1973 Duster 440

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73rbduster

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Jan 2, 2024
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Location
East TX
Hey guys, new to the forum. This seems to be a great resource. My latest project is a 1973 Duster that will be getting a 440 and 4 speed.

My father in law and I made a trip from East Texas to some random small town in Arkansas to pick up this old Duster that has been off the road since the mid 80’s. It’s pretty rough but the price was right and I had an open space in the garage.

Here is the car as we found it. It had the original slant 6 with a three speed column shift. This was definitely a poverty model as it had exactly 0 options as far as I can tell. Some one had partially disassembled the slant 6 years ago and the intake manifold was no where to be found. The passenger door was jammed and there was evidence of several species of inhabitants over the years, but none actively residing in the car. I have low standards, and the sun was setting quickly, so after a little negotiation, we loaded it up on the trailer.
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While we were in Arkansas we made the 1.5 hr trip to Hot Springs to pick up a 1973 motor home 440 I found on marketplace. The guy with the 440 was super cool and had a lot of cool projects.
We managed to shoehorn the 440 and 727 trans into the bed of the truck and headed home.
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This is the car in the cold light of day the next morning.


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I should really stop buying cars in the dark. This is the car after a trip to the last coin op car wash.
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Here is the slant 6 being pulled. I sold the slant 6 and trans to a local guy for cheap. I’m pretty confident it’ll never see the road again, but he seemed happy with it and it is out of my way now.
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I sent the 440 out to the machine shop and am currently working on repairing the rusted floor and trunk pans. Also working on converting the interior to black. I don’t have any pictures handy of my progress thus far but I will post some later.

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Welcome to the forum!
Nice project, and the body doesn't look all that bad- but then again, I live in Wisconsin...
And a word to the wise:
I don't think your father-in-law wants to hear you saying what low standards you have!
 
Professor Fate said:
Welcome to the forum!
Nice project, and the body doesn't look all that bad- but then again, I live in Wisconsin...
And a word to the wise:
I don't think your father-in-law wants to hear you saying what low standards you have!
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Lol excellent point. I guess I should rephrase that, my project car standards are low.
 
I took these pictures today. I have finished the rust repair for the most part. If I had it to do over again, I would have ordered a whole new floor instead just the footwells. I ended up with a lot of patch panels but learned a lot about sheet metal work. Mostly that I suck at it.
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I pulled the windshield to remove the dash. The windshield trim put up a fight but the windshield itself came out pretty easy. I painted the dash and a lot of the interior pieces. The sail panels and some of the other plastic trim were broken, so I’ve been working with a plastic welder to see if they can be salvaged. If not, I’ll have to find some used ones or get creative since it doesn’t look like they are being reproduced.
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I have a pile of parts to be installed but I’m waiting until I have the engine and trans placement done. I got a used a833 from a b body, not ideal but it’s a start. I’ll probably try to find an a body one but so far I haven’t had much luck, at least locally. I also picked up a ford explorer 8.8 with a 3.56 and limited slip, it’ll have to be cut down but that’s doable. If I can find an A-body 8 3/4 for reasonable, I may change course. Though, the bang for your buck is pretty high with an 8.8 is pretty good.
 
73rbduster said:
I have a pile of parts to be installed but I’m waiting until I have the engine and trans placement done. I got a used a833 from a b body, not ideal but it’s a start. I’ll probably try to find an a body one but so far I haven’t had much luck, at least locally. I also picked up a ford explorer 8.8 with a 3.56 and limited slip, it’ll have to be cut down but that’s doable. If I can find an A-body 8 3/4 for reasonable, I may change course. Though, the bang for your buck is pretty high with an 8.8 is pretty good.
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what's not to like with the exploder axle? lsd, 31 spline shafts and disc brakes all come stock.
 
I like dusters too, but why black butt burning seats, I would go with a lighter color, especially in TX.
 
sireland67 said:
I like dusters too, but why black butt burning seats, I would go with a lighter color, especially in TX.
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I plan to add A/C. It may not be as practical but black looks way cooler, plus it won’t show grease stains. If I was a pragmatist, I’d be driving a Prius or something equally lame. If it becomes too much of a problem I’ll throw a blanket over the seats.
 
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