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MM Retro Write-Up: The 1970 Dodge Scat-Pack Group
MM Retro Write-Up: The 1970 Dodge Scat-Pack Group
IN A NUTSHELL: Not as well-built or nicely-detailed as the GM or Ford muscle-cars of the period, but with wild looks/colors, durable engines, and a marked personality.
The American muscle-car craze of the 1960s reached its peak in 1969/1970 (my senior year in high school), when some of the most powerful, interesting, and desirable versions of these cars were built. This was just before Federal regulations took effect that added primitive emission controls, detuned engines to run on low-lead/no-lead fuel, a shift from Gross to New HP ratings, strengthened bumpers, and added weight and more safety-equipment, although some of the first safety-regulations had actually started two years earlier, in 1968.
In a similar manner to their sister Plymouth Division’s “Rapid-Transit” moniker, Dodge marketers wanted a general moniker to cover their high-performance line, which, depending on the specific model, consisted of R/T (Road & Track) and/or Super-Bee versions. The Super Bees, identified by body-stripes and cartoon-decals like Plymouth’s Road-Runner (but lacking the cute “Beep-Beep” horn, had a little more (and more-sport-oriented) equipment than the regular R/T’s. So, the name “Scat-Pack” was chosen to cover and represent their performance line-up….which is still in use today on 2022 high-performance Hemi-Chargers and Challengers and their Hemi Demon/Hellcat engines.
The base-level 225-c.i. (3.7L) Slant-Six and 318-c.i. (5.2L V8) in the 1970 Dodge/Plymouth non-performance vehicles of the time were well-respected and extremely durable engines (especially the Six), but obviously did not provide the level of performance that muscle-car fans wanted in those days. So, for the Scat-Pack series, depending on the specific model, normally-aspirated engines of 340 c.i, 383 ci, 426 c.i Hemi, and 440 c.i TNT/Commando were used. The Scat-Pack 340 and 383s came with a four-barrel carburator, the 426 Hemi with the choice of a single or (special-order) dual-quad carburetor, and the big 440 with the choice of a regular four-barrel carb or the “Six-Pack” triple-deuce carbs, similar to Pontiac’s previous 389 Tri-Carb in the early-mid-1960s. The 340 (5.6L), a bored-out 318, quickly got a reputation as an excellent low-cost performance engine, and, listed at 275 HP (Gross HP, not Net) and 340 ft-lbs. of torque, was probably underrated by Dodge and Plymouth for insurance reasons. The 383 (6.3L) was rated at 330 or 335 HP and 425 ft-lbs. of torque. The 426 (7.0L) four-barrel Hemi was rated at 425 HP and 490 ft-lbs. of torque. The four-barrel 440 (7.2L) was rated at 375 HP and 482 ft-lbs. of torque, and the Six-Pack version at 390 HP and 490 ft-lbs. of torque (same torque as the four-barrel Hemi), A special-order 426 Hemi with two four-barrel carburators was nominally available, but Dodge and Plymouth would not sell it to regular off-the-street buyers without proof of having completed a performance-driving course. It was considered too powerful and dangerous for immature or inexperienced drivers, although I could not find (and don’t remember) the official power figures for it. And, if the truth were known, virtually all of the 1960s muscle-cars proved dangerous in one form or another with immature high-school kids behind the wheel…which is why insurance premiums for them were skyrocketing.
In my opinion, these cars had excellent durable powerplants and Torqueflite automatic transmissions, but otherwise (and the manual transmissions) were not well-built…indeed, some of them were so poorly-assembled that it was an insult to their buyers. Body-panels were sometimes grossly misaligned. Poorly-treated sheet metal for the period corroded and rusted easily. Paint jobs and overall fit/finish were crude, had orange-peel, and lacked smoothness and gloss. Cheap plastic hardware rattled, broke, and sometimes simply fell off. Doors shut with loud imprecise clunks and shakes. The welded/unitized bodies standard on all Chrysler products of the time were supposed to be more resistant to rattles/squeaks/creaks than body-on-frame Ford and GM products, but often they actually were worse, because so much attached to those frames was so loosely assembled. After purchase, endless trips to the dealerships were required to correct things that should have been done at the factory. Indeed Consumer Reports also commented on the unusually high number of assembly-defects in these cars….their all-time high of 52 defects in one single vehicle was on a 1970 Plymouth Satellite. I remember sitting in a full-sized Dodge Monaco 4-door hardtop in the showroom sampling the armrest….and the entire front pull-down armrest-assembly simply falling right out of the seat onto the front floor (a similar defect also happened with the rear-seat armrest in a 2008 BMW M3 I sampled many years later). That is not to say that Ford and GM products were necessarily defect-free…..but their overall level of quality control a the time was significantly better than Chrysler’s and, to a lesser extent, American Motors.
Like their Plymouth Rapid-Transit cousins, and even with some non-performance Dodge/Plymouth models, the 1970/71 Scat-Pack cars were available with five extra-cost/special-order paint jobs. Dodge and Plymouth used different names for them, but they were the same colors…..bright Red (Tor-Red) bright Orange (Hemi-Orange), bright Yellow (Lemon Twist), and my two favorites, the vivid violet-purple (Plum Crazy) and the lime-green (Tor-Lime). Unfortunately, the purple I liked so much as, more-so than the other colors, had a tendency to fade and oxidize every quickly, somewhat like GM’s Acrylic-Enamel paint, one of the few weaknesses on GM cars of the period. A few special-order Pink-Panther Scat-Pack cars were also done at the factory (see the attached-image of the pink Charger R/T below), but that color was generally not in favor with very many of the buyers of the time. In general, though, although they could also be ordered in other colors, the feature color for the Super-Bee-spec cars was yellow, to go with the bumble-bee stripes.
Being all Dodges, the ’70 R/T and Scat-Pack cars all carried the usual Chrysler design-layout of the period…..front engine/rear-drive, heavy-duty three or four-speed manual transmissions, heavy-duty A727 3-speed automatic transmissions (the A727 was often used at the drag strip because of its efficiency and durability), longitudinal torsion bar front/leaf-rear suspension for optimal handling, unitized body/frame, and, in some cases, a front sub-frame. The well-known “Pistol-Grip” shift-handle was an option on some of the floor-mounted manual transmissions. Power-assisted or manual front disc brake/drum-rear brakes were available on some of these cars, and was highly-recommended, as the standard all-drum setup on most Chrysler cars of this period were undersized, took a lot of effort, not very effective, and prone to early and rapid-heat-buildup and fade, particularly on the compacts with smaller wheels. Even then, the front-disc-brake option was not as effective or stop as well as the superb Power-disc/drum set on the competing Ford products. All else equal, however, the Dodges and Plymouths, with their torsion-bar/leaf suspensions and unitized bodies, had somewhat of a handling advantage over the coil-spring/body on-frame Ford and GM cars….if that was saying much with the recirculating-ball steering systems of the time. I got a chance, in my youth and young adulthood, to sample and drive some, but not all, of the original Scat Pack cars. As a result, most of what I write is from actual memory and experience, but some of it came from research or links.
So much for the description of Scat-Pack cars in general…..now, let’s takes a look at the different specific models within the line-up.
1970 Dart Swinger 340
The Dart Swinger 340 was the performance-oriented version of the 2-door Dart Swinger coupe. The Dart had started out as a full-size Dodge in the early 1960s, but, for 1963, replaced the totally-redesigned Lancer compact line, which was closely-related to the compact Plymouth Valiant line. Plymouth never offered a true performance version of the Valiant itself, or of early Valiant-based Barracudas (true performance ‘Cudas didn’t come until several years later, in the late ‘60s.) So, starting in 1968, with the 340, the Dart Swinger had a one-up here on its more mundanely-powered Plymouth stable-mate. The 340 designation, of course, comes from the small-block 340 V8 engine, which was an excellent combination of size, power, efficiency, durability, and a low price. A few previous Darts had come from the factory with the big-block 383 crammed in, but that engine was simply too big, bulky, and front-end-heavy for the chassis…its steering was like lead, and there was little or no room under the hood to reach some components. The 340 was the perfect answer, and the generally good sales to the public showed that many people agreed. The Swinger 340, also considered a part of the Scat Pack, lacked either an R/T or Super-Bee designation…the Super-Bee moniker was saved primarily for the mid-sized Coronet, as a competing slogan for the Plymouth Road-Runner.
1970 Demon 340
(same dash as the Swinger)
The Demon was the Dodge Twin to the Plymouth Duster, which was a two-door coupe-version of the Valiant/Dart, but with a completely different body and interior from the 2-door Valiants and Dart coupes. The Demon 340, and its sister Duster 340 from Plymouth, were two of the least-expensive American muscle-cars available at the time, but they were that way for a reason…you got little in the way of amenities or conveniences. It carried the same engine/transmissions, of course, as the Dart Swinger 340 coupe, but with a much more cramped rear seat which was suitable more for children than adults, extremely difficult entry/exit from he rear seat particularly when the front seas were pushed back, and no roll-down windows in the rear…you flipped the window open about two inches and back closed again, for minimal ventilation, with a metal snap-lever. Not a very nice place to sit. I owned a brand-new non-performance Duster a few years later after the 1973/74 gas-crisis hit, when gas mileage was an issue, and fewer buyers were looking for performance powerplants. (I usually drove alone, and did not need much of a back seat). The Demon name, of course, is still being used by Dodge today for a specific power-version of its current Hemi powerlants.
1970 Coronet R/T Super-Bee
Now we’re getting into some real Scat-Pack muscle…these mid-sized 1970 Dodge Coronet R/Ts and Super-Bees were formidable contenders at the drag strip, and offering a lot more car (for more money) than the inexpensive Dart Swinger and Demon 340. It also had at least a useable back seat, along with roll-down windows, for most normal-sized adults. When Plymouth introduced its cartoonish Road-Runner in 1968 (one of my all-time favorite cars), its explosive popularity and runaway sales led Dodge dealers to ask Chrysler management for a Dodge version that would hopefully also give them at least a piece of that pie. The answer was the Super-Bee…..a mid-sized 2-door Dodge Coronet coupe, almost mechanically identical to the Road Runner and with the same chassis/powerplants, with wide stripes and a Bumble-bee cartoon instead of the bird-graphics and Beep-Beep horn. Super-Bee powerplants started out with the 383 and went up to the Hemis and 440 Six-Packs with with almost 500 ft-lbs. of torque…..so, they could run toe-to-toe with (and often beat) the top engines that Ford and Chevy had to offer, particularly if automatic transmissions were involved, as the durable Torqueflite automatic shifted trigger-quick and efficiently. The engines also had a durability reputation like iron…too bad the rest of the car didn’t. As with the Road Runner, I really liked the looks of this car……body-style-wise, it was, overall, one of my favorite Dodge products of the time, particularly with the front end, although I liked the dash and steering wheel of the Challenger the most. It did take at least some of the sales away from the ever-popular Road Runner, but nevertheless still languished somewhat in the Bird’s shadow in publicity.
1970 Charger R/T
(same interior as the 2-door Coronet)
^^^^^ Pink Panther Special
Many of the previous comments on the Coronet/Super Bee also apply to the Charger R/T. It was mechanically identical to the Coronet, except for a different, unique body with distinctive styling and a “Tunnel-Effect” around the rear window and trunk-lid. Like with the smaller Dart Swinger, this was one area where the Dodge could one-up Plymouth…Plymouth had no direct sister-version of the Charger. The Charger had been introduced, in 1966, as essentially a Dodge pony-car based on the Coronet, but was redesigned and grew substantially for 1968…..the new 2nd-Generation version remained through 1970. This was the orange “General Lee” car, with the 01 number, that was used in the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV sitcom of the 70s…an (IMO) somewhat corny and redneck-stereotype-show that I never thought much of, with the “General Lee” sometimes behaving more like an airplane than a car. The same fierce muscle-engines available on the Coronet Super Bee were also available on the Charger R/T, and the body design proved more popular with the public…..it, not the Coronet, ended up the main competitor to the Plymouth Road Runner and GTX (a higher-line version of the Road Runner without the bird-graphics and horn). Today, like with the Challengers that I’ll get to below, Chargers of this vintage, particularly with the Hemi, command some huge sums today in the classic-car-market.
1970 Charger Daytona
(same interior as the Charger/Coronet)
Well, here is a REAL eye-opener….The 1970 Charger Daytona, along with its Plymouth Road-Runner-Superbird twin, arguably the most dramatic-looking of not only the Chrysler products but of all of the classic American muscle-cars of the 60s and early 70s. Although aside from its dramatic body-pieces, the basic mechanicals and interior were the same as the Coronet/Charger, and it used the same muscular power plants. The most interesting thing of all about this car is that it was never meant to be a street-machine to start with……Chrysler designed it to be a NASCAR track-star at very high speeds (which it was), hence the long wedge-shaped streamlined front end and ultra-high aero-wing on the trunk-lid, meant to produce downforce for traction, without much drag. The above image shows Richard Petty’s famous blue “43” Superbird in action….he drove bright-blue Plymouths for much of his career with the same number on them. NASCAR rules, however, at the time (I don’t remember if they were in effect in previous years of changed in 1969/70) stipulated that a manufacturer had to sell at least 1000 street-legal versions of a car before it could be run on a NASCAR track. That was also the case with the competing Ford Torinos and Mercury Cyclones on the NASCAR tracks (GM had pulled out of factory-backed racing several years before)…but the Ford/Mercury track cars, unlike the Dodge and Plymouth, were not much different from their street-legal versions. So, Dodge and Plymouth, in order to remain competitive, were forced into selling them to the public along with their other Rapid-Transit and Scat-Pack cars. And, indeed, the State of Maryland would not allow its sale or registration to the public at all, because the wedge-front-end did not meet their state-vehicle-code for a legal front bumper. Never mind the fact that even legal “bumpers” during that period were all but worthless….hence the new Federal 5-MPH bumper standard that debuted a few years later in 1973. And, with that extended front-end, these cars were L-O-N-G…..their length exceed that of some full-sized American vehicles of the period. But, if you wanted to turn heads wherever you went, or impress a Friday-Night date….here was your ride. Just make sure to keep a big German Shepard or a Doberman close by to ward off any car thieves.
1970 Challenger R/T
Unlike Plymouth, Dodge never had a competitive pony-car of its own until 1970, when the all-new 3rd-Generation Plymouth Barracuda debuted and, for the first time, included a new Dodge twin…the Challenger, which, unlike the Barracuda, remains in production today. As I mentioned previously, the Dodge Charger was debuted more or less as a (roughly) pony-car in 1966, but never really caught on until it grew sustantially and was redesigned for 1968, by which time it was not really a pony-car any more. Along with the Charger R/T, the 1970 Challenger R/Ts are probably the most sought-after today of the Dodge muscle-cars of the period. Unlike the Coronets/Chargers, the Challengers not only offered the big-block engines, but the smaller well-respected 340 as well. From what I understand, John Cena, of WWF wresting-fame, owns a Plymouth version of the Challenger R/T…. the Hemi-Cuda. They sell for such vast inflated prices today, particularly the convertibles, that few others outside of celebrities like him and Jay Leno can own them. While I generally preferred the grille and single-headlight theme of the sister 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, I liked the looks of both cars inside, as they both used exactly the same interior. I especially liked the general looks of the 4-gauge-cluster/wood-tone dash/console and symmetrical three-spoke steering wheel. Under the (admittedly) surface good looks inside, though, the interior had some very poor and cheap materials in it…despite the wood-tone, these interiors were strictly built to a budget, and a low one at that. On top of that, they had some very poor assembly-quality…the plastic-paneled door panels clunked and rattled as they shut, and a number of the interior pieces and controls felt loose. This was one of those Dodges that often required a lot of trips to the dealer after delivery to address assembly-faults. An, despite the sport-oriented theme of this car, the seats, as you can tell from the picture above, had both top and bottom-cushions that were as flat as pancakes. They were generally more efficient in producing backaches than comfort or support.
The VERDICT………..
So, while there were some good and sound reasons for purchasing these Scat-Pack cars (durable engines, durable and efficient Torqueflite automatic transmissions, impressive acceleration, torsion/leaf suspension for nominally-better handling, smart-looking dashboards, vivid bright/pastel colors if you like that kind of paint job, and Chrysler’s 5/50 drivetrain warranty on most versions when Ford and GM had only 1/12, there were also a number of reasons to avoid them. Skyrocketing insurance premiums (which affected all muscle-cars of the period, not just Chrysler products), indifferent Chrysler assembly/quality-control, more noise/vibration than Ford or GM products, LOUSY drum brakes if so-equipped, Purple paint that didn’t last very long, and too many inconvenient trips to the dealer to fix things that should have been done at the factory. But, like it or not, with both of their assets and faults, they are all a part of what was one of the most remarkable auto-eras in history, one that we will never see again. And I consider myself fortunate to have lived through it, in my last years in high-school, on the borderline between a boy and a young man, to have been a part of it. And I consider myself even MORE fortunate to have been one of those who, even in a strong muscle-car, to have a healthy respect for the dangers of excessive speed and aggressive-driving, not to get carried away behind the wheel, and, unlike some of my classmates, to have survived that era healthy and in one piece.
And, as Always, Happy-Vehicle-Memories
MM
__________________
DRIVING IS BELIEVING
MM Retro Write-Up: The 1970 Dodge Scat-Pack Group
IN A NUTSHELL: Not as well-built or nicely-detailed as the GM or Ford muscle-cars of the period, but with wild looks/colors, durable engines, and a marked personality.
The American muscle-car craze of the 1960s reached its peak in 1969/1970 (my senior year in high school), when some of the most powerful, interesting, and desirable versions of these cars were built. This was just before Federal regulations took effect that added primitive emission controls, detuned engines to run on low-lead/no-lead fuel, a shift from Gross to New HP ratings, strengthened bumpers, and added weight and more safety-equipment, although some of the first safety-regulations had actually started two years earlier, in 1968.
In a similar manner to their sister Plymouth Division’s “Rapid-Transit” moniker, Dodge marketers wanted a general moniker to cover their high-performance line, which, depending on the specific model, consisted of R/T (Road & Track) and/or Super-Bee versions. The Super Bees, identified by body-stripes and cartoon-decals like Plymouth’s Road-Runner (but lacking the cute “Beep-Beep” horn, had a little more (and more-sport-oriented) equipment than the regular R/T’s. So, the name “Scat-Pack” was chosen to cover and represent their performance line-up….which is still in use today on 2022 high-performance Hemi-Chargers and Challengers and their Hemi Demon/Hellcat engines.
The base-level 225-c.i. (3.7L) Slant-Six and 318-c.i. (5.2L V8) in the 1970 Dodge/Plymouth non-performance vehicles of the time were well-respected and extremely durable engines (especially the Six), but obviously did not provide the level of performance that muscle-car fans wanted in those days. So, for the Scat-Pack series, depending on the specific model, normally-aspirated engines of 340 c.i, 383 ci, 426 c.i Hemi, and 440 c.i TNT/Commando were used. The Scat-Pack 340 and 383s came with a four-barrel carburator, the 426 Hemi with the choice of a single or (special-order) dual-quad carburetor, and the big 440 with the choice of a regular four-barrel carb or the “Six-Pack” triple-deuce carbs, similar to Pontiac’s previous 389 Tri-Carb in the early-mid-1960s. The 340 (5.6L), a bored-out 318, quickly got a reputation as an excellent low-cost performance engine, and, listed at 275 HP (Gross HP, not Net) and 340 ft-lbs. of torque, was probably underrated by Dodge and Plymouth for insurance reasons. The 383 (6.3L) was rated at 330 or 335 HP and 425 ft-lbs. of torque. The 426 (7.0L) four-barrel Hemi was rated at 425 HP and 490 ft-lbs. of torque. The four-barrel 440 (7.2L) was rated at 375 HP and 482 ft-lbs. of torque, and the Six-Pack version at 390 HP and 490 ft-lbs. of torque (same torque as the four-barrel Hemi), A special-order 426 Hemi with two four-barrel carburators was nominally available, but Dodge and Plymouth would not sell it to regular off-the-street buyers without proof of having completed a performance-driving course. It was considered too powerful and dangerous for immature or inexperienced drivers, although I could not find (and don’t remember) the official power figures for it. And, if the truth were known, virtually all of the 1960s muscle-cars proved dangerous in one form or another with immature high-school kids behind the wheel…which is why insurance premiums for them were skyrocketing.
In my opinion, these cars had excellent durable powerplants and Torqueflite automatic transmissions, but otherwise (and the manual transmissions) were not well-built…indeed, some of them were so poorly-assembled that it was an insult to their buyers. Body-panels were sometimes grossly misaligned. Poorly-treated sheet metal for the period corroded and rusted easily. Paint jobs and overall fit/finish were crude, had orange-peel, and lacked smoothness and gloss. Cheap plastic hardware rattled, broke, and sometimes simply fell off. Doors shut with loud imprecise clunks and shakes. The welded/unitized bodies standard on all Chrysler products of the time were supposed to be more resistant to rattles/squeaks/creaks than body-on-frame Ford and GM products, but often they actually were worse, because so much attached to those frames was so loosely assembled. After purchase, endless trips to the dealerships were required to correct things that should have been done at the factory. Indeed Consumer Reports also commented on the unusually high number of assembly-defects in these cars….their all-time high of 52 defects in one single vehicle was on a 1970 Plymouth Satellite. I remember sitting in a full-sized Dodge Monaco 4-door hardtop in the showroom sampling the armrest….and the entire front pull-down armrest-assembly simply falling right out of the seat onto the front floor (a similar defect also happened with the rear-seat armrest in a 2008 BMW M3 I sampled many years later). That is not to say that Ford and GM products were necessarily defect-free…..but their overall level of quality control a the time was significantly better than Chrysler’s and, to a lesser extent, American Motors.
Like their Plymouth Rapid-Transit cousins, and even with some non-performance Dodge/Plymouth models, the 1970/71 Scat-Pack cars were available with five extra-cost/special-order paint jobs. Dodge and Plymouth used different names for them, but they were the same colors…..bright Red (Tor-Red) bright Orange (Hemi-Orange), bright Yellow (Lemon Twist), and my two favorites, the vivid violet-purple (Plum Crazy) and the lime-green (Tor-Lime). Unfortunately, the purple I liked so much as, more-so than the other colors, had a tendency to fade and oxidize every quickly, somewhat like GM’s Acrylic-Enamel paint, one of the few weaknesses on GM cars of the period. A few special-order Pink-Panther Scat-Pack cars were also done at the factory (see the attached-image of the pink Charger R/T below), but that color was generally not in favor with very many of the buyers of the time. In general, though, although they could also be ordered in other colors, the feature color for the Super-Bee-spec cars was yellow, to go with the bumble-bee stripes.
Being all Dodges, the ’70 R/T and Scat-Pack cars all carried the usual Chrysler design-layout of the period…..front engine/rear-drive, heavy-duty three or four-speed manual transmissions, heavy-duty A727 3-speed automatic transmissions (the A727 was often used at the drag strip because of its efficiency and durability), longitudinal torsion bar front/leaf-rear suspension for optimal handling, unitized body/frame, and, in some cases, a front sub-frame. The well-known “Pistol-Grip” shift-handle was an option on some of the floor-mounted manual transmissions. Power-assisted or manual front disc brake/drum-rear brakes were available on some of these cars, and was highly-recommended, as the standard all-drum setup on most Chrysler cars of this period were undersized, took a lot of effort, not very effective, and prone to early and rapid-heat-buildup and fade, particularly on the compacts with smaller wheels. Even then, the front-disc-brake option was not as effective or stop as well as the superb Power-disc/drum set on the competing Ford products. All else equal, however, the Dodges and Plymouths, with their torsion-bar/leaf suspensions and unitized bodies, had somewhat of a handling advantage over the coil-spring/body on-frame Ford and GM cars….if that was saying much with the recirculating-ball steering systems of the time. I got a chance, in my youth and young adulthood, to sample and drive some, but not all, of the original Scat Pack cars. As a result, most of what I write is from actual memory and experience, but some of it came from research or links.
So much for the description of Scat-Pack cars in general…..now, let’s takes a look at the different specific models within the line-up.
1970 Dart Swinger 340
The Dart Swinger 340 was the performance-oriented version of the 2-door Dart Swinger coupe. The Dart had started out as a full-size Dodge in the early 1960s, but, for 1963, replaced the totally-redesigned Lancer compact line, which was closely-related to the compact Plymouth Valiant line. Plymouth never offered a true performance version of the Valiant itself, or of early Valiant-based Barracudas (true performance ‘Cudas didn’t come until several years later, in the late ‘60s.) So, starting in 1968, with the 340, the Dart Swinger had a one-up here on its more mundanely-powered Plymouth stable-mate. The 340 designation, of course, comes from the small-block 340 V8 engine, which was an excellent combination of size, power, efficiency, durability, and a low price. A few previous Darts had come from the factory with the big-block 383 crammed in, but that engine was simply too big, bulky, and front-end-heavy for the chassis…its steering was like lead, and there was little or no room under the hood to reach some components. The 340 was the perfect answer, and the generally good sales to the public showed that many people agreed. The Swinger 340, also considered a part of the Scat Pack, lacked either an R/T or Super-Bee designation…the Super-Bee moniker was saved primarily for the mid-sized Coronet, as a competing slogan for the Plymouth Road-Runner.
1970 Demon 340
(same dash as the Swinger)
The Demon was the Dodge Twin to the Plymouth Duster, which was a two-door coupe-version of the Valiant/Dart, but with a completely different body and interior from the 2-door Valiants and Dart coupes. The Demon 340, and its sister Duster 340 from Plymouth, were two of the least-expensive American muscle-cars available at the time, but they were that way for a reason…you got little in the way of amenities or conveniences. It carried the same engine/transmissions, of course, as the Dart Swinger 340 coupe, but with a much more cramped rear seat which was suitable more for children than adults, extremely difficult entry/exit from he rear seat particularly when the front seas were pushed back, and no roll-down windows in the rear…you flipped the window open about two inches and back closed again, for minimal ventilation, with a metal snap-lever. Not a very nice place to sit. I owned a brand-new non-performance Duster a few years later after the 1973/74 gas-crisis hit, when gas mileage was an issue, and fewer buyers were looking for performance powerplants. (I usually drove alone, and did not need much of a back seat). The Demon name, of course, is still being used by Dodge today for a specific power-version of its current Hemi powerlants.
1970 Coronet R/T Super-Bee
Now we’re getting into some real Scat-Pack muscle…these mid-sized 1970 Dodge Coronet R/Ts and Super-Bees were formidable contenders at the drag strip, and offering a lot more car (for more money) than the inexpensive Dart Swinger and Demon 340. It also had at least a useable back seat, along with roll-down windows, for most normal-sized adults. When Plymouth introduced its cartoonish Road-Runner in 1968 (one of my all-time favorite cars), its explosive popularity and runaway sales led Dodge dealers to ask Chrysler management for a Dodge version that would hopefully also give them at least a piece of that pie. The answer was the Super-Bee…..a mid-sized 2-door Dodge Coronet coupe, almost mechanically identical to the Road Runner and with the same chassis/powerplants, with wide stripes and a Bumble-bee cartoon instead of the bird-graphics and Beep-Beep horn. Super-Bee powerplants started out with the 383 and went up to the Hemis and 440 Six-Packs with with almost 500 ft-lbs. of torque…..so, they could run toe-to-toe with (and often beat) the top engines that Ford and Chevy had to offer, particularly if automatic transmissions were involved, as the durable Torqueflite automatic shifted trigger-quick and efficiently. The engines also had a durability reputation like iron…too bad the rest of the car didn’t. As with the Road Runner, I really liked the looks of this car……body-style-wise, it was, overall, one of my favorite Dodge products of the time, particularly with the front end, although I liked the dash and steering wheel of the Challenger the most. It did take at least some of the sales away from the ever-popular Road Runner, but nevertheless still languished somewhat in the Bird’s shadow in publicity.
1970 Charger R/T
(same interior as the 2-door Coronet)
^^^^^ Pink Panther Special
Many of the previous comments on the Coronet/Super Bee also apply to the Charger R/T. It was mechanically identical to the Coronet, except for a different, unique body with distinctive styling and a “Tunnel-Effect” around the rear window and trunk-lid. Like with the smaller Dart Swinger, this was one area where the Dodge could one-up Plymouth…Plymouth had no direct sister-version of the Charger. The Charger had been introduced, in 1966, as essentially a Dodge pony-car based on the Coronet, but was redesigned and grew substantially for 1968…..the new 2nd-Generation version remained through 1970. This was the orange “General Lee” car, with the 01 number, that was used in the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV sitcom of the 70s…an (IMO) somewhat corny and redneck-stereotype-show that I never thought much of, with the “General Lee” sometimes behaving more like an airplane than a car. The same fierce muscle-engines available on the Coronet Super Bee were also available on the Charger R/T, and the body design proved more popular with the public…..it, not the Coronet, ended up the main competitor to the Plymouth Road Runner and GTX (a higher-line version of the Road Runner without the bird-graphics and horn). Today, like with the Challengers that I’ll get to below, Chargers of this vintage, particularly with the Hemi, command some huge sums today in the classic-car-market.
1970 Charger Daytona
(same interior as the Charger/Coronet)
Well, here is a REAL eye-opener….The 1970 Charger Daytona, along with its Plymouth Road-Runner-Superbird twin, arguably the most dramatic-looking of not only the Chrysler products but of all of the classic American muscle-cars of the 60s and early 70s. Although aside from its dramatic body-pieces, the basic mechanicals and interior were the same as the Coronet/Charger, and it used the same muscular power plants. The most interesting thing of all about this car is that it was never meant to be a street-machine to start with……Chrysler designed it to be a NASCAR track-star at very high speeds (which it was), hence the long wedge-shaped streamlined front end and ultra-high aero-wing on the trunk-lid, meant to produce downforce for traction, without much drag. The above image shows Richard Petty’s famous blue “43” Superbird in action….he drove bright-blue Plymouths for much of his career with the same number on them. NASCAR rules, however, at the time (I don’t remember if they were in effect in previous years of changed in 1969/70) stipulated that a manufacturer had to sell at least 1000 street-legal versions of a car before it could be run on a NASCAR track. That was also the case with the competing Ford Torinos and Mercury Cyclones on the NASCAR tracks (GM had pulled out of factory-backed racing several years before)…but the Ford/Mercury track cars, unlike the Dodge and Plymouth, were not much different from their street-legal versions. So, Dodge and Plymouth, in order to remain competitive, were forced into selling them to the public along with their other Rapid-Transit and Scat-Pack cars. And, indeed, the State of Maryland would not allow its sale or registration to the public at all, because the wedge-front-end did not meet their state-vehicle-code for a legal front bumper. Never mind the fact that even legal “bumpers” during that period were all but worthless….hence the new Federal 5-MPH bumper standard that debuted a few years later in 1973. And, with that extended front-end, these cars were L-O-N-G…..their length exceed that of some full-sized American vehicles of the period. But, if you wanted to turn heads wherever you went, or impress a Friday-Night date….here was your ride. Just make sure to keep a big German Shepard or a Doberman close by to ward off any car thieves.
1970 Challenger R/T
Unlike Plymouth, Dodge never had a competitive pony-car of its own until 1970, when the all-new 3rd-Generation Plymouth Barracuda debuted and, for the first time, included a new Dodge twin…the Challenger, which, unlike the Barracuda, remains in production today. As I mentioned previously, the Dodge Charger was debuted more or less as a (roughly) pony-car in 1966, but never really caught on until it grew sustantially and was redesigned for 1968, by which time it was not really a pony-car any more. Along with the Charger R/T, the 1970 Challenger R/Ts are probably the most sought-after today of the Dodge muscle-cars of the period. Unlike the Coronets/Chargers, the Challengers not only offered the big-block engines, but the smaller well-respected 340 as well. From what I understand, John Cena, of WWF wresting-fame, owns a Plymouth version of the Challenger R/T…. the Hemi-Cuda. They sell for such vast inflated prices today, particularly the convertibles, that few others outside of celebrities like him and Jay Leno can own them. While I generally preferred the grille and single-headlight theme of the sister 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, I liked the looks of both cars inside, as they both used exactly the same interior. I especially liked the general looks of the 4-gauge-cluster/wood-tone dash/console and symmetrical three-spoke steering wheel. Under the (admittedly) surface good looks inside, though, the interior had some very poor and cheap materials in it…despite the wood-tone, these interiors were strictly built to a budget, and a low one at that. On top of that, they had some very poor assembly-quality…the plastic-paneled door panels clunked and rattled as they shut, and a number of the interior pieces and controls felt loose. This was one of those Dodges that often required a lot of trips to the dealer after delivery to address assembly-faults. An, despite the sport-oriented theme of this car, the seats, as you can tell from the picture above, had both top and bottom-cushions that were as flat as pancakes. They were generally more efficient in producing backaches than comfort or support.
The VERDICT………..
So, while there were some good and sound reasons for purchasing these Scat-Pack cars (durable engines, durable and efficient Torqueflite automatic transmissions, impressive acceleration, torsion/leaf suspension for nominally-better handling, smart-looking dashboards, vivid bright/pastel colors if you like that kind of paint job, and Chrysler’s 5/50 drivetrain warranty on most versions when Ford and GM had only 1/12, there were also a number of reasons to avoid them. Skyrocketing insurance premiums (which affected all muscle-cars of the period, not just Chrysler products), indifferent Chrysler assembly/quality-control, more noise/vibration than Ford or GM products, LOUSY drum brakes if so-equipped, Purple paint that didn’t last very long, and too many inconvenient trips to the dealer to fix things that should have been done at the factory. But, like it or not, with both of their assets and faults, they are all a part of what was one of the most remarkable auto-eras in history, one that we will never see again. And I consider myself fortunate to have lived through it, in my last years in high-school, on the borderline between a boy and a young man, to have been a part of it. And I consider myself even MORE fortunate to have been one of those who, even in a strong muscle-car, to have a healthy respect for the dangers of excessive speed and aggressive-driving, not to get carried away behind the wheel, and, unlike some of my classmates, to have survived that era healthy and in one piece.
And, as Always, Happy-Vehicle-Memories
MM
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DRIVING IS BELIEVING