Ride Of The Week 01/18/2021: Richard Kinnison's 1975 Dodge Dart

"An Abomination"

Our #Rideoftheweek comes to us via Richard Kinnison from Virginia. Here is his 1975 Dodge Dart, “Abomination”. Why is it an abomination? Well, Richard says, “It's named that because every Mopar Purist that comes across it see the LSX MPR license plate and says ‘That's an abomination’!”

Kinnison goes on to say, “This started as a fun build for me and my family, but turned into more of an example of what hot rodding truly is, taking what you have and making your car go fast with the parts you have laying around. And having fun doing it!”

The whole project begin with Richard wanting to build something affordable that wouldn’t get lost in a sea of Mustangs, Camaros and Novas at a car show. So, the ’75 Dart was the perfect container for what was to come, especially because it was a slant-6 car. But, at first, the plan was to keep it as close to stock and just make it drive better.

That began to change as military orders transferred him to DC and the old slant-6 wasn’t up to traversing the hilly terrain. But a Hemi replacement left Richard with some serious sticker shock. Then his brother suggested he do an LS swap. Parts were much less expensive and plentiful. However, that started the domino effect.

With all that power it was hard for the Dart chassis to hook up at the track, “I wanted the car to be safe, so I decided to add some significant parts in the chassis like a roll cage, plus a new built motor, and I wanted to add a set of 28×10.5-inch slicks.”

The Dart now has a 370 ci LS from Magnum Machine In Chesapeake, VA. Within the block is a Summit Racing Pro LS crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, and turbo camshaft. Richard used a set of junkyard 317 GM heads with a Holley Hi-Ram intake. Twin VS Racing billet 6973 T4 turbos provide the boost, and a Holley Terminator X Max controls the engine.

“It’s an absolute blast to drive and makes everyone who sees it smile, my family and I included, as they've all had a hand in building it.”

Well, everyone, except those MOPAR diehards, they grimace at that Abomination!

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