zfriedbauer
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone! my names Zack and im starting a restoration on my 1974 Gold Duster. I got it for 500 bucks, a STEAL for its condition. Want to replicate a car i saw for sale and really like! To start, the engine is the best engine in the world, the slant 6! The engine was knocking and it turned out the #3 rod bearing was shot. i tore the engine down for my high school senior graduation project (i should post my presentation on here!) Anyhow ill post some Pics.
as you can see i gutted the interior. the stereo area was ground out by the previous owner so ill have to put in a new system. the bezel was removed also (no idea why!)
There is a pic of the back of the car. no damage here. the interior parts and engine parts that werent heavy, (bottles and hoses and etc.) were put in there where i wouldnt lose them. There is rust in the rear panels as pictured. not extremely bad but hard to fix. Patch panels? anyways the previous owner sprayed black spray paint on the rust! again no idea why! The rims pictured are the rims that came with the car. i REALLY want ralleye wheels but i cant afford those. Trade anyone
They are a discontinued Ultra wheel with no road time at all since they were put on. The steering wheel came with the car as well. i HATE this wheel. its getting replaced with the one in the valiant im parting out. Will probably sell or trade this as well. Im a huge fan of Rock and Roll (The cars theme song is ("The Stroke") and Swing era jazz. The speakers that will go back here will be the best i can afford or find. There will be kick panels in front, two speakers in the back window as pictured, and i would love a small sub in the trunk above the fuel tank or behind the back seat. One picture is a sample of my interior. its called Caravan tan and i found repro fabric and vinyl for these seats. they look good here but they are really easy to tear due to age. the front seat behind this one is shot. it will need all new foam and covering. on top of this seat is my headliner board which is intact. i will either reuse this or use it as a template to make another. My engine was torn down and was all stacked on the hood just how it is pictured, all cluttered n there. Been ahwile since i tore it down. waiting on some income to continue that... the engine is getting converted to a super six setup, thanks to some other guys on this forum. ( memike, slotto, sej22 ) id love to get it done for better performance but i doubt i can really afford that right now. i also want to get an old style valve cover, the one i have is pretty dented up. the previous owner twisted it too. so it leaks a bit. Slant gets bolted to a 3 speed manual! no Automatic in my shop! lol Super turbo muffler for good sound with no drone over 40! Picked that Bezel up at Bargain town in moses lake WA where i live! matches my other one. the paint is flaking out but im thinking that might look cool if flake off the rest and make it chrome. could paint it too. Decisions decisions... The fan in the pic below is the fan the duster came with but theres also a 5 bladed one in the trunk. anyone know which one is better? i figure around here where it gets up too 115 degrees a bigger fan would be good... Also picked up a shift knob that says Duster on it at bargain town. its not original to this car but im gonna adapt it. the original is a #3 pool ball. not kidding. Also below
is the original grille for the car. im actually considering selling it. i love stock, but the one from my valiant parts car looks better to me. It Looks alot sharper with the emblem and it doesnt look so cluttered. opinions on this anyone? Matching door panels that also need redone. they look good but they are really week and fragile to the touch.
The last pic is the original build sheet. theres a dillema on this. do i rebuild this car all stock? is it worth more? or do i build it how i want it and enjoy it a bit more? Anyways here is my project. feedback always welcome!
as you can see i gutted the interior. the stereo area was ground out by the previous owner so ill have to put in a new system. the bezel was removed also (no idea why!)
There is a pic of the back of the car. no damage here. the interior parts and engine parts that werent heavy, (bottles and hoses and etc.) were put in there where i wouldnt lose them. There is rust in the rear panels as pictured. not extremely bad but hard to fix. Patch panels? anyways the previous owner sprayed black spray paint on the rust! again no idea why! The rims pictured are the rims that came with the car. i REALLY want ralleye wheels but i cant afford those. Trade anyone
They are a discontinued Ultra wheel with no road time at all since they were put on. The steering wheel came with the car as well. i HATE this wheel. its getting replaced with the one in the valiant im parting out. Will probably sell or trade this as well. Im a huge fan of Rock and Roll (The cars theme song is ("The Stroke") and Swing era jazz. The speakers that will go back here will be the best i can afford or find. There will be kick panels in front, two speakers in the back window as pictured, and i would love a small sub in the trunk above the fuel tank or behind the back seat. One picture is a sample of my interior. its called Caravan tan and i found repro fabric and vinyl for these seats. they look good here but they are really easy to tear due to age. the front seat behind this one is shot. it will need all new foam and covering. on top of this seat is my headliner board which is intact. i will either reuse this or use it as a template to make another. My engine was torn down and was all stacked on the hood just how it is pictured, all cluttered n there. Been ahwile since i tore it down. waiting on some income to continue that... the engine is getting converted to a super six setup, thanks to some other guys on this forum. ( memike, slotto, sej22 ) id love to get it done for better performance but i doubt i can really afford that right now. i also want to get an old style valve cover, the one i have is pretty dented up. the previous owner twisted it too. so it leaks a bit. Slant gets bolted to a 3 speed manual! no Automatic in my shop! lol Super turbo muffler for good sound with no drone over 40! Picked that Bezel up at Bargain town in moses lake WA where i live! matches my other one. the paint is flaking out but im thinking that might look cool if flake off the rest and make it chrome. could paint it too. Decisions decisions... The fan in the pic below is the fan the duster came with but theres also a 5 bladed one in the trunk. anyone know which one is better? i figure around here where it gets up too 115 degrees a bigger fan would be good... Also picked up a shift knob that says Duster on it at bargain town. its not original to this car but im gonna adapt it. the original is a #3 pool ball. not kidding. Also belowis the original grille for the car. im actually considering selling it. i love stock, but the one from my valiant parts car looks better to me. It Looks alot sharper with the emblem and it doesnt look so cluttered. opinions on this anyone? Matching door panels that also need redone. they look good but they are really week and fragile to the touch.
The last pic is the original build sheet. theres a dillema on this. do i rebuild this car all stock? is it worth more? or do i build it how i want it and enjoy it a bit more? Anyways here is my project. feedback always welcome!
