Vaanth
Well-Known Member
This is not really a restoration build journey, for the build involved is largely done. It's a summation of a recreation, of sorts, of my first car.
My first car was a 1970 Duster. I did a lot with it and had a lot of fun. When I got my second car, a T/A Challenger, I kept the Duster, but after a while, my brother needed a car, so I let it go to him, and later still it was retired and scrapped. I should have taken it back and repaired it, but the situation did not support that. I still have the T/A and several cars now, including a 1973 Twister, but I always missed the 70 Duster.
So, 20 years ago, I picked up another one, and slowly "reproduced" my original, but with changes that likely would have occurred over time if I had kept the original one. It's still essentially a 70s hot rod like the original was. I kept a few parts from the old Duster, most particularly its wheel covers, and fender emblems.
Following is a two part description with just two pictures of then and now. I wrote this off the top of my head in the last hour or so. Although it seems to cover a lot, I probably forgot some details. I have very few pictures of my original Duster, but plenty of the "new" one. Some of those are included in my introduction in the Welcome Wagon.
Then, circa. 1978:
1970 Valiant Duster, originally 318/904 transmission/7.25" 2.76:1 rear axle.
- Original Y3 "Yellow Gold" paint with some touchup and minor repair.
- 1968 318 with a 1973 340 intake and Thermo-Quad with a 1969 Road Runner air cleaner.
- Blackjack headers with 2.25" dual exhaust and Cherry Bomb glasspacks.
- Junkyard Mopar electronic ignition with late 70s Direct Connection orange box.
- 1970 A904 automatic transmission rebuilt with ATP kit and Trans-Go shift kit.
- Stock 10" front drum brakes, 10x 1.75" rear drum brakes.
- 5x4" 14x5.5" wheels with 1964 Barracuda wheel covers and long through-hole chrome lug nuts.
- G70-14 Jetzon Revenger tires.
- 1972 Duster 8-3/4" rear axle with 3.23:1 non-SureGrip.
- Driveshaft from 1971 Demon with 318/904/8-3/4.
- Stock rear leaf springs with Sears helper springs and extended shackles.
- Mr. Gasket traction bars.
- Sears heavy duty shocks.
- Stock green interior with bench seat column shift and rubber floor mat.
- Dixco tachometer and GNJ under dash gauge kit (JC Whitney).
- Stock AM radio with under dash Motorola FM/8-track and Sparkomatic power booster plus two rear 6x9 Sparkomatic speakers.
Now, circa, June 2024:
1970 Valiant Duster, originally 225/904 transmission/7.25" 2.76:1 rear axle.
- Originally B3 Ice Blue Iridescent, it had been budget painted Viper blue with stripes.
- Converted to V8.
- 1972 340 rebuilt with 9:1 compression ratio and stock 340 camshaft with 273 adjustable rockers and grooved shafts.
- Edelbrock LD340 intake modified for Themo-Quad with 9801S Thermo-Quad.
- 9801S electric choke and chrome air cleaner with K&N filter.
- Late 70s Direct Connection chrome valve covers.
- Chrome alternator housing with stock ~60 amp internals and matching chrome "pentastar" voltage regulator.
- Revised charging wiring.
- Converted manual steering to power steering using 1969 Dart parts.
- Engine water pump, pulleys, power steering pump, and brackets from 1969 Dart 273.
- Rebuilt 3-core 22" 1969 A-body radiator.
- Stock 1970 340 exhaust manifolds with 2.25" dual exhaust and Walker 21668 mufflers. Muffler shop head pipes and tail pipes with turndowns.
- Late 70s Direct Connection electronic ignition kit with chrome box.
- Converted from automatic with column shift to four speed, floor shift. Clutch and brake pedal assembly, floor hump and Z-bar attachment reinforcement from two 1972 Dusters.
- 1968 A833 4-speed manual transmission (2.66:1 first gear).
- 1967 Inland shifter and stock rods reworked. It's not a Hurst, but I like it and it does well, plus I only paid $5 for it.
- 1972 318 flywheel and bellhousing.
- Zoom Ztreeter clutch disk and pressure plate. Chicago Rawhide (CR) release bearing (actually L&S).
- 1973 A-body crossmember with Chrysler yellow mount.
- 1969 Dart 273 V-8 K-member with added 1969 sway bar and matching control arms rebuilt with 80s Moog parts. Addco urethane sway bar link bushings.
- 340/318HD torsion bars.
- Chrysler engine mount insulators (USA) with torque limiting chain.
- Original 9" drum brakes upgraded to 1973 A-body disk brakes with Mopar semi-metallic pads. Slider calipers mounted to the rear for early sway bar clearance.
- 1967 B-body 8-3/4 rear axle with relocated perches (Moroso). 3.91:1 with Power-Lok SureGrip in 741 housing. 10x2.5" finned drum brakes.
- Rear Addco sway bar added.
- 5x4.5" 14x6" wheels with 1964 Barracuda wheel covers (from my original Duster) and simulated through-hole chrome lug nuts.
- 225/70-R14 Cooper Cobra tires.
- Home "packed" 340 rear leaf springs with Sears helper springs from my old Duster and stock shackles.
- 80s vintage KYB high pressure gas shocks.
- The stock turquoise interior with bench seat column shift and carpet was converted to a black interior with floor shift, black carpet, black headliner, black door panels, trim, repainted uppers, and 73 Dart bucket seats, recovered front and rear in 1971 Duster reproduction seat covers.
- Repainted the dash and added a later model black dash pad.
- Replaced instrument cluster bezel with a 1975 black "grain" style and reworked /freshened the gauges and wiring.
- Sun Super Tach II tachometer (mounted to steering column with large hose clamp) and under dash gauges in Dixco housing (vacuum/oil pressure/voltmeter - Dixco/Stewart Warner/Bosch).
- Added stock dual sport mirrors, body color.
- Performed bodywork including rust repair. Clean and paint the undercarriage.
- New fuel tank and reworked 1973 sending unit.
- Paint the car in the same Y3 "Yellow Gold" PPG acrylic enamel as the original Duster. Omitted the pinstripe of the old one.
- Detailed and painted the grille. Buffed and polished the front bumper. Installed a re-chromed 1972 rear bumper.
- Stock AM radio.
- Add the front fender "V-EIGHT" emblems from my original Duster.
- I have new Mr. Gasket traction bars like those on my original Duster, but they are not installed. If installed, it would just be for the look of the old Duster.
- I also still have the chroma graphic Mopar front tag that is slightly visible in the old picture and some NOS Direct Connection stickers like those on the rear windows in the old picture, but I opted to not add those...yet.
I basically built this car around a set of wheel covers and a couple of emblems, but now almost 50 years later, I have my first car again...
My first car was a 1970 Duster. I did a lot with it and had a lot of fun. When I got my second car, a T/A Challenger, I kept the Duster, but after a while, my brother needed a car, so I let it go to him, and later still it was retired and scrapped. I should have taken it back and repaired it, but the situation did not support that. I still have the T/A and several cars now, including a 1973 Twister, but I always missed the 70 Duster.
So, 20 years ago, I picked up another one, and slowly "reproduced" my original, but with changes that likely would have occurred over time if I had kept the original one. It's still essentially a 70s hot rod like the original was. I kept a few parts from the old Duster, most particularly its wheel covers, and fender emblems.
Following is a two part description with just two pictures of then and now. I wrote this off the top of my head in the last hour or so. Although it seems to cover a lot, I probably forgot some details. I have very few pictures of my original Duster, but plenty of the "new" one. Some of those are included in my introduction in the Welcome Wagon.
Then, circa. 1978:
1970 Valiant Duster, originally 318/904 transmission/7.25" 2.76:1 rear axle.
- Original Y3 "Yellow Gold" paint with some touchup and minor repair.
- 1968 318 with a 1973 340 intake and Thermo-Quad with a 1969 Road Runner air cleaner.
- Blackjack headers with 2.25" dual exhaust and Cherry Bomb glasspacks.
- Junkyard Mopar electronic ignition with late 70s Direct Connection orange box.
- 1970 A904 automatic transmission rebuilt with ATP kit and Trans-Go shift kit.
- Stock 10" front drum brakes, 10x 1.75" rear drum brakes.
- 5x4" 14x5.5" wheels with 1964 Barracuda wheel covers and long through-hole chrome lug nuts.
- G70-14 Jetzon Revenger tires.
- 1972 Duster 8-3/4" rear axle with 3.23:1 non-SureGrip.
- Driveshaft from 1971 Demon with 318/904/8-3/4.
- Stock rear leaf springs with Sears helper springs and extended shackles.
- Mr. Gasket traction bars.
- Sears heavy duty shocks.
- Stock green interior with bench seat column shift and rubber floor mat.
- Dixco tachometer and GNJ under dash gauge kit (JC Whitney).
- Stock AM radio with under dash Motorola FM/8-track and Sparkomatic power booster plus two rear 6x9 Sparkomatic speakers.
Now, circa, June 2024:
1970 Valiant Duster, originally 225/904 transmission/7.25" 2.76:1 rear axle.
- Originally B3 Ice Blue Iridescent, it had been budget painted Viper blue with stripes.
- Converted to V8.
- 1972 340 rebuilt with 9:1 compression ratio and stock 340 camshaft with 273 adjustable rockers and grooved shafts.
- Edelbrock LD340 intake modified for Themo-Quad with 9801S Thermo-Quad.
- 9801S electric choke and chrome air cleaner with K&N filter.
- Late 70s Direct Connection chrome valve covers.
- Chrome alternator housing with stock ~60 amp internals and matching chrome "pentastar" voltage regulator.
- Revised charging wiring.
- Converted manual steering to power steering using 1969 Dart parts.
- Engine water pump, pulleys, power steering pump, and brackets from 1969 Dart 273.
- Rebuilt 3-core 22" 1969 A-body radiator.
- Stock 1970 340 exhaust manifolds with 2.25" dual exhaust and Walker 21668 mufflers. Muffler shop head pipes and tail pipes with turndowns.
- Late 70s Direct Connection electronic ignition kit with chrome box.
- Converted from automatic with column shift to four speed, floor shift. Clutch and brake pedal assembly, floor hump and Z-bar attachment reinforcement from two 1972 Dusters.
- 1968 A833 4-speed manual transmission (2.66:1 first gear).
- 1967 Inland shifter and stock rods reworked. It's not a Hurst, but I like it and it does well, plus I only paid $5 for it.
- 1972 318 flywheel and bellhousing.
- Zoom Ztreeter clutch disk and pressure plate. Chicago Rawhide (CR) release bearing (actually L&S).
- 1973 A-body crossmember with Chrysler yellow mount.
- 1969 Dart 273 V-8 K-member with added 1969 sway bar and matching control arms rebuilt with 80s Moog parts. Addco urethane sway bar link bushings.
- 340/318HD torsion bars.
- Chrysler engine mount insulators (USA) with torque limiting chain.
- Original 9" drum brakes upgraded to 1973 A-body disk brakes with Mopar semi-metallic pads. Slider calipers mounted to the rear for early sway bar clearance.
- 1967 B-body 8-3/4 rear axle with relocated perches (Moroso). 3.91:1 with Power-Lok SureGrip in 741 housing. 10x2.5" finned drum brakes.
- Rear Addco sway bar added.
- 5x4.5" 14x6" wheels with 1964 Barracuda wheel covers (from my original Duster) and simulated through-hole chrome lug nuts.
- 225/70-R14 Cooper Cobra tires.
- Home "packed" 340 rear leaf springs with Sears helper springs from my old Duster and stock shackles.
- 80s vintage KYB high pressure gas shocks.
- The stock turquoise interior with bench seat column shift and carpet was converted to a black interior with floor shift, black carpet, black headliner, black door panels, trim, repainted uppers, and 73 Dart bucket seats, recovered front and rear in 1971 Duster reproduction seat covers.
- Repainted the dash and added a later model black dash pad.
- Replaced instrument cluster bezel with a 1975 black "grain" style and reworked /freshened the gauges and wiring.
- Sun Super Tach II tachometer (mounted to steering column with large hose clamp) and under dash gauges in Dixco housing (vacuum/oil pressure/voltmeter - Dixco/Stewart Warner/Bosch).
- Added stock dual sport mirrors, body color.
- Performed bodywork including rust repair. Clean and paint the undercarriage.
- New fuel tank and reworked 1973 sending unit.
- Paint the car in the same Y3 "Yellow Gold" PPG acrylic enamel as the original Duster. Omitted the pinstripe of the old one.
- Detailed and painted the grille. Buffed and polished the front bumper. Installed a re-chromed 1972 rear bumper.
- Stock AM radio.
- Add the front fender "V-EIGHT" emblems from my original Duster.
- I have new Mr. Gasket traction bars like those on my original Duster, but they are not installed. If installed, it would just be for the look of the old Duster.
- I also still have the chroma graphic Mopar front tag that is slightly visible in the old picture and some NOS Direct Connection stickers like those on the rear windows in the old picture, but I opted to not add those...yet.
I basically built this car around a set of wheel covers and a couple of emblems, but now almost 50 years later, I have my first car again...
