil pan lets the crank rotate freely and ensures the proper lubrication of engine components. It takes 10 quarts on every oil change.

The 340 V8 sports a pretty hot cam from Comp Cams. The valve train features hydraulic flat tappet lifters, Proform aluminum shaft-mounted roller rockers, and dual valve springs. The setup almost completely alleviates valve float at high RPM.

On the intake side, we’re looking at a single-plane Edelbrock Torker II 340/360 intake manifold and modern fuel injection.

On the exhaust side, each bank expels spent gasses through long-tube headers, glasspack mufflers, and out the side – just in front of the rear wheels. Daniel claims this is the best exhaust sound he’s ever heard, but you can judge for yourself.

​​Fuel delivery and ignition timing are controlled by a Holley Sniper EFI unit and an MSD-6AL ignition box. MSD / Holley distributor, coils, superconductor plug wires, and NGK 6578 spark plugs deliver precise lighting into the combustion chambers.

All of these upgrades help the 340 V8 sing to 7,500 RPM, before hitting the limiter.

Speaking of, Daniel set up an intricate 3-step rev-limiter.

• Step 1 is the overall 7,500 RPM limit.
• Step 2 works in conjunction with the line-lock and limits engine speed to 4,500 RPM, which is plenty for nice smoking burnout.
• Step 3 is launch control – adjustable between 1,800 and 5,000 RPM, depending on traction conditions.

Daniel engages Step 3 with the clutch depressed and the “Launch” button. At this point Step 3 is in effect until the clutch is released, allowing precise and predictable launches off the line.

Originally, the car was equipped with an automatic transmission, but now has a 4-speed manual. The rear end has been swapped out for a much sturdier 8.75-inch Sure Grip differential with a 4.10:1 rear gear ratio.

Daniel added a pinion snubber and a set of traction bars to eliminate axle wrap and Competition Engineering 3-way shocks, which are specifically designed for drag racing.

Stopping power comes from line lock-equipped front disc brakes. They hold the car well cemented if you want to burn your tires to death. The wheels are Cragar S/S with BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires – 215/65/15 in the front and 295/50/15 in the rear.

It’s not exactly a street cruiser

Yeah, in my book, Daniel’s got a street-legal 1974 Dodge Dart Sport race car.

The only accessories on the engine are a PowerMaster alternator, water pump, and fan. An extra-large radiator helps keep the engine cool when he’s whining it out. The starter features an extra gear reduction to help the crank over with all the compression Daniel is running.

He replaced the power steering rack for a Flaming River manual box, a racing steering column, and wheel. There are proper racing seats, 4-point harnesses, and a safety roll-cage.

However, Daniel didn’t gut out the interior completely. It’s not exactly luxurious, but it’s not spartan either. There is still carpet on the floor and a really nice custom dash with AutoMeter gauges and race-style flip switches.

The overhead Holley Sniper EFI digital display provides a full set of engine data directly from the ECU.

Of course, the red safety cover on the line lock really ups the cool factor. But as the badge suggests, the crown piece in the car is the Hurst shifter with a three-color, amber on ivory Flameball shift knob.

This thing’s got style!

Between its bright color, body transplant, pumped up engine, and race-inspired interior, this 1974 Dodge Dart Sport is positively outrageous.

But if you ask Daniel, there’s still more to be asked:

I don’t really like that it straddles the line between a race car and a nice on-road car too much. It’s either a really nice race car or a really racey street car, but it’s not perfect at either one. It likes race gas due to the high compression but it’s not *quite* fast enough to keep up with truly “fast” race cars.

Well, how fast is it then?

Finally getting to the hard questions, Daniel admits that he never put the car on a dyno, however, guesstimates the engine makes about 425 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque.

He claims the car was running mid-12-second quarter miles before switching to fuel injection.

He thinks he can go down a second with modern engine control, slicks, and more energetic shifts. Once we settle down after the COVID pandemic, Daniel owes us a nice fat burn out and a run down the drag strip.

That’s a promise, stay tuned for the video!

Future plans for the car include swapping in a 5-speed transmission, to make the car more comfortable outside the track and gain some mileage on the highway.

No other cars currently in the pipe but you know how car guys are, if something else comes along that grabs our attention we’ll sell something nice we have that’s mostly finished for a project that needs lots of work.