ebay 71 340 Duster in PA 5K with 1 day left and no bids

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Like the guy said... will cost $28000 to restore it?????, then ya better be restoring something worth more than a 340 duster!!????? right??
 
Killer6 said:
LOL!! The missing drivetrain never even crosses My mind looking at that disaster, and I looked at every pic and close-up too. Just doing a proper repair of the cowl is 3 days
worth of work easy, unless You wanna booger it w/a MIG, grind the s#*t flat & call it done. There are /6 Dusters out there clean as a whistle struggling to get anywhere near
that price, clean, unbent and in running condition! WTF? Again, if One wants to pick up the Mantle for the "I just have to save it!" cause, more power to them. But the asking
price is obscene, based on what? A couple of build codes that mean 340 & HEMI Orange? The paint costs the same no matter what code is stamped on the tag, so why else
would someone tackle this train-wreck other than the premise that it's "worth" more because of it?
Click to expand...

"Booger it with a MIG"? Do you not know how to MIG weld? Because if you're "boogering it", you're doing it wrong. All the metal work on that car could be done in 40 hours by a professional. Would it take me longer? Heck yes. Would I have to grind down some of my welds? Yup. Doesn't mean that's the way it should be.

I get it, the car is rough. And yeah, I don't care what the VIN says either, I've got a /6 '74 cloned to a '71 340. I bought my clean, straight, rust free /6 '74 for $2k as a complete car that I almost made the drive home with. And I still think this thing is worth more than mine when I bought it.

You have to know that the car is worth more because of the VIN, because of the hemi orange original color, because of the blackout option, etc. Heck it'll cost less to paint it EV2 than a lot of other colors because it's just a solid color. But it's still worth more to somebody because it's an original EV2 car. Those are just the facts. The biggest thing hurting this car isn't the metal work, it's the missing drivetrain. If it had the numbers matching drivetrain someone would have already bought it.

crackedback said:
Would you be underwater with restoring this car, Sure.

The V24 puts it in another world as far as Dusters are concerned and value. They are the unicorn of Dusters. It's akin to comparing a Swinger to a 340 Swinger. This is the step from a V24 and non v24 340 Dusters.

The car is a mess, no doubt and I would never pay the amount asked for it due to the missing parts and metal work required.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. But on the upside down note, you're pretty much going to be upside down restoring any A-body. You'd lose your wallet just as bad restoring a numbers matching 318 car that was mostly complete and just needing rebuilding and repainting.
 
70aarcuda said:
Ok...what is V24 ?
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647508-4e252db587e7df4c8d6bcc80abc2ebd4.jpg
 
Pick your poison. I personally could not run fast enough from something like this. I pieced a popular GM car together worse than this and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy...

However the guy up the street may can't lay the money out fast enough to restore it. It takes all kinds but this one is time consuming, labor intensive, and a checkbook drainer..... But if someone wants to save it I am all for it.

I believe in my pile I have the correct intake and exhaust manifolds so tell the new owner to look me up because I want in on the action too lol...

JW
 
To get an idea of what is selling and prices placed upon, just look at this forum's car for sale threads, Nothing really selling (1 early B body project priced pretty reasonable) few inquiries on what is listed . Except a 80'w 1/2 ton pickup...
What does that say about the market?? FABO is a hard to sell crowd? Cars overpriced?? Cars for sale somewhere there are no buyers???
I havn't looked at that thread for year or so. Prices remind me of CL.
 
A really nice 71 Duster 340 sold for 44K at BJ this week. Was a nice car from what a member said.

BJ is sometimes beyond stupid with pricing. This car with the same insanity would grab over 50K is my guess.
 
I did see what looked like maybe, a pretty nice H code 383 dart 68. sold for $25000 I believe. that dart is worth way more IMHO than 71 340 duster.. BJ is a dog and pony show for the wealthy, except for the first cars that maybe go thru on cheap day!??/
 
72bluNblu said:
"Booger it with a MIG"? Do you not know how to MIG weld? Because if you're "boogering it", you're doing it wrong. All the metal work on that car could be done in 40 hours by a professional. Would it take me longer? Heck yes. Would I have to grind down some of my welds? Yup. Doesn't mean that's the way it should be.

I get it, the car is rough. And yeah, I don't care what the VIN says either, I've got a /6 '74 cloned to a '71 340. I bought my clean, straight, rust free /6 '74 for $2k as a complete car that I almost made the drive home with. And I still think this thing is worth more than mine when I bought it.

You have to know that the car is worth more because of the VIN, because of the hemi orange original color, because of the blackout option, etc. Heck it'll cost less to paint it EV2 than a lot of other colors because it's just a solid color. But it's still worth more to somebody because it's an original EV2 car. Those are just the facts. The biggest thing hurting this car isn't the metal work, it's the missing drivetrain. If it had the numbers matching drivetrain someone would have already bought it.
Click to expand...
I've welded panels, cast iron, aluminum, stainless, ...with a MIG, I've stick welded all but the aluminum the same, stutter boxes, guns, I've Oxy/Acetylene welded steel, cast,
brazed, soldered everything from plumbing to an old Zildjian Amir Ride Cymbal that had the nicest tone for certain songs, takes some heat and quench to bring the tone back
but it's still there for about 3 songs worth of recording.....then it needs done again,....no they're not just "out there" to find.
The s#*t that's done to the cowling(which is the least of this things worries) would make cutting it off at the welds & repairing it, then re-installing it..correctly, I say at least
3 days of honest effort. Anybody can MIG the holes shut & grind & fill/block, but what's on the back-side.....? S#*T, that's what.......the car is a disaster & if not done right
will be a rip-off to the recipient of a "flip" ordeal....
 
Killer6 said:
I've welded panels, cast iron, aluminum, stainless, ...with a MIG, I've stick welded all but the aluminum the same, stutter boxes, guns, I've Oxy/Acetylene welded steel, cast,
brazed, soldered everything from plumbing to an old Zildjian Amir Ride Cymbal that had the nicest tone for certain songs, takes some heat and quench to bring the tone back
but it's still there for about 3 songs worth of recording.....then it needs done again,....no they're not just "out there" to find.
The s#*t that's done to the cowling(which is the least of this things worries) would make cutting it off at the welds & repairing it, then re-installing it..correctly, I say at least
3 days of honest effort. Anybody can MIG the holes shut & grind & fill/block, but what's on the back-side.....? S#*T, that's what.......the car is a disaster & if not done right
will be a rip-off to the recipient of a "flip" ordeal....
Click to expand...

Remove the whole cowl to repair the holes from the hood pin brackets? Appropriately sized patch panels with good welds is a perfectly acceptable way to make that repair. If the welding is done correctly there shouldn't be any weld boogers on the backside, though of course there will be evidence of the weld. If the gap on the patch is set correctly though the weld on the backside should be close to flush or slightly raised.

Removing the whole cowl to do that repair adds nothing to the car or to the repair, it just adds to the price and the time. If anything, you're adding more welds that aren't correct, because you'll have to remove the whole cowl and then plug weld the old spot welds you drilled out. The only other option would be a brand new reproduction cowl with installation using a spot welder, factory style. Of course that's moot for now because there are no reproduction cowls made at the moment.

So, no matter how you do the repair, the result isn't going to look factory somewhere. If you remove the whole cowl it won't look factory at the spot welds, which you can see. Or, it won't look factory on the inside of the cowl, which you can't see from the outside. The latter is the better choice for this car IMHO. Of course, it makes it harder on future buyers, because the only way to identify a repair has been made is to check inside the cowl. The alternative though is having everyone that looks at the car know that the cowl has been removed, unless you're going to bodywork all the plug welds to look like spot welds. Which is no better than leaving the remaining evidence inside the cowl, you're bodyworking the evidence just the same. Honestly, I'd rather have weld boogers on the inside of the cowl from a less than ideal patch and weld repair than plug welds everywhere the cowl is spot welded. The repair is the repair, and the integrity of the rest of the cowl is left alone.

These cars are 50 years old or closing in on it. There are going to be repairs, that's just how it works. I'm not suggesting repairing the thing with pop rivets and bondo, a properly installed patch panel is not a "flip ordeal" and there's no reason anyone would have to deal with it again later if it's patched correctly.
 
You remove the cowl, fix it, including the flanges where it was spot welded & re-install it by re-spot-welding it. It ain't rocket science but it is hard work, and it is the best way
to do it.......and the only way if You're going to try to sell it for 60K because it has "these two codes" on the tag....................otherwise it's just another amateur re-do for a
driver that's maybe worth 25K at best.....................
 
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Killer6 said:
You remove the cowl, fix it, including the flanges where it was spot welded & re-install it by re-spot-welding it. It ain't rocket science but it is hard work, and it is the best way
to do it.......and the only way if You're going to try to sell it for 60K because it has "these two codes" on the tag....................otherwise it's just another amateur re-do for a
driver that's maybe worth 25K at best.....................
Click to expand...
Kinda agree with this method...the best way on a high price potential car.
 
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