1970 · Dodge · United States
The Only Performance Dart Left
With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
With the GTS gone from the lineup, the Swinger 340 stood as the only performance Dart for 1970, on the same restyled body that ran front and rear across the line. Standard equipment ran to front disc brakes, heavy-duty Rallye suspension, a twin-scoop hood with 340 emblems, rear bumblebee stripes, and E70-14 tires, with the 340 itself rated 275 hp at 5,000 rpm and 340 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm on a Carter AVS four-barrel and 10.5:1 compression, behind a standard 3.23 axle.1
Production is put at 13,785 by two sources that name different lineages, a swinger340specials.ca compilation citing Govier and Consumer Guide, and Over-Drive's own separate production-figures table; both agree with Over-Drive's narrative text elsewhere describing sales as "over 13 thousand" despite the new Challenger's introduction that year. A separate Over-Drive caption that instead prints 3,785 is treated in this record as a transcription defect rather than a third competing figure, since it falls well short of even Over-Drive's own "over 13 thousand" framing, and neither of the two agreeing sources states what underlying factory record either one actually drew from. Total Dart production across all series that year came to 210,104 by the same Over-Drive table, context for how small a share of the line the Swinger 340 actually represented rather than a performance count in its own right.2,1,3
The 340 came with a standard three-speed manual, an optional four-speed restricted to that one engine, and an optional TorqueFlite three-speed automatic with the same 2.45/1.45/1.00 gearing carried over from the plainer Darts; no transmission split of the 13,785 total was found in the sources consulted. The four-speed itself ran $188, and automatic with either the 318 or 340 cost $191; a Sure-Grip axle added $39.1
Among the smaller options, a console restricted to bucket-seat cars cost $53, power steering ran $85, a vinyl top cost $68, and an AM/FM stereo with an 8-track player, the single most expensive named option, ran $196. The Swinger 340's own base price is recorded at $2,808, and its shipping weight at 3,179 lb, both from the same Over-Drive production table that supplies the 13,785 production figure, and body code LL23 designates the two-door hardtop specifically within that table.1,3
Twenty-seven exterior colors were charted for the year, including a fact sheet's own selected list of bright performance-oriented shades, Plum Crazy, Go Mango, Hemi Orange, and Panther Pink among them, alongside a longer general color-code list running from Dark Gray through Gold. Overall dimensions ran to a 111.0-inch wheelbase, 196.2-inch length, and 69.7-inch width, with a 53.0-inch height for the two-door hardtop, dimensions the fact sheet applies to the Dart line generally rather than to the Swinger 340 as a distinct measurement. VIN decoding places the Dart under the letter L, with engine character H denoting the 340 and body code 23 the two-door hardtop, per the 1970 factory service manual's own License Data page. No performance figures for the Swinger 340 survive in the sources consulted, no interior trim was found either, and a linked Over-Drive production-figures document that might otherwise confirm the production count was itself an image PDF not readable in this pass.1,4
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 — With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dart Swinger 3402 Swinger 340 · 2-door hardtop · 340 4-bbl · not stated Consistent with Over-Drive's 'over 13 thousand'; an Over-Drive caption printing 3,785 is treated as a defect. | 13,785 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Dart Swinger 340 (Over-Drive production table)3 Swinger 340 · 2-door hardtop · 340 4-bbl · not stated Agrees with the swinger340specials figure; lineage not stated by either. | 13,785 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Dart, all series (Over-Drive)3 all Dart · not stated Context for the Swinger 340 share; not a performance count. | 210,104 | built, model-year | Reported |
No split by transmission was found.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Base price, Swinger 340 (LL23)3 | $2,808 | base price as tabulated by Over-Drive, 1970 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 340 V8, 4-bbl1 340 cu in · Carter AVS 4-barrel | 275 hp @ 5,000, 340 lb-ft @ 3,200 (manufacturer published (basis not stated)) | standard in Swinger 340 | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Three-speed manual, 3401 | standard | Not yet sourced |
| Four-speed manual1 | 340 only | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite three-speed automatic (2.45 / 1.45 / 1.00)1 | optional | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4-speed manual floor shift (340 only)1 | $188 | Not yet sourced |
|
Automatic transmission with 318 or 3401 | $191 | Not yet sourced |
|
Sure-Grip positive traction rear axle1 | $39 | Not yet sourced |
|
Console (bucket seats only)1 | $53 | Not yet sourced |
|
Power steering1 | $85 | Not yet sourced |
|
AM/FM stereo with 8-track1 | $196 | Not yet sourced |
|
Vinyl top1 | $68 | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
A4 |
Silver1 | Not yet sourced |
C7 |
Plum Crazy1 | Not yet sourced |
E5 |
Bright Red1 | Not yet sourced |
K2 |
Go Mango1 | Not yet sourced |
V2 |
Hemi Orange1 | Not yet sourced |
W1 |
White1 | Not yet sourced |
X9 |
Black1 | Not yet sourced |
Y1 |
Bright Yellow1 | Not yet sourced |
A9 |
Dark Gray1 | Not yet sourced |
B3 |
Light Blue1 | Not yet sourced |
B5 |
Bright Blue1 | Not yet sourced |
B7 |
Dark Blue1 | Not yet sourced |
F4 |
Light Green1 | Not yet sourced |
F8 |
Dark Green1 | Not yet sourced |
J5 |
Sublime1 | Not yet sourced |
J6 |
Green Go1 | Not yet sourced |
K5 |
Dark Burnt Orange1 | Not yet sourced |
L1 |
Beige1 | Not yet sourced |
M3 |
Panther Pink1 | Not yet sourced |
Q3 |
Light Turquoise1 | Not yet sourced |
R6 |
Red1 | Not yet sourced |
R8 |
Burgundy1 | Not yet sourced |
T3 |
Tan1 | Not yet sourced |
T6 |
Dark Tan1 | Not yet sourced |
Y3 |
Cream1 | Not yet sourced |
Y4 |
Light Gold1 | Not yet sourced |
Y6 |
Gold1 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase1 | 111 in | Dart |
| Overall length1 | 196.2 in | Dart |
| Overall width1 | 69.7 in | Dart |
| Overall height1 | 53 in | 2-door hardtop |
| Tires1 | E70 x 14 | Swinger 340 |
| Rear axle ratio1 | 3.23:1 standard | Swinger 340 |
| Shipping weight, Swinger 3403 | 3,179 lb | LL23 Swinger 340 |
Identification
- VIN
- 1970 Dart VINs begin with L (Dart); engine character H is the 340; body 23 is the two-door hardtop.4
Identification
Read a 1970 Dodge VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Javelin Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Buick Wildcat The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.