It’s a tale almost as old as the automobile itself. Young person brings home a dilapidated first car. Parents freak. The vehicle is a bomb, eventually gets sold, and Junior learns a valuable lesson.

That’s exactly how this story started, way back in 2010, but not how it ends. The conclusion is this ominous-looking, supercharged beast, known to its creators as “Dart Vader.”

Dan Zajac, the owner of a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a retired Army colonel and the father in this story, vividly recalls the day his son Daniel brought home the ’69 Dart you see before you. To say Pops was none too pleased is an understatement.

The Dodge econobox was not exactly in tip-top condition. Far from it. It needed fenders and floors and the roof looked like a tree landed on it (because it had). It was in red primer. There was a Slant Six under the hood and the Papa Zajac felt for another $2,000 or so, Daniel could have possibly gotten a much better example of the breed, perhaps even a 340 car. Pops was even ready to kick in the extra money to make that happen.

But Mama Zajac was the voice of reason. This is the car Daniel wanted, she said. Sometimes, she felt, it’s best to keep your ideas to yourself and let the offspring have its way. Ultimately, Papa Zajac, listened to his wife and thus a project was born. Young Daniel learned how to weld in floors, the front fenders were replaced and now the roof looks good as new. But there is a lot more to the story than that.

Daniel was in the ROTC program at the University of South Florida when he purchased the car and after graduation came military service and the project slowed quite a bit. He eventually became Captain Daniel Zajac and flew UH-60 helicopters in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The A-body you see here is the result of 14 years of on-and-off work by father and son (with the help of a couple of shops).

 Daniel made the major decisions, which (like the Satin Black paint) were often at odds with his father’s more traditional leanings, but the end result is a car that is all his.

“I liked Mopars, liked the Dart look, and wanted to build a straightforward, no BS, resto-muscle car,” said Daniel, who is now a forester in upstate New York. “I learned how to weld by replacing the floor panels and adding frame connectors.”

In the near decade-and-a-half since picking up the A-body, Daniel served in Fort Rucker (Alabama), South Korea, Fort Benning (Georgia) and Fort Drum (Western New York) before heading to Afghanistan. As you can imagine, this wreaked havoc on the build timeline.

“Throughout this period, I maintained contact with my father and in many visits on leave over the years, we planned and mapped out our next steps in the build,” Daniel noted. “We discussed every part and design evolution along the way. The lowest point was simply the long time it took to bring the car to fruition.”

Power comes from a Mopar Performance 392 Scat Pack crate HEMI. For the uninitiated, this particular Gen III HEMI is the same as the one placed in Challenger Scat Packs: iron block, aluminum heads, 485 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 475 lb-ft of torque. He bought it complete with the intake manifold, throttle body and front accessory drive (all of which was extra). The bonus is everything fit perfectly and if something should ever go wrong, the owner should easily be able to scrounge up replacement parts.

Also used were the factory electronics, which were carefully integrated into the engine bay. There was some trimming of the inner fenders and firewall to make the big HEMI fit, but it was done in such a way as to be almost unnoticeable at first glance. Even the electronics were seamlessly fitted, with some custom massaging of the fenderwells and firewall. The result is sanitary. The lack of brightwork and bling results in a look that is OE circa 2024.

Facilitating the swap and taking the roadholding into the 21st century was a Reilly Motorsports (RMS) AlterKtion tubular K-member, with power rack-and-pinion steering, coilover shocks, and 1.25-inch sway bar. It opened up tons of room, making the swap much easier and allowing room for the custom-made headers. It also reduced front end weight significantly. To this, they added the 13-inch rotor/six-piston Wilwood brakes, one of the recommended upgrades from RMS.

The Zajacs also turned to RMS for its Street-Lynx triangulated four-link rear suspension with coilovers and sway bar. A Moser 9-inch from RMS housing 3.23 gears accepts power from an American Powertrain-sourced Tremec TKX 5-speed manual with overdrive. Wilwood binders are also employed in this part of the car.

We can speak from experience that this Dart rides and handles like no factory A-body ever. Unlike a lot of coilover setups, this car soaks up the bumps nicely. It is firm, but not at all harsh.

As opposed to when the car left the assembly line in ‘69, curves in the road at higher-than-normal speeds are not full pucker moments. Just set the line, add some steering input and attack.

Helping in this department are Nitto tires and Weld Laguna Drag wheels with a gloss finish. With everything else on the car being satin black, the wheels truly stand out. Fat and sticky Nitto 555G2s (295/40ZR18 rear) and Nitto Motivos (205/50ZR17 front) keep the 18×10- and 17×7-inch rims from scraping on the pavement. Tire size was the reason for the two different tire designs.

Street Productions of Largo, Florida, performed the artistry on the interior. In keeping with the “Dart Vader” theme, it is black inside. Except for the brightwork on the steering wheel, customized console and Pistol Grip-handled shifter, there’s (to quote Spinal Tap) “none blacker.” The Procar buckets are covered in vinyl and the five-point quick release belts are similar to those used in army helicopters. S&W Race Cars supplied the roll cage kit with removable sidebars. A Dakota Digital VHX-1018 dash and Pioneer audio system lighten the otherwise dark mood.

“Most of the hardest work in getting our design to come together was done by Shawn and Frank of Street Production,” says Daniel. “Shawn and Frank deserve a lot of credit in bringing it all together.”

The bodywork and satin black paint were done in Brandon, Florida, by a shop that has since gone out of business. We dig how the hue exhibits a suede-like quality when the sun hits it.

“I owe a lot to my father, who kept the dream alive while I was serving the nation. Jerry Douglas of Jerry’s Custom Cars in Largo was a great help, as he let us do a lot of work in his shop and provided expert coaching for us,” Daniel says.

The only thing left to complete the 14-year build is for Papa Zajac to get the car to his son, who is living a mere 1,200 miles or so away. We’d recommend Daniel fly to his parents’ house, give Dad a very pleasant, “I told you so,” and enjoy a well-deserved ride back to New York.