73 Duster Restoration

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Just read through your 10 pages. Good work so far....looking good.
 
Thanks guys ! Its still sitting. Havent touched it in a few months. I keep hearing next week, next week but for what Im paying for the paint I cant complain.
 
Yup, still sitting, Still being told next week. I wont push him because I see a spot thats really bothering me that I want to fix before paint and its to cold to do ant body work in my garage. Im also thinking of pulling the motor and transmission seeing they both are leaking every fluid possible. If the rest of the gaskets look anything like the valve cover gaskets did its understandable. They were rock hard and fell apart.

Of coarse you know what pulling the motor means. It needs valve guides and a valve job so that means new cam kit and lifters. Tranny leaks so that means shift kit and converter.
 
Don't get too deep in the motor buddy! Just reseal it, and paint it.
The fluid leaks usually keep the undercarriage free from rust! LOL I know it did on my gold car.

Can't wait to see this car someday. If you need any help, please ask.

George
 
Thats why Im pushing off pulling it. It needs valve guides and Im not sure if the timing chain is original so its going to need to be done sooner than later.
 
George R said:
Don't get too deep in the motor buddy! Just reseal it, and paint it.
The fluid leaks usually keep the undercarriage free from rust! LOL
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LOL .. I have the same rust protection on the buggy LOL ... Adam, awesome job so far
 
Its getting warm again. Thinking of heading out to the garage later and cleaning up. I was pretty close to selling it but seeing Ive been down that road to many times to remember I came to my senses.

I keep getting the run around from the friend who was going to paint it so I think Im going to head to his shop and just have him mix the paint. I have another friend who owns a shop, he said bring him the paint and he will spray it.

My list for the year is
Paint
Stripes
Carpet
Engine harness
cab.
 
Dude, just shoot it right in your garage. You're going to colorsand it anyway.
I've painted so many cars & trucks in my garage I lost count.
Just get it done, dammit! I wanna go for a ride in it!

George
 
My garage is way to dirty. Plus my compressor has trouble keeping up with a gun. Not a huge deal shooting primer but Id rather not try it with color and clear. I can use the booth right up the street for free and the painter said he would spray it which will save me a ton of time sanding and buffing.

Seeing it was warm outside I went out to clean the garage a bit. Figured I pull the car out and let it run for a while. Of coarse it has no spark. Grabbed the test light light and it will barely light off the + coil wire. I tried chasing the problem down for a bit but the harness is so hacked up I may as well wait till I can get another one.
 
Guess I'll bite the bullet and pull the motor and trans. I hate to do it fearing the snowball effect but Im tired of the puddles the car leaves. You name it, Its leaking it. Plus now I have the now spark issue that Im assuming is from the hacked engine harness. Anything rubber or plastic on this car is dried out and falling apart. So it really needs gaskets.

Looks like the timing chain cover has been off but Im sure even if its been changed its stretched like they are on every other LA motor.

The cheap list is, Summit cam, lifter and timing chain. New valve springs (perhaps 340 replacements from rock auto ?) New gaskets.

Trans, Perhaps a TF2 and a 11" T/A converter. To bad the old Mopar Pef. converters arent available anymore. They were good for the price.
 
Its official, Motor is coming out. Wiring harness fell apart as I was removing it. Lower radiator house ripped.
 

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Yes, The whole car is in primer right now so it will all get sprayed F8 green
 
Glad to hear your keeping the Duster Adam.I,m also glad that it took just a couple lookies to get that spark under you going again.You,ll be glad in the end you kept it and can cruise with the family.:DGood luck and Get er done!
 
I absolutley love a F8 73' Duster, my second Duster was F8 with green interior and a white stripe....keep up the good work
 
Motor is ready to come out. Just need to unbolt the tranny crossmember and drop the driveshaft.
 
Every time I touch anything plastic or rubber on this car it just falls apart. 95% of the interior went in the trash which will likely kill any money I saved on sheet metal work. Engine harness was hacked and brittle. Today I pulled the gauge cluster out and that pretty much fell apart also.

It looks like the motor has been changed at some point also. Vin on the front of the block under the head doesnt match the car. No big deal seeing its a 318 anyway but I have no clue as to the mileage on it. Of coarse the speedo cable turns out to also be broken so the car could have way more then the 70,000 on the clock.
 
Adam,nice to see you keep it. Knowing your atttention to detail,going to be sweet,when done.
 
AdamR said:
...the speedo cable turns out to also be broken so the car could have way more then the 70,000 on the clock.
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Rory told me he disconnected the cable because it was making noise. He had it connected when he first picked up the car. Maybe it was bad to assume, but I was under the impression that the speedo / odo worked when he got the car. I do have a new cable somewhere, just never got to looking into it. The car definitely has at least the 3000 or so miles I put on it, plus whatever Rory put on it in addition to what the ODO reads. I hope that's it.
 
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