Vehicle Description
This 1973 Plymouth Duster is what you get when you take a
mild-mannered A-body and give it a serious dose of horsepower.
Finished in bright red paint with appropriate stripes, this slick
compact now carries a snarling 408 inch stroker motor and a
high-profile personality that refuses to be ignored.
Originally, this car was just a bland commuter special, anonymous
in its factory blah paint. But since it was straight and clean,
someone saw the potential in it, so a few years ago, it was treated
to a fresh coat of FE5 red paint. No longer a shrinking violet,
this slick Duster was just getting started, so they added Duster
stripes with '340' callouts on the flanks, just in case anyone
wasn't paying attention. Workmanship is pretty good, with doors
that close solidly (quite unlike an affordable commuter car) and a
very impressive shine to the glossy urethane paint. There are
chrome bumpers at either end, just to keep it looking mostly stock,
and you have to admit that it looks great from any angle. It's not
perfect, but if you want perfect you're probably not shopping for
an affordable Duster and this one is obviously about function more
than form anyway.
The handsome interior wears bright white seat covers, door panels,
and carpets, all of which appear to be either original or older
reproduction pieces. It's actually very sophisticated for an
affordable car and comfortable enough to spend all day behind the
wheel. The dashboard offers a complete array of gauges with their
round pods echoing the Rallye gauges of the past, along with a big
tach and auxiliary gauges underneath. It's likely that the back
seat is also original, and if that's the case, this is one
amazingly well-preserved car, so it's easy to see how the builder
saw the potential in it. The original AM radio was supplanted by an
AM/FM/CD stereo head unit, which feeds big speakers on the rear
deck. The trunk is incredibly spacious for what was originally a
"compact" car, and it includes a correct mat.
This car was no slouch, as it's a real 340 car, but today there's a
seriously potent 408 cubic inch stroker motor between the fenders.
Based on a 360 block, it's big block torque in a small block
package, so the Duster's handling is preserved intact. The
smooth-running small block offers instantaneous throttle response
and a great mid-range punch, which makes it a lot of fun to drive.
A Demon carburetor on an Edelbrock Performer RPM, MSD ignition
system, and aluminum heads build big power to make this Duster a
serious threat. Long-tube headers help build torque and feed an
aggressive-sounding dual exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers
and cut-outs, so it's able to deliver the sound you prefer. The
A904 3-speed automatic transmission seems to read your mind when
you stomp the loud pedal, dropping down a gear to let the 408 get
into the meaty part of the power band, and with tallish gears in
the rear end, it's seriously punchy on the street. Those handsome
Weld Pro-Star aluminum wheels are a great drag race look and wear a
set of Mickey Thompson drag radials out back to help this sucker
hook up.
Thanks to a bunch of recent work, this is a really neat piece of
Mopar muscle that was done right. With a nod to authenticity but a
strong desire to attract attention, this Duster is always a lot of
fun. Call today!
