My "new" '74 Duster- or why I need a project like a hole in the head

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goldduster318 said:
Yeah, I think that part is kinda open, as is the wiring design, as mine is custom and on the bottom.

The big wheel haters are welcome to buy my 15's. Like you, I want to go 18's because you can fit very wide tires and 17's don't clear the tie rod end enough to go 275's.

I'm looking to do 275-35-18 all the way around. Was looking at some anthricite center torque thrust looking wheels that were on Discount Tire and Summit. 18x9 +35. I also have the B-body 8.75 ('68) and the offset shackles. I don't mind a less than 1/4" spacer either so it will probably end up similar to yours in that regard. My friend (MrAndrewLitt) bought a 71 Demon that will probably eventually get a very similar treatment as well. I haven't busted out the wheelrite yet for those exact wheels in my case.
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18x9's with a 35mm offset and 275/35/18's would be just about perfect. The back will fit fine with no other modifications. In the front you'll need a spacer. Those are the exact same specs that I'm running in the front, but I have Dr. Diff's 13" brake kit, which adds ~5mm, and I have a 3mm spacer. Probably need a 5mm spacer instead too. So, my effective backspace on the front is currently 27mm for a 73+ disk set up, and it should probably be 25mm.

Something to consider- 275's will perform better on a 10" rim. I was initially trying to stay with stock UCA's, which is why I went 18x9's. Knowing now that the stock UCA's didn't clear the rims at full lock and full droop, I would just have gone to tubular UCA's like I have now, and a 10" rim.

Also- you'll probably need to have the centerbore of most rims opened up to fit over the stock brake hub, or even Dr. Diff's 13" kits. I had to have my Enkei's opened up. They started out at the 73.1mm they advertise, which is fine, but they taper down for a smaller wheel cap. So, I had them opened up to 73mm all the way through and made my own center cap for the front. I just cut down the end off of a generic metal pull through cap and JB welded a plastic center cap that also fit the original size centerbore onto it so it would kind of match the rears.

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72bluNblu said:
18x9's with a 35mm offset and 275/35/18's would be just about perfect. The back will fit fine with no other modifications. In the front you'll need a spacer. Those are the exact same specs that I'm running in the front, but I have Dr. Diff's 13" brake kit, which adds ~5mm, and I have a 3mm spacer. Probably need a 5mm spacer instead too. So, my effective backspace on the front is currently 27mm for a 73+ disk set up, and it should probably be 25mm.

Something to consider- 275's will perform better on a 10" rim. I was initially trying to stay with stock UCA's, which is why I went 18x9's. Knowing now that the stock UCA's didn't clear the rims at full lock and full droop, I would just have gone to tubular UCA's like I have now, and a 10" rim.

Also- you'll probably need to have the centerbore of most rims opened up to fit over the stock brake hub, or even Dr. Diff's 13" kits. I had to have my Enkei's opened up. They started out at the 73.1mm they advertise, which is fine, but they taper down for a smaller wheel cap. So, I had them opened up to 73mm all the way through and made my own center cap for the front. I just cut down the end off of a generic metal pull through cap and JB welded a plastic center cap that also fit the original size centerbore onto it so it would kind of match the rears.
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I was able to find the wheels again:
MBW-23187_xl.jpg

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mbw-61324/overview/

I saw that someone on Moparts had basically bolted this wheel style right on to a '68 Satellite Wagon, and I've seen them on some other brand-x muscle cars so I think they may actually have a hub center that is the right size. If not, at least they have a bolt-on center cap so opening the inside may not effect anything at all. My car has the 11.75 stock rotors at this point - so based on what you said, it sounds like I may need somewhere around a 10mm spacer in the front. I have the Hotchkis UCAs on the car now.

I know it will probably perform better on a 10" wheel, but at the same time I'm not quite sure I can find wheels that look classic enough in that size and not pay a ton for them. If I actually get into doing SCCA CAM-T autocross I may get another set with some direzzas or something.
 
goldduster318 said:
I was able to find the wheels again:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mbw-61324/overview/

I saw that someone on Moparts had basically bolted this wheel style right on to a '68 Satellite Wagon, and I've seen them on some other brand-x muscle cars so I think they may actually have a hub center that is the right size. If not, at least they have a bolt-on center cap so opening the inside may not effect anything at all. My car has the 11.75 stock rotors at this point - so based on what you said, it sounds like I may need somewhere around a 10mm spacer in the front. I have the Hotchkis UCAs on the car now.

I know it will probably perform better on a 10" wheel, but at the same time I'm not quite sure I can find wheels that look classic enough in that size and not pay a ton for them. If I actually get into doing SCCA CAM-T autocross I may get another set with some direzzas or something.
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Actually those should fit without any hub bore drama. The center bore on those is pretty big and the wheel is thicker than the hub is tall, it will clear just fine. The rims on my Challenger are similar, and same deal, the centerbore cleared the 11.75" rotors fine. The spindle nut should even fit inside the wheel cap. On the lightweight wheels like my RPF1's the wheel is very thin at the hub, so the hub passes completely through and out of the face of the rim, so the wheel cap has to capture part of the hub in addition to the spindle nut.

Yes, if you want to stick with the 11.75" rotors you'll need about 8-10mm of spacer for those, depending on your car and lower ball joint steering stops. The steering stops on my lower ball joints is almost non-existent, so that's part of my rubbing on the frame at full lock.

There are 10" wide wheels out there, the American Racing TT M's come in 18x10 and 5x4.5". In fact, you can get them in both 24mm and 45mm offsets. They're a little more than the MB's but not outrageous. The 24mm offset should fit the front about perfect, the 45mm offset might actually work with 275/35/18's, they'd still leave a smidge more room on the inside than my 295's. Maybe a few mm spacer for leaf clearance. The only thing is that you'd be pretty well stuck with the brakes in the front, most of the aftermarket brakes move the track with out a little, and you'd be pretty much maxed out at a 24mm offset. But if the plan is to stay with the 11.75's they'd be fine.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/are-105m8165a/overview/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/are-105m8166a/overview/
 
I just saved a copy of that powerpoint! :prayer:

Anyways, my wheels are coming in on Friday. They're 18x9's with +32mm and +22mm offsets. I've already got +5mm spacers and I think I'll be using them all the way around. I think it will be a nice balance with 255/40/18's.
 
efriedrich said:
great thread, what color are you thinking for paint
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Eventually it's going to be black. The front clip already is, just working my way back. :D I've got a set of '71 doors that will get painted next, then the rest of the shell, engine compartment and trunk.

If I were smart I would have painted the engine bay, trunk and bare interior before I put it all together, but I wasn't sure what I was doing yet and I wanted it to run. I probably drive it as much, or maybe even more, than my Challenger at this point.

One of these days I'll finish the cut and buff on the front clip and take some decent pictures.
 
72bluNblu said:
Actually those should fit without any hub bore drama. The center bore on those is pretty big and the wheel is thicker than the hub is tall, it will clear just fine. The rims on my Challenger are similar, and same deal, the centerbore cleared the 11.75" rotors fine. The spindle nut should even fit inside the wheel cap. On the lightweight wheels like my RPF1's the wheel is very thin at the hub, so the hub passes completely through and out of the face of the rim, so the wheel cap has to capture part of the hub in addition to the spindle nut.

Yes, if you want to stick with the 11.75" rotors you'll need about 8-10mm of spacer for those, depending on your car and lower ball joint steering stops. The steering stops on my lower ball joints is almost non-existent, so that's part of my rubbing on the frame at full lock.

There are 10" wide wheels out there, the American Racing TT M's come in 18x10 and 5x4.5". In fact, you can get them in both 24mm and 45mm offsets. They're a little more than the MB's but not outrageous. The 24mm offset should fit the front about perfect, the 45mm offset might actually work with 275/35/18's, they'd still leave a smidge more room on the inside than my 295's. Maybe a few mm spacer for leaf clearance. The only thing is that you'd be pretty well stuck with the brakes in the front, most of the aftermarket brakes move the track with out a little, and you'd be pretty much maxed out at a 24mm offset. But if the plan is to stay with the 11.75's they'd be fine.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/are-105m8165a/overview/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/are-105m8166a/overview/
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I made some improvements to my 11.75 for next year (dumped the phenolic calipers which clearly had sticky-ish pistons), but I may still change later to a setup like yours. I actually like the MB's a lot more than the AR TT's. They are similar but still different enough to matter. Will probably stick with them.

Anyway, will quit hijacking your thread! :violent1:
 
goldduster318 said:
I made some improvements to my 11.75 for next year (dumped the phenolic calipers which clearly had sticky-ish pistons), but I may still change later to a setup like yours. I actually like the MB's a lot more than the AR TT's. They are similar but still different enough to matter. Will probably stick with them.

Anyway, will quit hijacking your thread! :violent1:
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I hear you on the MB's, I like that design better myself. And although you'll need a spacer to start off with if you ever change the brakes you'll have room. You may not need to change them though, I really do like the 11.75's I have on my Challenger, and I still have the stock 1972 calipers on mine. I just wanted more on the Duster, even though it probably wasn't really necessary.

And no worries! :thumbup: Not like I've been posting much progress on my car here anyway. ;)
 
Any way you can PM me more in depth on how you crafted your ralley dash? I too have a 74 duster in hopes of making a dash just like yours
 
Adam89 said:
Any way you can PM me more in depth on how you crafted your ralley dash? I too have a 74 duster in hopes of making a dash just like yours
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Pretty much everything I did is covered in the first two pages of the this thread. I made a template from a real rallye dash frame, used it to make my initial cuts to the dash with a set of tin snips making sure to leave some extra, and then just did a TON of fitting and trimming. It took forever. And you need to be able to weld or somehow attach the mounting tabs for the new dash, because obviously after you cut everything to fit the rally dash there won't be any mounting tabs.

Restoring the bezel is just patience. Lots of sanding with 220 grit or finer to remove all the imperfections, then cleaning up with alcohol and painting. I used Plast-Aid to do the plastic repairs, it worked pretty well and you can get it on eBay or at pool/spa supply stores. I really didn't do anything to the gauges, just cleaned them up. I did buy several rallye dash's though, so I picked the best set of gauges out of the few that I had.

As I mentioned already at the end of my little how-to, I wouldn't cut another standard dash frame up to fit a rallye dash. The rallye dash frames are easy enough to find, and not really all that expensive. If for some reason I HAD to do it again, I would remove the dash frame completely from the car. Working around everything under the dash is just a pain.
 
Alright, a little boring update. Still working on finishing the paint on the front end, there's still a few little sags in the paint I'm color-sanding and buffing out. But for the most part it looks decent, I just pick a spot and sand and buff when I get the time.

I also installed my Hotchkis hood pins (Xmas gift :D) and the Camaro front spoiler. It's an OER $30 piece that I sprayed out with plasti-dip. Not half bad looking for the price!

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thanks for the offer on the hood....wish I was within a few hundred miles, I would own it.

gonna put a SS emblem on it? sorry, couldn't resist.
 
HemiDenny said:
gonna put a SS emblem on it? sorry, couldn't resist.
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Nope! ;)

I've got a nice set of "340 four barrel" emblems for the scoops when I stop fiddling with the paint, and a nice set of the metal '72 Demon emblems for the fenders though. :thumbup:
 
looks good......really look good all one color.

nice job!
 
I love those wheels, but they didn't do much for me on your car with the tan paint. Now that I can envision it in all black, I think its going to look killer.
 
i love your build! i hope you dont mind me picking your brain on some things and stealing some ideas like your back seat :)
 
MeucciGarage said:
i love your build! i hope you dont mind me picking your brain on some things and stealing some ideas like your back seat :)
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Thanks!

Go ahead and steal away, plenty of what I've done is borrowed from other builds as well. ;)
 
I'm still following your progress... from afar. My project has been stalled due to a series of unrelated (to the car) events that seem to have no end. At least a lack of "car money" is not the issue anymore!!!
 
rapom65 said:
I'm still following your progress... from afar. My project has been stalled due to a series of unrelated (to the car) events that seem to have no end. At least a lack of "car money" is not the issue anymore!!!
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Sorry to hear you're stalled out, at least the money thing is a good deal.

I should have a couple more updates here pretty quick, I'm going to install a set of leaf spring sliders to lower the rear another half inch or so, with a drop in the front that should be between a 1/4" and 1/2" as well. And maybe one of these days I'll finish buffing the paint on the front clip and install my Demon emblems.
 
Eh, sometimes life just likes to buck you off it's back. I'll be back on the car soon, provided I don't break my neck when I hit the ground!

PS. You really need to paint the rest of that car black!
 
been following like a tv series ..very nice work cars looking great...have a 73 duster now myself will be doing the dash when weather cooperates ..and think I'll steal your front spoiler idea :D ..keep them coming
 
I picked up a '74 Duster last month. The one thing it didn't have that I really wanted was the fold down seat. So I found a complete set-up. I'm using your thread as a how to. It's very inspiring.
 
44070dart said:
been following like a tv series ..very nice work cars looking great...have a 73 duster now myself will be doing the dash when weather cooperates ..and think I'll steal your front spoiler idea :D ..keep them coming
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R4Sedan said:
I picked up a '74 Duster last month. The one thing it didn't have that I really wanted was the fold down seat. So I found a complete set-up. I'm using your thread as a how to. It's very inspiring.
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Congrats on the new Dusters! Glad my build can be of some help. Neither of those things were really my ideas though. Peter, GMachineDartGT, was running a Camaro spoiler on his Dart long before I added mine, among a few others. The fold down seat conversion has been done before too, there are a few members on here that said they've done them before when I initially posted asking questions about the possibility of a conversion. I just documented the heck out of mine. ;)

Hopefully I'll have a couple updates here in the next couple weeks, a few minor upgrades but they'll be posted up as soon as I can get them done. Too many projects!
 
The snow has been melting away outside pretty quickly since the last few days have been above freezing (finally). I uncovered my '71 and started it up for a while thinking I might start working on it soon. THEN I see this thread and all the coolness inside. I started feeling inspired and then look outside. It's snowing again. Ugh.

Good stuff, dude. Looking forward to the final product. Lots of good tips and references in here.
 
Thanks to the write ups you and goldduster318 have made I'm making the move to a Cougar twin fan set up. Found one on Ebay with the wiring pig tails (try finding the harness now days) and ordered up a controller. Need some info on the Tuff Stuff 100 Amp alternator your running. I have a lead on a new black mopar unit that the owner doesn't know any thing about. Any way to ident the 100 Amp unit over a stock 60?

PS. Is your March pulley set up six grove?
 
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