My duster is awesome!

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HannahHex311

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Jan 26, 2008
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Santa Rosa, California
Hello. My name is Hannah and I have a 72 duster, it was my very first car and still my favorite. I've been on this website for a while because I enjoy reading about everyone's mopars (mostly the dusters). My poor little duster needs a ton of work and I plan on completely rebuilding it...one day. I decided to post this because I was curious about how much it might cost to fix up my car. I would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer about anything relating dusters.
 
Welcome to fabo.If your car needs a ton of work My advice would be to prioritize the work to be done. make sure the brakes and suspension are up to par then get the drive train sorted out .make sure all the electrical is in good order and so on then start working on the cars appearance.Once your able to drive your Duster you'll be more likely to want to do the tedious stuff like bodywork.Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Hello and welcome to the site! and yes, please post a few pics to help us help you!
 
I'm really bad at these forum things so it might take me a while to figure out how to put pictures. And jomoper, thanks for the advice. Would it be logical to buy new parts, like better brakes and suspension and that kind of stuff, even If I know that eventually everything will be taken out. Or should I just maintain things the best I can until I can do it all at once. I think that is what has really been holding me back from getting new and better stuff for my car.
 
Welcome!
jomoper said:
Welcome to fabo.If your car needs a ton of work My advice would be to prioritize the work to be done. make sure the brakes and suspension are up to par then get the drive train sorted out .make sure all the electrical is in good order and so on then start working on the cars appearance.Once your able to drive your Duster you'll be more likely to want to do the tedious stuff like bodywork.Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
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That is without a doubt the best advice you could receive. I get myself in more trouble by not doing that than I care to share. To answer your last post, start by creating a project plan, as jomoper recommends. Then post it here, along with the photos. Also let us know the current state of the car, and equipment (i.e. disk brakes or not, running or not, etc). With that info, we might be better suited to help. Plus YOU need that info. You don't want to be the one with 40k invested in a car worth 9k on a good day. I have 5k in mine, which MIGHT sell for 3.5k. But I'm driving mine, so I'm better off than any sucker with a note on his or her driver. In almost any case, if money is the main issue, you are better off selling what you have, and spending top dollar for a complete car. But it sounds like you are fond of that car, and I well know how that is. Looking forward to seeing your car and progress.

BTW, this forum is easy to post pics to, because you can upload to the site, instead of linking. Hit the manage attachments button, browse to your pic, then upload.
 
Open the trunk. Every time you walk past your open trunk throw in a dollar bill. When it is full compact down what you have in there. Refill the trunk again with dollar bills and compact again. When the trunk is full then you can start. Don't get discouraged. I'm working on a 72 Duster myself.
 
Welcome aboard! Good luck with your Duster! And yes, we need pics. Hang in there and don't get too discouraged. I've had my W.I.P. (work in progress) for 10 years, and is still quite a few years away from where I would like it to be. Visit this site often for your motivation, it helps!
 
when i got my duster it sat for years and to my irritation the first thing i wanted to do was put a big ol motor in it..but pops said no and i was 15 so i had to listen the first thing he made me do was all new brakes all teh way around change out all the fluids and fix some exhaust leaks tune up etc...it was slow then but safe to drive me to school everyday and never had a hickup with it..then when i hit college i was full tear down time..but i would say definently make up your mind what you want to do with it before you start makes it alot easier..i tore my car apart with one ideah and put it back together with another...witch is fine i guess but i ended up buying parts that i didnt end up needing..but hey you can never have to many mopar parts laying around
 
Hannah,
welcome to FABO. It looks like you are starting about where I started.
Im pretty sure you are not going to build to the level I am but you MUST make a written plan with your goals for the car.
Be specific, list everything. Then as the money or time becomes available go after one task at a time. Breaking a project into smaller ones keeps you from feeling overwhelmed, and gives you victories along the way. Going from a written plan keeps you from straying.
Andrew
 
you need a back seat? i have one that your more than welcom to have. i could meet up with you in a few months when i am driving thourgh CA if you want. it needs to be recovered but its free. that should help you out some.
 
You're ahead of where my son's Duster was when we started. I always approach things in this order, safety, reliability, comfort, performance, and then appearance. I agree that you need to write down what you want your car to end up at, whether a solid, nice looking daily driver that's reliable and economical, or a fast and fun street rod and then plan accordingly along the way. This forum is the best for about anything, feel free to ask anything and everything.
 
Excellent advice. I think I will start a list now. I took the backseat out yesterday because I was having some electrical problems and needed to squeeze into my trunk-The trunk lock is broken at the moment. I think that will be #1 on my list. 03ramit1, thanks for the offer.
 
Dual exhaust, and 2v Holley on an alloy intake? Pretty cool stuff. Love the steelies as well. As for the quarter, they didn't earn the nickname "Ruster" for nothing. I guess wine country is not like SoCal in that regard.
 
Welcome aboard!! I dont think I could any more advice than what has already been posted. A list is a great idea! Maybe do 2 seperate ones of "wants" and "needs" it will help prioritize what should get done first. Good luck, you will get lots of help on this site!!
 
Well price wise it depends on what you want to do and what your budget is and if you are able to actually do everything yourself. I have $6,000 into my car but that is with doing absolutley everything on my own and not buying everything brand new. Hopefully that gives you an idea.
 
well looks like thay got ya good ideals going like blackbomber said
You don't want to be the one with 40k invested in a car worth 9k on a good day.
like my 64 4 door over the years we have put in 5 grand in a 2 grand car but if u plan on keeping it for ever like me go for it btw u got my intake and card on ur car it needs to be on mine lol i like u start its cleaner than most ive seen out here
 
Welcome to FABO! Looks like you have a great car to start with! I just got my first mopar so I'm learning too. I agree on taking things a little at a time and going with needs before wants. That's my plan.
 
Welcome to FABO and what a nice 72 Duster!:cheers:Im working on a 72 Duster myself,just swapped 360 in it in place of the slant six but dont get discouraged,it takes time and patience is what I learned
 
reminds me on when i started tearing into my duster almost 3 years ago.

every time i take my duster out, whether im just cruising and having fun with the gas pedal, i can't stop smiling.

my best advice is have fun while you build this monster!
 
cool car! building a 72 Duster now too..takes time but have fun doing it and dont give up! i decided to dive into the bodywork first but it can get pretty expensive i suggest saving for that and do it right the first time!..anyways welcome to the site Hannah! T 8)
 
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