I’m hoping to get the front wheel bearings replaced tmrw and go to a cruise-in tmrw night. Also, I should have some pics of a pretty big update here in a few weeks! 
Last edited:
My Duster Adventures
- Thread starter 75slant6
- Start date
-
Well, my Duster is registered to go to the Mopar Nationals but it’s nowhere near ready! So today I got a few things done.
It’s nearly been 15 months since I painted the drivers side door jamb and stripped the paint off the inside of the drivers door... today I FINALLY got the the door finish sanded down and sprayed primer on it. Hoping to sand the primer down and get the black painted tmrw and maybe get the passenger door done as well.
Here’s a shot of the original paint on the door frame. Not sure what color I’ll go with on the car (it changes every week) but that B5 sure was nice!
I also got both sail panels washed and sanded today and got one shot in primer. Need to buy more primer tomorrow and prime the other one, sand them down with 220 and paint them.
I also took the vinyl off the only front door panel I have, made sure it fit both doors and I’ll be using the fiberboard as a template to build 2 new door panels. The rear panels are in decent shape but I’ll probably just use them for templates and either sell them or stick em in storage. I’m hoping I’ll be able to execute the plan that I have in my head for the door panels, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Still have a lot to do in the next 2 weeks. Also need to get a transmission line leak and the ac fixed in my truck or I can’t pull the Duster to the Nats.
It’s nearly been 15 months since I painted the drivers side door jamb and stripped the paint off the inside of the drivers door... today I FINALLY got the the door finish sanded down and sprayed primer on it. Hoping to sand the primer down and get the black painted tmrw and maybe get the passenger door done as well.
Here’s a shot of the original paint on the door frame. Not sure what color I’ll go with on the car (it changes every week) but that B5 sure was nice!
I also got both sail panels washed and sanded today and got one shot in primer. Need to buy more primer tomorrow and prime the other one, sand them down with 220 and paint them.
I also took the vinyl off the only front door panel I have, made sure it fit both doors and I’ll be using the fiberboard as a template to build 2 new door panels. The rear panels are in decent shape but I’ll probably just use them for templates and either sell them or stick em in storage. I’m hoping I’ll be able to execute the plan that I have in my head for the door panels, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Still have a lot to do in the next 2 weeks. Also need to get a transmission line leak and the ac fixed in my truck or I can’t pull the Duster to the Nats.
Last edited:
Biggest items on the list to get done for the Nats are....
1. Swap out 3.23 gears for 2.76
2. Correct pinion angle
3. Change wheel bearings
4. Fix noise in rear brakes
5. Replace u joints and install longer driveshaft
6. Install QA1 UCAs
7. Get alignment
8. Maybe patch rear passenger floor pan and install subframe connectors.
9. Install insulation and vinyl floor from valiant parts car
10. Build door panels
11. Reinstall interior
12. Maybe dye front seat
13. Maybe tint windows
1. Swap out 3.23 gears for 2.76
2. Correct pinion angle
3. Change wheel bearings
4. Fix noise in rear brakes
5. Replace u joints and install longer driveshaft
6. Install QA1 UCAs
7. Get alignment
8. Maybe patch rear passenger floor pan and install subframe connectors.
9. Install insulation and vinyl floor from valiant parts car
10. Build door panels
11. Reinstall interior
12. Maybe dye front seat
13. Maybe tint windows
Dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Cool thread and Cool duster I'm following!
Yup! Better get my *** in gear huh?
zkx14
Duster De-ruster
Is that all?
Lol! Realistically I can do without all of those things except the wheel bearings, rear brake noise and I really need to change the pinion angleIs that all?
Pinion shims are cheap, figure out the degree you need and order them asap, so you will have them.
I’ll probably do it at the transmission since I got the tailshaft pointed down too much when I build my transmission crossmember.
Got a little more done on the Duster today. I got the sail panels and the drivers door painted. I’m gonna have to sand the one sail panel again and give it another coat of paint. Stupid bugs!
I also took have a sheet of Masonite into the house this evening and traced out the front door panels and drew my design onto one of them to see if I like it... I do! This would be the passenger front door panel, the stripe will carry on to the rear panels as well.
I also took have a sheet of Masonite into the house this evening and traced out the front door panels and drew my design onto one of them to see if I like it... I do! This would be the passenger front door panel, the stripe will carry on to the rear panels as well.
R4Sedan
Larry
Hey, Caleb. Your inbox is full.
Fixed it.
Well, looks like I’m gonna get next to none of this stuff done before the Nats.
I did catch a break the other day though. Went to take the wheel off to change the wheel bearing and discovered ONE lug nut was tight, one was fairly tight and 3 spin off by hand!!
So what I thought was a noisy wheel bearing was a flopping wheel!
Tightened the wheel properly and no more noise!
I did buy an angle finder yesterday so I’ll be fixing the driveshaft angle today or tomorrow.
I also need to pull the front seat, wash the floor then install the vinyl floor mat front and rear seats and seatbelts. That should help a LOT with floor heat and interior noise.
I did catch a break the other day though. Went to take the wheel off to change the wheel bearing and discovered ONE lug nut was tight, one was fairly tight and 3 spin off by hand!!
So what I thought was a noisy wheel bearing was a flopping wheel!Tightened the wheel properly and no more noise!
I did buy an angle finder yesterday so I’ll be fixing the driveshaft angle today or tomorrow.
I also need to pull the front seat, wash the floor then install the vinyl floor mat front and rear seats and seatbelts. That should help a LOT with floor heat and interior noise.
bkd
No more Scoops
75slant6, where did you get the vinyl floor mat from is it new or used? I had a 74 Duster that had one and would love to get one for my Dart....Love your car by the way.
Well, got a decent amount done today. Got the dash put back in my truck, hooked up the new heater core and new evaporator core. Put new u-joints in the driveshaft and reinstalled that (that fixed the vibration I had). Then I took the truck and had the ac charged but the high pressure line has a built in orfice tube and that’s plug so still no ac!!
I do have MUCH better air flow through the vents though!! Any guesses why?
Yes that is indeed what the old evaporator core looked like!!
Anyway, then I started on the car. Got the front seat pulled out, washed to floor, painted the passenger inner door and jam, installed a shifter boot around my gear shift, installed the vinyl floor and insulation, installed front and rear seats and front seat belts. The car is MUCH quieter to drive!! Lol.
I wish I’d had the time to get the QA1 UCAs installed and have an alignment done though, I could really use it.
I got the car all loaded up and strapped down, ready to FINALLY take it to the Nats! Third times the charm right? Anyway, I need to wrap this up and go to sleep. It’s 12:48am and 3am is gonna be here way too soon.....
I do have MUCH better air flow through the vents though!! Any guesses why? Yes that is indeed what the old evaporator core looked like!!
Anyway, then I started on the car. Got the front seat pulled out, washed to floor, painted the passenger inner door and jam, installed a shifter boot around my gear shift, installed the vinyl floor and insulation, installed front and rear seats and front seat belts. The car is MUCH quieter to drive!! Lol.
I wish I’d had the time to get the QA1 UCAs installed and have an alignment done though, I could really use it.
I got the car all loaded up and strapped down, ready to FINALLY take it to the Nats! Third times the charm right? Anyway, I need to wrap this up and go to sleep. It’s 12:48am and 3am is gonna be here way too soon.....
Pictures or it didn't happen
Well fine then!! LolPictures or it didn't happen
Here’s on the way up.
Here was at the Nats on Saturday.
And here was at the Nats on Sunday, loaded up and ready to head home.
Oh yea. And this happened. I’d posted this in the Live from the Nats thread last night so I’ll just copy and paste it.
We just got home about 1/2 hour ago. Had an incident free weekend! Until this morning anyway.... car was running fine when we got to the motel last night. Checked out this morning, hit the key and.... nothing. Knew the battery wasn’t dead but it wouldn’t turn over, click or anything. Jumped the starter solenoid and it cranked but wouldn’t fire. Then I noticed the ignition switch wire connector was smoking when the key was off. I then noticed there was no power to the gauges in the run position but there was in the start position. So I had Marge hold the key in the start position while I jumped the starter and it fired right up.
Oh, on top of all this all my tools were in my truck, at the Nats, 30 miles away.
Well, we headed out for the Nats, rotating my hands and knee between steering, shifting and holding the key in the start position. Lol. About half way there I jammed a screwdriver threw the key ring and under the dash.
We just got home about 1/2 hour ago. Had an incident free weekend! Until this morning anyway.... car was running fine when we got to the motel last night. Checked out this morning, hit the key and.... nothing. Knew the battery wasn’t dead but it wouldn’t turn over, click or anything. Jumped the starter solenoid and it cranked but wouldn’t fire. Then I noticed the ignition switch wire connector was smoking when the key was off. I then noticed there was no power to the gauges in the run position but there was in the start position. So I had Marge hold the key in the start position while I jumped the starter and it fired right up.
Oh, on top of all this all my tools were in my truck, at the Nats, 30 miles away.
Well, we headed out for the Nats, rotating my hands and knee between steering, shifting and holding the key in the start position. Lol. About half way there I jammed a screwdriver threw the key ring and under the dash.
Well, last Sunday I finally got the multimeter out and ohm’d my ignition connector and as expected, there was a dead short in the “OFF” position of the switch. So I then proceeded to take the entire column and and take it all apart.
Rest of the week was pretty hectic so I didn’t have a chance to get back to it till last evening.
So last evening, I pulled the ignition harness out of the Valiant parts car, scuffed and repainted the steering column and reassembled the column.
Our finally cruise-in (the biggest of the year) is tomorrow afternoon so I’m gonna do my best to get the column back in and get the car running today or tmrw morning.
Rest of the week was pretty hectic so I didn’t have a chance to get back to it till last evening.
So last evening, I pulled the ignition harness out of the Valiant parts car, scuffed and repainted the steering column and reassembled the column.
Our finally cruise-in (the biggest of the year) is tomorrow afternoon so I’m gonna do my best to get the column back in and get the car running today or tmrw morning.
Got the Duster running again!! I have no idea why I waited so long to get it fixed again! Forgot how much more enjoyable it is now that it has flooring in it!
skep419
5.9 Magnum 4 speed afficionado
Lol. Two jobs plus a couple side gigs have kept me far too busy to do much with the Duster other than drive it from time to time. I believe I have accumulated most of the parts I need to get the factory mpfi put back on the 5.9.
I’m debating about pulling the 5.9 and putting the original 318 back in it, then repaint the 5.9 and work on the efi stuff outside of the car.
Idk. Maybe I’ll be able to get some work done on it toward the end of summer once I’m back to one job.
Last edited:
I'm pretty sure he sold this car and bought a Honda and installed a Huge muffler and living in his moms basement
-
