The blinders of nostalgia are a curious thing. They make me look at the 1973 Duster here on ebay with fondness rather than fright. Why fright? Because on the way to restoring this car, should I give in to my fond memories of a similar car I once owned, I’m going to be doing some metal work. Maybe I’d better look harder at the ad and consider where the current bid of $1675 will go before the passing of five more days. Note that there is a reserve, and the bidding is not there yet. The car itself is in Russellville, Arkansas, which is where you’ll pick it up. I’m giving up the quest right here, so you have your chance.

The car has mid-60,000 mileage showing on the odometer, but that’s not what’s on the engine. The mill was rebuilt in 2016, as the first step in a refurbishment. Then the Duster was parked in the spot where it still sits today. There is an engine rebuild receipt shown as validation of this. This documentation also reveals that this is a 318-CID displacement block, and not the famous “slant six.” Even if the rebuild was done with care, the car will still need a careful once-over, including replacement of any rubber components, a likely carb rebuild, and attention to what surely has turned to varnish in the fuel tank. Then you might think about driving it home. Hard to imagine that in its original configuration, this car was a “three on the tree.” Keeping that would have meant no thief under sixty would be able to steal it in a drive-off, and there aren’t likely a lot of those around. The car has been changed to a four-speed.

The Duster ran its semi-fastback body style, a variation of the Valiant, from model years 1970-76, then gave way to the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen. The model here, as a 1973, comes with a sheet metal update over the original three years, and mechanical improvements, as to the brakes, for instance. Variants on the Duster over the years included the “Feather Duster,” “Space Duster,” and “Gold Duster,” just as a point of interest when you’re chatting with people at shows.

Whether you ever get there is the remaining question. With rust showing in the rear quarters and little photographic evidence to help you get a full picture of the tin worm’s nasty work, it’s up to you to make further inquiries as to the state of this potential collectible. Is this a risk worth taking? Depends whether you have images of your (my) 1975 Dart Sport, the corporate twin formerly named the “Demon,” bouncing around in your head to tempt you to overlook the issues and put this car in your driveway.