I took my /6 Duster out for a TOP END RUN today!

You all know that I'm getting my 1973 Duster back on the road after its 20+ years in storage. I've got it to the point where it'll get you around well enough, but it is no race car, and it has the rattles and squeaks of 5 cars. Every time I hit a good bump I think some important part of the suspension is going to fall off. Lower ball joints and lower control arm bushings have been changed. I presume the upper ball joints are ok or it wouldn't have passed inspection or gotten aligned.

Anyway, the Duster still has its 1920 Holley 1 barrel 225 /6, A/C, 904, 2.76 gears, stock small exhaust, etc. I finished installing new Autometer Z series oil pressure gauge and a Z series 5000 rpm tach this afternoon.

I got on a stretch of local highway the better part of a mile long before it starts to go uphill slightly and turn left. I got around the cars getting on the highway in front of me, and by now I was at 70 mph, so I got in the left lane and put the foot mostly to the floor.

I was hearing some pinging, I run 90 octane ethanol free gas. Or maybe the 1920 is leaning out up top.

It took a while for the speedometer to creep up to a rip-snortin' 87 mph and roughly 3400 rpm on the new tach, and by now I was hitting the hill and losing a few mph.

By now I think the car was a little pissed at me, as I noticed the ammeter was now showing full discharge, then I got a LOUD backfire out the carburetor (or exhaust maybe, not sure), and I rolled it to the side of the road.

I got out and look at everything. Nothing obviously burned or leaking. I restarted it which took a few tries, had to pump the gas on a hot engine which is not normally needed.

So after a few minutes, it settled down and started running normally again, I drove another 15 miles or so until I got home.

I should save the speed runs for my Tesla Model 3 (an early production April 2018 build Long Range rear wheel drive single motor car), it'll touch 140 with no problem at all, then the computer speed limiter gets in the way.

I remember my old 1971 Plymouth Valiant with its 4 barrel 225, 268 Purple Shaft, Clifford headers, and wide ratio 904 touching about 110-115 with 3.23 gears about 23 years ago.