I have converted! So heres my questions.

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AxelsMopar

WolfiesDuster
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I joined this forum a year ago being a stupid 15 year old who wanted a 73 charger. I didnt know what A or B body went and I didnt really care. I spent lots of time trying to get my dream of a 73 charger while not listening to some people on the forum here about starting out with a A body.

Well not im 16. And bought my first vehicle. A 95 jeep cherokee sport. And holy crap have I learned ALOT. Gas is expensive and a 4.0L Inline 6 needs some MPG mods like crazy! Which I did. And I started other stuff. Brakes. Exhaust manifold. Injectors. Transfer case swap... Point is ive learned.

Now as the title says ive Converted. Heres why. One day I was picking up my friend on the way to school. And I saw a 72 duster and said "holy crap thats bigger then I thought it was" Any way I was supprised and I actually really liked the look. First time seeing one too...

Any how I started looking to figure out what year it was (didnt know at the time) and saw a 73. I feel in love with it :love7: And then I figured " the chargers great. But I dont have the cash to buy one, or restore one for that matter... Plus gas... Maybe when im older."

So Ive converted. The end.

Now for questions.

Whats the mpg of a slant 6 in a duster after its been tuned right?
Whats the mpg of a 318 after its been tuned right?
How much would a project 72-74 duster cost? OR should I put it: How much would a 72 project (with and without engine. 73 project. and 74 project cost?

Are body parts (fenders quarters hoods etc) expensive and hard to find?

Thanks
 
Back in the day, a friend of mine had a 318 stocker in a 68/9 Charger that routinely got 18mpg or so

I swapped a stock '71 340 into my '70 Roadrunner body, and it was no lightweight. Had the factory heavy suspension (Trak pac?) the big Dana 60 rear with 3.54 gear, and 4 speed. It routinely got 17 on the highway. I did have headers and the big exhaust and mufflers off the 440 that came out
 
This is my Opinion ONLY

Being young you will learn alot in the years to come. remember it is OK to make a mistake, just learn from it and go on.

A Bodies are somewhat cheaper than B bodies, the 73 and up are less than the 70 - 72 Dusters

parts are still available but getting harder to find good ones

It was a LONG time ago but I have had both

I had a 70 slant 6 3 speed on the floor and it got about 20-21 mpg

Had a 74 318 auto Duster, ac, ps and it got about 18 mpg

Both were all stock except the 70 had 60 series tires all around, 74 was completely stock, an butt ugly green

Cannot give you prices, check out craigslist, FABO classifieds, Ebay Cars OnLine for pricing.

Good Luck

I sold my 67 Dart GT hardtop to a young guy for a father soon project. gave him the complete car, good engine, trans & rearend out of my Dart and many parts he was going to need to put it back on the road for $1,000.

It even had a set of mag wheels and good tires that i bought for it.

I think I could have sold it as parts for more money, but wanted to give him a break. Hope he does something with it.

maybe you can find someone that is willing to give you a break. try and find a Mopar guy in your area and see if he could use some help with projects on his car. What better way to learn than from someone with some experience, and his money. maybe he can hook you up with a car of your dreams.

My 2 cents, but probably not worth face value
 
Im actually looking for a project/roller because I actually have fun working on cars. I know I got alot to learn but i actually like messing around and learn from my mistakes.

There are not alot of mopars around where I live. Actually there arent alot of muscle cars in general around where I live. So if im going to buy anything Itll sadly have to be out of state.

Advise of any kind that is trying to help in any way is welcome.
 
You'll get just about any kind of answer you want. Here's mine....mileage of a slant 6 1bbl. is usually between 18 and 22 MPG. Manual trans versions are usually a bit higher than the auto's. 2bbl's are between 14 and 18. 318 2bbl's between 14 and 18. Naturally, the size of the vehicle, options like A/C, tire size, and rear end ratio can effect mileage... sometimes substantially. A-bodies are generally cheaper and easier to get body parts for compared to B and E-bodies. Restoration costs are too varied to give you a price. A full show quality restoration is hard to do for under 50K these days unless you're going to do most of the work yourself. A guy in the newest Mopar Action just spent 100K to restore a low miles Valiant which then scored the highest recorded at the Nationals. I've seen 20k spent on a resto win best of show at a major event....I've seen 60K spent on a resto that wouldn't win 3rd place at a local cruise night. If you hire someone to do it, do your research and see some results before you sign on the dotted line. If you're going to do it yourself, take some classes at a local college to gain some skills you'll need.
 
My 318 gets 22 MPG 2.74 gears, 4 brl., haeders, mild cam, roller rockers.

Cost to rebuild depends on what you want in it. Good - better - best
 
Its gotta look clean and nice. Not new. Not show quality. Its gotta drive, hold up, and look nice and beastly. I really want a nice looking dd that i can have fun and work on for nice weather driving. I already have crap weather driving saved for my work in progress cherokee.

No rust... Or visible rust i guess. Good frame. If the floor doesnt have a big whole in it like my cherokee ill be good. No roof trouble.

I think youll get the point by now. I dont NEED a full out contest car thats worth $30,000. Just a nice car i can drive and restore when it isnt being used kinda car. Make sense?
 
So would putting a 331 Hemi be a big project? I know where one is for 900 with trans. Just wondering.
 
My opinion is it would be worth shipping costs to start with a rust-free car from AZ or SoCal. You might find one locally, but it would have to have been garaged every winter for 40+ years. Might be a great memory to fly there and drive one back with your dad or uncle, but a bit of risk and legwork to make sure it would drive.

Others can answer the 331 Hemi question. I am guessing that is a 1950's "early Hemi" engine. Not a good choice for an initial car project, unless somebody sells a packaged solution (motor mounts, tranny mount, etc.).
 
Make sure you look over, and especially under, every inch of the car and make note of things like ball joints, leaf springs, brake lines, etc. before you buy one. That stuff really adds up fast on these Mopars since the aftermarket and parts re manufacturers are a lot smaller than GM and Ford. Spending a little more money on a good project start can save you tons of money and time down the road.
 
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