ShittySlant6's Rustoration - 1970 Duster

[shittyslant6]

I figured since I decided to go full bore on my duster I had better start documenting all that i'm doing. Hopefully this will keep me organized and motivated enough to keep moving forward on it as the last two years it has sat for months between working on it.

I got the car in the beginning of 2021 for $1700.

 

[shittyslant6]

It had the original drivetrain and was pulled out of an impound lot after ~40 years.

Once I got it home, I started investigating the rust situation and what would need to be done to get it driving again. The trunk and the lower quarters are the only parts of the car that has bad rot. Thankfully the floors were solid and so were the subframes.
I wire wheeled and bedlined all the problem areas just so the rust wouldn't spread further until I could get around to fixing it.

After this I spent the next few months tackling getting it roadworthy after sitting for so long which included rebuilding all the original 9" drums. Doing the brakes took almost 3 months due to the parts delays in 2021 as well as sourcing NOS drums since none were available.

Also, I had to get the engine running and the distributor in the car was gutted. Luckily @halifaxhops had all the parts I needed and I rebuilt it.

Then I dropped the fuel tank but before I could install the new one I needed to get a mount made for my tank straps because the spare tire well was rotted. Me and a buddy made one using some rectangle tube and we patched the truck floor with some clearance sheetmetal from the local steel supply.

I drove it around with the original slant for a little while and drove it to highschool for the first time. (brake fell apart on the way home)

 

[shittyslant6]

Then around fall break from school I decided that It was slow. and I was tired of rebuilding the holley 1920 every time I drove it.
I then found a 318 and trans for $200.

Threw it in over the course of fall break from school; with the goal being to drive it to the homecoming dance that was less than a half mile from my house (it kinda made it)

 

[junkyardhero]

what a piece of ****... such a perfect car for a highschool kid just cutting his teeth.

low stakes, cheap parts, excellent example to start with.

you're well on the journey already with the work you've done and the break downs you've had. good job!

 

[shittyslant6]

After that I found the reason for my failure was the voltage regulator failing and the alternator overcharged which killed the alternator, ballast resistor, and the starter relay.

Then I got fed up with rebuilding the 2 barrel too often and it running like ****; so I installed a 71 340 intake that I got with the engine and a marine 600cfm QFT I got at a local discount store for $300.

This was 3 days before I was getting my yearbook pictures taken and I got the carb and intake swap done the night before.

 

[shittyslant6]

Since the stock manifolds sounded like shiiiiit; I got a set of headers from a member here for free, and I put them on with a buddy the same day of Winter Formal. I was almost late because of it but I was determined to make it in the duster and I did.

These were taken an hour before Winter Formal







Then actually it made it there and I got in trouble by a few of the school administrators because the houses around school had a noise limit at 9:00pm. I was warned not to rev it when leaving the dance and this is when most everyone in my class and all of the teachers got to know the car and the shenanigans I would get into in the parking lot.



This is also when I suspected that my $200 engine had a little cam in it.
The car stayed relatively the same through my senior year after this apart from little modifications and tuning.

^This is a radiator from I think a 64 mustang that made it overheat like crazy hence the "custom" fan shroud. But hey the radiator was free!

Valve covers were given to me by a mopar buddy a street away from me, and I painted them.

 

[shittyslant6]

Then I graduated and started working full time and this is where progress really starts to slow down.


from 2022 to now the only things that I had done to it was install a full QA1 front suspension,

I put aluminum heads and a cam in it;

I had to do the cam break in the night before the big airshow of which I HAD to be at due to the limited number of display passes they hand out for the show, so failing once again was not an option.



Made it though; but I had a bad power valve which washed the rings out of it and made it just slow from that point on.

Then I crashed it into a pole doing donuts last year, which crunched the passenger quarter panel. Then on the way home from that, the transmission lost all gears and I drove home in first. Then I got a new job and it didn't touch it for around 6 months.
Then I pulled the motor to build it. I bought pistons; got the block prepped, reconditioned some full floating 340 rods with ARP bolts, Had the whole rotating assembly balanced; then I found out the block was cracked.

Found a 360 magnum and 727 for $500 and disassembled it. Just got done cleaning parts and was about to put the rotating assembly in it when I dropped the cast piston from 3 inches off the ground and broke.

It sits from last november to last month.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I love this. You're havin a blast. That's how it should be.

 

[shittyslant6]

Last month I decided that I just wanted to just bite the bullet and redo the car correctly since high school me did **** really sketchily. (hose clamps on the trans tailhousing to hold it in and zip tied tie rods for example)

I relocated the battery to the trunk and put in a disconnect switch, ordered 8 A/N fuel lines, got metripack connector kits for wiring it, battery cables, parts of the nitrous kit, fuel pump, cam, wiring harness, etc.

Then I realized that I was going to be building it only to take it apart again in a year or less when I planned on fixing the rust. So I am going to dive in and do it all now. I have priced out quarter panels, trunk floor, and fiberglass fenders as well as a rollcage.

Half-assing it has been reckless and fun, but I think it's time to do it how I want to.

 

[halfafish]

Great story and a cool car. Keep on truckin'!

 

[Big.J.007]

Cool build, following

 

[jos51700]

It might be shitty but it's done more running in the last five years than my cars have....

 

[BrianT]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing. I'll be following along.

I did something similar 45 years ago when I was in HS and had my mom's hand me down Duster. The quarter panels were so bad, my friends called it The Ruster.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

This is a great thread. Thanks

 

[MDchanic]

Wow. I didn't think kids did high school stuff in high school anymore.

Bravo.

This is exactly the sort of car that should be treated exactly this way.

Fix it, Run it, Enjoy it!

If you wrap it around a pole, take the plates, walk away, and get another one.
That's what we did.

– Eric

 

[Mtrhead]

I love your budget and your sheer honesty you will go far buddy because you have creativity and motivation I really like that!!!

 

[missing linc]

Thanks for sharing your story and making me smile when I remember those times.



Keep up the great work!

 

[Daves69]

These were taken an hour before Winter Formal

Nice work!

BTW........do you have any extra Header Tree Seeds?

 

[shittyslant6]

Nice work!

BTW........do you have any extra Header Tree Seeds?

No, unfortunately the seeds are only good for one set

 

[dartindanno]

Congrats! Nice build and keep that motivation

 

[barbee6043]

Cool car and cool story!!!!!
Does this old car give you pleasure every time you fix just even the smallest thing!!!???? They do for me!

 

[memike]

Enjoyable thread and congratulations on moving forward with it.

 

[TT5.9mag]

Ah the high school shenanigans. I remember those days fondly. Well done young man, well done. Continue having fun because that’s what this hobby is about.
Where are you in Cali?

 

[WV64Signet]

Ah the high school shenanigans. I remember those days fondly. Well done young man, well done. Continue having fun because that’s what this hobby is about.
Where are you in Cali?

Always fun to think back on the student parking lot behind the school between the hotrod gearheads and the redneck trucks



Great stuff @shittyslant6

 

[ESP47]

This POS is even too weird for Roadkill. I dig it!