How many CURRENT owners of real '74 360 Duster 4 speed cars on here?

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DionR

DionR

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Seems like I keep tripping over people on here that own 1974 4 speed Dusters 360's, and I am curious how many there are.

I'm talking currenlty owned factory VIN code "L", E58 Dusters built in 1974, with 4 speeds. Not "I used to have....", not 1974 Duster's that someone put a 360 in, and then converted to a 4 speed. Nothing against them, just not what I am asking about.

Funny thing is (to me), they built more 1970 Hemi Cuda's in total than 1974 Duster 360's with 4 speeds, at least according to the production numbers I have. And yet, I keep seeing people say they have one. In fact, it almost seems that there are more 4 speed cars than auto's here as I can only think of two people with 1974 Duster 360 auto's, Prine and one other.

I know of at least (3) others besides myself with 4 speed cars, just wondering if there are any others.

Love to hear some stories and history, too.

Short story on mine is; found it in a junkyard in '91 or '92, fixed it and drove it as my daily until about 2000, sold it to a buddy who owned it as his first car, got it back in July of 2009 and finally drove it again 3 or 4 weeks ago. Sad part is, the week before I got it back it was a running and driving car and it didn't turn a tire in anger again until I drove it home a month ago, but that's a story for later. I will try and put some pictures up later, too.
 
................I have 1...........factory 360 HP, 4 gear..........got it in 99.........86,000 actual miles.........kim...............
 
Mines an auto (not 4 speed) but it's a parts car (too much rot to try and save)
 
I have a #'s 360 4 speed car. Just got it a few months ago. It has just over 80,000 miles on it. I forget exactly how much now. Original paint and striping even still. Very nice survivor car that just needs a little work in the rockers in front of the rear wheel on one side and in the very very lower qtr. 3.21 sure grip car. I've heard around 450 of these were made. Not sure if that's right or not. Mine is Burnished Red with white stripes and black bucket interior with no console. Original window sticker, broadcast sheet and all other documents since new. Pretty quick little car.
 
oldkimmer said:
................I have 1...........factory 360 HP, 4 gear..........got it in 99.........86,000 actual miles.........kim...............
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Sweet! That's one I didn't know about on here. We're up to 5 that I know of then.

What's the car's story?
 
TimS said:
I have a #'s 360 4 speed car. Just got it a few months ago. It has just over 80,000 miles on it. I forget exactly how much now. Original paint and striping even still. Very nice survivor car that just needs a little work in the rockers in front of the rear wheel on one side and in the very very lower qtr. 3.21 sure grip car. I've heard around 450 of these were made. Not sure if that's right or not. Mine is Burnished Red with white stripes and black bucket interior with no console. Original window sticker, broadcast sheet and all other documents since new. Pretty quick little car.
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The numbers I have say 586 in 1974, but I can't confirm them. Came out fo Galen's little white books.

I don't remember, power steering or manual? What about the brakes, power or manual?

You too, Kim, what are the options?
 
DionR said:
The numbers I have say 586 in 1974, but I can't confirm them. Came out fo Galen's little white books.

I don't remember, power steering or manual? What about the brakes, power or manual?

You too, Kim, what are the options?
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Mine has power steering and power front disc brakes. Radio delete. I posted a few weeks ago asking about 4 spd reverse warning light. Mine was shipped w/o one. Not even a hole for it. This car also has a factory rear sway bar and rear defroster.
 
..............My duster::::1974 dont have broadcast sheet or fender tag.......was being made into a race car when i found it.......so i can only go off the vin #.......360 HP 4bbl....4 gear, 8.25 with 3.21 suregrip........dual exhaust.......dual snorkle scoop.....white bucket seat interior, tuff wheel.......dont know what the original color was, as it was primered when i got it........just needed a scuff.........now......Panther Pink.......mild 440...727, manual shift, B+M converter...8.75 with 4.30 suregrip.........fenderwell headers.....fuel cell...12 point cage, frame connectors.....centerlines 15x4 and 15x10.....Oh ya, my baby has NOS........kim....
 
I found mine in a wrecking yard in Spokane, Washington, towards the end of 1992. I was actually looking for the car, althought I didn't know what it was until after I had found it. I had been looking for a tossed away dual exhaust to try and put on my '78 Volare Super Coupe, and had been told at a Mopars Unlimited club meeting that there was a car in this yard with a dual exhaust laying under it. So I went looking for a Mopar that had the pipes I thought I could swap onto my car, and found my Duster.

After I found it and started looking at it, I realized it was a 4 speed car and thought "how cool!". So, I asked the yard owner what he would want for the whole car. He wasn't real excited about it as it was back in a hole, and it didn't have any suspension that would make it easy to pull out if there, so I worked a deal that I would put a suspension on it so he just had to hook onto it and pull it out of it's hole. Paid $200 for it.

Here's how it looked when I found it:

X3e_3CEF4100.jpg


X3e_3CEF4101.jpg


X3e_3CEF4102.jpg


X3e_3CEF4103.jpg


The original motor was still in the car, but it wasn't much more than a block. Transmission was gone, as was the front suspension, rear gears and back window. I bought another 8.25" there in the yard and swapped it in, and found a complete disk brake front end in another yard (along with a 4 speed OD) that I installed so I could get it out of the yard.

I think someone else had been looking for the car too, as one of the times I showed up to work on putting the suspension on the car the owner asked me what was up with that old Duster. He said he had gotten a call asking about it and told the guy it had sold. I told him it was just a v8 Duster, and he didn't say anything else about it.

The car had obviously been raced. It had holes from hood pins in all four corners, with the ones in the cowl covered by plates that where hammered to fit, sealed and screwed down. Found a worn out electric fuel pump in the rear, too. Also, the right rear spring mount was ripping loose and pushing up through the floor from the clutch dumps. The front floor looked like it had been shot with a shotgun there were so many holes in the floor for different bucket seats, and someone had even cut holes in the hump so they could tighten the top two trani bolts.

When I got the motor out and sent it be rebuilt, I found a rod bearing that had spun so bad it had melted and flowed up between the rods. probably the reason it ended up in the wrecking yard. It looked bad. This car had lived a hard life for awhile.

Funny thing is, despite all of the stuff that was gone or swapped, the back seat was still in the car, along with the broadcast sheet. That was a real rush when I found it.

The car doesn't have many options, the typical stripes, dual sport mirrors, power disk brakes, 8 1/4, and the 360 and 4 speed. That's pretty much it. Bench seat, manual steering and all.

Here are some pictures of it a year or so ago:

Duster016-1.jpg


Duster019-1.jpg


Lot's of changes since then, including finally figuring out what the knock was in the motor, but I will save those stories until later.
 
TimS said:
Mine has power steering and power front disc brakes. Radio delete. I posted a few weeks ago asking about 4 spd reverse warning light. Mine was shipped w/o one. Not even a hole for it. This car also has a factory rear sway bar and rear defroster.
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Ddin't even know the rear swaybar was an option in '74. Radio delete, too. Love to see some pictures of it.
 
DionR, just WOW man! Whats your address, Im going to send you a case of the finest beer!! Thumbs up on the save and your now on my short list of car Saints.
 
Not the same, but i have a '74 Dart Sport 360 4 speed car.
The Dusters and Dart Sport 360 4 speed cars are really rare!
I think they are one of the most overlooked a bodies ever......
Love the stories!
 
I checked over an all original 74 360 Duster for sale locally a couple months ago.Was definitely the real deal,"L" code on VIN,E58 on the fender tag,and an old 360 emissions decal under the hood.The car was pretty much unmolested,blue on blue,bench seat,column shift auto,rubber floor mats,with minimal options except PS and the am radio which was still there.

The current owner said that he had bought it off the widow of the original owner years ago which seemed beliveable but then he had parked it outside on the grass and it was rust city.I think he was asking 4k which was way too much for the bodywork that it needed.
 
TimS said:
Mine has power steering and power front disc brakes. Radio delete. I posted a few weeks ago asking about 4 spd reverse warning light. Mine was shipped w/o one. Not even a hole for it. This car also has a factory rear sway bar and rear defroster.
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Tim, the rear bar is a mopar/addco that was added, not stock. Jim
 
kustom2k1 said:
DionR, just WOW man! Whats your address, Im going to send you a case of the finest beer!! Thumbs up on the save and your now on my short list of car Saints.
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Not sure if I'd stay on the list if you knew my plans. Don't plan to cut it up, but it probably wont be restored either.

Things like suspension and brakes, like to go EFI somehow (maybe even Gen 3 Hemi), stuff like that. BTW, the motor would get stored somewhere if I did go with a Hemi.

I want a 5 speed, but that wont happen unless I can get a Passon box as I wont cut the floor like that.

It already has subframe connectors, and a small cage wouldn't bother me, but I wont go any farther than that.

Don't want to do anything that can't be fixed, but don't really want to leave it stock either.
 
360Duster4speed said:
I have a numbers matching 74 360 Duster 4 Speed, TX9 with a black bucket seat interior, power steering & brakes, broadcast sheet & fender tag. It is currently going through a complete resto.
-Lou
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Sounds pretty well optioned. Just curious, does it have a console?

Any pictures?
 
Looks like that makes 7 here on the board so far, 8 if we include Dart Sports.

(2) individuals that haven't posted, so I wont say who they are.
Myself - DionR
oldkimmer
TimS
MrHemi
360Duster4speed

and honorable mention - Dartnut with his Dart Sport

Any others out there?

How about some pictures and stories?
 
I long to track down the 1974 Dart Sport I grew up in.
Mom sold it before I started driving :(

sold out of Kansas City, it was 74 Dart Sport, 360, 4 speed car, with power brakes, manual steering, all black interior, with solid bench. It was chocolate brown when sold to a little old lady who wanted something reliable to go birdwatching (I swear!)
 
count 1 more. bought in 1976. now has 63000 miles. car is yellow with black stripe and was repainted in 1993. has not been washed or wet since then and has not seen any weather since 1984.interior is all original but engine has a few minor mods. got it at midway chrysler in winnipeg.
 
demonduster said:
Tim, the rear bar is a mopar/addco that was added, not stock. Jim
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OOPS. Thanks for setting me straight. I got the broadcast sheet out and your right it didn't come with rear sway bar. I did verify that it didn't come with a radio. Only half right. Thanks, Jim.
 
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