`I want you to know this is my car. It's fun to drive ... it'll walk and talk,' says Kathy Jenkinson of her Hot Red 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger. The car was upgraded from a 318 V8 to a 340 Six Pack during its restoration by her husband, Art.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Art Jenkinson was reluctant to take on the rebuild of this 1970 Cuda because so much of the sheet metal needed to be replaced. Now he's glad he took on the task of the big-block-powered Pearl Yellow Plymouth.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Dart, running three carbs on a MoPar Performance intake manifold, ported heads and Hedman headers, has cranked out an impressive 425 horsepower on a dynamometer -- more than enough power to move the lightweight Dodge smartly down the road.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Cuda is an all-original numbers-matching car, from its 440 cubic inch V8 to the 727 automatic transmission and the Sure Grip rear end. The Six Pack setup uses an Edelbrock intake manifold and a trio of 2-barrel carbs.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the additions to the Swinger's appearance package is a large rear wing accented by the forward-canted tail stripe. Note the distinctive concave shape of the rear windshield.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Art Jenkinson wasn't a big fan of the Cuda `hockey stick' striping scheme, so he designed his own solid stripe that flows along the fender lines, incorporating the Cuda logo.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Kathy Jenkinson displays two key pieces of paperwork that accompany her Dart Swinger: the factory build sheet on the left and the original bill of sale on the right.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
In keeping with the '70s theme, Jenkinson chose a set of Cragar 14-inch SS mag wheels mounting Hercules 215x60x14 raised white letter tires.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Earlier Dodge Darts were full-sized cars, gradually downsized to mid-sized and finally compacts. The restyled 1970 Dart hardtops carried the Swinger designation to denote a bit sportier car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Inside the Dart, only the front split-back bench seat needed new upholstery, supplied by Legendary Interiors, which also provided fresh carpeting, both installed by the Jenkinsons.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A simple three-spoke steering wheel and column shift remain intact, as does the original radio, although an under dash CD stereo system has been added for road cruising.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
You would never know it to look at the finished product, but both rear fenders and the valance between the tail lights were so far gone they had to be replaced with all new sheet metal on the reborn Cuda.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Cuda employs a stylized set of hood scoops that supply cold air to the 6 barrels of carburation lurking beneath the hood.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A pair of MoPar high-back bucket seats occupy the driver and front passenger positions in the Cuda, with a console running back to the matching rear bench seat.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Cuda rolls on American Racing TrakStar 5-spoke mag wheels, also outfitted with Hercules white-letter tires, these being a set of 245/60/15's.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A flat 3-spoke steering wheel and full Rally Pack instrumentation occupy the space ahead of the driver of the Cuda, while the floor-shifted 727 automatic transmission is tucked below the wood-grained console.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
With twin hood scoops and a blacked-out grille, the Dart Swinger is an eye-catcher wherever it appears.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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