'72 Duster "AERO DUSTER"

[Bjkadron]

So I wanted to post an update of my Duster and get your guys' opinions and thoughts on the Build. The color picture is the rendering I drew and the other is the sketch for the Alternate way(bigger tires and a wider track), same color scheme on both. Which one do you think I should do?


I first found My car when I was 15 years old. It was sitting in a guys "personal junk yard". I couldn't actually buy it until a little after my 16th Birthday. Right after I bought it.. Our main vehicle Died and I couldn't get together with the guy to get it home until just after my 17th birthday. It is actually pretty solid, but you can't tell that from the pictures. So now I have it and on to the specs!

I'm going to have a NASCAR/ Vintage TA theme. My eventual goal is to build it to be the fastest street legal road racing Duster ever(think Big Red but a Duster)! And The Name I've come up with is the "Aero Duster" to recall the "aero cars" of NASCAR.

The body is getting fully stitch welded to increase rigidity along with my custom designed "backbone" subframe connectors and probably a 10 point roll cage. I'm also going to shave things like the gas cap, antenna and front bumper (that mess up the lines). Its going to get a front splitter type spoiler and NASCAR type rear spoiler and a Hemi Dart scoop. And a primer gray and flat black "paint" job. I'm putting it on a Major diet with a lot of lightweight parts. All new fenders, hood, trunklid, probably doors will all be custom made by Me out of either carbon fiber, fiberglass or aluminum(I'm still deciding) as well as a full Bellypan and rear diffuser. I'll have lightweight glass(except for the front windshield which has to be DOT glass for it to be street legal)and I'm mini-tubbing it in case you haven't figured that out.

The interior could be described as "sparse" with just two(maybe 4)racing buckets, aluminum panels and zolotone along with a pistol grip(custom) shifter and a custom steering column.

Suspension will be, front: adjustable upper control arms with torsion bar lowers(all new high performance bushings) in the front(until I have the time and money to make a custom clean sheet double a-arm fully adjustable suspension and k-member) Steering will be stock box with a quickener that will make it 13:1 and aerospace aluminum tie-rods and drag-link(then maybe rack and pinion to loose some weight). Rear: custom adj. 3-link with panhard rod. Adjustable shocks all around. Also I've recently decided that I'm probably going to make it a full tube frame like the newer T/A (or NASCAR)cars. Also I'm fabricating some adjustable front and rear sway bars.I have been thinking about a torsion bar(non-stock)front and rear suspension(instead of coilovers) so I can adjust the ride height and spring rates as well. I was thinking about maybe corvette spindles or some race type ones.

Brakes: Big discs with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear. and a separate "rally brake" for drifting and such.

Wheels and tires will be black Crager soft 8's with 245-255 front and 275 rears(until I redo the suspension so I can fit 315's front and 345's rear). And forged aluminum w/ road racing slicks for the track.other wheel options Genuine NASCAR AERO wheels, or a torque thrust type wheel(think Foose Nitrous or VWW v40's or the like),or maybe something like Big Red's BBS wheels(all in black).

Drivetrain: I have a five speed manual(NV 3500). and I'll probably go with an 8 3/4 rear end.

Engine: either a stock 360sb with mildly ported heads and an Eaton supercharger that I found or a new HEMI(with the same). But eventually I'm going to put an all aluminum sprint car engine or a used NASCAR engine in it.
I'll have a big aluminum radiator, and a fuel cell with all new fuel lines.
Jegs headers(Custom on the new engine) with a custom x- or H- pipe and side exit exhaust to spit the fumes (I haven't decided what mufflers).

I'll be finishing it to show car standards(I'm a bit of a perfectionist) and I would be glad to accept sponsors if someone likes my Ideas!And would be able to get it done faster if I had some! In case I mislead you by saying that its going to be "show quality"... Its not going to be shiny! I don't do shiny(at least not on this one).I have some before pictures and some progress pictures on my myspace(myspace.com/bjdabomb). Also I'm going to WyoTech this coming June so I'll have the tools and everything I need to fab up all these cool parts! or at least the main frame and suspension parts.


Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!


Benjamin Kadron






EDIT: Project re-intro can be seen here because plans change:
https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/sh...789#post737789

[rjsjea]

Sounds interestingl, fellow Abody guy here!........pretty ambitious project.

[joe440]

sounds like a great project, keep the updates coming!
p.s. im going to wyotech also in september in blairsvillle PA

[1971CHEVELLE]

Nice project Keep us posted. Good luck.

[Young Gun]

Sick project! I am hoping to go to wyotech after I graduate from college... I'm doing the college thing for my parents but wyotech is gonna be for me! Can't wait to follow this project man!

[Bjkadron]

Thanks for all the interest but I'm Kinda looking for a vote.... Which way should I build it? "mild" looking? or all out with bigger tires?

Yeah I know its pretty ambitious... But why not be? And yes A-BODIES ARE THE BEST!

I'm going to the Blairsville PA campus of Wyotech. So Maybe I'll see you there!

[Young Gun]

I am partial and will obviously lean towards the bigger wheels... 18s all around would look good IMHO

[Bjkadron]

Hi Everybody! I have hit a proverbial wall in the design of my duster. I Want it to have a sort of "alter-ego" for big track days or racing(I'm thinking about running it in a NASA series or time attack or both). I was thinking of doing a flared out super wide tired car sorta like the ones in this thread https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=52565 Or like the new DTM cars. I've designed it so I can attach the front fenders with Duetz type quick release fasteners. So changing back and forth to a flared fender would be no problem. My problem is how to do the back. I was gonna keep the rear fenders all stock in my original plan... Because I can fit 345's without changing the skin. But if I put flares on the front it would look weird and be skinnier in the back. Also I want to be able to run smaller (245-255 front and 275-305 rear) tires on the street because huge sticky tires get expensive! Anyone have any Ideas to easily be able to change back and forth? So I can run the bigger tires on the track?

[Bjkadron]

Alright! The latest that is going on is that I found the material I am using for my Aero aids(splitter, spoiler, ect) and have sent out for a sample to make sure it will work. It is really cool stuff... Fabric that melts to a thermoplastic! strong and light too... I'll let you know how it works and post some pics when I'm done.

I also have decided to go the whole new spaceframe route( like modern trans-am cars) because my performance goals are to high for the original design.

I have also been busy doing new renderings and designing some cool and original one-off pieces. So I'll let you know mere when I get farther along on them.

[Bjkadron]

Ok.. I've been doing a bunch of technical drawings(small blueprints) to figure out where I am going to put everything. I figured out that if I move the firewall position back 4" from where it was I can move the whole engine behind the front suspension centerline to improve weight distribution.

I also got the steering rack that I'm going to use(new mustang) and a couple of other parts(brake master cyl. ect) so that stuff is coming together.

That's about it for now.

[sharpie]

Keep on keepin' on. Another A-body guy here. Your threads keep me jazzed about my 'California Demon':



get some pics up!

[Bjkadron]

Thanks! And WOW! minilites look awesome! I was thinking about using them but I havn't decided yet. I actually almost got a demon but somebody else got it before I got the money. I have to get a photo hosting site before I can post a lot of pics.

[dusterbd13]

another a-body guy here.

as far as the body to cover the wheels go, build the body for the big wheels. then use spacers or wheel offset to stuff the narrower ones on the street version.

good call on the space frame. im completely unhappy with the t-bar suspension in my duster. if i had to do it again, with unlimited time and money, id do a full tube frame car with the unibody draped over it.

as far as the smallblock/hemi debate, go with the small block. its closer to the sprint/nascar stuff in dimensions, so youll have to change less.

for the 8 3/4, it will live pretty well. make sure to put a backbrace on it, and consider a cooling setup like petty used back in the day. it will help it live under the abuse. and dont go with green bearings. they dont live well turining. leave the standard taperd rollers in it, and they will live a long and happy life.

imichael

[Bjkadron]

Thanks for all the info! And thanks for checking out my project!

[Bjkadron]

My full tube framed Duster plans were kinda spiraling out of control to the point that I have decided that I really don't need to cut apart a solid Duster apart just for the roof section(that's all I'd be using). So Once again my plans have morphed. I have decided to build twin dusters! One a clean street car and the other full race! I don't think I'll do them exactly the same.. I'm not exactly sure how I will do the other one(street) but I'm working on it. I have a bunch of pictures that I'll upload as soon as I can... And I'll keep the updates coming.

[Grumpy Old Man]

My Mopar is a bit older but this is interesting. I'll subscribe to this thread to keep an eye on it.

[Bjkadron]

Sorry it took me so long to post them. But my computer wasn't working right.. Anyways.. Here are some of when I found it.

How I found it


The back of it


another view




Grumpy: Thanks.. And with A-bodies even if its a different body style most of the mechanical parts are very similar.

[Bjkadron]

Here are a couple more...

Loading it up for the trip home


Putting some wheels on it so it will roll


The beautiful interior


Extra stuffing?

[Bjkadron]

And a few more...

Maybe I need a little more WD-40


The engine bay needs a little work


Suspension... the best of the 4 wheels


trunk



I'll try to post some of my progress pics soon.

[Bjkadron]

Here are some pictures of when I was starting to strip it down...

after a little cleaning up


striping out the interior


the stuff from the interior


without the seat


a different view