Dodge is different. We like different. Bruce Eldridge's '72 Dart is definitely different. We like Bruce's Dart. Who wouldn't? Shaved, sleek, and packing a 400 Wedge. That's smooth, baby!
Bruce, a resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, is a true Moparhead with a bent toward the esoteric. Just consider this little gem, as well as its unconventional stablemates-an '89 Chrysler New Yorker, a '77 Dodge pickup, and an '88 Dodge Aries. Definitely a Pentastar nut of a different flavor.
Bruce purchased this two-door hardtop around 11 years ago, and set out to do something-well-you know. The project started with the notion of developing a street rod-style cruiser. After stripping the car, Bruce, along with friends Jim, Mike, and Hank, put their body-art talents in motion. All of the body seams were filled and shaved, including the hood, rear deck, and door handles. The bumpers were also filled, along with the exhaust, and the gas filler was removed and filled as well. Turning their attention to the engine compartment, Bruce and friends even smoothed out the firewall. With the bodywork complete, Bruce chose a Plum Crazy basecoat/clearcoat PPG dressing to give the Dart that added visual snap.
For the underpinnings, Bruce figured that stock would suit his needs just fine. The Dart retains its OE front and rear suspension, as well as disc/drum brakes and the manual-steering setup. A Mopar 911/44 rear with 3.91 gears accepts the engine torque. To match the way-out body mods, Bruce selected 15-inch Boyd wheels with 205/70 front and 295/50 rear tires.
Similarly, Bruce didn't go all-out with the interior redo. The white vinyl driving environment featuring buckets, a Mopar console, and floor shifter, was worked over by Bruce and his wife. The only mods here include a Grant steering wheel and Stewart-Warner gauges.
Bruce wasn't so conservative when it came to beefing up the powertrain. A stock 400 block was secured and sent to Bruce Toth of Toth Performance, who fitted the block with a 440 crank, rods, and light Ross pistons. Toth also ported and polished the cast iron heads before installing stock 440 valves, springs, and rockers. Air/fuel delivery duties come via a dual-quad Edelbrock Performer system featuring 500-cfm carbs, while a Purple Shaft hydraulic cam sets the valvetrain to motion. J&R headers and stainless steel Flowmaster mufflers take care of exhaust management.
Behind the beefy V8, Bruce went with a 727 TorqueFlight enhanced with a TCI 3,500 stall converter and a Mopar Performance shift kit.
So what's a setup like this worth on the quarter-mile? Who knows? Bruce tells us it's a show car that hasn't yet seen the strip. We believe, however, that if this Dart-of-a-different-flavor goes as good as it looks, it should give more than a few hot-rod wannabes reason to pause at a stoplight showdown.