Travis Baldree
Member
I've been here for a bit, but just now finally getting around to posting a hello-
In January I picked up a 74 duster 318 from an elderly gentleman in Yakima.
He'd had it for at least a decade and just never got around to fixing it up, and now knew he was really NEVER going to get around to it. (I've been sending him updates as I go)
It spent some time in Texas and Oklahoma before then - Tink's Auto Mart from Tulsa badge still on the rear. Leaving that.
Still single-stage paint, fading through to the original color. I like it.
Not a great picture here, but ideally I'll get around to some more later in proper daylight.
318, 904 transmission, dual exhaust - was factory AC, but the compressor is gone. Various hoses and condenser still there, but the condenser is pretty chewed up.
It ran and drove, but needed a load of love, and was certainly not roadworthy for more than a few blocks.
Trans dipstick was missing, bolt snapped off on the valve cover - which on the passenger side seemed to be puking an amber goo all over the exhaust manifold. It had a Holley aftermarket carb, but it was a manual choke with the choke not actually hooked up anywhere. Kickdown linkage was non functional, no tire was the same size, there was a broken wheel stud, gear indicator was busted, horn pad missing and wheel clocked 120 degrees off, trunk latch was missing, wiper linkage had disintegrated, no washer pump, battery tray was rotted through and acid had burned a hole through the wheel well, windshield cracked, fuel send wiring was severed, cancel cam snapped, stereo naturally non functional, dash pad looks like the surface of the moon, speaker disintegrated, radiator mis-sized and held in with baling wire, no gauges or interior lights worked, the exhaust was hanging loose and bouncing off the pavement and the H-pipe had torn itself in half, various interior trim was disintegrated or missing, the wiring was a disaster in the engine bay and the cabin, with random hot wires draped here and there - and wasp nests on the undercarriage.
Sport mirror controls were absent, and mirrors had been replaced with another set with irregularly drilled holes that were dripping off the side-
...but it started, and the brakes worked (disc front, drum rear)- and rust is minimal - floor pans are good, just a little starting to nibble at the rear lower quarter panel that hasn't eaten too deep yet.
Shifts were obviously very bad with the kickdown nonfunctional.
It already had a name - he called it Dusty.
I had to have it delivered since I live a few hours away and there was no way it was drivable that distance. When it arrived it was the middle of the night and it had maybe a gallon of gas in it. It promptly died of starvation as soon as it made it off the truck. Fed it some gas into the bowl and managed to get it limped to the curb in the dark (every time I closed the door the plastic door trim shattered a little more and rained all over me), but it had to wait until the next day to go get a few gallons to dump in the tank and make its way into the garage.
Discovered that the fuel sending unit had rotted through and if it had more than 3 gallons of gas, it puked it on the floor - among other fuel leaks from rotting hoses throughout.
And since then... lots of work. More reliable by the day!
The goal is a fun, solid beater with all its bits in working order, dependable, and not too nice that you wouldn't take it on a gravel road.
Completed tasks so far:
*Fixed kickdown rod setup with Bouchillon cable
*Adjusted throttle cable for proper WOT
*Cleaned up engine bay wiring
*Replaced trans dipstick
*Replaced trunk lock
*Replaced hood release handle
*Reaffixed fusebox
*Replaced horn button
*Replaced and re-clocked steering wheel (the old one was badly chipped and cracked
*Replaced gear indicator
*Greased window regulators
*Replaced door plastic top trim caps
*Replaced all burnt out bulbs
*Lubed door mechanisms
*Fixed turn signal/cancel cam
*Replace relays for turn signal/hazard
*Properly attach instrument bezel
*Fix driver's door lock button (stripped)
*Cleaned up dash wiring
*Replaced voltage regulator in dash with modern version
*Replaced battery
*Replaced battery tray
*Patched and painted hole under battery tray and sprayed rubberized undercoating in wheel well
*New tires
*New 15 inch rallyes
*Replaced front right broken lug stud
*fixed dome light, new dome light cover
*Fixed driver's sport mirror & controls
*Replaced both mirrors - patched errant holes and repainted
*Fixed windshield wiper assembly - all bushings had disintegrated
*Added new Holley carb w/ electric choke
*Added relay for electric choke
*Fixed map light and reaffixed it
*Replaced in-dash speaker
*Installed new air cleaner
*Replaced leaking fuel tank send
*Fixed fuel send wiring
*replaced rubber fuel lines at tank, fixed grounding straps
*replaced fuel line at fuel filter/carb
*Replaced gas tank gasket
*Fixed temp gauge
*Replaced temp send
*replaced speedometer cable
*Replaced hardline with AN at fuel pump for now (was leaking)
*Added missing wiper bottle/hoses
*replaced oil pressure switch send
*added oil pressure gauge
*fresh alignment
*replaced tie rod adjustment sleeves
*replaced upper control arm bushings
*replaced ball joints
*Replaced stereo with a NOS casette player
*Fixed coolant leak
*replaced valve covers
*New valve cover gaskets
*Retapped broken bolt hole in passenger side valve cover for proper attachment
*Added tachometer to a-pillar
*Checked for vacuum leaks (clear!)
*Adjusted timing for vacuum and RPM
*Adjusted fuel mix & idle RPM
*Replaced window weather stripping
*Replaced trunk weather stripping
*oil & filter change
Up next:
New exhaust (Monday! Magnaflow methinks)
Replace radiator - electric fans maybe?
Headlight relay
Philips LED headlights
Change transmission fluid and gasket
replace nasty, nasty carpet
Find remaining bits of missing trim (passenger door handle cup, disintegrating a-pillar trim)
Repaint mismatched interior trim once I've found it all
Replace windshield
4bbl intake & carb upgrade w/ vac secondaries
Cover the dash pad
Replace ragged door cards
kick panel and rear speakers
A bath! Been too cold to wash it.
Take a wire brush to the rust and convert it/repaint it
Replace license plate light housing (it's busted, and a PITA to get to, bumper bolts rusted in place and penetrant not equal to the challenge)
Investigate putting the AC back together.
DRIVE IT EVERYWHERE
In January I picked up a 74 duster 318 from an elderly gentleman in Yakima.
He'd had it for at least a decade and just never got around to fixing it up, and now knew he was really NEVER going to get around to it. (I've been sending him updates as I go)
It spent some time in Texas and Oklahoma before then - Tink's Auto Mart from Tulsa badge still on the rear. Leaving that.
Still single-stage paint, fading through to the original color. I like it.
Not a great picture here, but ideally I'll get around to some more later in proper daylight.
318, 904 transmission, dual exhaust - was factory AC, but the compressor is gone. Various hoses and condenser still there, but the condenser is pretty chewed up.
It ran and drove, but needed a load of love, and was certainly not roadworthy for more than a few blocks.
Trans dipstick was missing, bolt snapped off on the valve cover - which on the passenger side seemed to be puking an amber goo all over the exhaust manifold. It had a Holley aftermarket carb, but it was a manual choke with the choke not actually hooked up anywhere. Kickdown linkage was non functional, no tire was the same size, there was a broken wheel stud, gear indicator was busted, horn pad missing and wheel clocked 120 degrees off, trunk latch was missing, wiper linkage had disintegrated, no washer pump, battery tray was rotted through and acid had burned a hole through the wheel well, windshield cracked, fuel send wiring was severed, cancel cam snapped, stereo naturally non functional, dash pad looks like the surface of the moon, speaker disintegrated, radiator mis-sized and held in with baling wire, no gauges or interior lights worked, the exhaust was hanging loose and bouncing off the pavement and the H-pipe had torn itself in half, various interior trim was disintegrated or missing, the wiring was a disaster in the engine bay and the cabin, with random hot wires draped here and there - and wasp nests on the undercarriage.
Sport mirror controls were absent, and mirrors had been replaced with another set with irregularly drilled holes that were dripping off the side-
...but it started, and the brakes worked (disc front, drum rear)- and rust is minimal - floor pans are good, just a little starting to nibble at the rear lower quarter panel that hasn't eaten too deep yet.
Shifts were obviously very bad with the kickdown nonfunctional.
It already had a name - he called it Dusty.
I had to have it delivered since I live a few hours away and there was no way it was drivable that distance. When it arrived it was the middle of the night and it had maybe a gallon of gas in it. It promptly died of starvation as soon as it made it off the truck. Fed it some gas into the bowl and managed to get it limped to the curb in the dark (every time I closed the door the plastic door trim shattered a little more and rained all over me), but it had to wait until the next day to go get a few gallons to dump in the tank and make its way into the garage.
Discovered that the fuel sending unit had rotted through and if it had more than 3 gallons of gas, it puked it on the floor - among other fuel leaks from rotting hoses throughout.
And since then... lots of work. More reliable by the day!
The goal is a fun, solid beater with all its bits in working order, dependable, and not too nice that you wouldn't take it on a gravel road.
Completed tasks so far:
*Fixed kickdown rod setup with Bouchillon cable
*Adjusted throttle cable for proper WOT
*Cleaned up engine bay wiring
*Replaced trans dipstick
*Replaced trunk lock
*Replaced hood release handle
*Reaffixed fusebox
*Replaced horn button
*Replaced and re-clocked steering wheel (the old one was badly chipped and cracked
*Replaced gear indicator
*Greased window regulators
*Replaced door plastic top trim caps
*Replaced all burnt out bulbs
*Lubed door mechanisms
*Fixed turn signal/cancel cam
*Replace relays for turn signal/hazard
*Properly attach instrument bezel
*Fix driver's door lock button (stripped)
*Cleaned up dash wiring
*Replaced voltage regulator in dash with modern version
*Replaced battery
*Replaced battery tray
*Patched and painted hole under battery tray and sprayed rubberized undercoating in wheel well
*New tires
*New 15 inch rallyes
*Replaced front right broken lug stud
*fixed dome light, new dome light cover
*Fixed driver's sport mirror & controls
*Replaced both mirrors - patched errant holes and repainted
*Fixed windshield wiper assembly - all bushings had disintegrated
*Added new Holley carb w/ electric choke
*Added relay for electric choke
*Fixed map light and reaffixed it
*Replaced in-dash speaker
*Installed new air cleaner
*Replaced leaking fuel tank send
*Fixed fuel send wiring
*replaced rubber fuel lines at tank, fixed grounding straps
*replaced fuel line at fuel filter/carb
*Replaced gas tank gasket
*Fixed temp gauge
*Replaced temp send
*replaced speedometer cable
*Replaced hardline with AN at fuel pump for now (was leaking)
*Added missing wiper bottle/hoses
*replaced oil pressure switch send
*added oil pressure gauge
*fresh alignment
*replaced tie rod adjustment sleeves
*replaced upper control arm bushings
*replaced ball joints
*Replaced stereo with a NOS casette player
*Fixed coolant leak
*replaced valve covers
*New valve cover gaskets
*Retapped broken bolt hole in passenger side valve cover for proper attachment
*Added tachometer to a-pillar
*Checked for vacuum leaks (clear!)
*Adjusted timing for vacuum and RPM
*Adjusted fuel mix & idle RPM
*Replaced window weather stripping
*Replaced trunk weather stripping
*oil & filter change
Up next:
New exhaust (Monday! Magnaflow methinks)
Replace radiator - electric fans maybe?
Headlight relay
Philips LED headlights
Change transmission fluid and gasket
replace nasty, nasty carpet
Find remaining bits of missing trim (passenger door handle cup, disintegrating a-pillar trim)
Repaint mismatched interior trim once I've found it all
Replace windshield
4bbl intake & carb upgrade w/ vac secondaries
Cover the dash pad
Replace ragged door cards
kick panel and rear speakers
A bath! Been too cold to wash it.
Take a wire brush to the rust and convert it/repaint it
Replace license plate light housing (it's busted, and a PITA to get to, bumper bolts rusted in place and penetrant not equal to the challenge)
Investigate putting the AC back together.
DRIVE IT EVERYWHERE
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