71 Duster: Part 2

wes beem · Tuesday at 8:42 AM

Some of y'all may have seen my ongoing part one of the build post from 2 years back. After i got it generally and basically restored I had to take some time off due to My bank account disagreeing with my goals for the project.

It's still slower going than I'd like but here we go...

Step 1: I wasn't liking how cluttered and blacked out my engine bay was, its already bad enough that since the car is black so is my engine bay. The murdered out look under there wasn't doing me any favors.

I also wasn't a fan of the power brake setup id installed, the booster made the master cylinder stick clear out halfway down the engine bay covering up the valve cover and making it hard to get to spark plugs, valve cover bolts,
header bolts ext for mmaintenance purposes, plus i just thought it looked dumb and knowing im going to be doing cams in the future, now was a great time to ditch it and go back to manual brakes with a Doctordiff adjustable push rod and Master cylinder.

At the same time I did some common engine bay dress up stuff with a nice new chrome air cleaner and new chrome Direct Connection Valve covers.

Still more cleanup to do in this area, but i am much more content with it now, and I actually like the feel of my manual brakes better than I did the power ones.

I'd like to find some kind of better looking chrome or billet type batter hold down, I think the factory one with those tall screws looks kinda janky. I also want to get a chrome alternator to match the valve covers.

wes beem · Tuesday at 8:50 AM

Next up, a reoccurring theme for part 2 of this build. I wasn't liking the full blackout of everything on the exterior of the car either.

With the full blackout from 50 yards away my 71 Duster looked like a 2014 Challenger. Yuck.

So i stripped the powdercoat from all of my trim, and then polished it out to be nice and shiny.

I still need to add brand new chrome door handles so everything matches and looks new but we're off to a good start.

Next Up, i sold my blacked out wheels in favor of the same style of wheels in high polished Aluminum, NOW we we're getting somewhere.

I still need the chrome trim for my dual hood scoops and Chrome front/rear bumpers, but they're coming as soon as funds become available.

wes beem · Tuesday at 8:57 AM

Next up, I decided that the bench seat is an item that only guys who get the girls need for "Reasons" (huehuehue)

And since I'm not getting any...I want to make the swap to buckets. I Scored a Set of Charger bucket seats last night on Facebook marketplace from a really cool dude at a damn good price, and today I started tearing them apart to get ready for reupholstering. Again, with money being an issue as well as Legendary's (Legendary) Wait times. I'll be reupholstering them with a good used set of charger pattern covers from legendary that I got with the seats. It won't be "correct" but it will get me by until more money (and wait time) is available. The seat foams are in really good shape and don't need anything besides a good ozone soak to get rid of the old car smell.

As for the frames, i stripped em down, power washed the hell out of them, and ill be taking them to sandblast this week before I paint them and begin reupholster process.

hcallaway · Tuesday at 9:30 AM

Great strong start. I will enjoy watching the transformation.

Oldmanmopar · Tuesday at 11:01 AM

Cut the bolts on the battery hold down. They holder is usually rubber coated so it doesn't corrode. Chrome wont last long at all on the battery. I like the Murder Duster look. Better lines then a Nova.

wes beem · Saturday at 6:55 PM

Continuing the Bucket Seat Saga. I got the first seat back from sandblast and dropped off the second one, and got it all painted up, and the sliders greased up and functioning flawlessly.

I also took all the little fittings and hardware from the seats and cleaned the rust off of those and painted them up.

On the seat foam, i gave them a couple two hour sessions of Ozone baths followed by a total wash down with vinnegar to Kill the musty "old car smell" my last step is going to be to give them one last good Steam clean before i put them back on the frame and begin recovering them.