May Purchase this 73' duster, need some help!

[lwha]

Hello everyone, first post here as you can see, I may be purchasing this duster depending on the rust situation, he said over the phone that it has some rust in the wheel wells, and on the driver side floor. Wondering what you all think? I'm looking for a cruiser to drive around in the summer for fun, and fix up in the winter when there is time. Thanks for looking!

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/cto/4385785103.html

He said the engine/trans was rebuilt, not sure of when.

 

[memike]

Ask about the floor boards (are they soft under the carpet) and do an inspection of the front and rear frame rails, another draw back is the tiny 7 1/4 rear end, get ready to change it out, in 73 I am not sure but I think all the V8 cars got an 8 1/4 or 8 3/4 rear ends, make sure this was not a /6 car.. there is some good parts that has been dun and I would look very close at it before shelling out that amount
With all said if you see a good driver talk him down because of the tiny rear end and possible soft floor boards , other wise it douse look like a good project to keep JMO.

 

[memike]

I see it is a space Duster with the fold down rear to trunk area .. do some searching on these Dusters and enjoy this great site, better techs will jump in and give there advice, double check to make sure this is a 7 1/4 suregrip rearend

 

[lwha]

Space duster eh? Yeah I will email him and check on the rear, thanks for the tech tips!

 

[GEO]

The dash pad looks good

Ask what the piece of wood under the dash is for

 

[Kern Dog]

In 1973, there were no more 8 3/4" axles in A body cars. the 7 1/4" axle was the base unit. You could get a 318 and still have the 7 1/4" axle OR a slant six and an 8 1/4". Both engines could have either axle. The 8 1/4" axle was mandatory with the 340 or the 360 engine.

 

[lwha]

I will ask, looks like it is a "7 1/4 suregrip" rear. Here are some pictures he sent. Sorry if it lines them up in a row here, I hope it does not...

 

[Kern Dog]

Fifth digit in the VIN "G" makes it an original 318 car.
I did see some floorboard rust there. Patch panels are in this cars future.
One way to assess value on a running driving car is to look at what finished cars are selling for THEN deduct what the repairs of these cars are going to cost. Green isn't near the top of desireable colors so consider that. A 318 car with a 340 in it isn't a "clone" unless it has all the other components that a real 340 car would have. The 7 1/4 axle will live behind a 318 for a long time if never pushed hard. Same goes with a 340. Where is the fun in THAT though? It is the stresses of rapid starts that kills the 7 1/4" axle. Accelerating fast from 30 mph and up will not hurt it nearly as much.

 

[lwha]

Darn, so I would have to at least replace the rear axle to get some summer fun out of it eh? I wonder how much that runs, and if I should attempt it with no experience... :d. How does the rest of the vehicle look? Floorpans are not an issue, I'd rip the carpet out anyways at some point so I can do it all at once.

He said that he does have a 8 3/4 from a 65 B-body. I wonder how hard it would be for me to replace that...

Of course, I just found this too, for a couple grand more than the green one... o.o zowiee! Just called him and he said that it does not run right now, needs about $1500 in a shop, not sure what that means... he didn't give specifics.:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/4380042812.html

 

[Back in Time]

Guess I'm spoiled by dry climate cars but I personally would not pay that much for a car with that much rust to repair.

 

[lwha]

Well, it's a bit different up in the rust belt unfortunately. Anyting here that does not have previously cleaned up sheet metal is almost guaranteed to have rust issues...unfortunately. That is why it is a big deal when we see "California Car" or "Arizona Car."

 

[nm9stheham]

^^ x2; looks like plenty of rusy areas and you don't know what is up in the frame..I would look this over veeeery carefully.

 

[cosgig]

I personally don't think the rust issues are as bad as all that! Drivers floors typically rust faster due to the fact that if there is only one passenger, its the driver! And, he/she is getting in with Minnesota snowy boots for 4 months a year! If you look closer, the trunk pan and frame rails look clean, the inner fenders look decent, the interior is presentable, and you get a bonus with a 340 and X heads, which I would verify before shelling out any money!

My honest opinion....$3200 with the B body rear thrown in!! That would be an easy swap for the average gear head! Geof

 

[lwha]

Thank's for the reply cosgig! I was getting pretty down after reading the replies on this car. Hopefully I can go take a look at her this week! I'd probably be able to get the price down a fair amount. What do you think would be in order for the car if I buy it? Looks like floor pan at some point, rear axle, engine rebuild maybe?

 

[lwha]

Thank you for the kind words cosgig! For some reason my last message did not post... yeah I expect to do some work on it, I'm not short changing myself. I hope to get some time to go see it later this week! Anything major I should look at?

 

[72ScampTramp]

I see a $2500 car. Going to need some serious metal work. I also see it has had some body work makes you wonder why they didnt fix that wheel well when they did the outter. Not to mention its a Minnesota car you will find more rust.

 

[66340SEDAN]

I personally don't think the rust issues are as bad as all that! Drivers floors typically rust faster due to the fact that if there is only one passenger, its the driver! And, he/she is getting in with Minnesota snowy boots for 4 months a year! If you look closer, the trunk pan and frame rails look clean, the inner fenders look decent, the interior is presentable, and you get a bonus with a 340 and X heads, which I would verify before shelling out any money!

My honest opinion....$3200 with the B body rear thrown in!! That would be an easy swap for the average gear head! Geof

I agree

 

[66340SEDAN]

I see a $2500 car. Going to need some serious metal work. I also see it has had some body work makes you wonder why they didnt fix that wheel well when they did the outter. Not to mention its a Minnesota car you will find more rust.

Don't look that serious to me, you can buy replacement metal for these if needed, I would make sure the frame and torsion bar mounts are solid.

 

[66340SEDAN]

I would rather buy the first Duster pictured, never know what's hiding under that paint in the one in the 2nd ad. Plus, isn't the Duster in the 2nd picture wearing Chevy Monte Carlo SS wheels? Has the suspension been changed? I don't think GM had the same bolt pattern.

 

[Cuprum-74]

I see a $2500 car. Going to need some serious metal work. I also see it has had some body work makes you wonder why they didnt fix that wheel well when they did the outter. Not to mention its a Minnesota car you will find more rust.

I agree!

Again I paid $2500 For my 74 but it was not a runner and it was in pieces but it had only one quarter sized cancer spot on the quarter panel.
And he gave me extra pieces as well.

I will ask $2,500 no more than $3000

And yes! Ditch that 7 1/4!

 

[lwha]

Hmm, well depending on how much the engine and the after market parts cost him, and the time and labor he put in, it may be worth more than $3000 as it stands. The thing is, I am looking for something that will run now, and run good. If the rust is not too bad, and not on the frame I could really care less if it is a floor panel replace, etc, I WANT to do these things with my first muscle car.I am definitely going to check the frame rust, I ran into a camaro last weekend and it's rear driver frame rail was about to fall off... yikes... you can never tell in Minnesota until you get up and personal with the car... I will definitely make it a stipulation that he MUST include the 8 3/4" axle. No way am I going to cruise this baby with something smaller, gotta have some fun right?

 

[VDART]

I would not worry about the 7.25 sure grip-- if it isa SG it can handle those skinny rear tires a 7.25 SG is fairly stout---

the issue with this thing is how rusty is it? take a friend -- look it over carefully-- frame rails -- rear leaf spring section, cross member-- etc...---

if it solid make an offer you can live with & go from there -- Lawrence

 

[lwha]

Yep, hoping to bring my father along if he is available to drive down. I'll be giving her a good look over. I'm not experienced at telling when rust is to the point where you really need to replace a section, of course, if there are holes through it that would do it.

 

[66340SEDAN]

Yep, hoping to bring my father along if he is available to drive down. I'll be giving her a good look over. I'm not experienced at telling when rust is to the point where you really need to replace a section, of course, if there are holes through it that would do it.

Where in MN do you live and where is the car located? I am in St. Cloud and if close by I would be willing to look it over with you.

 

[SSVDP]

This looks like a nice cruiser if the frame is solid, check them torsion bar mounts.
This will be a hard sell just because its green with a green interior, you might be able to use this to your advantage since it'll be for sale for a while.
This is NOT a collector car so don't pay too much for it.