Help on building a street strip 74 Duster

[496 Duster]

I have a 496 74 duster and am wanting tips on building a street strip car. I need advice on what cage, what I need to shorten the b body 8 3/4 down to for max tire without tubbing, drag radials rims and tires, what radiator and fan combo to run, etc. This is a rust free California car that I plan on cruising to shows and occasionally running down the strip. Also I would like to put the 70 rally dash in it instead of a custom gauge cluster but not sure about about how easily it can be converted into the 74. Thanks for your suggestions, Jim

 

[75Sport]

BTT. Welcome Jim! Give the post time and you'll get suggestions. Kind of a busy day for some reason. If you go gold with your membership you can keep bumping your ad's to the top like I just did. Well worth the money and the education you'll receive here. Again, welcome to the site. If you use the search button you'll find most of your answers in previous posts. If you need help just pm me. Dan

 

[75Sport]

ttt

 

[73SwingerBuild]

I have a 496 74 duster and am wanting tips on building a street strip car. I need advice on what cage, what I need to shorten the b body 8 3/4 down to for max tire without tubbing, drag radials rims and tires, what radiator and fan combo to run, etc. This is a rust free California car that I plan on cruising to shows and occasionally running down the strip. Also I would like to put the 70 rally dash in it instead of a custom gauge cluster but not sure about about how easily it can be converted into the 74. Thanks for your suggestions, Jim

Welcome to FABO!

Any more details on the motor/drivetrain? The motor sounds like a beast.

Rear ends can be shortened down to whatever width you would like, but you will also need to shorten the axle shafts or order custom axles. You could just try ordering wheels with the correct backspacing and this would put the wheel exactly where you need it without modifying (and possibly weakening) the rear end.

The cage can be ordered from Summit (a company called Competition Engineering makes them) and installed by a local welder, or you can buy the sections of piping and fab one up yourself if you're confident in your welding skills.

For the radiator/fan combo, I'd recommend talking to a member here (ChallengerGary) and ordering up a new Champion Cooling system. An aluminum radiator and a good electric fan (or dual fan setup) made for the radiator will definitely help keep your system cool. You can read some reviews on the thread from people that have installed his systems).
Link here: http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=149998&highlight=champion+cooling

Let us know if you have any questions and definitely add some more details so we can help steer you in the right direction. But in the end, no matter what people here say, do what makes YOU happy (and safe).

-Mike

 

[73SwingerBuild]

Also, what year B-body is the rear from? Do you have any dimensions on it? My comment about not shortening the rear end is stemmed from pre-1970's B-body 8-3/4" rears not being much wider than stock A-body rears. However, if it is from a later vintage B-body, you should probably look into narrowing the rear and then ordering wheels based on the new dimensions.

-Mike