2000+ mile road trip in the Duster, going to be heading up I-84 on Monday

[J-MacsMopars]

As you may or may not know, I picked up this Duster a few weeks ago and have been really enjoying it. It needed a bit of work here and there, but over all is in really good condition with 53300 original miles (at purchase). It does have a 318 that has been rebuilt and uses 340 X heads along with a cam and a few other goodies. The trans had been rebuilt, but there was no kickdown installed. Before my roadtrip started, we installed a Loker kickdown and throttle cable kit. Looks really good, easy to adjust, however in order for the car to kick down, it has to be adjusted really tight and doesn't shift out of second till about 55mph even when your not on it. So that concerns me a little.


On Friday, I decided I was heading to Utah from Portland, OR for a little bit. So on Saturday, my friend John and I worked on it from 10 in the morning till 1:00 the next morning fixing some things that needed attention.


On Sunday, I left for an 800 mile drive straight through. The car ran great. I had no problems till Boise when one of the rear shocks blew and dropped the back of the car right on to the side wall of the brand new tires. It but a nice gouge in the tire, so I had to pull off the interstate and farmer fix it. Then I continued.

I decided to stay at my cousins house in Malad, ID since I was getting pretty tired, I did 725 miles in 12 hours. I will say that having short, loud exhaust on a long road trip is less than enjoyable. But otherwise it was a great first leg in the trip. Now to decide when and how to go home.

 

[J-MacsMopars]

 

[MileHighDart]

Nice looking Duster, good luck with your return trip.

 

[J-MacsMopars]

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[stansblue72]

Is that the Columbia your driving next to? Looks like maybe Boniville dam. Nice looking duster!

 

[J-MacsMopars]

Thanks for the complements. Yep! It's the Columbia. I'm not sure which dam it is. It's a beautiful drive though.

 

[Lance R Valiant]

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Come back on WA 14 and you can get another shot of a "Plymouth" road sign ...

 

[Tony Fields]

Great pics and a great looking car!

You gotta love a road trip.

 

[norton]

I think that I envy you. Looks like a fun drive.

 

[memike]

First let me say that is a great looking Duster :cheers: and thank you for sharing a great trip with some very cool pictures :glasses7: enjoy the ride

 

[J-MacsMopars]

Thanks again guys. I really like this car. It's a lot of fun being able to drive it and not worry to much if it gets a chip or something. I don't know that I could ever own a 100% show car. Road trips are to much fun. More pics will be added as I go.

Here's a few from this morning. This is just west of Newton, UT. Anyone that has seen other photos of other cars I have owned may recognize the area.
Its kind of nice visiting home. Haven'e been here for over a year.

I know that the car is filthy, I need to wash it bad.




The town I grew up in.

 

[Frankie]

That's great! Wonderful experience, right?

back in 2010 I drove From Macon Ga. to Albuquerque, N.M. and back in my 71 Swinger.
1530 miles each way, or 3060 miles, round trip. No sweat, no strain, and great weather both ways. These old MoPars still got it.

 

[nothingbutdarts]

these old mopars still got it.

x2

 

[H20loo]

thanks for sharing the pics!!

 

[J-MacsMopars]

Glad I could share. I am hoping to make a few stops on the way back. I was thinking about going down hwy 50 in Nevada and get some photos of the shoe tree, but some *** hats decided to cut it down. I don't understand why vandals fell the need to ruin things that bring others so much enjoyment.

I may instead check out Hot Lakes hotel in La Grande, OR. The Overlook Hotel from the Shining at Mt. Hood, OR. as well as some other cool places. Anyone have any other ideas around I-84? Anyone want to meet up on the way back? I will be heading back on Monday and Tuesday.

 

[oldkimmer]

..................Great road trip, great pics........kim...........

 

[6pk2goDemon]

Cool looking Duster & beautiful pics of the scenery!! I bet you're happy to be heading home for a visit....... 8-)

Safe travels for 'ya on your journey :thumbup:

 

[4spdragtop]

Jeremy, that is a beautiful Duster! 74?? My 1st love was a 74 Duster. Those pics are phenomenal. Im jealous! Like I need to say it, Enjoy the road trip and post more pics!

Dash gauges/lights look sharp too

 

[J-MacsMopars]

Thanks again. I really am enjoying this car. It's a lot of fun. Here's a shot from yesterday.

 

[J-MacsMopars]

And yes, it is a 74. I wish it was a 73 so that it had the smaller rear bumper. But I will change that at some point.

The gauges are cool in white. They look really nice. The whole car is a really nice driver. It needs paint and a few things, but over all is great.

 

[412 Stroker]

Cool Trip!! Just for grins, any idea on what your getting for gas mileage??

 

[J-MacsMopars]

The best I have got, has been 15.8 mpg and the worst is 12.2. The car is set up for about 200 feet above sea level and the first legs of the trip were the best milage. Now it's a pig and getting more around the 12 mpg. This is the first time I have ever ran a holley, and I did rebuild it myself right before the trip. First carb I have ever rebuilt too. The kick down is also not working properly. It won't kickdown unless I have it set really tight, but then won't shift out of second till like 50mph. I am using the Loker set up. Don't really know what to do about that.

 

[j-miller]

Glad to see your back Jeremy! Enjoy your trip in the new ride and be safe!!

 

[KENTON]

Nice pictures, thanks for posting them.

 

[Jarlaxle]

What's the axle ratio?

Also: you might get better mileage if you ran less than 90MPH.