Ok...another whats it worth....a "340" this time.

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shadango

shadango

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So do you think this one looks like a real 340 or an attempt at a clone with transfered fender tags and VIN and rally cluster from another car??

1970 plymouth duster....claims its a 340 car.

http://s349.photobucket.com/albums/q391/shadango_bucket/red 340 duster/?albumview=slideshow

I am told it has a stock 318 in it (not sure what year) and a a 904 reverse valve body, 391 posi rear end 8 3/4 inch.

He says the car runs but need an exhaust to drive.... and that he has a (non matching) 340 block and heads to go with the car...no idea on condition.

I emailed the seller and got the fender tag info....matches the vin he supplied and it appears to be a 340 car....the orig color was red, the rally dash is there...interior doesnt match seats wise but color wise it does (black).....pictures show a small brake pedal , so it should be an manual car, which is what the tag says.....(floor 3 speed manual). Rally rims.

Looks like there is some bondo/bodywork issue in front of the left rear wheel....and not sure about pasenger side quarters?

Trunk LOOKS like it could be original.....same with underhood....looks like red paint peeking though that black stuff...not sure if its paint or maybe undercoating? The car has obviously been repainted. But at least it seems to be the right color or at least the right color family (red).

The car has the wrong grill, right?

So, "whats it worth" ?

Thanks in advance all for your help!
 
Well, it's been sitting for a while.

It does look like the rear left was smacked, rippled in, then filled/hammered back out.

Also looks like the front left quarter may have been repaired as well.
http://s349.photobucket.com/albums/... 340 duster/?action=view&current=DSC00410.jpg
Notice the ripple in the reflection?

I'd have a good peek under the carpets, and the undercarraige, sicne you can't see if there's any under-body rot going on there. The wells look pretty damn clean though.

The bay looks a little messed, and resprayed black, but otherwise Ok to me.

Not having the 340 hurts the overall worth. If they dropped original interior parts, same thing. Considering how little I know about this car specifically, though.. I'd hedge at 3.5-4.5k? If it was all outstanding in the nooks and crannies 5.5k Maybe less, depending on what else you'd find.

I'm also a stingy, stingy man. So it could be worth 7k, and I'd still think 5k was better. XD
 
It's got the correct grille for a '70, and the dash cluster looks correct. The wheels are correct for the year. I'll go out on a limb here and say it's worth 3-4 grand as is without seeing it in person.
He probably wants more for it though......
Just an opinion, take it for what it is.
How far is it from you?
What's the asking price?
Tom.
 
It also has the wrong year bucket seats, the correct 1970 ones are very expensive if you need them.
 
It looks original. A couple of other things to look for are:

1) the boxed in front spring hanger mounts. I own 2 1970 340 dusters and they both have them. One of mine is a 4 speed and the other is a three speed manual.
2) There should be two muffler hanger brackets on the floor pan on front of the differential (because 340 cars came factory with dual exhaust). It is where the back of the muffler is supported. The driver's side one is spot welded on and is standard on all cars. The passenger side one is bolted on for dual exhaust cars only. Also on the passenger side under the rear seat is the plate that the exhaust hanger attached to , it has three bolts.
3) In 1970 340 dusters came standard with SPB disc brakes.
4) The rallye dash has the thumbwheel radio which is correct.
5) The real truth would be if you could get the VIN number off of the radiator support
 
340duster thats a good list of clues. Shadango, like 340duster stated look for the vin on the radiator support in the area where the radiator overflow tank has been screwed on in your photos. Most I've seen were under the coolant decal. Other vin locations are under or next to the trunk weatherstrip (passenger side upper edge) and also stamped on the package tray. It may be just my eyes but do the rear wheels look like large bolt pattern to ya'll.
Bob
 
Shadango: If it's a real 340 car and has the original K member in it, it will have a washer welded to the front of the K member. Ask for a picture of the front of the K member.
 
Small Block said:
Shadango: If it's a real 340 car and has the original K member in it, it will have a washer welded to the front of the K member. Ask for a picture of the front of the K member.
Click to expand...

X2....great tip. I remember that thread :thumbup:

Nice of you Small Block
 
I am learning some cool stuff on this thread.
I would have to go look at that one, it's a fresh paint job for sure.
good and dusty too. scary :dontknow:
 
Small Block said:
Shadango: If it's a real 340 car and has the original K member in it, it will have a washer welded to the front of the K member. Ask for a picture of the front of the K member.
Click to expand...



I allways wondered what was up with that washer on my K member. Just thought some one welded it on there for some reason. Would you happen to know why they put that washer on there?
 
340duster said:
It looks original. A couple of other things to look for are:

1) the boxed in front spring hanger mounts. I own 2 1970 340 dusters and they both have them. One of mine is a 4 speed and the other is a three speed manual.
2) There should be two muffler hanger brackets on the floor pan on front of the differential (because 340 cars came factory with dual exhaust). It is where the back of the muffler is supported. The driver's side one is spot welded on and is standard on all cars. The passenger side one is bolted on for dual exhaust cars only. Also on the passenger side under the rear seat is the plate that the exhaust hanger attached to , it has three bolts.
3) In 1970 340 dusters came standard with SPB disc brakes.
4) The rallye dash has the thumbwheel radio which is correct.
5) The real truth would be if you could get the VIN number off of the radiator support
Click to expand...
]

Awesome list of stuff to look for! After looking at the pics more closely, seems like someone stuck grey carpet over the woodgrain on the rally dash and painted the bezel around the radio/heater controls...so is the dash ruined do you think? Is that wood grain replaceable?

Looks like there is no radio in the car...it also looks like maybe the radio hole was enlarged? Hard to tell in the fuzzy picture of that side.

Wondering if anyone sees anything funky with the passenger side rear quarters and rocker? Do the lines look right?
 
Gerty and smallblock.....again awesome clues!

I asked for undercarriage pics but the seller said she couldnt get pics of that till the weekend....sounds like her husband is selling it and she is intercepting emails for him.....

I will probably go look at this one as its a drive that will make an OK day trip.

The seller is asking $5k ....that includes a 340 block and heads but she didnt know what condition they are in etc....can anyone tell anything about that motor by the picture of it? The plan here would be to build that puppy....

Oh, also, there is no heater core in the car but I am told the heater conrols work...she dodnt know if the heater box is still installed or not....

I did a title search and that says the car has 78,000 on it and the current owner has owned it for 15 years.....so not a flipper car.....
 
The rallye dash radio hole has been enlarged. Wood grain is available. A new bezel is $475.00 which is crazy. Unless you are doing a full 100 point restoration, the dash could be brought back to a reasonable level. If the radio hole is cut already, then you could install an aftermarket stereo and not have to ruin a good dash.

The car looks not too bad for that price, look for hidden rust issues.

I wish I knew what that washer was for too.
 
340duster said:
The rallye dash radio hole has been enlarged. Wood grain is available. A new bezel is $475.00 which is crazy. Unless you are doing a full 100 point restoration, the dash could be brought back to a reasonable level. If the radio hole is cut already, then you could install an aftermarket stereo and not have to ruin a good dash.

The car looks not too bad for that price, look for hidden rust issues.

I wish I knew what that washer was for too.
Click to expand...

Turns out that this owner has had the car for 16 years and the paint/body is that old...so if the bodywork was going to pop or anything I guess it would have by now....so what I see whould be what I get, right?

I am going to see it this weekend.....

$475 is a lot for a bezel....and I bet you cant find those used....LOL. The owner says she doesnt think its cracked, so if its not then I would just bring it back to a reasonable level like you said...and yeah, I have to have my tunes so that hole makes it easier on my mind...would hate to cut into a original dash! LOL

The seller seems to think that the seats are from anothe ryear duster..they look like cloth to me.....anyone have any ideas as to what year it could be? I would recover in black if they look Ok in the car as-is I think....
 
Burntorange70 said:
I allways wondered what was up with that washer on my K member. Just thought some one welded it on there for some reason. Would you happen to know why they put that washer on there?
Click to expand...
The washer welded on the k-member, was how the assembly line workers quickly identified it as a v-8 one or if memory serves me correctly, a 340 "K"
 
Now there's a cool tidbit of info!

Would have never guessed THAT. I guess they were afraid that grease markers or paint markers would get wiped off or something?

Wherabouts again on the k frame is the washer...towards front or back...? Centered?

Is the 340 K different from a 318 K ?
 
shadango said:
Now there's a cool tidbit of info!

Would have never guessed THAT. I guess they were afraid that grease markers or paint markers would get wiped off or something?

Wherabouts again on the k frame is the washer...towards front or back...? Centered?

Is the 340 K different from a 318 K ?
Click to expand...



It is on the front edge centered on the K frame.
 
Burntorange70 said:
It is on the front edge centered on the K frame.
Click to expand...
Awesome...thanks! So should be easy to find. Any chance that it could have been knocked off, etc over the years or is it REALLY welded on good?
 
Twistex said:
Well, it's been sitting for a while.

It does look like the rear left was smacked, rippled in, then filled/hammered back out.
Click to expand...

What am I looking for there in the pics? The bumper on that side seems like its in further than the other side, but maybe that is just a reflection?
 
shadango said:
Awesome...thanks! So should be easy to find. Any chance that it could have been knocked off, etc over the years or is it REALLY welded on good?
Click to expand...


It is in a protected spot so it should still be on there. Unless some on like me said who welded this washer on there? I think I will grind it off. It is a good thing I have not got around to taking that washer off yet. Think I will leave it on there now.
 
dartguy340 said:
The washer welded on the k-member, was how the assembly line workers quickly identified it as a v-8 one or if memory serves me correctly, a 340 "K"
Click to expand...

I had a 70 440 6 pak Challenger and a T/A and both had that washer on the front of the K Frame. The 440-6 car also had a small skid plate as well - don't remember about the T/A
 
shadango said:
What am I looking for there in the pics? The bumper on that side seems like its in further than the other side, but maybe that is just a reflection?
Click to expand...

That's what it looked like form the pic. It's hard to tell, but here's a direct link.

http://s349.photobucket.com/albums/... 340 duster/?action=view&current=DSC00415.jpg

If you mouseover the image, you can click "Full size". The lower rear quarter looks rippled. It could very well be an odd reflection, but with smooth panels, reflections should view with a minor of waving or distortion.

Same with this one -

http://s349.photobucket.com/albums/... 340 duster/?action=view&current=DSC00410.jpg

There's going to be some minor rippling, but there's a large fish-eye effect in the middle that is usually a result of an inconsistent panel.

Now, of course, it could be the camera, or the angle the photo was taken.. Or, it could be previously repaired body damage. :\
 
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