My first mopar 74 Plymouth duster

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tbr1806

tbr1806

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If you guys have seen my welcome wagon post here it is.

Well, I just picked up my first "project car". It's a 74' Duster with a slant 6 and a 3 speed manual transmission with the stick on the floor. I found it local to me and it was a California car up until about 2003-2004 when the 2nd owner had it brought over. It has been sitting in storage since.

I went to look at it Saturday and fell in love it has all the original parts and seems to be unmolested for the most part. I dropped a battery in it and even with (god knows how old) varnished gas it fired right up no problem. The best part is that is has almost NO rust, it does have some surface rust here and there but other than that this car is SOLID! It even still has the (faded) original rally red paint

View attachment IMG_20151115_182848534.jpg

I wanted to see what the original paint would do with alittle wax and some elbow grease.

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I wish I would have taken picture of the interior before tearing it out but everything but the rear seat was dirty, tearing or smelled like mildew and mice had been living in it atnone point or another.


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Rust free floor plans except for the passenger side due to a popped heater core
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Looking good! Nice start for a project, gotta love California cars. :glasses7: What are your plans for the car?

My '74 Duster started life as a /6 auto car, it's a 340/4 speed car now and is in the process of becoming a '71 Demon "tribute" car.
 
72bluNblu said:
Looking good! Nice start for a project, gotta love California cars. :glasses7: What are your plans for the car?

My '74 Duster started life as a /6 auto car, it's a 340/4 speed car now and is in the process of becoming a '71 Demon "tribute" car.
Click to expand...

I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head right now it's hard to focus on one thing! I
am going to keep the /6 and 3spd manual trans for now, it needs some work but is running. So short(er) term focus is on the interior, body (body work and getting it primed), cleaning up and painting the chassis to protect it from rusting. Living in New England one of my biggest fears is watching a 40+ year old (almost rust free) car rust before my eyes because I didn't take the proper steps to protect it.

Power disc brake conversion will be after that.

Someday down the road I'd like a 318 or even a 340 4spd but that's way down the road.

I'm not looking to make it a show car or a strip car. I'd like to have a nice clean cruiser that I can take out on the weekends.

This is the paint I'd like to get eventually.

lime_green_duster_by_drivenbychaos-d5foait.jpg
 
Wow slant 3 speed-super cool combo. I would not change it. The original red(e5) on that car is beautiful. A slant pink car just sold a Barrett Jackson fro 27,000. It was modified a little though. There valus are going up-
 
TF360 said:
Wow slant 3 speed-super cool combo. I would not change it. The original red(e5) on that car is beautiful. A slant pink car just sold a Barrett Jackson fro 27,000. It was modified a little though. There valus are going up-
Click to expand...

Yup, I was surprised when I saw a slant with a 3spd manual on the floor, it was ordered from the factory this way. If I decide to keep the /6 permanently I will at least put on a 4 barrel intake/carb, some headers and an exhaust. I do like the red but a bright green mopar has been my dream lol. I even got the original hub caps with the car! Nothing had been changed. Well...I think someone swapped the front bumper for an earlier one at some point.
 
That's a pretty cool old Duster!

My Dart left the factory with a 225, 3 speed on the floor, and an 8 1/4 rear end, so maybe I'm a bit biased lol. It's a very durable combination though. My grandpa bought my car new in '73 and it's clocked about 300k miles since then and the trans and rear end are still working just fine. Even if you decide to ditch the slant eventually, the rest of the drivetrain can stay. When I swapped from a slant to a 318 I just left the transmission and rear end alone and they held up just fine. I then swapped to a 340 and the trans and rear end still haven't exploded.

One of the great things about the combo you currently have is that it's easy to upgrade it a piece at a time. Want a V8? Swap the bellhousing and keep the transmission and rear end. Want a 4 speed? If you got a dual pattern 3 speed/4 speed bellhousing, a 4 speed (non OD) will bolt right up! A benefit of keeping the 3 speed and doing a V8 swap is that you'll buy parts that can be used with the 4 speed (bellhousing, clutch kit, flywheel etc. ) so when you decide that you finally want that extra gear, you just need a non OD four speed with the shifter and linkages, and a driveshaft yoke (some 4 speeds share a yoke with the A230 3 speed though.. :burnout: ). The driveshaft itself should be the same length, saving $$$. If you already have an 8 1/4 rear end, they can take a good amount of power!

No matter what route you decide to take, you've got a good starting platform. The A230 3 speed and 8 1/4 were standard behind a 340 in '73 so it's a bit overbuilt for a little slant six. Anyways, welcome to the forum! You've got a neat old car and I look forward to seeing where you go with the build!
 
I traded a 72 340 Duster, that I pounded a little to hard, for a special ordered 74 Duster 4 speed 318. Drove the car for 10 yrs. 99,000 miles. The car was a rot box when we sold it but still ran well. Only thing we did to was a new timing chain and gears.
Looks like you have an excellent car to work on. Hang on to the broadcast sheet. Good luck with your build. I've had alot of Mopars over the years and am always looking for 63 and 64 Darts, Shadows, and Sundances
 
DusterDaddy said:
Welcome and good luck with the project! Gotta share some love for the '74s My $.02 keep the E5. Just sayin..... View attachment 1714856628

You could actually get Rallye Red on a 74 Plymouth.....
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That's beautiful!! I was told the color was "rallye red" but judging by the broadcast codes I have found it appears to be an E5, unless FE5 indicates rallye red...

ETA: it appear after alittle research, FE5=Rallye Red
 
Nice ride and a cool find. Enjoy your new Mopar!

BlueDream said:
One of the great things about the combo you currently have is that it's easy to upgrade it a piece at a time. Want a V8? Swap the bellhousing and keep the transmission and rear end. Want a 4 speed? If you got a dual pattern 3 speed/4 speed bellhousing, a 4 speed (non OD) will bolt right up! A benefit of keeping the 3 speed and doing a V8 swap is that you'll buy parts that can be used with the 4 speed (bellhousing, clutch kit, flywheel etc. ) so when you decide that you finally want that extra gear, you just need a non OD four speed with the shifter and linkages, and a driveshaft yoke (some 4 speeds share a yoke with the A230 3 speed though.. :burnout: ). The driveshaft itself should be the same length, saving $$$. If you already have an 8 1/4 rear end, they can take a good amount of power!

No matter what route you decide to take, you've got a good starting platform. The A230 3 speed and 8 1/4 were standard behind a 340 in '73 so it's a bit overbuilt for a little slant six. Anyways, welcome to the forum! You've got a neat old car and I look forward to seeing where you go with the build!
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. There is a lot of potential with that drivetrain combo.
 
BlueDream said:
That's a pretty cool old Duster!

My Dart left the factory with a 225, 3 speed on the floor, and an 8 1/4 rear end, so maybe I'm a bit biased lol. It's a very durable combination though. My grandpa bought my car new in '73 and it's clocked about 300k miles since then and the trans and rear end are still working just fine. Even if you decide to ditch the slant eventually, the rest of the drivetrain can stay. When I swapped from a slant to a 318 I just left the transmission and rear end alone and they held up just fine. I then swapped to a 340 and the trans and rear end still haven't exploded.

One of the great things about the combo you currently have is that it's easy to upgrade it a piece at a time. Want a V8? Swap the bellhousing and keep the transmission and rear end. Want a 4 speed? If you got a dual pattern 3 speed/4 speed bellhousing, a 4 speed (non OD) will bolt right up! A benefit of keeping the 3 speed and doing a V8 swap is that you'll buy parts that can be used with the 4 speed (bellhousing, clutch kit, flywheel etc. ) so when you decide that you finally want that extra gear, you just need a non OD four speed with the shifter and linkages, and a driveshaft yoke (some 4 speeds share a yoke with the A230 3 speed though.. :burnout: ). The driveshaft itself should be the same length, saving $$$. If you already have an 8 1/4 rear end, they can take a good amount of power!

No matter what route you decide to take, you've got a good starting platform. The A230 3 speed and 8 1/4 were standard behind a 340 in '73 so it's a bit overbuilt for a little slant six. Anyways, welcome to the forum! You've got a neat old car and I look forward to seeing where you go with the build!
Click to expand...

Wow you just answered a lot of questions I had about the drivetrain! Thanks for all of this, it is some really good news and I'm very happy to hear this. I will be checking on the rear end to see if I actually have an 8 1/4.
 
This looks like it will be one fun build, good for you.
Can't wait to see some more upgrades.
 
If it has a small bolt pattern, it will be a 7 1/4, if it has a big bolt pattern,, it could have either. Does it have drum or disc brakes on the front?
tbr1806 said:
Wow you just answered a lot of questions I had about the drivetrain! Thanks for all of this, it is some really good news and I'm very happy to hear this. I will be checking on the rear end to see if I actually have an 8 1/4.
Click to expand...
 
Congrats on finding a great car to restore! I would suggest keeping it Red...a lot less work. That Rallye Red will look awesome when shiney and new! I am doing a 74' Duster and complete color change and can tell you it is a lot more work...but what the heck, restoring a car is a lot of work... so do as you want. Congrats again!

Alex
 
Not sure how to tell which bolt pattern is which. Do you have any pictures of the different ones? It has drums front and rear.

B-onefan said:
If it has a small bolt pattern, it will be a 7 1/4, if it has a big bolt pattern,, it could have either. Does it have drum or disc brakes on the front?
Click to expand...
 
Alex5280 said:
Congrats on finding a great car to restore! I would suggest keeping it Red...a lot less work. That Rallye Red will look awesome when shiney and new! I am doing a 74' Duster and complete color change and can tell you it is a lot more work...but what the heck, restoring a car is a lot of work... so do as you want. Congrats again!

Alex
Click to expand...

After I shined the red up a bit I thought about sticking with red. I told my wife about keeping the red and even she said "you have always wanted one that's lime green, I think you should go with the green". If I do the red I think I may regret it at one paint and I will only want to send it for paint once lol.
 
tbr1806 said:
Not sure how to tell which bolt pattern is which. Do you have any pictures of the different ones? It has drums front and rear.
Click to expand...

SBP is 5 x 4", LBP is 5 x 4.5". And you measure like this, from the front of one lug to the middle of the opposite (not adjacent) lug...

4inBP2_zpsdqmbtudr.jpg
 
Drums front and rear in 74 indicate small bolt pattern! I too would suggest staying with the original color, heck, as nice as the original paint shined up, I might keep that for a while and just slap some rims on it!! I know you like lime green, but that color has been done, overdone, and waaaay overdone on every body style the last 5 years or so!! Want to stand out from the crowd with something special, keep the red, want to blend in to the ho hum trend, go lime green!! Only color more overdone than lime green???? Plum Crazy!!!!

Welcome to FABO by the way, I love that car just the way it is!!!
 
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