Scott Fry’s 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger Is One Sweet Ride

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When you first approach this eye-catching example of classic Mopar muscle, a couple of things stand out: first, the original, factory vinyl roof shouts show car, not race car, and the second is the flawless Petty blue paint that adorns this car. And you might just ask yourself if this car was driven to the race track. Current owner Scott Fry, a motorcycle officer with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in Florida is quick to correct you concerning the paint on his car. “The paint code is actually B5, Chrysler corporate blue.” Fry offers.

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The car appears bone stock, but under the pretty blue paint is a full fledged six second index racer.

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The Swinger launches hard on its way to another 6.50 second run.

Okay, a quick history lesson. One of the most recognizable figures in all of motorsports is the man from Level Cross, North Carolina — seven time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, with an all-time win record of 200 races. He’s also the only man to ever win the prestigious Daytona 500 ten times. His signature cowboy hat and wraparound sunglasses are unmistakable. As the story goes, the Petty clan was directly responsible for this particular shade of blue. Fearing that they didn’t have enough paint to finish painting their newest race car, Petty and his father Lee mixed a couple of different cans of paint together and came up with a shade of blue that wasn’t really a sky blue, and not exactly a powder blue. Just like that, it became known throughout the motorsports community as Petty Blue.

Although the timeline is uncertain, Chrysler stepped in and branded this particular shade of blue as Code B5 Corporate Blue. With all of this in mind, there’s no doubt that Mr. Fry is correct when he says the Swinger is B5 Corporate Blue — but for a certain demographic reading this fine publication right now, this beautiful little car will always be Petty Blue.

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Scott Fry has a long history in the sport, and has amassed over 26 years behind the wheel of a straight line racer. Fry has always been a Chrysler fanatic and has owned several A-body race cars throughout the years before purchasing this Swinger from a long time friend and fellow racer, Chris Durden. It seems Durden had lost interest over the years and had put the car in storage, and not wanting to see it waste away, Fry approached Durden and struck a deal to bring the car back to life.

“I really just had to freshen everything up.” Fry recalled. “The car had been in storage for a couple years so I had to go through the complete car — nothing major, just freshened everything up.”

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The lights are functional and the car is totally street legal, as a motorcycle for the Fort Lauderdale PD Fry would have it no other way.

The car sits on the original factory chassis, with a Cal Tracs six-posistion leaf spring suspension with a factory Dana 60 differential with a 4:30 gear. Aerospace two-piston disc brakes, Weld wheels and 10-inch Hoosiers complete the rear suspension. The front suspension features the original factory torsion bar system with Aerospace two-piston disc brakes and rotors, Weld wheels and DS-2 Moroso rubber.

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The dash and instrument panel are OEM. The six point cage and five point restraints have been added to keep Fry in place and safe.

The body is factory sheet metal except for the hood and bumpers, both front and rear. The vinyl top is also the original factory installed lid, and every piece of glass, including the windshield, is the factory installed glass. The interior of the car, other than the eight point roll bar and five point restraint system, looks pretty much the way it did when it rolled off the showroom floor. The car still has the factory sun visors in it, and the radio still works nicely. A complete Pro Comp Auto Meter gauge package monitors all of the vital functions, and the car weighs in at 2,985 pounds ready to race.

A stroked 416 cubic inch small block sits tucked away in the engine bay. Rated at 680 actual horsepower, the engine is based on an aftermarket R3 steel short block, with a four-inch steel Dragon Slayer crankshaft, steel rods and Ross flat top Billet aluminum pistons. The top end consists of Indy aluminum heads and intake manifold with a naturally-aspirated Dominator 1150 double pumper bolted on top. The valvetrain is a standard 18-degree roller system with a custom ground cam by Bullet CamsMSD ignition supplies the fire, and a set of custom fabricated inch and seven-eighths headers by Tubular Automotive take care of the exhaust duties. A 727 three-speed transmission with a billet front drum, a Grinder transbrake and valve body with a JW-55 convertor move the horses to the rear of the car.

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This little Swinger looks like it just rolled off a showroom floor, a classic example of American Muscle.

Fry currently runs the car as a 6.50 index racer, and has no plans of doing anything different in the near future.

“My job is my first priority,” Fry affirms. “I race as much as I can and my supervisors are good about working with me if there’s a big race somewhere, but the job comes before racing.” Fry shared that he would like to upgrade the car after he retires from the police force and perhaps run on the divisional level with the IHRA. “That’s all up in the air right now.” Fry chuckled. “I’ll have to wait and see what time brings.”

Scott is also quick to thank the folks that help him, including Trey Mullen, who serves as his crew chief, Tim Hanover, who puts the engines together for him, Jerry Bridwell with Auto Pro, and Tim Williams with Power Source Motor Sports, who provides the bulk of the sponsorship and helps ease the burden on Fry’s wallet.

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This little Swinger delivers the heat.

What makes this sweet little ’72 Swinger so unique, however, is that it’s completely street legal. “I could drive it on the street if I really wanted to.” Fry states.

Maybe when the day comes that Fry is done racing with the car, perhaps he will turn this gorgeous little Petty Blue…oh, sorry about that, B5 Corporate blue…Dart Swinger into a show car and Sunday afternoon cruiser.

Fry currently displays the car at events and functions around the Fort Lauderdale area in conjunction with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, but otherwise, it maintains strict track duty.

“I take the car out to the local displays when I can.” Fry states. “It allows me to talk with people about the dangers of street racing, and if they plan on racing at the track, how to do it safely.”

Fry’s message to the younger gearheads that attend these events is simple: if you intend to go racing, stay on the strip, not the street. This message has been conveyed many times over the years, but Fry hopes that maybe the message coming from a police officer that races, that folks will heed his warning.

“Street racing isn’t the way to do it.” he reiterates. “Street racing is a hazard to the public, it causes property damage and personal injury, and in many cases, in fatal injuries.”

Fry is optimistic that his efforts to educate the public about racing on the streets, will help prevent the unnecessary loos of life associated with this dangerous past time. We at Dragzine echo these sentiments, and commend Fry for his commitment not only to racing, but public safety as well. So, all that remains is this, is it corporate B5, or is it Petty Blue? You be the judge.

About the author

Chuck Green

As a professional writer, and photographer Chuck has always had an affliction for anything related to motorsports. Over the years he worked events from local short tracks to the high profile series of NASCAR, Indy Car, IHRA, and NHRA.
Read My Articles

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