Scat Pack returns

Words and Photos: Roger C. Johnson

When we think of wild A-body Dodge Darts, the 1968 Hemi drag cars usually first spring to mind. Well, open your eyes to another interpretation of the Wild Dart concept. Pro Street seems like the best way to describe it, but this time the source of motivation is the classic Mopar 383c.i. power plant. For an added twist, it’s supercharged.

It all started when Andre Perry bought a half-finished 1969 Dart Pro Street project in Kansas, which is several states away from Perry’s hometown in Georgia, so he paid to have it trailered. Somehow, the trailer hauling the car to its new home flipped over behind the truck that was pulling it. The Dart came to a rest upside down on an interstate guardrail. Amazingly, the wreck happened only 10 miles from Perry’s house near Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Perry was sitting in his driveway drinking a coffee and expecting to see his new toy pull up any minute when he got the call. Fortunately, his gearhead spirit prevailed and the car was rescued from the guardrail and finally brought home — for a much more elaborate revitalization than originally planned.

Because the 383 was such a popular and respected engine on the streets back in the day, Perry thought it only fitting to showcase one in this car. The Novi blower drives the point home with 7 pounds of additional boost blown through a 750 cfm Holley mounted on an Edelbrock RPM manifold. Underhood detailing is extraordinary. The engine, wrapped in supercharger plumbing and bracing, looks wicked, hardcore, and functional.

The Dart began life as a nice little Mopar Slant Six-powered people-hauler designed to sip gasoline and slip unnoticed through traffic. In short, that’s exactly the kind of car so many hot rodders crave, since it’s so much fun to take an unassuming vehicle and make it fast. Sleeper cars have always been the best for the total surprise they deliver to unwary competition.

As much of a hands-on kind of guy as Perry is, he still had to engage someone else to convert his vision to a reality. Most exterior reshaping was completed through the hands of metalwork guru James Boyd of Road King Customs. Boyd’s attention to detail is virtually infinite, and many of the subtle touches he inflicted on the Dart will go missed by all but the most educated and detail-oriented enthusiast.

The Dart was given a new back-half chassis section which was then spliced into the original unibody. A narrowed 9-inch Ford rear end assembly houses 31-spline axles with heavy-duty Timken bearings. The Dart runs 4.11:1 gears and utilizes a Torque Lock Posi setup. A four-link system with ladder bars and coil-overs set the stage for the rear suspension. Up front, the Dart operates as Chrysler intended with factory-style suspension components, although poly-graphite bushings are used throughout.

The Dart’s interior is rather sparse, yet functional with just front bucket seats, RaceQuip harnesses, and additional storage space where the backseat used to be. The trunk is fully useable, with the exception of the space occupied by a nitrous bottle for carefully selected 200-hp shots of additional enthusiasm.

To look at the Dart, you can imagine this car sitting right next to Ronnie Sox’s Super Stock Hemi Barracuda in the Chrysler exhibit at the 1969 Detroit Auto Show. This Dart looks like something Chrysler’s prototype group may have drummed up as an exercise in performance gluttony, wild color and all. But no, it was a civilian car nut like you and I who made this car happen.

This Dart is consistently a superstar at the local car shows, despite the intensity of the competition. Its acceptance among car show participants is based on the obvious high-profile approach of the paint scheme and engine treatment. But even if neither of those things were part of the equation, the car’s overall workmanship and imaginative construction procedures would still be impressive.

But for Perry, each time he fires up this supercharged Mopar, every single component comes to life and will eagerly dart him to the front of the pack with style, and without a moment’s hesitation. What a feeling!