Upon first glance, you may not think twice about this little Dart Swinger. Its plain brown wrapper makes one think it's somebody's grandmother's car. Well, that's just what Greg Ondayko was shooting for when he built it. "I wanted everything to appear factory, but I wanted it to be heavily modified," he says. While this isn't a new gimmick, doing so with Slant Six is. After closer inspection you'll find all the right parts in the right places and a glovebox full of 14-second time slips.
In 1998, Greg's father, George, was the owner of a used car lot in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. He was an avid Mopar collector and owned an assortment of cars in various states of restoration. Another local dealer had just taken in a '69 Swinger and offered it to George. It was in fine mechanical shape, but the floors were rusted through. This didn't stop him from buying it since he still felt the Slant Six-powered A-Body would make a nice project car.
Not too long after his father took possession of the car, Greg mentioned to him that he wanted to build a Slant Six-powered car with a Hyper Pak intake. The freshly acquired Swinger would be the perfect candidate, and he took over the project from there. He purchased one of the last Hyper Pak reproduction intakes off the shelf of Slant Six builder extraordinaire, Doug Dutra. This was enough motivation to fuel the rest of the project.
This sight is becoming less...
This sight is becoming less common as many A-Body owners have decided to ditch their Slant Six engines and replace them with a small-block. As it sits, there is little hint as to what's going on inside. It produces enough power to shoot the Swinger into the 14s in the quarter-mile.
Surprisingly enough, the harsh winters of Pennsylvania had taken their toll, but the A-Body still wore its original paint and interior. That didn't mean it wasn't trashed, though. The interior had deteriorated from the sun to the point that Greg needed to replace every piece of plastic and soft trim, except the steering wheel. On the outside, he sanded the body down so it was ready for paint and had the bumpers rechromed. It was sent to Jamie Codispottti Auto Body in West Mifflin to have the body smoothed out and painted in the factory color scheme of two-tone Copper Metallic on the roof and Light Bronze on the body. Once sprayed, it was decorated with new, and gently used, bezels, grille, and chrome trim and emblems.
Greg knew he wanted to race the car from day one. That meant the 7 1/4-inch rear and three-speed on the column had to go. An overkill 8 3/4-inch rear was chosen for its incredible strength and durability. The transmission is now an 833 four-speed. This required Greg to install a transmission hump. He currently has three different 833s built with a variety of gear ratios so that he can use the optimal ratios for his intended purpose. "When set up for highway use, the Slant Six can achieve 24 mpg," he claims. The factory-issued 9-inch drums were also replaced with a Kelsey-Hays four-piston front disc brake set, and larger 10-inch drums were mounted on the rear.
The robust engine isn't your run-of-the-mill sixer, either. In its more docile days with just bolt-ons, the A-Body would cover 1,320 feet in an uneventful 17.20 seconds. Greg put a stop to this by having Broughers' Speed Shop in Pittsburg shave .100 inch off the block's deck and punch its cylinders out to a .030-inch larger bore. The displacement was now sitting at 228 ci thanks to the 3.430-inch bore and 4.125-inch stroke. The rotating assembly consists of TRW forged pistons, stock forged Chrysler rods and forged-steel crankshaft. To control the valves, a Mopar Performance .528-inch lift 284-degrees duration solid roller camshaft was slid inside. A cast iron Chrysler cylinder head was milled and treated to a full competition port and polish job that included a five-angle valve job on the intake and three-angle for the exhaust. When it was all buttoned together, it propelled the 3,200-pound A-Body to a respectable 14.72 at 93 mph.
While Greg does race his Dodge Swinger often, he also enjoys showing it off. "It's not something you see all the time, and it's two-tone," he says. "I also haven't seen another car in these same colors." He has attended the Carlisle show for the past nine years and there's no end in sight. His A-Body attracts quite a crowd because of the attention to detail that Greg has invested into the project. "I wanted it to look like it wasn't modified even though it is," he adds. "I have all the correct factory decals in the rights spots, and I even have aftermarket parts in the correct locations, like the black MSD blaster coil." Don't be fooled by the good looks and factory appearance, though. Greg's Swinger is one mean street machine.
Fast Facts
'69 Dodge Dart Swinger
Owned by Greg Ondayko, Irwin, Pennsylvania
Mopar Power
Engine: Common practice these days would have replaced the Slant Six with a hopped-up 340 or comparable small-block. However, Greg kept the Slant Six. In a dare-to-be-different attempt, Greg had Broughers' Speed Shop in Pittsburgh build his Slant Six to a point that deserves everyone's respect. The block was shaved .100 inch and received a .030-inch overbore. Inside are a set of TRW pistons, with stock forged Chrysler rods and crankshaft. With the larger 3.430-inch bore and 4.125-inch stroke, it now pushes 228 ci of air and fuel. This is exhausted through 1 5/8-inch headers with 2 1/4-inch collectors. The mufflers come from a stock 340 setup and measure 2 1/4 inches. Air is drawn in through a Carter-style Edelbrock carburetor bolted to a Chrysler Hyper Pak cast-aluminum intake manifold reproduced by Doug Dutra. The mixture is then channeled through a ported and polished factory cylinder head with five-angle valve job on the intake and three-angle performed on the exhaust. The ignition was giving a jolt with the addition of a Pertronix Ignitor replacing the stock points and an MSD Blaster Coil.
There's something about the...
There's something about the look of steel wheels that we just love. These complement the color combination on Greg's swinger and utilize modern tire technology and safety with BFGoodrich Radial T/A.
Transmission and Rearend: The column-shifted three-speed was replaced with an A-833 four-speed. It required the addition of a hump to the floor plan and uses a 10-inch Ford pressure plate and McLeod clutch. Out back sits an 83/4 rear with centersection changeability featuring either a Sure Grip or a Detroit Locker differential with 4.10 or 3.23 rear gears respectively.
Sure Grip
Suspension and Brakes: With 9-inch drums on all four corners from the factory, the addition of power called for a more reliable stopping system. Greg installed four-piston disc brakes up front from Kelsey-Hays as well as 10-inch rear drums. Underneath it all is a stock, rebuilt suspension. The most notable alterations are new added factory front sway bar, 340 front torsion bars, and rear air shocks.
Wheels and Tires: The wheel and tire combination contribute the most to the misleading stock appearance. Greg resisted the temptation of the aftermarket's offerings by retaining the stock steel 14x5.5-inch wheels. These now wear modern Radial T/A rubber from BFGoodrich, size P225/70R14 front and P235/60R14 in the rear.
Forty years and still kickin'!...
Forty years and still kickin'! The seats, carpet, and steering wheel date back to 1969.
High Impact
Paint and Body: Some of the bodywork was performed by Greg, but the rest was sent out to Jamie Codispotti Auto Body in West Mifflin. There, it was treated to a thorough cleaning and smoothing and then dressed in PPG Deltron Base/Clear in the hues of T5 Copper Metallic on the roof and T3 Light Bronze on the body. This is the original color scheme.
Interior: Before Greg got his hands on it, the inside of this A-Body was tarnished by the elements. He replaced all the soft trim and plastic and managed to keep the original steering wheel, carpet, and seats.