Should I call it quits?

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1duster

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Ontario
Picked up a 1970 duster this year. Not in the best shape
The body is rusty but some body work has been done by the previous owner. The interior is all there. So I said sure I will pick it up.I started to
take the interior apart. No surprises until I took
The passenger side a pillar trim panel. Found that
The hole pillar is gone.

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Does any body sell a pillars for a duster?
I also found holes in the floors and rocker panels
And the fenders. That was expected .

View attachment image-3117957763.jpg

I feel like I'm over my head on this one.
I should maybe call this one to far gone
 

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Ouch. I would walk. But you are no doubt going to get the folks that chant save it. Can you fix it yourself? Hell of a first post......welcome to FABO
 
That question is for you to decide. Are you able to do this kind of repair? Do you have a family member that has the know how? What is the rest of the car like? Evaluate it from a common sense point, not thru rose colored glasses. You will have to find a donnor car and section that portion in.
 
welcome to the site. if its beyond your skill level , and you arent attached to the car i would let it go. ive seen much worse repaired. personally, i wouldnt touch it unless i was pulling parts off of it.
 
Might want to contact Rob aka Crackedback about the pillar. Rob often parts cars out and very well may have a good A-Pillar for you......he is in the land of rust free autos, California......
 
A pillars aren't reproduced as far as I know.

Take a look at these http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=199439, a member has some A-pillar sections available.

But, unless you're skilled in fabrication, that one may be too far gone. Not sure how hard it is to find cars up there, but that one's going to be a ton of work. Sheet metal is one thing, when it gets structural like that its usually time to look for something else.
 
73AbodEE said:
XS2

it looks to be rusted in the worst places
Click to expand...
That it does. I know if I sent these pictures to EZ, my friend/body guy, he would have some choice words for me. As he put it to me one day, never mind the $$ value of the car, the real question is are you that jazzed over THIS particular car? If so, why? If no, then salvage what you can & send it packing....And the car that I was looking at was in far better shape than your Duster. Unfortunately this does not look awesome......:joker:
 
It can be repaired. All a matter of how much $$$ you are willing to spend. I picked up a 73 Duster for $700, it had a huge hole roof was completely gone. The seller threw in the part, I have 0 knowledge when it comes to welding so I had a shop do it. Cost was about 1200. Had this weird feeling when I first bought the car, kinda felt like browning the seat of my pants.
 

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It can be done. It's a matter of how much cash and time you wanna spend. If you're up for the challenge, go for it! If not, pass it on to someone else, and try again. ^^ It /can/ be saved. It's just a matter of whether or not it's worth it to you. Welcome to FABO.
 
I did a complete front clip R&R but would not do that one. The pillars have a complex folded metal structure that would require some real expertise to get it right - meaning straight, strong and safe.
 
I'm thinking that I'm going to have to parts it out
I'm a mechanic by trade not a body guy.
I have never tried to fix body panels before.
I was going to give it a try but with a pillars
That's unibody structure way out of my league.
That sucks....:(
 
1duster said:
Picked up a 1970 duster this year. Not in the best shape
The body is rusty but some body work has been done by the previous owner. The interior is all there. So I said sure I will pick it up.I started to
take the interior apart. No surprises until I took
The passenger side a pillar trim panel. Found that
The hole pillar is gone.

View attachment 1714539982



View attachment 1714539985

Does any body sell a pillars for a duster?
I also found holes in the floors and rocker panels
And the fenders. That was expected .

View attachment 1714539989

I feel like I'm over my head on this one.
I should maybe call this one to far gone
Click to expand...

I would dismantle the car further and take a good hard look at all the problems, the cost of repair versus the value of a nice car in the real market. Strictly from what you have posted unless this is a 340 car or something really special, I would move on.
 
It's nothing to special, it a 318. White bucket seats, front disc and a 7.25 rear end.
 
1duster said:
I'm thinking that I'm going to have to parts it out
I'm a mechanic by trade not a body guy.
I have never tried to fix body panels before.
I was going to give it a try but with a pillars
That's unibody structure way out of my league.
That sucks....:(
Click to expand...

Could always make it a convertible.
 
Sully1190 said:
Could always make it a convertible.
Click to expand...

Would still need the A-pillars. And that's no easy task in itself. Why people think the only part of the job is cutting the roof off I don't know, there's a lot more involved.

I would just look at it as a parts car. Yes, it can probably be saved. But its going to take way more time and money than that car will ever be worth. And you'll need a donor car for those parts. And unless you find a wrecked Duster with a perfect roof and pillars, your donor car will be in better shape than the recipient.

Not sure how it is in Ontario, but here I could find a running Duster in way better shape than that and still pay less than what the sheetmetal on that car would cost alone.
 
72bluNblu said:
Would still need the A-pillars. And that's no easy task in itself. Why people think the only part of the job is cutting the roof off I don't know, there's a lot more involved.

I would just look at it as a parts car. Yes, it can probably be saved. But its going to take way more time and money than that car will ever be worth. And you'll need a donor car for those parts. And unless you find a wrecked Duster with a perfect roof and pillars, your donor car will be in better shape than the recipient.

Not sure how it is in Ontario, but here I could find a running Duster in way better shape than that and still pay less than what the sheetmetal on that car would cost alone.
Click to expand...

Xs2.
 
The real value in that car is in 70 front end, tail panel and interior. It likely also has an 8 3/4 rear diff. Those parts are likely worth more than you paid for it. 73 up Dusters and Dart Sports are a dime a dozen. Find a rust free one and put the 70 parts on it. It will come with an upgraded front suspenion that you would have wanted for the 70 car.
Simple.
BTW post some pics of the whole car for us.
 
Idaho said:
The real value in that car is in 70 front end, tail panel and interior. It likely also has an 8 3/4 rear diff. Those parts are likely worth more than you paid for it. 73 up Dusters and Dart Sports are a dime a dozen. Find a rust free one and put the 70 parts on it. It will come with an upgraded front suspenion that you would have wanted for the 70 car.
Simple.
BTW post some pics of the whole car for us.
Click to expand...

Bingo. We have a winner.

Take all the '70 specific body parts, buckets, and those KH disk brakes. Leave the 7.25" alone and hope you next car has something bigger. Find a nice '73 up Duster, pay less than it would cost in sheet metal to fix the one you have, and convert it over. Use the later '73 up disks and sell the KH set up for a pretty penny. Best of both worlds.
 
OOPS missed the 7 1/4 rear diff part. Does not change anything except you still need a diff. 8.8 Fords are an affordable easy swap and gives you rear discs.
 
Always a tough call! Welcome to FABO. If the rest of the car is pretty rust free it would be worth it if you can find a top or pillars. If you can't handle the work yourself it will cost more a t a good body shop. A decision you have to make. toolmanmike
 
Welcome.My call,you are a wrench,a valuable commodity.If,you can find a body guy you can trust,do a trade out,maybe.
 
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