New to Classic Cars / 74 Duster Restoration

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dheff

dheff

Lack of Experience
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Hey everybody,

I am new to this restoration thing, and have found it very time consuming looking for parts for a 1974 Duster ( 318 ). Currently, I am having a difficult time trying to find the correct crankcase breather with grommet, and, the correct pcv grommet size.

I would like to just replace the entire valve covers, but, the auto parts sites are vague in description as to what I can really put on my vehicle. Any Help would be appreciated.

Also, I can't find any information as to what fuel I am supposed to use. Is it leaded or unleaded.

Thanks for your help.
 
The breather's grommet is available via Borg-Warner ( or even Echlin , etc. ) and the PCV grommet is available in the "HELP!" section at the auto parts stores .

I think that some of the resto places also offer these items as well , and they're the *correct* pieces and not emblazened by a "made in china" ( :mumum: ) impression .

Is the breather itself missing ?
If it's not missing , then just clean it out , repaint it (if so desired) and reinstate it .
If it is missing , it can be had new as well . Again , it's a "HELP!" part , and is again made in china :sad8: .
I'm not sure if restoration breathers are made for '70-'71 and '72 & later motors ...

Stamped-steel-with-plating valve covers are widely available , as are cast aluminum .
 
LH23H2R said:
The breather's grommet is available via Borg-Warner ( or even Echlin , etc. ) and the PCV grommet is available in the "HELP!" section at the auto parts stores .

I think that some of the resto places also offer these items as well , and they're the *correct* pieces and not emblazened by a "made in china" ( :mumum: ) impression .

Is the breather itself missing ?
If it's not missing , then just clean it out , repaint it (if so desired) and reinstate it .
If it is missing , it can be had new as well . Again , it's a "HELP!" part , and is again made in china :sad8: .
I'm not sure if restoration breathers are made for '70-'71 and '72 & later motors ...

Stamped-steel-with-plating valve covers are widely available , as are cast aluminum .
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LH23H2R,

Thanks for the help. I have checked most other resto place except for the two you had mentioned. I do have the orignal breather, and just had it steam cleaned. I wasn't sure if that would have been good enough. Do you have any idea they type of gas I need? Thanks again! How do I give you a "Thanks" to reflect on your profile for your reply?
 
For what it's worth my 74 Valiant is unleaded. I cannot imagine that your is different.
 
dheff said:
... Do you have any idea they type of gas I need?
Click to expand...
the drivers hand book for my 74' dart, 318, calls for 91 octane. since premium around here is only 92 now, that's what it gets. and it will ping on 89.
also, MOPAR car shows / swap meets are a great place to find the little parts that drive you crazy

good luck
and how about some pics? :)
 
mopar head,

Yeah... I know it was being changed to unleaded in the 70's, but, not all cars/engines were converted in the mid 70's. A lot of engines built in the 70's require leaded gas. The work around was putting an additive in the unleaded gas. I just wasn't sure if I have hardened valve seats. Thanks though.
 
kursplat said:
the drivers hand book for my 74' dart, 318, calls for 91 octane. since premium around here is only 92 now, that's what it gets. and it will ping on 89.
also, MOPAR car shows / swap meets are a great place to find the little parts that drive you crazy

good luck
and how about some pics? :)
Click to expand...
kursplat,

Thanks. I am pretty much convinced I can use high octane without additives. I will be posting pics soon. I have to reduced them all to a smaller size.
 
dheff said:
mopar head,

Yeah... I know it was being changed to unleaded in the 70's, but, not all cars/engines were converted in the mid 70's. A lot of engines built in the 70's require leaded gas. The work around was putting an additive in the unleaded gas. I just wasn't sure if I have hardened valve seats. Thanks though.
Click to expand...
Just ribben ya man, welcome to the site. Warning though, it`s addicting. good luck with yer ride.
 
mopar head said:
Just ribben ya man, welcome to the site. Warning though, it`s addicting. good luck with yer ride.
Click to expand...
Thanks mopar man.... I am still trying to figure this site out. Hopefully, I will have some pics soon. The 74 Duster sat in my Dad's garage for 20 years, and, he never ran it. I picked it up a few weeks ago. It took about twenty minutes to get it started, but, it sounded good when it did. It just needs a little beautification, and a tune up. I will rebuild the engine next year to put it in shows. Stay tuned for the pics. Thanks again.
 
Here's some pics from my start to now restoration.
 

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RE: Octane Ratings : Old vs. New :

When our beloved MoPars were new , octane was rated via the
Motor Octane Number (MON) ; this is the higher number .

Europeans rated their octane based upon the Research Octane Number
( RON ) ; this was the lower number .

I'm not certain when the ratings were combined to arrive at the "A.K.I."
( Anti-Knock Index ) , commonly known as the "R+M/2" rating
( Research + Motor , divided by 2 ) , but all gasolines have been rated this way for at least 20-25 years .

Basically , the old rating of 100 octane gives up ~5 points to the new rating , henceforth it's now 95 octane , ad seq.

So , if your Duster's owner's manual is calling for "regular @ 91 octane minimum" , in today's ratings , that would be 86 octane .

Truly , our oldies -- in my experiences -- do run better on higher octane gasses ; I burn 91 ( highest pump gas rating in good ol' Cali ) in my '72 Coronet with a stock 318 and maxed-out timing advance.

Also , by 1972 , Chrysler started hardening the valve seats on all of their motors . Even though "Ethyl" was still abundant , low-lead and unleaded were becoming more common ( esp in Ca. ) , as there was a targeted phase-out of super leaded gasses by c.1975
( I still remember when Chevron was removing its "Custom Supreme" 105 octane pumps and replacing them with shitty unleaded , though this was probably exclusive to Ca. :mumum: ).
 
dheff, my 74 318 runs fine on unleaded, but I do use the higher octane. If you need any photos for reference, mine is pretty original. I'm no expert, but glad to help.

BTW; we are moving to Raleigh, NC area from NY. Are you near there?
 
Good lookin project ! Then again I am partial to '74 dusters. !!
Looks like a good solid base to start building into your dream car.
I have quite a few part for these if you run into a need.
Good luck to ya !

-RPM
 
LH23H2R said:
RE: Octane Ratings : Old vs. New :

When our beloved MoPars were new , octane was rated via the
Motor Octane Number (MON) ; this is the higher number .

Europeans rated their octane based upon the Research Octane Number
( RON ) ; this was the lower number .

I'm not certain when the ratings were combined to arrive at the "A.K.I."
( Anti-Knock Index ) , commonly known as the "R+M/2" rating
( Research + Motor , divided by 2 ) , but all gasolines have been rated this way for at least 20-25 years .

Basically , the old rating of 100 octane gives up ~5 points to the new rating , henceforth it's now 95 octane , ad seq.

So , if your Duster's owner's manual is calling for "regular @ 91 octane minimum" , in today's ratings , that would be 86 octane .

Truly , our oldies -- in my experiences -- do run better on higher octane gasses ; I burn 91 ( highest pump gas rating in good ol' Cali ) in my '72 Coronet with a stock 318 and maxed-out timing advance.

Also , by 1972 , Chrysler started hardening the valve seats on all of their motors . Even though "Ethyl" was still abundant , low-lead and unleaded were becoming more common ( esp in Ca. ) , as there was a targeted phase-out of super leaded gasses by c.1975
( I still remember when Chevron was removing its "Custom Supreme" 105 octane pumps and replacing them with shitty unleaded , though this was probably exclusive to Ca. :mumum: ).
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
 
SpikeWills69 said:
dheff, my 74 318 runs fine on unleaded, but I do use the higher octane. If you need any photos for reference, mine is pretty original. I'm no expert, but glad to help.

BTW; we are moving to Raleigh, NC area from NY. Are you near there?
Click to expand...
I do live near Raleigh. It is a nice area.
 
RPM said:
Good lookin project ! Then again I am partial to '74 dusters. !!
Looks like a good solid base to start building into your dream car.
I have quite a few part for these if you run into a need.
Good luck to ya !

-RPM
Click to expand...
Thanks. I saw the comments from your buyers. Great reviews! I will be checking out what parts you post. Thanks.
 
Does anyone know where I can find a steering column shaft that connects to the power steering box? I am having a difficult time trying to find this part. I figured since I have to replace the power brake booster, I might as well replace the steering gear box and shaft.
 
Why you wanna replace the shaft? Usually people replace the bearings in the column and just put it back together. On mine I just soaked the bearings with WD-40 to free them up and then put the column back in the car.
 
340sFastBack,

Basically, I want to replace the parts in the picture marked by arrows. I can find the gear box, but the others marked by a question mark, and the steerting shaft, I can't find anywhere. They look really rusted out. When I have rebuild the engine, I don't want to have any rusted looking parts. Thanks for your help.
 

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The ???? part is the Steering Coupler and what you do with those is replace the "shoes" inside, pack it with grease, install new pin, and a new seal and reassemble. You can get steering coupler rebuild kit with all the needed parts:

http://www.moparsupercenter.com/mopar-steering-coupling-rebuild-kit-4443436ac4443436ac.html

Try searching this forum and you will likely find a thread with more info on the coupler rebuild. As for the shaft pull the column and sand that shaft down, paint it, and put it back in. I had to squirt WD-40 followed up by oil into the lower area with the column sitting straight up on the steering wheel to free that lower bearing up on mine. Then I just put it back on the car works great.

You can also replace the foam seal on the firewall for the steering column if you decide to pull it out. They are readily available reproduced.

A lot of knowledge here on this site so keep asking questions and learn to use the search feature on the forum you can find almost any info you need using that tool it is very powerful.
 
340sFastback said:
The ???? part is the Steering Coupler and what you do with those is replace the "shoes" inside, pack it with grease, install new pin, and a new seal and reassemble. You can get steering coupler rebuild kit with all the needed parts:

http://www.moparsupercenter.com/mopar-steering-coupling-rebuild-kit-4443436ac4443436ac.html

Try searching this forum and you will likely find a thread with more info on the coupler rebuild. As for the shaft pull the column and sand that shaft down, paint it, and put it back in. I had to squirt WD-40 followed up by oil into the lower area with the column sitting straight up on the steering wheel to free that lower bearing up on mine. Then I just put it back on the car works great.

You can also replace the foam seal on the firewall for the steering column if you decide to pull it out. They are readily available reproduced.

A lot of knowledge here on this site so keep asking questions and learn to use the search feature on the forum you can find almost any info you need using that tool it is very powerful.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help! I will try your recommendations.
 
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