Barn find 72 340 duster

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Few shots for tag placement
 

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I need those front grill trim pieces PLEASE!!~~!!


hey, i am picking up a 72 340 4 speed duster on wensday, and it has a mint cardboard headliner in it, and am going to put it up for sale, along with all the other parts off the car. let em know if you need anything else!. it has no title or vin tag,a nd has benn registered as a 73. i have fender tag, which matches the speaker tray and rad support, but no vin tag, so i cannot get it legal on the road.
 
Will be off for ten days during Christmas shutdown at work. Will tackle the rear bumper, get the trunk lid removed both doors and if possible will start pulling the engine, trans and drive shaft. Don't want to pull the suspension at this point until I can get the good doors on and lined up so I can start cutting the quarters,tail panel,and spare tire well off. Much easier to roll out of the garage into the driveway.
 
Yep, quiet a bit of it will be done by myself. I have done many cars over the past thirty years, placing third in the b-body class for a hemi charger at the nats in 91. I haven't done one in many years and never an a-body, all b and e bodies but this one, color combo, 4 sp, chrome tips, rallyes, matching numbers this one in my opinion will be a stunning car when complete. Never fool yourself gents, I learned a long time ago this is a labor of love and if you are very lucky with the right car you may get most of the money back on the parts. but we don't do it for that, We do it because we are not chevy guys or ford guys. The cars we love are the rarest of the rare, when was the last time you saw one like this that the fender tag said this is the way it rolled off the assembly line?

Tim!
That is a rare find. And yor right too, we do it for because we like the cars. I have some nos parts for your restoration. I'll make a list for you. Keep the pictures coming. It so nice to see other members progress.
 
Keep It,....especially being a stick,....Mine was in pretty much the same shape when I found It,...Its still worth it to me..
 
Judging by the amount of heart you've got in this gem , I can tell it'll be nice when it's done :glasses7: .

Looks like its 1972-only , A-Body-only centre caps are all there as well . ***** to find 'em ; no repros available (at least the last time I checked ... ) .

What's the car's build date ?
There's an ages-old rumour that early '72 model year 340-powered cars received high-comp (10.25:1) '71 340's .
These were most-likely built within the first month or so of production .

Keep up the GREAT work !
 
Any updates?

Worked on it a little, May have a few pictures to add. Was involved in a traffic accident and went to the hospital for a jacked up left arm. i am 53 and this is the first accident i have ever been in. I have avoided lots over the years. 21 year old guy changed lanes in front of me and then turned. No way to miss him, hit him on the side of his car doing about 35 mph. Happened on Friday the 13th. yep, i know, also I am left handed. He told the cop after I left to go to the hospital in the ambulance, that he was in my lane minding his own business when i plowed into the back of him. All the damage is on the side of the car and I hit him in the back. After i heard that my thoughts were "game on" so anyway arm has been very sore, so i haven't been able to get to much done. will update soon.
 
Black is a desirable color. With what you have and $10,000 you should come out the other side with one nice car with a lot of work. Keep us posted and good luck on the arm issue.
Small Block
 
Here is how it codes out on fender tag.... E55 340-4 Barrel 69-73 D21 Heavy Duty 4-Speed Manual Transmission VS29V = Plymouth Valiant / Duster
S = Special
29 = 2 Door Sports Hardtop

H2BH = 340 240HP(net) 1-4BBL 8 CYL
2 = 1972
B = Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA
Sequence Number ''TX9Paint Code: Black / Black Velvet
C6XWTrim Grade/Style/Color white
C = Charger
6 = Vinyl Bucket Seats
X = Black and white
TX9 Upper Door Frame: Black / Black Velvet B19Date Built: 11 / 19 / 1971 Order Number: 072426 TX9Roof Type OR Color: Black / Black Velvet U Built to Specifications for USA Order B51 Power Assisted Brakes C56 Bucket Seats 1972 up J253 Speed Variable Wipers G36 Left Hand Remote, Right Hand Manual Outside Mirror N23 Electronic Ignition 72 only N41 Duel Exhaust w/o Tips N42 Chrome Duel Exhaust Tips R21 Solid State AM / FM V6W White Longitude Sports Stripe V8W Transverse Stripe - White EN2 End of Codes Assembly Line 2
 
A factory AM-FM !! Hard to find ; I had one in my '72 Swinger (found it in a '73 Duster in the 'yard) , and later , my '73 Duster (from a '75 Dart LL41 in the 'yard).

Rarest AM-FM radio I've ever procured ? 1968 "DART" Thumbwheel from a '68 Dart GT in the 'yard .
Funny story behind that find :
Back in '91 I found the car-in-question with a for sale sign on it , at a long-ago closed gas station .
A GT with 318/console-shift/8.75" diff/disc brakes , etc. , just a nicely-optioned car .

It needed work , but it ran . Asking price was in the $1,000 range ; too much for *that* car at that time ( similar condition 340 Swingers , Dusters and Dart Sports were going for $1,500 back then) , and the guy wouldn't budge on the price .

Car sat for well-over a year , then it *disappeared* ...

... only to resurface in the local 'pick-a-part' in Spring '92 .
8.75" diff was already gone , and its buckets & console were yanked ; however , its factory AM-FM was still kickin' back in its original spot !
I couldn't pull that rare bastard quick enough !

$5 later , it was in my dry , cracked hands .

I ended-up trading it to a friend whom had a '70 Swinger with a swapped-in 340 (last year for the Thumbwheel in the 'A' Bodies , and , iirc , were only in Darts and not Dusters / Valiants) . He wanted that radio in the worst way !

Wish that I still had that radio ...
 
Car is very complete. am/fm is missing and the correct radiator, shroud, clutch fan, and the fan itself. I would guess some of those items will be a little difficult to find.
 
I know where 2 of these are ones a 70 and one is a 71,The pot smokin' hippies that own them think they are hemi-cuda's and are just letting them rot!!!Drives me nuts everytime I go past them,They are not black on white,But are 340 h code 4 speed's with build sheets and fender tags COMPLETE cars--The only thing they got going is the are inside,One of the guy's went bankrupt and had small kids he couldn't feed and still would not budge on the car--Just nuts--Steve
 
Nice find! Mines originally black with white interior,too...but auto,PS,PDB,Buckets and console,wheel lip mouldings,rocker mouldings,driver remote mirror,maybe sharkstooth grill...never got the fender tag and no BS
 
I know where 2 of these are ones a 70 and one is a 71,The pot smokin' hippies that own them think they are hemi-cuda's and are just letting them rot!!!Drives me nuts everytime I go past them,They are not black on white,But are 340 h code 4 speed's with build sheets and fender tags COMPLETE cars--The only thing they got going is the are inside,One of the guy's went bankrupt and had small kids he couldn't feed and still would not budge on the car--Just nuts--Steve

Anybody that has messed with car long enough has seen this before. " not going to sell it, fixin it up one day"
 
Nice car. Hey, VA I saw that you were talking about buying another 72 Duster in PA. Are you gonna be doing two Duster resto's at once?
 
Nice car. Hey, VA I saw that you were talking about buying another 72 Duster in PA. Are you gonna be doing two Duster resto's at once?
I don't think i will do them both at the same time, but i do have interest in that 72 340 in CT. I have been doing this a long time. That car has a lot going for it, 4 speed, v21 hood treatment, gold, and of course 1972.I like the 72 340 cars. Here's the way i see it. the asking price is in the ballpark, judging from the pictures, the car seems to be in very good shape for a former pa car,only a closer inspection will tell. and I have the cash money to buy. You have to jump on the right car[or right car for you] when they come around.
 
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