Works for me and it looks great!
Inferno Red 74 Duster!
- Thread starter 89on35s
- Start date
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I’ve been picking away at my Duster for the last several weeks in hopes of getting it ready to roll for spring! Well here we are, with an early spring and I am not ready!
I started under the hood installing the AC parts. I chose to retrofit a compressor and brackets and pulleys from an 85 Dodge truck because I got it for a great price (FREE!). I purchased a condenser from E-bay, and I am able to source everything else I need from Napa. I use Napa because I get a great deal through work on any parts I purchase there. I may be putting together a detailed article on exactly what I used if it works as well as I hope it will. It currently is sitting needing the hoses and wiring routed. I installed the compressor and the condensor, and will be using the factory evaporator and controls. As part of this project, I had the factory 26” rad rebuilt and upgraded it to a 3 core, and I had to replace the Edelbrock LD4B intake with an Edelbrock Performer 318/360 so the AC compressor would fit with the stock brackets. I ended up installing a 1” aluminum spacer between the carb and Intake so I could make room for a fuel pressure regulator. I will also need to change my alternator pulley for a 2 groove one.
Before I put my engine back together, I set the Tunnel Ram I bought a while ago in place just for fun! I love the thought of this but it will likely never go on this car. This will be my cruiser! I’d eventually like another Duster with the Tunnel Ram, Side Pipes and a real Spartan interior! Not a full on race car but a 70s street brawler kinda thing.
While I had the engine apart for the intake change, I cleaned up a bunch of wiring and hoses, installed my old M/T valve covers, added an adjustable voltage regulator, moved the coil to the proper spot and generally did a better job of putting things together than I did last year when I was in a huge hurry. I still have zip tie plug wire separators, but I kinda like the look! I redid the fuel lines off of the regulator after this picture was taken cause I felt the radius of the bends was too tight.
After getting the condenser installed and putting the grille and bumper back in place I tore into my front suspension. It came apart really easy and within about 4 hours all the parts were laying all over my shop floor. The lower control arm bushings were so shot, I am sure that is where my issues were coming from. They were allowing the LCAs to shift out toward the frame rails far enough that the torsion bar keys would hit the frame rails and not allow the suspension to settle back to ride height. I was really worried that the K-member holes that the LCA pivot shafts bolt through were trashed too but I cleaned it all up after disassembly and they look perfect. I was so relieved. Taking that K-member out was not something I wanted to do right now.
So I sand blasted and painted up all the parts I intend to reuse. I will be getting 1.03 torsion bars, tubular UCAs, LCA rebuild/stiffening parts, tie rod ends and adjusters, Bilstein shocks and sway bars front and rear. I hope to get that order put in to PST tomorrow. Happy Easter to me!
The only other thing I want to do this summer is to lower the rear a bit. It sits maybe an inch too high in the rear for my liking. I’ll decide that when I get the suspension all back together and drive it a little. Now that being said, I have a factory hitch I may clean up and install. I’ll likely never use it but It would be cool to have on there.
I started under the hood installing the AC parts. I chose to retrofit a compressor and brackets and pulleys from an 85 Dodge truck because I got it for a great price (FREE!). I purchased a condenser from E-bay, and I am able to source everything else I need from Napa. I use Napa because I get a great deal through work on any parts I purchase there. I may be putting together a detailed article on exactly what I used if it works as well as I hope it will. It currently is sitting needing the hoses and wiring routed. I installed the compressor and the condensor, and will be using the factory evaporator and controls. As part of this project, I had the factory 26” rad rebuilt and upgraded it to a 3 core, and I had to replace the Edelbrock LD4B intake with an Edelbrock Performer 318/360 so the AC compressor would fit with the stock brackets. I ended up installing a 1” aluminum spacer between the carb and Intake so I could make room for a fuel pressure regulator. I will also need to change my alternator pulley for a 2 groove one.
Before I put my engine back together, I set the Tunnel Ram I bought a while ago in place just for fun! I love the thought of this but it will likely never go on this car. This will be my cruiser! I’d eventually like another Duster with the Tunnel Ram, Side Pipes and a real Spartan interior! Not a full on race car but a 70s street brawler kinda thing.
While I had the engine apart for the intake change, I cleaned up a bunch of wiring and hoses, installed my old M/T valve covers, added an adjustable voltage regulator, moved the coil to the proper spot and generally did a better job of putting things together than I did last year when I was in a huge hurry. I still have zip tie plug wire separators, but I kinda like the look! I redid the fuel lines off of the regulator after this picture was taken cause I felt the radius of the bends was too tight.
After getting the condenser installed and putting the grille and bumper back in place I tore into my front suspension. It came apart really easy and within about 4 hours all the parts were laying all over my shop floor. The lower control arm bushings were so shot, I am sure that is where my issues were coming from. They were allowing the LCAs to shift out toward the frame rails far enough that the torsion bar keys would hit the frame rails and not allow the suspension to settle back to ride height. I was really worried that the K-member holes that the LCA pivot shafts bolt through were trashed too but I cleaned it all up after disassembly and they look perfect. I was so relieved. Taking that K-member out was not something I wanted to do right now.
So I sand blasted and painted up all the parts I intend to reuse. I will be getting 1.03 torsion bars, tubular UCAs, LCA rebuild/stiffening parts, tie rod ends and adjusters, Bilstein shocks and sway bars front and rear. I hope to get that order put in to PST tomorrow. Happy Easter to me!
The only other thing I want to do this summer is to lower the rear a bit. It sits maybe an inch too high in the rear for my liking. I’ll decide that when I get the suspension all back together and drive it a little. Now that being said, I have a factory hitch I may clean up and install. I’ll likely never use it but It would be cool to have on there.
Looks great Clay. That front end work lies ahead for me but I am avoiding it like the plague.
Honestly it came apart very easy. I'm sure it will go together good too!
Cley
Cley
Well the brown truck full of joy and happiness should arrive next week with my suspension parts! I ordered 1.03" torsion bars, Tubular upper control arms, Lower control arm rebuild/reinforcement kit, Tie rod ends and solid adjusters,
RCD shocks and Sway Bars for both ends. I got it all from PST Suspension cause of the 10% FABO discount, and I thought if I got all the parts from 1 place I'd save on some shipping costs. Shipping was only 130 bucks US from New Jersey to Saskatchewan.
PST was great to deal with so far!
Cley
RCD shocks and Sway Bars for both ends. I got it all from PST Suspension cause of the 10% FABO discount, and I thought if I got all the parts from 1 place I'd save on some shipping costs. Shipping was only 130 bucks US from New Jersey to Saskatchewan.
PST was great to deal with so far!
Cley
Best of luck with the front end!
My parts were in the city on Monday as promised. So far nothing but positive comments for PST! Looking forward to this weekend, Maybe cruising by Sunday. Then I just gotta meet up with my AC guy and I'll set back and enjoy the ride for the summer!
Cley
Cley
PST parts are in! Alignment done! Handles great! Running good! Time to enjoy summer.
Cley
Cley
I think my mini starter is the best modification yet!
Cley
Cley
I took my car on a 300 mile round trip to my Dad's memorial this weekend. Dad passed away a couple weeks ago before I got to take him cruising in the car. He did get to take Mom for a cruise in it last summer when I left it at their place for a week. The only guy I trusted with my car is gone now, so I guess it will stay home with me! Mom's Challenger is pictured with my car.
The car ran great on this first trip of any length. I hit 100 mph passing a minivan and it handled like a dream with no vibration and a super stable road feel. When I floor it, the pipes sing, the Holley howls and it pulls really nice. I may tighten up my kick down cable just a bit as part of the tuning I intend to do over the summer. Lots of tuning opportunities for improving the drivetrain!
I also got my family convinced that the classic Mopar thing is a good idea, Even the wife came with us for ice cream the other night.
Cley
The car ran great on this first trip of any length. I hit 100 mph passing a minivan and it handled like a dream with no vibration and a super stable road feel. When I floor it, the pipes sing, the Holley howls and it pulls really nice. I may tighten up my kick down cable just a bit as part of the tuning I intend to do over the summer. Lots of tuning opportunities for improving the drivetrain!
I also got my family convinced that the classic Mopar thing is a good idea, Even the wife came with us for ice cream the other night.
Cley
maxpayne4x4
Member
nice build man!
Thanks! I have over 600 miles on the car this year. I am loving it. It still needs to be tuned better, and lots of little things need addressed but I am loving it!
Cley
Cley
BJs Duster
BJs duster
My condolences on the passing of your father. I have spent the last couple of hr. reading your resto, you have done a great job getting it to it's current state . I have a rusty 75 Duster i plan on doing a Magnum swap on as i have a 98 Dakota 5.2 5 speed . I am at about 90 % finished a house renovation i promised the wife i would complete before i spent time and money on the Duster . Again, thanks for giving us guys ideas and motivation . Bob
Thanks a lot Bob. Keep shipping away at your project and you'll be cruising soon too!
Cley
Cley
What a great summer I had once it finally got started. It was June before I got on the road after my suspension upgrades, but boy, what a difference that made. Even though I have yet to upgrade the tires to match the suspension, it makes for an all-around better driving experience!
I had to replace my transmission after I lost first gear. This is when I did something really dumb. I installed a junk yard A-998 from an 88 Dodge truck that leaks really bad from the shifter/throttle pressure linkage shaft, and took a lot of fooling around to get it to shift right. The leak is what kept me from taking it to my local track to see what it would do in the ¼ mile. I don’t expect it to be a track hero but I just want to know.
Through all this, I did get over 1700 miles of cruising this summer. Certain aspects of my life has been kinda shitty lately, but when I hit the highway in my Duster, it all seems to melt away for a while! 70 MPH at 3000 rpm is so sweet! I did attend 2 local cruises this year and had a good time just hanging out and talking cars. I don’t see myself doing a lot of that though because I’d rather be driving it! It looks like the car season is done here for 2017, but Maybe I’ll get out one more time if the roads dry up after the first snowfall yesterday. It’s only supposed to be -3c this weekend, and I got a heater!
So for this winter, I hope to address a couple things that came up this year that I know will make next year even better. First off, is the gauges. I was running a speedometer app on my phone because I didn’t even have a speedo cable in the car. My factory fuel and heat gauges work, but I bypassed the amp meter so it’s not doing me any good. I do have a full complement of gauges (oil, volts and temp) down low by my left knee that are a pain to see, and they almost block the E-brake handle too. I couldn’t put them on the right side because I didn’t want them to block the A/C vents. These wil all go into a gauge insert I modified with a solid back pan. It is red in the picture, but I don’t think it will stay that way. Probably just paint it black to match the rest of the dash. I decided not to integrate the tach into the dash panel because I like the look of the tach on the dash pad and it makes it way easier to lay the gauges out with 1 less 3 3/8” gauge to fit in there.
Another winter project will be to rebuild and install the A-500 OD transmission that I picked up a few weeks ago. This will allow me to go to lower gearing when I swap in my 8 ¾. When I bought the car, the trans tunnel was already clearance for the OD so I’ll just have to fab a trans cross member and shorten the driveshaft. I am digging around figuring out how I’ll control the OD and LU. I’ve found several good options.
I have almost all the parts for my 8 ¾ upgrade but time with be the determining factor in whether I get that done or not. I don’t want to have to get the driveshaft shortened twice either so I may have to do the diff and transmission at the same time after all.
I need to finish the underhood portion of the AC system. I never got around to getting the hoses crimped up so the system could be charged. I have all the parts, just could not coordinate myself to get it done. I have a separate thread started on this that will detail how I did this. I used compressor and brackets from an 80s Dodge truck with a new condensor etc so R-134 can be used.
I want to spend some time cleaning up the wiring under the hood. I want to find a relay/fuse box (hopefully from the JY) to house my headlight relays, ignition relays and transmission control relays. The wiring under there really bugs me because I am an electrician and my wiring needs to be nice and neat.
I need to seal up the leaks around my windshield so I can get my windshield trim reinstalled. I also want to be able to go through the drive through car wash once in a while without washing myself at the same time! Also, with longer trips planned for next year, I need to be able to handle driving it in the rain sometimes.
Other than that, I want to do a few interior touch ups. I want to recover the front seats to match the original rear seat. I want to replace the carpet because it is an ill-fitting brown carpet that came with the car when I bought it. The carpet was too thick and stiff to fit nice to the contours of the floorboards and it’s just something that really bugs me.
A million other things could be done if time permits, but the main goal is to be ready to hit the streets when the weather allows it next spring. I am so thankful to have this project to keep me sane in this f’d up life I am living!
Cley
I had to replace my transmission after I lost first gear. This is when I did something really dumb. I installed a junk yard A-998 from an 88 Dodge truck that leaks really bad from the shifter/throttle pressure linkage shaft, and took a lot of fooling around to get it to shift right. The leak is what kept me from taking it to my local track to see what it would do in the ¼ mile. I don’t expect it to be a track hero but I just want to know.
Through all this, I did get over 1700 miles of cruising this summer. Certain aspects of my life has been kinda shitty lately, but when I hit the highway in my Duster, it all seems to melt away for a while! 70 MPH at 3000 rpm is so sweet! I did attend 2 local cruises this year and had a good time just hanging out and talking cars. I don’t see myself doing a lot of that though because I’d rather be driving it! It looks like the car season is done here for 2017, but Maybe I’ll get out one more time if the roads dry up after the first snowfall yesterday. It’s only supposed to be -3c this weekend, and I got a heater!
So for this winter, I hope to address a couple things that came up this year that I know will make next year even better. First off, is the gauges. I was running a speedometer app on my phone because I didn’t even have a speedo cable in the car. My factory fuel and heat gauges work, but I bypassed the amp meter so it’s not doing me any good. I do have a full complement of gauges (oil, volts and temp) down low by my left knee that are a pain to see, and they almost block the E-brake handle too. I couldn’t put them on the right side because I didn’t want them to block the A/C vents. These wil all go into a gauge insert I modified with a solid back pan. It is red in the picture, but I don’t think it will stay that way. Probably just paint it black to match the rest of the dash. I decided not to integrate the tach into the dash panel because I like the look of the tach on the dash pad and it makes it way easier to lay the gauges out with 1 less 3 3/8” gauge to fit in there.
Another winter project will be to rebuild and install the A-500 OD transmission that I picked up a few weeks ago. This will allow me to go to lower gearing when I swap in my 8 ¾. When I bought the car, the trans tunnel was already clearance for the OD so I’ll just have to fab a trans cross member and shorten the driveshaft. I am digging around figuring out how I’ll control the OD and LU. I’ve found several good options.
I have almost all the parts for my 8 ¾ upgrade but time with be the determining factor in whether I get that done or not. I don’t want to have to get the driveshaft shortened twice either so I may have to do the diff and transmission at the same time after all.
I need to finish the underhood portion of the AC system. I never got around to getting the hoses crimped up so the system could be charged. I have all the parts, just could not coordinate myself to get it done. I have a separate thread started on this that will detail how I did this. I used compressor and brackets from an 80s Dodge truck with a new condensor etc so R-134 can be used.
I want to spend some time cleaning up the wiring under the hood. I want to find a relay/fuse box (hopefully from the JY) to house my headlight relays, ignition relays and transmission control relays. The wiring under there really bugs me because I am an electrician and my wiring needs to be nice and neat.
I need to seal up the leaks around my windshield so I can get my windshield trim reinstalled. I also want to be able to go through the drive through car wash once in a while without washing myself at the same time! Also, with longer trips planned for next year, I need to be able to handle driving it in the rain sometimes.
Other than that, I want to do a few interior touch ups. I want to recover the front seats to match the original rear seat. I want to replace the carpet because it is an ill-fitting brown carpet that came with the car when I bought it. The carpet was too thick and stiff to fit nice to the contours of the floorboards and it’s just something that really bugs me.
A million other things could be done if time permits, but the main goal is to be ready to hit the streets when the weather allows it next spring. I am so thankful to have this project to keep me sane in this f’d up life I am living!
Cley
Rip into it!
Keith Mopar
Mopar Nut
That trans will make a great difference for some highway cruising. Keep us updated on the trans fitment and how you will get it to shift into od and lock up, I know there are a few kits out there.
Regarding the OD /LU, I'm looking at a B&M unit designed to control the LU on a 700r4 trans. With that and a timer I could build something that would control both and be adjustable by a knob in the interior of the car. Failing that I'll go with pressure switches off the governor port as others here have done. Both my car and I love the open highway, so OD/LU will be a nice upgrade. Oh and my A/C, and maybe cruise control, and, and, and!
Cley
Cley
Well I haven' had windshield trim for a long time! I' sure the windshield won' leak till spring!
Cley
Cley
How does it fit?
It fits good but it' kinda unnerving how hard you have to hit it in order to get it to clip in. I use a big rubber mallet.
Cley
Cley
Well I guess it' time to get back at this! Spring is only a couple months away. I had a little time today so I got working on my dash between working on a small project for my 03 truck. They are just cheap gauges for now but way better than gauges that don't work!
Cley
Cley
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One step closer to having gauges! I still need a couple more indicating lights. High beam and brake need to be drilled. Oil press light needs to be installed. I decided I wanted the fact on the dash where I could see it better. Definitely leaves more space here! I moved the wiper switch too. I always felt I was reaching around the steering wheel to get to it. Looks ok I think.
Cley
Cley
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
Looks good!
I especially like the mounting position of the wiper switch.
Yeah, i agree the steering wheel seems to be in the way and you have to reach around it to run the wipers.
They should have engineered this better when the cars were new............
I especially like the mounting position of the wiper switch.
Yeah, i agree the steering wheel seems to be in the way and you have to reach around it to run the wipers.
They should have engineered this better when the cars were new............
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