Converting over, need some advice

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j66chevell

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I need some advice.

Backstory(skip if not interested)

I have been a Chevy owner for most of my life. I didn't specifically choose the brand, but it is based on family history and what was available. I owned 2 different 66 chevelles (hence the screen name, but after 15+ years using that online I am not going to change it, sorry). My first chevelle was given to me in high school by my Dad. It was in good shape, aside from some nasty flared rear fenders (weren't the 70s styles so cool) with a 350 engine and it did well getting me and my buds to school as well as cruising on weekends.

Right out of high school I came across another 66, that was a 2 door post, with a 396. My first car was returned to my dad and I bought this. I had lots of fun in this car after I built it up until one day my group of buds all decided to start doing off-roading and ATVing (combined with a local crackdown on cruising) which meant selling the car off.

Where I need advice:

So now I want to get another hot rod.

I am really digging the Duster/Demon look with a black hood and 6 pack scoop with a nice mopar orange color (sorry not familiar with an official name). I am also thinking of some sort of Torque Thrust D or Mustang GT type wheel with a black center on chrome/aluminum wheel.

Similar to this but orange:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=2626

I am kinda pressed for time as I need a new daily driver for me and a drivable fixer upper for my almost 16 son and I will selling off or bartering some quads and a k1500 for the extras.

I have 3 choices in my area right now:

A 71 Demon, green color. This has had significant engine work and common alterations that I planned on doing, already done. It has a 360 magnum engine with RHS heads (headers, carb, intake, etc), a wilwood disc brake setup (workable, but not my primary choice), 8 3/4 rear and upgrade to standard bolt pattern. Issues are the interior is passable, and it appears to have a rust problem. I am not versed in the issues of these cars, but the trunk is pretty bad, as in gone, and he has put in a temporary sheet to close it up. I assume the front floors will be the same? It also has the drivers door striker rusted out, which leaves me to believe that there will be bad spots inside the doors and behind windows that will be hard to repair. Maybe the experts can say if this is a sure sign of hidden cancer or a common small issue. 6K is the asking price.

A 71 Duster, yellow in color, decent black interior, 318 engine, some common upgrades (headers, intake, carb) and some minor rust spots in the trunk, nothing appears to be through and through (assuming floorboards as well). $5500

Last a 72 Duster, orange in color (yucky metallic though), with very nice seats (orange on white) and decent black interior. 318 engine, but unknown on the rest of the car as I havent gotten additional pics. 7k on this one.

I can post some pics, but I dont want to chance offending anyone incase these are thier cars, or possibly cause other problems, so I will see how feedback goes before posting any.

Thanks for the help!
 
If you're like me and hate body and interior work I'd go after the 71 Duster. Find out what tranny is in it 727 or 904 (probably 904) and what rear end is in it 7 1/4", 8 1/4" or 8 3/4" (8 3/4 being the best), I'll attach a link to a quick and dirty picture page to determine rear end. http://www.moparts.org/Tech/Archive/axle/6.html

The 318's a great engine with plenty of performance upgrades available to turn it into a real burner.

Oh yea Welcome to the world of A Bodies and congradulations on coming to the light.:toothy10::toothy10::toothy10:
 
Welcome j66.You might try looking in your local craigs list and auto trader.It is a buyers market right now so there is some good deals out there.There probably is some good cars for sale on this site.Or also check your local mopar clubs web site for cars for sale.You will tend to get a better car and deal from another mopar guy.Being in a hurry to buy a car can backfire some times! Good luck
 
shouldnt be an issue posting pic's of the cars and askin for advice. Go right ahead and Welcome to F.a.b.o. :cheers:
 
I'm like Terry, not a body man, so I'd pass on the first one. Most likely it'd need a full body restore by the description. Crawl under, or better yet put it up on a rack and check out the underneath real good. Like any other 35+ year old car it could look decent from the outside but the frame rails and/or torsion bars mount could be total rust. Never take a person's word on it unless you know them like a brother. Problem is a lot of guys don't see the obvious. I don't know how many times I looked at cars that were advertised as near rust free only to find the whole underneath was rotted to nothing.

BTW: I have owned 4 Chevelle's myself. My first car was a 65 Chevelle. All the others were 70's. Not by choice. Just seemed to only find good 70's for a decent price. A buddy of mine has a sweet 68 Chevelle. Welcome to the board.
 
Looking for a Mopar is no different than looking at any other old car. Crawl underneath. Chevies have frames. Mopars have frame rails. Rust is bad in either. If something doesnt seem right, it probably isnt, so check it out further. As far as everything else, well, interiors are interiors, engines are engines, and body work is body work. Use the same criteria that you would use if you were buying another Chevelle. Gut instinct is your best tool. You can get a pretty good feel for a car just by looking it over.

One thing to keep in mind, is that you are stepping into a rarer breed of vehicle. I think I read somewhere that they made more of just Chevelles, then there were all models of Mopars made combined. This has good and bad points. You will definitely stand out at cruise-ins and car shows, but you will be paying more for parts, and not everything will be available in the repop market. Many Chevy motor parts freely interchange. Practically all small block parts interchange, and practically all big block parts interchange. Not so much on Mopars. Each engine was developed individually from scratch, hence the better performance. If they could use an existing part, they did, but they didnt compromise the motor to do it. As a result, you cant just go out and buy any small block part for your 318, or any big block part for your 440.

I own several Chevies (Including a big block 66 Chevelle convertible) as well as Mopars, and the Mopars are definitely my favorites. Welcome to FABO, and to Mopars.
 
Welcome to Mopars and FABO! Glad to have another convert from the 'Dark Side'. You're going to have fun here.
If you're up to the possible body work, the '71 Demon would be a good choice because Demons were only built in 1970 and 1971 - it became the Dart Sport after that.
But the amount of bodywork necessary will be the deciding factor in that purchase.
Contrary to what was stated earlier, I believe there is a great deal of interchange between Mopar engine families - both smallblock and bigblock. I happen to like the smallblocks better in A-bodies as I believe they give a much better balanced package.
Good luck on whatever you choose and show us lots of pics of your purchase and your build progress.
 
It gives me an sql error, which happens eveytime I make a post, but then it also says it needs moderator approval, which is weird because I posted a link in my first post and I can make posts otherwise.

There is like 3 or 4 posts I made, if a moderator can see them, maybe they can add one of them?

Edit:

71 Demon:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1650802845.html

71 Duster:

http://modesto.craigslist.org/cto/1610051112.html
This one is on ebay also, with 1 bid (not at reserve yet) which is my concern over time.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971...ewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item255973d096

72 Duster:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/1650852714.html

P.S. Apologies to the mods if I cause headaches.
 
I think I have created a mess for the mods.

Apologies.

I have made 3-4 posts with basically the same info and I get a sql error (which happens whenever I post) and then if I add a link or pictures, it says my post has to wait for approval, which is weird, since I posted a link in my first post.

If there are 4 or 5 of my posts for this thread, any one should do if a mod can see it and it didn't disappear.

An email has been sent to 69bronzeT5, thanks for the help.

I will be looking at the 71 Duster in person hopefully today or tomorrow, it is the one that I am concerned with time, because it looks like a good bet, but it is on Ebay with at least 1 bid (not at reserve yet) with less than 2 days left.
 
That '71 Demon is very firmiliar to me. A member of here (if I'm correct) who goes by 'sharpie' owns it.


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Thanks for the posts.

Hopefully it doesn't cause issues, didn't want to offend other members, which was my concern with posting pics.

After your posts, I looked at Sharpie's posts and like I said, I dig alot on the car. The interior work isn't a problem for me, neither is brake, engine, drivetrain, etc. Body work is my biggest concern. I am intending to spend a couple k more to get the car closer to what I want. If the rust already seen is the full extent of the damage, I should be able to get it done in that price range, if it's deeper, then I'll run into trouble.

It's a tough call, for me, which Is why I was hoping some of the experts could lend some advice on what the deterioration extent could be.
 
I thought this one was off the market, but it is back on CL after a week off, 9k, Clone car, a bit over my budget, decisions decisions.

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Go with the 72 Duster. You can drive it as is, and you'll have a heck of a lot more money in the other cars getting them to that point.
 
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