73 Gold Duster 198 slant 6

[slantsixdan]

Where'd you come up with that? LMAO

It's a mouldie ouldie from the Internet, which I am told also contains pictures of cats.

 

[slantsixdan]

I have a one owner car sence 1973.
The car has a 198 slant 6 with the snake skin landau top.
I did some research and supposedly the car wasn't suppose to have the snake skin top. That was reserved for the 318 V8 and the 225 skant 6.

When it comes to what was allowed in terms of vehicle equipment, some requirements and prohibitions were based on actual reasons—some equipment wouldn't fit with (or work without) certain other equipment, that kind of thing.

Other constraints were arbitrary: some product planner decided the [whatever decor package] was only available with [whatever engine]. Those ones were a lot more flexible; if you got a dealer who wouldn't just reflexively parrot the printed line about what was/wasn't available, they'd go ahead and order you what you specified. Worst the factory could do was reject the order, but Chrysler needed every order they could get around the time your car was built; making money was more important than "Oh no, there's a car out there with a snakeskin top, and it only has the 198!". The engine under the hood made no difference to whether the snakeskin top could be installed.

All that said: where did you read that the snakeskin top was available only with the 225 or 318 engine? I'm not seeing any such restriction in the original or revised '73 Duster/Valiant brochures. It is possible you might have got bad info on this point; the internet is full of it.

Was this option on my car a mistake from the factory

Probably not; more likely just ordered-built-bought.

However that roof deco wound up on the car, it looks terrific!

 

[RustyRatRod]

It's a mouldie ouldie from the Internet, which I am told also contains pictures of cats.

I thought cat pictures was why Al Gore invented the internet.

 

[slantsixdan]

The internet is why cats invented Al Gore.

 

[TX9Duster]

Gator grain vinyl tops were mentioned earlier.
I believe that was a 1970 model year option ONLY....
And it looked like alligator skin obviously.
You're "snake skin" top came out in late '72 for the 1973 MY.

 

[toolmanmike]

Here's a pic of the top material.
When I did the ground up restoration. I purchased the material from classic industries. And they informed me that the material was NOS and it was the last example that was available. And. They said, according to their data base of available parts and accessories. That the car was a 1 of 100 produced. So. Evidently. There was some record of a "switch" from production information.
Being said. Was this a sales tactic or true. May never know.View attachment 1716353354

Here's yours and here's Gator Grain from the 70 Dodge book. It doesn't look the same. I remember seeing that top on a car before but I sure can't find it in any of the factory sales brochures.

 

[Killer6]

Arrrgh, snake! Snake! Ohhhhhh, it's a snaaaaaake…

Oh boy, glad that's not an opus,.....they wobble but they don't file copyright infingement..?

 

[Killer6]

Me to!

Yeah, that top rocks..

 

[slantsixdan]

I purchased the material from classic industries. And they informed me that the material was NOS and it was the last example that was available.

SMS Auto Fabrics would like a word (click the second square from the left, on the bottom row).

Classic Industries is a garbage company selling garbage parts at LOLWTF prices.