the duster I'm building

[dusterbd13]

hey, ive been around the site a couple of weeks, and can say that y'all blow the other boards ive been hanging out on completely out of the water. you guys rock.
so heres my project. not exactly the pro-touring norm, but its a sleeper and a work in progress.
more suspension work will come eventually, after the funds free up a little and i find something i like that doesnt require hacking the car.
its currently packing a .30 over 360, with I beam rods, forged pistons, .564/.570 lift 236/242 duration solid roller, Indy modded Eddy heads, victor single plane.
the interior is mostly stock, as well as the body. hood is fiberglass. suspension is a hodgepodge, 73 duster spindles and steering, diplomat PS box and pump, 70 duster k-frame and control arms, ADDCO sway bars, 340 duster leaves in back, .89 T-bars up front, KYB shocks, and 11 3/4 front disc, 11X3 rear drum. packing a four speed and 3.91 in the back. heres the most recent pictures.











Michael

[68droptop]

Nice duster with a lot of great detail work. Man, I think the Mopars are taking over...

[dusterbd13]

well, us mopar guys have been relegated to the back burner for years. nows the time not to be, thanks to barret jackson.

Michael

[a62belair]

Reminds me of my '66 Barracuda, only nicer! Keep up the good work!

[gionni]

WOW...a really beauty your duster michael...

post please more pics of the instruments... looks awesome!

[David Sloan]

Welcome to the site.
Killer Duster.

[slenning]

Thats a great looking duster!! Welcome to the site.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Welcome aboard.

[dusterbd13]

requested pictures of the instruments:



thanks for the kind words. nice to know others appreciate my work.

Michael

[go-fish]

Wow, it makes me long for my old Duster. It was a 73 that I had bought from an elder lady. She only drove it to church, the grocery store, etc. It was pretty clean but I wanted to do the 'cuda up Pro-Tour style and unloaded it for a good chunk.
Now I kick myself for letting it go.
If you want to step up the handling I suggest www.reillymotorsports.com . Bill Reilly produces the Alter-k-tion and has just came out with an A-body 3-link. Both of those products are true bolt-on, requiring no surgery, which you said you were interested in.
He is also hammering out the Charger SRT-8 disc brake conversion kits for Mopars and is a Hydroboost distributor.
There are other suspension systems out there but they require surgery or cost too much for thier usefulness.
I got my Alter-k-tion front suspension and an air ride Technologies 4 Bar (with substituted coil-overs) from Bill. Hopefully I will finally get to experience them as soon as my engine goes together, a 360 based supercharged 408" with a Super Vic and Hughes Engines Stage II Eddy heads.
Mopar to ya.
-John

[fast Ed]

Gotta love the bench seat 4-speed!!


cheers
Ed N.

[dusterbd13]

i think also that it will be gaining a pair of more supportive seats in the future. that bench is uncomfortable, even in the driveway. dont know how i drove it on the power tour in 99. Oh wait, i was 17, and invincible. same way i lived without AC on the thing. and mufflers that werent straight through.
when i started the project, i had intended a repaint, ring and bearing the 360 cop motor, and a rattle can resto. toss it back together and keep trucking. that was four years ago. to get all the rust and accident damage, i wound up stripping it bare shell and starting over. only two panels that werent welded on or heavily repaired were the roof and passengers side door. needed floors, quarters, fenders, decklid, taillight panel, trunk floor, hood, patches in the front inner fenders, drivers side door. i did a lot of damage to that car before i grew up. after all, what do teenagers with a hot(ish) smallblock and a four speed do? BEAT ON IT!! and i killed the 360 bad, tore up suspension pieces, hammered the body and interior into the dirt, etc. had to go through everything after teardown. almost quit a few times, but didnt, through ecouragement of my mom and dad, my friends, and the woman that became my wife in the process. only parts of the car i didnt do were finish paint and body, headliner, and fixed glass installation. everything else i did in my dads shop between finishing college, starting a career, getting married, and moving three times.
it is not the final incarnation yet, but it is getting close. the details i mentioned, like seats, AC, and suspension mods (but keeping the steelie 15's) will come, as well as new bumpers and 3.55 in the back, or a five speed that doesnt require cutting the t-bar crossmember. maybe fuel injection and a supercharger, if i can make it look mostly vintage.

overall, the whole goal of this project was to restore it to a nicer version of the car i drove in highschool. i did not stray too far. the steering wheel is different, the wheels are red instead of black, and it has better gauges and a hot motor, as well as the aforementiond brake and suspension mods. but it still has the same feel as back then.

dunno why i just typed all that, but it seemed like a good idea so ill post it. maybe some other newbie will relate or something.

Michael

[6'9"Witha69]

Welcome aboard Michael.

[twosaturns]

dunno why i just typed all that, but it seemed like a good idea so ill post it. maybe some other newbie will relate or something.

Michael

I think we can ALL relate. If I still had my nova, I would be undoing/fixing all the repairs I did when I didn't know any better.
the detail on your duster is great. nice job.

[samuel good]

I like the steel wheels on it to michael, it gives it a Blues Brothers vibe.

[dusterbd13]

i went with steelies and pie pans for a sleeper vibe. but i cant help but think about 17 inch cragars with 255/55/17 rear and soemthing the same height and a little wider on the front. keep it vintage looking, but better. i just cant tell what it would look like on this one. i tried the visualizer on newstalgia wheel, but i just cant seem to picture my car from that.
anyone on here do photoshop?

Michael

[GMachineDartGT]

Nice Duster, welcome to the board and the world of Mopars that turn as well as they go!!

[Part Time]

Very nice detail. I like it. Welcome aboard.

[vanzuuk1]

Leave the bench seat and steel wheels,steelies are the new billet! I think cars with the stock look and killer running gear are the next big trend...

[dusterbd13]

id definately keep the bench if it had lateral support, and wasnt uncomfortable as all get out. that thing is just BAD. think i could add lumbar support, actual padding, and bolsters to a bech, then recover it with stock material?

and i havent decided on the wheels yet/ got bogger fish to fry (think mighty demon, rechromed bumpers, and AC)

Michael