1976 Feather Duster comes with 383

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sumbitmopar

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Hi Folks. I looked at a 76 Feather Duster today and took some pics but they're to big. Maybe one of you guys could help me post them if I email them to you? Not a bad car, has some rust but it I kinda like it. Comes with a good, stock '70 383 4 barrel motor. Looks good underneath, interior isn't too bad except for the funky buckets. He wants $1500.
 
You can put the pics on photobucket .com and then post them, if you would like me to. You can Email them to me at [email protected].

Jeremy
 
Thanks Cstripes. I'm truly an idiot when it comes to stuff like this! I usually get one of my kids ( like the 10 year old!) to help out! Here they come.
 
Sounds good. No problem on the help. Sounds like a good project.
 
Here we go,
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I don't think it is a real feather Duster though. Fether Dusters where all manual transmissions from what I know. Looks like a straight car.
 
Hmm, yeah, that sounds familiar. They had the aluminum bellhousing and the overdrive 4 speed, right? The hood and declkid on this one is really light, though I dont know if that's the regular hood braceing or not. I'll do a little research. The car is clean underneath, headliner perfect, nice door panels, solid trunk, good glass... has potential I suppose. The 383 turns over freely and he said it was a good running, low mile motor out of a Fury. He also has a "Offenheimer" aluminum intake to go with. I guess that's a Chinese Offenhauser knock-off!
 
If you would like, get me the fender tag info and lets see what it is.

It does look like a cool project. I really like white cars, I used to have a 73 340 Dart in the same color combo.
 
Yeah, one of my favorite cars I've owned was a white 67 GTX with a black vinyl roof and the black stripes. Wish I had that one back! I'll get the info from the tag. Thanks
 
C_stripes said:
If you would like, get me the fender tag info and lets see what it is.

It does look like a cool project. I really like white cars, I used to have a 73 340 Dart in the same color combo.
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It is a Feather Duster.

* Decal placement is correct.

* The underside hood bracing is correct because the aluminum bracing is crimped to the steel hood sheetmetal.

* While they did come with aluminum 4-speed OD transmissions (the whole case), an automatic was optional.

* The underside of the trunk lid should be aluminum. (Get a magnet.)
A guy tried to sell me a Feather Duster trunk lid once and swore it came from the same car as the hood. But it was all steel. Perhaps some came through with all-steel trunk lids if the supply of aluminum ones ran out.

* The bumper reinforcements between the bumper and "shock absorber" bumper brackets should be aluminum. Overall, I don't think they are lighter than the standard front & rear bumper & bracket combo found on '73's.

* Hood is about 15+ lbs lighter and trunk lid is about 8-10 lbs lighter.

* Hood hinges had special, lighter springs because of the lighter weight. Standard hinges/springs make it difficult to shut the hood and it wants to bend.
 
The hood on this thing was very light, as was the trunk lid. It also had only 3 leaves on the springs. My 70 Duster 340 has 6 I think. My Duster is at work but my 72 Demon is in the garage, I'll go check it out and see if I can tell a difference. I already got some Big Block parts laying around like a couple 230* Erson cams and aluminum water pump housing and a fresh set of '67 440 closed chamber heads with 2.19/188 valves and stuff. Heck, I'm gonna talk myself into buying this little Duster!
 
The hood bracing is not crimped and is much heavier on the Demon. I guess the extra wieght savings of the Feather Duster , besides the tranny, will help offset the weight of the B block. Oh, I forgot I have a steel 440 crank that's had the journals turned down to 383/400 size... now for some pistons.....
 
They had to crimp the hood bracing and sheetmetal because there is no way to "weld" aluminum & steel. Not sure how they did the trunk, unless the steel edges of the lid are folded over the aluminum underside.

It's a neat project. But once you start adding V-8 stuff, including 727 trans, rear, suspension, etc. The weight will rise quickly.

Make sure you check/upgrade the brakes also to handle the extra weight and HP/speed.
 
Looks like a decent project for the $$. Probably not many feather Dusters left....
 
In his underhood shots, the crimp is visible.
The trunk should be the same, but not all came with alum substructure, it depends on when it was produced. Mine is Dart Lite, and has a standard hood, 3 speed, and drums. It "should" have alum trunk, 4 speed, and discs.
I would love to know the production date.
 
I told the guy I'll be back this Sunday with my car trailer to get it. I'll take some more pics of the VIN plate and other things like the bumper supports, deck lid and such. Thanks Guys!
 
Info on Feather Dusters
"I knew nothing about the Feather Duster, other than Darell saying they were rare. Most people thought it was just a neat phrase I made up. But I found out it was an economy option package ($50.56) featuring lightweight components." Mike's car features the aluminum inner hood and trunk-lid panels and aluminum front and rear bumper mounts designed to make the Duster as light as a . . . well, you know. The crash-resistant bumper mounts and the transmission casing are also aluminum. A fiberboard headliner and pop-out windows also trimmed off weight. The shipping weight for these cars was around 2,700 pounds. As a result, they were getting as much as 20 mpg in town and 36 mpg on the highway, numbers comparable to today's economy cars. The car was ordered from the factory with the automatic transmission option ($250), so Blevins put in a 904 three-speed. "It was a rare option," Mike says. "It was ordered with a 904 on the buildsheet, and I wanted to keep the automatic because most all were ordered with stick shifts."
 
I thought the doors and fenders were alum. also? since the #'s motor is gone, better make it a deluxe with everything you can. I would go with white and call it the white light!!
 
my brother had a Feather Duster; 4-wheel drum (early 76 model, built during '75, all cars built starting 1/1/76 were mandated for front discs) 3 speed on the floor manual brakes and steering,
I had heard that some FD's and their "partners" from Dodge, the "Dart Lite" came with 318s too. but I have never seen one. Stock, anyway.
 
I know where a dart lite is, its a 225 4 speed, I just dont want to give 3k for something you can throw mellons through. How do the tail lights look on this? Im just curious, let me know if you need a set.
 
volaredon said:
my brother had a Feather Duster; 4-wheel drum (early 76 model, built during '75, all cars built starting 1/1/76 were mandated for front discs) 3 speed on the floor manual brakes and steering,
I had heard that some FD's and their "partners" from Dodge, the "Dart Lite" came with 318s too. but I have never seen one. Stock, anyway.
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I have the twin to your brother's car in the Dart Lite family.
4 wheel small bolt pattern, 3 speed, manual steering and brakes.

Brown, with Parchment interior, 3 speed wipers, and Music Master AM radio.

I was under the impression that NO v8's were available, but you just never know.
 
J4R3D said:
I thought the doors and fenders were alum. also? since the #'s motor is gone, better make it a deluxe with everything you can. I would go with white and call it the white light!!
Click to expand...

Doors were standard fare, nothing special.

J4R3D said:
I know where a dart lite is, its a 225 4 speed, I just dont want to give 3k for something you can throw mellons through. How do the tail lights look on this? Im just curious, let me know if you need a set.
Click to expand...

Got a GOOD set of Dart tail lights lying around? I might be interested.
 
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