Exit Lane: Joe Orendorff
Joe Orendorff
Owner
Elmira Stove Works
1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340
340-cubic-inch V8, 275 HP
100,000 miles
THE FIRST CAR I ever owned was the very same year and model. I bought it when I was 16, but I was never able to get it on the road. Eventually, my mom made me sell it. I sold it for $300 and then regretted it ever since.
THIS ONE I purchased about two years ago. I bought it from a car-collector friend in Dorchester. What I particularly like about it is the simplicity of design. Plus, you really don’t see a lot of them around, so it’s a little different.
IT’S PRETTY MUCH stock from the factory. There have been a few upgrades here and there, like a front disc brake conversion, but other than that it’s pretty much original and I don’t plan on doing anything different.
IF I WAS completely honest, I’d like it to handle a little better. Being an old car, it really does handle like an old car. But as they say, Chrysler products have always been known for going straight.
IT’S STRICTLY A summer driver. I’ll take it to car shows and cruises like the Sunday night Argyle Canadian Tire cruise—I also really enjoy weekend drives to places like Port Stanley.
I MAY SELL it. I would really like a late-model [Dodge] Challenger SRT, so it’s time with me may be limited. 