I go into a buddies shop and see a nice Duster. Or so I thought

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It's the re-body lie that bothers me. Trying to doup someone into thinking it is really something it isn't is a low class scumb bag move.

Re-body a '73 to an '70 and NOT trying to hide it is different. It's called a tribute car or an "What if" version.

Hack work, like that fabulously done cross member is sad and worth a poke. I would like to know if there were any mods to the tail lights to disguise the gear even further.

I would have rather seen a well done custom job and a bit engine with hood call outs than this.
 
Does the driveline have a center support to go with that trans? :D
 
73 was the ONLY year the OSAC valve was mounted on the firewall. View attachment 1714987701

Rainy, I have to disagree with you on this one. My 71 Scamp had it mounted in the same location from the factory. Not to mention I have seen other 71's with the valve as well. Now unless your talking just strictly Dusters.
 
Rainy, I have to disagree with you on this one. My 71 Scamp had it mounted in the same location from the factory. Not to mention I have seen other 71's with the valve as well. Now unless your talking just strictly Dusters.
Not sure, I just sold a 72 340 Duster that did not have it there?
 
It's the re-body lie that bothers me. Trying to doup someone into thinking it is really something it isn't is a low class scumb bag move.

Re-body a '73 to an '70 and NOT trying to hide it is different. It's called a tribute car or an "What if" version.

Hack work, like that fabulously done cross member is sad and worth a poke. I would like to know if there were any mods to the tail lights to disguise the gear even further.

I would have rather seen a well done custom job and a bit engine with hood call outs than this.
Yeah he told me he changed out the tail panel and both quarter panels
 
OK, Now The Rest Of The Story!
So here is the rest of the story, I went into my buddies transmission shop and spot this Orange Duster. Always curious what power train came in any A-body. So I walk look at the VIN thru the windshield and see VL29HOBXXXXXX, I think damn a 1970 340 car! But wait it has round aluminum rivets holding the Vin plate down! I look in the car, that dash cluster isn’t right, upper door panels are plastic, that’s 73 and newer! I notice front and rear bumpers that are new but wait they have slots in them for the bumper jack? That is a 1972 item. I notice front fender marker lights are 1972 but the rear are correct for 1970.

After popping the hood I see the OSAC valve in the firewall that’s a 1973 up item? The heater blower motor retainer ring is a three screw that isn’t right? At this point I get very suspicious about the legality of this ride? And it went on from there KH disc on a 1973 spool mount K-member. 26” radiator where shoud be a 22”. Motor home 440 and 727 that they had to have a slip yoke driveshaft custom made for.

But at this point I’m thinking well it ain’t my cup of tea but to each his own. I had to return the next day for my part and the owner of the car happens to be drive up. Now I did tell Larry my buddy that I’m not going to speak ill of the car to the owner. But my Buddy throws me under the bus and brought the fact I said it had problems.

Well it’s at this time I find out what kind of guy I dealing with. I pointed out the different things that are different year items as tactfully as possible. He gets in my face and tells me yeah he doesn’t F%$# care! At which point he tells me it is a 1973 body that he changed the quarter panels and tail panel to 1970 pieces. He had started building it as a 1972, that is why the bumpers and fenders but realized a 1970 340 car would be worth more money, so he decided to build what you see. I asked him if he had it inspected at the FHP office and got a rebuilt title and he told he didn’t need to and that he was legal to do what he did. I told him he was wrong and that he had broke more than one law and that I hope he never planned on selling it!

The other issue is, there is a car shop here local that knowingly performed this work for the owner, which is mind numbing!

Now it was at this time the words of my father popped in my head.

“NEVER ARGUE WITH A MORON, HE WILL DRAG YOU DOWN TO HIS LEVEL AND BEAT YOU WITH EXPERIENCE!”

So I figured the best thing I could do for my Mopar Brethren is to point out this abortion with pictures with the end goal being that if they were to see this car for sale, 6 months, 1,2,3 years from now, they will stop and think about this thread.

Don’t get wrong whatever a person does with their car is none of my business, until it becomes illegal!
 
Yeah had a feeling that was a 73+ k member. Couldn't see the spool mounts. But it looked wrong to me. I didn't even notice the valve or blower motor. I just looked and saw a black engine bay and thought "jesus again?" and kept going.

And to anyone who says "Don't be so hard on guys like these" or "I don't see why you guys nitpick". THIS is why we nitpick. Yeah bugging a guy about a black engine bay is one thing. But to KNOWINGLY take a 73 car and make it look like a 70 or 72 or whatever with the intent of deceiving people. Is wrong. If you got a 73 and wanna make it look like a 70-72 cause you prefer the front end or whatever. That's one thing. As long as you say "Oh it's a 73, I just prefer this style" and you don't change the vin, registration, etc etc. This guy is outright lying to people about this vehicle. He is saying its a 70 H code car. It's not. If he had a 70 H code body, and put whatever panels he had on it to make it work. That's a different thing. He has a 73, period. Where's the car he got the vin off? Is the fender tag the same? Is he going around stripping real H code cars for their vin tags to make these fake pieces of ****?

In my mind, this is not better than a fierrari (fiero/ferrari kit cars) that guys try to pass off as the real thing. It's garbage. It's a fake. And a poorly done one at that.

The worst part is? You could slap 70-72 panels on a 73 body. Throw a strong 440 in there. And be honest about it. And you'd still have a really cool car. Lying about it? Takes that coolness to zero.
 
Yeah had a feeling that was a 73+ k member. Couldn't see the spool mounts. But it looked wrong to me. I didn't even notice the valve or blower motor. I just looked and saw a black engine bay and thought "jesus again?" and kept going.

And to anyone who says "Don't be so hard on guys like these" or "I don't see why you guys nitpick". THIS is why we nitpick. Yeah bugging a guy about a black engine bay is one thing. But to KNOWINGLY take a 73 car and make it look like a 70 or 72 or whatever with the intent of deceiving people. Is wrong. If you got a 73 and wanna make it look like a 70-72 cause you prefer the front end or whatever. That's one thing. As long as you say "Oh it's a 73, I just prefer this style" and you don't change the vin, registration, etc etc. This guy is outright lying to people about this vehicle. He is saying its a 70 H code car. It's not. If he had a 70 H code body, and put whatever panels he had on it to make it work. That's a different thing. He has a 73, period. Where's the car he got the vin off? Is the fender tag the same? Is he going around stripping real H code cars for their vin tags to make these fake pieces of ****?

In my mind, this is not better than a fierrari (fiero/ferrari kit cars) that guys try to pass off as the real thing. It's garbage. It's a fake. And a poorly done one at that.

The worst part is? You could slap 70-72 panels on a 73 body. Throw a strong 440 in there. And be honest about it. And you'd still have a really cool car. Lying about it? Takes that coolness to zero.
There was no fender tag. But I did ask him about which one he was going to screw on? He looked at me like I was retarded. He siad the one that match the Dash Vin and tittle! Silly me, I wasn't thinking.
 
There was no fender tag. But I did ask him about which one he was going to screw on? He looked at me like I was retarded. He siad the one that match the Dash Vin and tittle! Silly me, I wasn't thinking.

Silly you! What a weirdo not thinking of fraud right off the bat.
 
What a schlep. These are the tools that ruin the hobby. And to think I feel impure about 69 engine callouts on my 68
 
Sad. Makes me think about a conversation I had with the guy who owned "Texas Toy Box".
I mentioned how my car was an original TX9 340 car and that I wished I could get my fender tag from the previous owner.
He says, " I can get you one made, what do you want on it?"
Never spoke to him again. Pretty sure he is out of business now, good riddance.
 
Ah! I know them! Texastoybox.com. They used to be on carsonline.com all the time. Kinda like Coyote Classics, no pristine stuff, mainly drivers. I can cross them off my list now.
 
Can't tell you how many times cars have pulled to the shop that were exactly like this. Cobbled up /6 cars that were palmed off as 340 cars, cars that were factory autos and some idiot put a stick in it and left a Texas size hole in the floor, telling the buy it was a factory stick.


The sellers do this KNOWINGLY to jam someone directly in the pooter. Seen this for years and I hate all of it. They are nothing less than criminals.
 
Once you buy it, its yours. Something goes awry at Motor Vehicles when you try to take ownership, you are on your own.
 
I thought the grille looked bad. Just didn't fit the car, beak grille in a non-beak car. Someone spent the dough on it though.
 
I thought the grille looked bad. Just didn't fit the car, beak grille in a non-beak car. Someone spent the dough on it though.


I think that is a shark tooth grill and it is not from a beak car it is from a 71-72 beaks started in 73
 
I have to apologize to every one of ya'll, as i read this post the further i went the more disgusted i became!!! Let me explain i'm not a purest [except for engines Mopar car Mopar engine ect] i like to build my cars to suit me not the purest's, so as i read along i was getting angry as ya'll were tearing up this guys car [as i'm not that knowledgeable about Dusters] i'm thinking damn [forgetting ya'll are more experienced at what Mopars are suppose to have] these guys are brutal, then we get to the whole story and i realized what SGBARRACUDA was going for and that is why i apologize!!!! It is a shame there are people/shops who would do such things and even sadder is the poor uneducated person whom would trust this ripoffs word and hand him their hard earned money for a bastardised **** box. I have had people ask about how to purchase a classic/muscle car i instruct them to #1 figure out what you want first #2 read up on that model memorize what options were offered what the vin tells you what the fender tag tells you #3 take photos of a factory correct car so you can see the proper placement of things. I tell them that an educated shopper is less likely to make a bad purchase 95% of the time. Thanks for sharing this i hope it helps in the future.
 
I have a good friend of mine and fellow retired Firefighter, name is Vince. His wife went thru hell with colon cancer. She beat it and was cancer free for 1 year, at the two year check up they found out it had come back with a vengeance. Doctor gave her a year to year and a half to live. She lasted about 16 months. Well she had gotten a life policy on herself years before and told Vince , when she died, she wanted him to go out and buy the hotrod he had been wanting. He looked for a long time before settling on a 1966 GTO tri-power 4 speed goat. And with the help of a few people to assist him he bought a beautiful nicely restored Hot Rod.
I would hate to think my friend or someone like him would get taken by a low life like this Duster owner and be sold this POS.
 
I have to apologize to every one of ya'll, as i read this post the further i went the more disgusted i became!!! Let me explain i'm not a purest [except for engines Mopar car Mopar engine ect] i like to build my cars to suit me not the purest's, so as i read along i was getting angry as ya'll were tearing up this guys car [as i'm not that knowledgeable about Dusters] i'm thinking damn [forgetting ya'll are more experienced at what Mopars are suppose to have] these guys are brutal, then we get to the whole story and i realized what SGBARRACUDA was going for and that is why i apologize!!!! It is a shame there are people/shops who would do such things and even sadder is the poor uneducated person whom would trust this ripoffs word and hand him their hard earned money for a bastardised **** box. I have had people ask about how to purchase a classic/muscle car i instruct them to #1 figure out what you want first #2 read up on that model memorize what options were offered what the vin tells you what the fender tag tells you #3 take photos of a factory correct car so you can see the proper placement of things. I tell them that an educated shopper is less likely to make a bad purchase 95% of the time. Thanks for sharing this i hope it helps in the future.
Hey no problem, you and I live in this guys neighbor hood and would be possible potential buyers! This why I wanted to get this info out there! I like most have fell victim to a bad deal at some time in our past. If I can prevent this from happening, it will make me happy!
 
I have been in this hobby for 30 years i have had my share of horror story's from people whom have bought said turds or have had horrible dealings restoring a car it makes me sick to my stomach to think another car lover would do such a dirty thing to someone. I love this hobby and i'm a self taught car builder i never would misrepresent anything i built never have and never will !!!!
 
I have a good friend of mine and fellow retired Firefighter, name is Vince. His wife went thru hell with colon cancer. She beat it and was cancer free for 1 year, at the two year check up they found out it had come back with a vengeance. Doctor gave her a year to year and a half to live. She lasted about 16 months. Well she had gotten a life policy on herself years before and told Vince , when she died, she wanted him to go out and buy the hotrod he had been wanting. He looked for a long time before settling on a 1966 GTO tri-power 4 speed goat. And with the help of a few people to assist him he bought a beautiful nicely restored Hot Rod.
I would hate to think my friend or someone like him would get taken by a low life like this Duster owner and be sold this POS.



Think about what would have happened if Vince went through all that he'll, and then got toasted by some unscrupulous, money grubbing turd.


That is why junk gets called out, people express opinions very dogmatically and take it very seriously.

This "hobby" is expensive. I have spent most of my adult life doing it and most of that, as a professional. I've seen families destroyed because people spent themselves stupid broke over a car. Hell, I've seen it on TV shows where people bring in cars that have been in and out of shops for decades, spent tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars with nothing to show for it.

I am forever amazed we don't find more people floating down rivers for some of the death traps I have seen that people spent a fortune on.
 
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