Pictured is Mechanicsburg’s Edward Hadden’s 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger Resto-Mod.
Edward Hadden honors his son Matt Hadden (left) and cousin Mark Maynard (right) — both had helped in the restoration of this car.
The Hemi orange scoops are melted in on the hood’s intimidating presence.
Edward Hadden from Mechanicsburg makes note of some details on his 1970 Dodge Dart at a recent area car show.
By Ron Brohm
Contributing writer
If I bought a car from a place over 4,000 miles away and it needed a complete overhaul and some really great mechanics to work on it , then I couldn’t think of a better place in the world to make it’s new home than a town called “Mechanicsburg.”
And that’s exactly what happened in this story.
At a recent area car show I ran into a gentleman who acquired a car from Hawaii, which is a little unusual from what I normally encounter at shows. This man’s name is Edward Hadden and he is from Mechanicsburg and yes he’s a pretty darn good mechanic too! And yes, this car was a huge mess and needed a complete overhaul, also.
“This car came into our family from a gentleman that bought it new in Hawaii and my cousin picked it up for us,” said Hadden.
“Me and my son re-built the car from the ground up. Practically everything on it is new now. It has four wheel disc brakes, welded in frame ties and torque boxes, a 727 tranny 3500 stall, a 360 (371) Roller, Cam 538 Degrees, with lifters, a 750 Quick Fuel Carb and a Magna Flow Exhaust,” Hadden said.
Hadden and his son built a really special and powerful car in this Dart. “It’s pushing around 500 horsepower. It’s got the S&S Drag suspension in the rear which keeps you straight coming out of the hole real well. It also has an all new interior and new metal 17 inch torque thrust wheels. The 2-tone hood paint scheme sports a black theme with Hemi orange hood scoops and exterior.
Hadden has a rear window wrap memorial on the Dart that honors two family members. “I buried my son a year ago in February. He helped me on practically every repair in the restoration of this car,” said Hadden. Hadden’s cousin, is also honored on the back window of the Dart. “My cousin, Mark Maynard, is actually the one who originally bought the car and brought it into our family and he passed away shortly after he painted the body on the car. After his death I acquired the car and from there my son and I restored everything else,” Hadden said.
Hadden is Vietnam U.S. Navy veteran of four years who served as a second class driving instructor in the “Brown Water Navy” and came back as a diving instructor in Norfolk, Virginia until he got out of service. Hadden is also a member of the local automotive group the “Urbana Cruisers.”
Reach the writer at [email protected]
