So it starts..... Duster mania Dartnut inspired!!!

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
FABO Gold Member
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OK, so I admit .....I have a lot of project cars and after awhile one can jump from project to project so many times before she realizes that she is only spinning her wheels (pardon the pun)

So I wrote down all the cars I have cut the paper they were written on into slivers with each car ....then put them all in a hat and drew one at random. Out came the tattered piece of paper proudly representing "75 Duster".

The car came to me with no engine or trans and gutted interior......a save from certain death by crusher if left abandoned much longer.

I then went into my usual mode which is a never ending argument with myself as to what I wanted to do with the car.

Slant six versus 360. I like to match date coded parts as closely as possible, not that it matters but it bothers me. So I would need a 75 or very close dated slant six. I went through my inventory and the latest slant I found bears a date code in late 72 for a 73 model with the drool tubes. Well a 75 would have a peanut head so that will not work in my mountain dew powered obsessive compulsive world. Then I took a look at what I have for a 360 or 318. Well no 318s in stock and I was thinking nothing but late 70s 360s when ......***light bulb above head*** there is a 75 motor home I know of.

Wasting no time I get in the Ranimobile and make like a fetus and head on out to see the motor home I never paid attention to before. The motor home itself was junk ......rat droppings throughout and even a gift in the toilet from the last owner.

Behold a 360 in its greasy glory between the rails, but the heads were off and sitting on the passenger seat. Date code 7/24/74. ding ding in my head ...we have a winner!!

So of course I cant pull it from the motor home and junk the motor home myself. So luckily its summer and there are visitors from out of town around (mexico). So fifty dollars later and telling them they can keep the motor home to junk or whatever they want .....the engine arrives and gets plopped in front of my garage door just as agreed.

So now on to the this 360.

I followed the thread by DARTNUT and pretty much want to do the same format http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=214224

basically same deal except the cousin car to the dart sport ....DUSTER!!!

I might need help deciding what parts to use in this engine as I go. I have no idea if it was a 2 or 4 barrel engine as the intake and carb were long gone but I have a 74 dated intake and a TQ that is close enough for now and the correct 74/5 360 air cleaner.

This will be a totally stock appearing street build that has to meet or exceed (slightly) OE specs.

So thanks DARTNUT and ZKX14

Here it starts :violent2:
 

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I started to say "I wish I had your proble.........." and then realized WTF am I thinking LMAO?
 
You know you got it bad when you have to draw body styles from a hat! You didn't mention, auto or stick?
 
It doesn't look like you have started the engine yet - like the title says you did.... :poke:


Spray some Plasti-kote 232 Chrysler Small Block Blue on there and get her dropped in.... :D
 
What rifle is in the background in the first photo?
 
Abodybomber said:
Uhhhh-oooohhh, here we go again...(lol).
Click to expand...

Hey I am trying to stay focused .......I cant help it that Chrysler never made a bad car and there are sooooo many to pick from :D :glasses7:

sireland67 said:
What rifle is in the background in the first photo?
Click to expand...

That is a really cool Co2 powered semi- auto pellet gun with some kick.

I tried it out on a car I was sending to the crusher and its impressive for a pellet gun. The cool thing is they sold it to me at Big5 without asking questions or checking me out so either they don't consider it or me a threat to anything LOL
 
Build the duster with what you have, it will be a cool car.

Co2 guns are fun, I gave my son a CO2 pistol when he was about 8 years old, slow and hard to reload but fun.

Built this for him on his 10th birthday, 10-22 Ruger, this kid can go thru a brick of 22 shells in 1/2 hour.

Himb2o.jpg
 
krazykuda said:
It doesn't look like you have started the engine yet - like the title says you did.... :poke:


Spray some Plasti-kote 232 Chrysler Small Block Blue on there and get her dropped in.... :D
Click to expand...

Now now, she said the heads were on the seats. Now they're sitting on the block....So she started......lol
 
gdrill said:
833OD sounds good. Guess I could have asked before, but I will presume 8 1/4 diff being a '75.
Click to expand...

you got it ....8 1/4 .....I am fascinated with the 8 1/4.

I think they are a lot tougher than people give credit for. The wide rage of usage into the 90s speaks loud about its ability.

Seems like gears and suregrip like assemblies are affordable for the 8 1/4.

The one I have now came out of a 74 duster parts car.(wrecked) and it has 2.76 gears ....I am thinking down the road to upgrade like in the neighborhood of 3.55. I think with the OD it will need some kind of numerically bigger ratio.

I have a 68 dart with an OD behind a slant with 2.76 and it takes off very weak but once I am up to speed on the highway and in final drive it floats down the road like a dream. Granted a V8 will have a lot more power, it just seems like 2.76 take away mechanical advantage. Maybe I am just thinking about it too much.

I think they should have had the 8 1/4 sooner than they did ....really in the 60s there was the 7 1/4 and the 8 3/4, no intermediate, it was either cold or hot. The 8 1/4 did A great job an intermediate yet it is soooo under appreciated ....as late model dusters are as well. :???:
 
Wow!
I find it very flattering that you would use my build thread as an example for your build.
However, i do have a very reliable and fun car that i can drive anywhere, anytime, rain or shine.......without all of the hassles of worrying if it gets a rock chip or stain, or heaven forbid......a scratch.
It really gives me the willys that i let it get dirty and have only washed it once this year, and park it outside. lol
As a matter of fact, all of the cars i do in the future will have more or less the same theme.
I do have a lot of respect for people that ''restore'' their cars with nice paint jobs and detailing to the 9's, matching numbers, the whole shebang and go all out on it.
I've been there and done that, and found out that it's more of a hassle than anything.
It's just not me.
I'm just an old drag racer/hot rodder. A junkyard dog (Dodge) if you will.
Where i don't compromise is on safety items like brakes and suspension as well as body rot. Some rust is okay as long as it's not structural.
I would like to thank all of my friends that helped me on my car and some are FABO members as well.
Rob (71 Racer), George (gdrill), Brian, Darrell, Les (my brother), and many more........
I could go on forever, but all i have to say is good luck with the project, Rani, and have fun. You are going to love it!
I know i have, and my payback is in smiles per gallon.
Thanks again,
Tom.
 
So, when do we get to see some more pics?
I really would like to see the car (victim) itself.........
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
you got it ....8 1/4 .....I am fascinated with the 8 1/4.

I think they are a lot tougher than people give credit for. The wide rage of usage into the 90s speaks loud about its ability.

Seems like gears and suregrip like assemblies are affordable for the 8 1/4.

The one I have now came out of a 74 duster parts car.(wrecked) and it has 2.76 gears ....I am thinking down the road to upgrade like in the neighborhood of 3.55. I think with the OD it will need some kind of numerically bigger ratio.

I have a 68 dart with an OD behind a slant with 2.76 and it takes off very weak but once I am up to speed on the highway and in final drive it floats down the road like a dream. Granted a V8 will have a lot more power, it just seems like 2.76 take away mechanical advantage. Maybe I am just thinking about it too much.

I think they should have had the 8 1/4 sooner than they did ....really in the 60s there was the 7 1/4 and the 8 3/4, no intermediate, it was either cold or hot. The 8 1/4 did A great job an intermediate yet it is soooo under appreciated ....as late model dusters are as well. :???:
Click to expand...


I ran 2.76 gears in a 68 Barracuda with a 318. The 360 will have plenty of torque to get that light a-body moving. If a 318 can do it, a 360 will be fine...

Put a double roller timing chain in it also. Maybe a stock 340 cam or similar...
 
So the beat goes on (wait that is a Plymouth jingle ) .....had some issues with the duster....I wont go into that here.

BUT ....this engine is moving forward now that I found another body for it.

so now the engine build can commence since I now have a body with a clean title and everything I was looking for...and best of all ...it's a late A. :D I almost bought an early A but I find my heart is really into later cars

So the body getting this engine is ........drum roll.

this adorable 75 dart swinger 2 door hardtop. :glasses7::glasses7:

as of right now ...with what I have into the 360 and the car ....$400. so I am keeping track to see how low buck I can do this. :farao:
 

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318willrun said:
I like it!
Click to expand...

thanks !!

I am not sure this is going to be a rebuild as some might call it an "overhaul" rather.

the engine doesn't look very bad considering it's source. The ridge is minimal so I am really thinking a hone....re-ring. Bearings ...main and rod. and gasket set. ....................and cam /cam bearings ??

The intake was missing so I have no idea if this was a four barrel or two barrel engine ( or if there is any other way to tell)

the intake is a cast iron late 74 dated unit with the matching TQ and it seems my air cleaner is not the one I am looking for but it will due for now.

The air cleaner actually came off a 76 440 and it's a decent unit for a 360 because it doesn't interfere with anything but it lacks the "bump" on the front to clear an A/c compressor like a true A-body unit would have.
 
Wow !! Memikie likie :glasses7: Good looking Dart Rainy :coffee2: I agree the 8 1/4 is a good rear end for these street drivers and as long as we keep the HP down to about 350 and not beat on them a bunch with sticky tires they will indeed hold up in our lite A bodies.
I am going 360/904 with an 8 1/4 myself :color:

Again :glasses7: That is one good looking Dart :cheers: Congratulations :)
 
gdrill said:
Looks good. Appears to be in nice shape. Is the interior decent too?
Click to expand...

the door panels are ok but the seats and dash need help but I am changing things around anyways so not a huge deal.

I am putting a bench with the center armrest and the bucket seat backs .....it's a really cool seat they had in these later cars because it looks like buckets outside of the car but it's really a bench.

I am in to the whole bench + 4 speed shifter theme in this car.
 
Sounds like a good plan. I like those seats as well. I am into the bench 4spd too..........:)
 

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LOVE those split bench with arm rests!! Picked one up out of a 73 or 74 Duster the day I bought my 72, much better than the bench that was in my 75 Scamp.
 
The Dart looks like a great start for a project,it's amazing what a set of rallye wheels will do for those later cars which usually come with really lame wheel covers.

Years back a buddy of mine had a 74 or so Dart SE with the cloth split bench and center fold down arm rest and it was super comfy.It was like being in an Imperial after driving my 69 Swinger with the bare bones bench seat.
 
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