Is An A Body Worth It?

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kend

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A few months ago I picked up a 73 340 Duster that was all original down to the air cleaner, I knew the engine wouldn 't turn over but was hoping for the best, turned out to be the worst. Got the engine out and apart and found a cylinder is cracked and both heads are shot. The block can be fixed with two sleeves (minimum) to fix the crack in one and rust pits in the other and boring but I'll need another set of heads. The block is original (it has the right numbers) and that's the only reason I even considered fixing it. The body is pretty solid but I do have some rust to fix and it needs paint and stripes which I'm going to do anyway. It has new floor and trunk pans so the car is'nt completely original now.

My question is would the car be worth it? Is the value of it great enough to fix the original block or should I, 1) find another block and heads (all other pcs are good) or 2) find another 340 engine or 3) build this 426 hemi and shove it in there.

I've wanted a 340 Duster since high school and I was planning to put this one back stock but with this development things are changing. What say ye?
 
I would suggest building what you want. Fully restored, I think the car is probably worth about $15k. The "beak" cars just get no love in the market so worrying about value just isn't worth it.
 
Define "worth it".

For resale to make a profit, depends on how much of the work you can do yourself. Most likely, no. The 73-up A bodies don't have the following that the pre-73's do.

Worth it to have the 340 Duster you've always wanted and it turns out to be a great driver that turns heads and you can hit the local shows, etc?? You bet!
 
dusterdoug said:
Define "worth it".

For resale to make a profit, depends on how much of the work you can do yourself. Most likely, no. The 73-up A bodies don't have the following that the pre-73's do.

Worth it to have the 340 Duster you've always wanted and it turns out to be a great driver that turns heads and you can hit the local shows, etc?? You bet!
Click to expand...

I haven't seen the car but it sounds like fixing it is "worth it". Keeping it a "numbers matching original" is probably not.
 
Hold onto the block in your garage, but go find a cheap 360 and fix that up. Keep the 340 emblems though.
 
kend said:
A few months ago I picked up a 73 340 Duster that was all original down to the air cleaner, I knew the engine wouldn 't turn over but was hoping for the best, turned out to be the worst. Got the engine out and apart and found a cylinder is cracked and both heads are shot. The block can be fixed with two sleeves (minimum) to fix the crack in one and rust pits in the other and boring but I'll need another set of heads. The block is original (it has the right numbers) and that's the only reason I even considered fixing it. The body is pretty solid but I do have some rust to fix and it needs paint and stripes which I'm going to do anyway. It has new floor and trunk pans so the car is'nt completely original now.

My question is would the car be worth it? Is the value of it great enough to fix the original block or should I, 1) find another block and heads (all other pcs are good) or 2) find another 340 engine or 3) build this 426 hemi and shove it in there.

I've wanted a 340 Duster since high school and I was planning to put this one back stock but with this development things are changing. What say ye?
Click to expand...


Yes, it's worth it. Beak cars may not be the most desirable, but an original 340 car is always worth it.

That said,

I'd build the Hemi.
 
In this economy-NO! At the end of the day you will not get your money back. If you like the car and want to have fun it's a great car for that! Make sure you can afford it. If you look on here you will find lots of guys that have put time and money into these for years. And some are still in their garages.
 
It is a low value car in the overall market but $1000 hit without the numbers block in it. Spend the money fixing the block and get a good set of heads, nobody cares about matching heads as they don't have a VIN number on them.
 
A-Bodies are a labour of love , not many recover their investments , we do it
because we just love them old chryslers, plymouths and dodges. If you cruise this
site you will find that most of the members are multi a-body owners. They build one
love it so much they end up building another. So yes it is worth it . A duster with
a modern 5.7 hemi would be pretty cool.
 
Dad always tells me never to sell anything. I think it would be really cool to restore the numbers matching block. If the heads can't be made to work, buy a set, but I'd keep the originals.

I'd figure out what it will cost to fix the block vs what you can buy a block for vs what you can buy an engine for. If it's cheaper or the same to fix the block vs buying a block, it's not much difference in work done. If you can find an engine you're comfortable not dismantling, then there's something saved there.

Going hemi would be really cool, but it's the most work. You'll need a lot of stuff. Bigger torsion bars, different motor mounts (I'm not sure if the Schumacher mounts will work for a hemi or not) or a motor plate, you have to work really hard to keep power steering and I'm not sure you can keep power brakes (nor do I know if you have either of those). That said, it sounds like you already have the Hemi, and the duster would be a great home for it.

....I'm bad at making decisions, but I do know that I wish I could drive my car and staying 340 will put you on the road the quickest and cheapest. If you want more, you'll still have the Hemi :D
 
'73 Duster isn't considered a BEAK CAR. But, if that's the car you want then do it. When you get done with it it will be worth about half what you have in it. Just sayin'. It's not a business.
 
If you are going to run the car hard then I would find another engine.
I would store the 340 and find another one to build.
Just having the numbers matching block would be a plus even if it is not in the car.
 
This "worth it" thought has been on my mind for several months now but I'm building a 69 Barracuda. My dream car is a 1970-71 Cuda. But I found this super solid 69 for a really good price and the price on a bucket case 70-71 Barracudas is much higher. So I've been pondering what I 'should have' done because now I have a world of money invested in this car cuz I don't know how to do it economically. Once I started on this car my HtH sickness began... I "have to have" this much hp, I "have to have" this suspension, I "have to have" this rear, I "have to have"... etc. If I had spent like nuts on a 70-71 I would not regret it, knowing I'd keep it forever. But since I know the 70-71 is my dream car, how long will I keep this one? If I sell it I will take a massive loss. It's gonna be a super fun car... So hopefully I will love it and not think about the 70.
 
like Superod said, if you are going to do a full resto, whether you do it all or write checks, make sure it will be a keeper, your dream. it will all add up to quite a few $$$$$$$$.

if you are going to work on one and maybe let it go later, figure even if you do ALL the work, it can be hard to recover your investment. if so. pick the right car. maybe a 69 charger, not a slant valiant?????

99% of us work/spend money on our cars because we love them. its our hobby. if the car makes US happy that is the bottom line. to me anyway.

if you love the car, I would store the original engine, drop a 360 in it, and proceed. if I was going the hemi route, makes more since to start with a lesser desirable car.
 
1973 is not a desirable year for most folks. Numbers matching only makes a difference if it is a factory high-performance build or some unique low numbers rare example. Replaced floors and other sheetmetal make it very undesirable. Who knows what they didn't replace that was half eaten away, but not visible on the outside? Also, needing complete paint, interior and more rust repair make it even less desirable. A minor patch or two is one thing, but there are way too many rust free cars to start restoration on a rust bucket, unless it's a highly desirable, pre-'72, factory high-performance car.

Then again, if you can get it cheap, do the work yourself and build it into a nice preformance car set-up to your dream specs; then go for it.
 
If you are doing this as an investment then you will lose money.....If you are doing this as your hobby and want to own a 340 car you will lose money but atleast have the experience of owning one so that is priceless. I hate to see threads like this because it just makes me think someone is not going to like how things feel in the end.

I like the idea of a Hemi in it. Nothing looks like those Valvecovers stuffed under an A Body hood.

Good luck,
JW
 
I would build a resto mod.Air conditioning,leather interior ,nice street hemi.If you ever sell it you will get more money out of it.
 
You have the original motor, sleeving it is $75 Per cylinder, I would rebuild that! That is irregardless of the value of the car, but will help increase the value if it has the original motor, and it's badass!! You have all of the parts already, why go out and buy more just to build a great motor?? Now, if you find a great deal on a drop in motor, by all means do that and keep the original block!!
 
I have been around this hobby for 40 years and had a Mopar parts business for 13 years with my wife. I have seen people restore 1953 Plymouth Belevedere 4door, 6 cyl, 3speed to 100%. Beautiful car, yes:valuable car, no. Many others come to mind that would fill volumes. IMO, do what you like, do it as best you can and have fun. The more effort you put in, the more enjoyment you get out of it. Never, never do anything half assed. Good luck and have fun, Tom
 
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