Recent content by Ken71Twister

Did you have any tabs break off? Any spring loaded stuff inside that I should know about before opening it up?

I’ve cleaned the external contacts on the wiper switch from my 1971 Duster. I see three tabs that could be bent to open the switch housing up to allow me to clean internal contacts. Do I dare open this thing up? Replacement switches are pretty expensive - so I don’t want to open something up...

Thanks. The guy doing the work told me to press ahead with the 340 dual exhaust system and he would make the necessary adjustments to match it to my manifold.

My 71 Duster is being restored and I want to buy a full dual exhaust system that will match up to the OEM exhaust manifold. I’m currently looking at a stainless steel system at Waldron’s muffler. The OEM 318 was not available (according to employee at Waldron’s) with dual exhaust - so the...

Thanks to everyone for your inputs and suggestions. I’ve made the decision to stay with the 3-speed setup that has served me well for almost 54 years and 200K miles. I’m having everything restored to the way I bought the car - so the cost and complexity of the 5 speed transmission no longer...

It is a floor shift.

My ‘71 Duster is currently being restored by a semi-local restoration shop with a solid reputation. I just took my 318 engine to a shop in Mobile AL for a rebuild and I’m now looking at my 3-speed manual transmission. The restoration shop owner says that he’s not finding anyone enthusiastic...

I wish I did but I really don’t have what would be needed (skills, equipment, or space) to strip the car down and have major body parts replaced like the firewall. I also don’t feel qualified to rebuild an engine and install AC and power steering. I’ve pulled heads and have done the general...

Hi Steve - Good to hear from you. I’ve decided to stay with the car for the long run - my Son has expressed interest in having it eventually. I wimped out and took the car to a restoration shop that has a great reputation for beautiful cars and slow turnaround. I’m waiting to get contact info...

The 400+ hp would have been fun when I was 19 - but I might have killed myself with that much power under the hood. :). Back then - the main reason why I went with the 318 3-speed instead of a 340 4-speed was because of insurance cost. The purchase price was not that much more - less than...

The engine runs great but it drips oil like crazy. It was rebuilt in about 1990 - approximately 70K miles ago. It has to come out for the restoration work and it only makes sense to me to spend the money necessary to get it fixed professionally while I’m already paying the labor to have it...

Hmmm. I’ve heard of such a person in Pensacola FL. I’ll have to look to see if I can find his contact info. He doesn’t pull engines - but I now have the opportunity to have it pulled as part of the upcoming restoration work.

Next question is which company out there has a good reputation for remanufacturing an engine. I just called a company called Jasper and got a quote - but then I looked at their ratings and they didn’t get good ratings from the Better Business Bureau.

Not getting good vibes vs local engine rebuilders. What might it cost to ship my existing block to a reputable company that could return it as a remanufactured engine?

My 71 Duster goes to the shop tomorrow for a fairly extensive restoration. I’ve had this car since new and I know that all major components are still matching numbers. My question is - does it really matter if I keep matching numbers or should I pursue the best solution for the engine...