ValerianMagnum
the little car that could
Hi guys just bought a solid 71 duster slant 6 car...how much money will it take to duplicate that receipe sincerely ??? Project for my mechanic school , me and friends
Roadkill Crop Duster 440
- Thread starter ValerianMagnum
- Start date
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Which version? The straight out of the motorhome 440 version, or the 383 rebuilt with aluminum heads etc?
Thing is, you need a new radiator, 8 3/4 rear end, new engine, engine mounts, headers, new transmission, rebuild the suspension, brakes, etc, etc. They used a bunch of "leftover" parts they'd spent thousands on. Truly, to have it all done up with a big block and a drivetrain that will last and suspension and brakes that won't kill you, you'll have close to $10k into it.
ValerianMagnum
the little car that could
For the 440 version !!! I dont mind spending 10 k or less..but i want it to fit right in!!
Yeah just the headers and engine mounts to do that will set you back a grand. Schumacher makes the parts to go /6 to 440 and the tri-Y headers to go with, but yeah, the coated headers are $800.
I started my build with a /6 car too. I've done some bodywork, but mostly all my money is in the drivetrain and suspension. And even before the T56 I'm more than $10k into it, and I went small block. Granted I probably spent more on suspension stuff than they did, or you have to, but it really adds up quick.
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
Easily done for under 10k. Finishing up something similar and essentially only started with a RB Block.
JW
Make sure the car is structurally sound! Spending a whole bunch of money on drivetrain etc for a car with a rusted out frame is bad! If your car is good structurally, you can get it running and driving road kill style reasonably enough. Just remember that most of us don't have a buddy willing to give us an A-body 8 3/4 for our project free! And if you do, that's a great buddy to have. Go for it and let us know how it works out for you!
Cley
Cley
67autocross
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
In Canada 20 grand...
Not like they did it. That’s the problem. They didn’t just toss a bunch of parts together. Their 8 3/4 has strange axles and disk brakes and SS springs. Even the motor home 440 they used the first time had a bunch of money in it, they didn’t just yank it out of a motor home and install it-even if that’s the impression they gave.
The final product, the one that’s in the 11’s, would take at least 10 grand if you did it on the cheap. Super cheap. They’re just not telling you what that car actually cost to build, because someone else bought all the parts for them.
And the real kicker is, when they tie that cars rusty chassis in a knot with that 500 hp 383, they’ll just yank the parts out, use them in another build, and leave that Duster on the back lot. Normal people would be starting a thread on “what to do when you crack your windshield with body flex”, and that’s gonna cost money.
Exactly.
Fully rebuilt, 500 hp 383 with edelbrock heads -$0. Good luck with that. Oh, a-body 8 3/4 with a decent ratio center, disk brakes, SS springs, and strange axles- $0. Uh-huh. Full front disk brake suspension-$0. Set of cragars with new tires, $0.
There’s like at least seven grand in parts right there on the conservative side. You’d have to be so tight that you’d squeak when you walked at that price. If you bought it all at market it would be more.
67autocross
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
In Roadkill magazine David said that if you stated with nothing he figured that it would be a 20 grand build to replicate the crop duster.
I just did the same type of build with the 72 Scamp I took to Drag Week...it cost me 10 grand Canadian and I had more free parts on my car than they have on the crop duster.
I just did the same type of build with the 72 Scamp I took to Drag Week...it cost me 10 grand Canadian and I had more free parts on my car than they have on the crop duster.
doogievlg
Well-Known Member
This is the answer you need.
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
I did not know they had done some upgrades. The episode if I remember correctly showed the car running high 12.30's. That is the basis for what I am trying to replicate and would go about it somewhat different though keeping the RB theme which is fine. Not the actual components they have put on it. Those Cragars alone will eat away at some bennies....
For their ET they didn't need put TTI's on it. Schumachers would have been a good fit without all the drama but hey it is part of their allure. Give me a plain jane Duster like that and in one year you will get that time slip and a little more. But to duplicate that car in it's current state for under 10k it won't happen unless you have a nice stockpile of parts in the waiting which doesn't goes against the total cost of the build.
JW
SLOPAR72
Well-Known Member
Where are they getting the 20k from? I did not read the article but would be curious as to where the money was spent....
JW
67autocross
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
The words of the man who built the car...
Link to the article that talks about all the iterations of the car. It's pretty easy to figure out where the money would have to go. Roadkill's Budget Duster Goes 11s! But Is It Too Cheap?
That's the problem with the Roadkill Duster. If you just watch a few episodes you'd think you could just toss some random junk parts together and have it all work great. Except, most of the parts weren't junk, and it still didn't work great. Not for very long anyway. They ended up breaking, replacing, and upgrading all kinds of stuff later that would cost money. Well, all of it would cost normal people money. And most of the stuff they had to go back and fix is stuff that everyone would have to address if you actually drove the car any amount. Like the fuel system. They ended up needing a new tank, new 3/8" lines, new pump, pressure regulator, etc because that had fuel issues the whole time that they didn't talk about until the end.
Their rear axle set up alone could cost close to a couple grand if somehow magically an A-body 8 3/4 with strange axles, 4.10 gears and disk brakes didn't just land in your lap. Find a suregrip 4:10 chunk of any kind for less than $500, in ANY condition. A-body 8 3/4's are getting $1k or more by themselves. There are more cost effective ways to do that if you can weld (8.8 out of an explorer, for example), but that's not what they did.
It's cool that they built a car that wasn't some perfect show queen and pounded on it. But if you start looking too closely at what they did, they didn't do it on the cheap, they just left the outside ugly. Some of the stuff they would have spent a ton of money on isn't necessary to have fun (500 hp 383!), and some of the stuff they skipped wouldn't have cost that much but will kill the car (or the driver) down the road (subframe connectors, chassis improvements, etc). Doesn't have to be pretty, but some of the stuff they skipped makes the longevity and safety of the car a big question mark.
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