Finding a solid project car is always a nice experience, as it can be very easy to lose your enthusiasm for a project if it just becomes overwhelming. This 1970 Duster appears to be a solid car, and the fact that it is a numbers-matching vehicle is a nice bonus. Located in Hillsdale, New York, it is listed for sale here on eBay, where bidding has proven to be quite strong.
I quite like the look of the Duster, and while the orange paint may not appeal to everyone, it is a bonus with this particular car that it wears the majority of its original Vitamin C paintwork. The owner states that the car is rust-free, and the photos do tend to indicate that this is correct. In all honesty, this is a car where the panels and paint could be left as they are, and the new owner could essentially drive it as it stands.
Under the hood are the numbers-matching 340ci V8 and the 727 transmission. The owner says that the engine does blow a little bit of smoke, but given the fact that the car is 49-years-old and that the engine has never been out of the car, this isn’t that surprising. The transmission is said to work well, and it shifts smoothly. The only deviations from standard are the fitting of Flowmaster mufflers and electronic ignition. The original distributor is also included with the car, so it wouldn’t take much to return the car to standard.
The original black interior of the Duster is quite good. The only item that needs to be attended to is the front seats, which could use new covers. The rest of the interior and trim, including the floor console with automatic shifter, all look to be unmolested and in really good condition.
This Duster 340 really does look like it’s a good car, and the new owner shouldn’t be faced with a lot of work if they want to drive and enjoy the car. There have been 8 people who have now submitted a total of 39 bids on the Duster, so there are definitely some people who can see the potential there. This has seen bidding reach $21,100, but the reserve is yet to be met. With good examples selling prices in excess of $32,000, it will be interesting to see where the bidding on this car goes.
These 340 Dusters only got better in ’71.
How do you feel they ‘got better”?
the real joke here chrysler never built a matching numbers car in there life! they had a fender tag on the inner fender with letters stamped on it that told you where it was built and what was in it! take road runners for instance most had the snot drove out of them and the engines destroyed and mopar was known for switching thing around too you could order this duster a 100 different way back then anything you wanted! this numbers thing is a pile of crap
Wow, 21K for a fixer upper.
I am going to have to start looking at the Super Bees here in Mexico which were the Duster with the V8 and some stripes, plus the 4 speed.
A Super Bee is not a Duster clone you need to do your homework before you go it is a coronet
They sure are in Mexico.
The 2 door Coronet was never sold in Mexico, so they used the Duster platform to bring out the Super Bee name.
I have done a lot of homework on this. You could have as well before posting this.
Miguel is correct, I have seen some cars in Mexico and thought initially someone at a body shop or custom shop was having fun with logos & labels. But marketing was different down south and South America. Saw the same in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I have some friends who used to import grey market cars and motorcycles as well as took some out of the US to other markets as well.
Some of the stuff out of Japan is very interesting. Dont assume what you know based solely on the US marketplace. Then, there is THOSE Canadians!!!!!
I have a friend with a Modern Norton, I made arrangements with a friend to have it front & Center at a big bike show. There had been plenty of press on them but thought the purists would enjoy seeing one finally in the flesh. Apparently some did not get the memo Norton is in business again. People were puzzled and thought it was a custom, never mind there is some unique parts on them. Same deal at a national Norton rally. Some bubba showed up and his wife said something and after inspecting one of my prototypes yelled to his wife.,..”I dont know what the hell it is, but it sure is not a Norton!”
“The car runs and drives great but does smoke a little witch is to be expected from a 49 year old car.”
21K for a smoking car.
Does anybody here expect a car to smoke because it is 49 years old?
I’m with you Miguel.
I can actually remember a friend having one of these….only I think it was a green maybe. Anyway.tens of thousands of dollars for this? Amazing.
That said (as I always say) this is a very clean example. Now if it had a four speed………And Miguel you better get busy finding some cars to export to the U.S……….:)
I did just go looking. I know the one I am going to show you is not the early version, but it is really clean and not too much money.
https://www.segundamano.mx/anuncios/morelos/cuernavaca/autos/chrysler-super-bee-automatico-palanca-al-piso-926467137?nav=true
$9400 USD might be a lot for this car, but it is so clean.
I am drawn to any of them with the V8, and A/C, which is very rare in Mexico.
For some reason I had a different Super Bee in mind.
half cab, unfortunately we didn’t get the Coronet Super Bee in Mexico.
We only got the Chrysler Duster version, which was the only way to get an 8 cylinder engine in the car.
You should also remember that Mexico has no smog laws so the engine puts out higher horsepower than the US counterparts.
That makes them more fun to drive.
Miquel, your example is not the same car as the Plymouth Duster. What you show is what we had in the states called a Volare. These were the models that came after the Dart/Duster models.
Dave Graham, I know, like i said it was the newer version, but it was the same car.
I will find some older ones and show them here.
I loved those two Mexico Super Bees you showed us. I would take either one in a heartbeat! The light blue one has a more subdued look but both are excellent. Thank you for sharing those.
Depends on if it smokes filtered or straights. 😂
Cool , cool car.. about $5k ago. Any 340 Mopar is a contender, and the Duster best exemplified the extension of the Road Runner mission statement (and OK, maybe also the Swinger).
The 70 Duster was a handsome car, this one is optioned well and the colors wont offend anyone. But this one has entered “labor of love” category. It’s ok to be upside down in a car you adore, if you go in eyes wide open.
As of 4PM Eastern Time, the bidding on eBay has reached $21,600 and THE RESERVE IS OFF! So this Duster with the screaming (smoking) 340V8 is going to sell but with over 2 days remaining in the auction I can not imagine how much higher the bidding will go … Could it possibly exceed $30k??? The 1979 Mexican Chrysler Super Bee featured by Amigo Miguel (above) looks absolutely terrific and is based on the American Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare. Would be even better with a 4-Speed and I believe that there were in fact available with a manual stick shift. Thanks for sharing, Miguel.
John, yes I have seen them with a stick. I have also seen a few older cars with the automatic, but most were stick. The car I posted has a 360 from the factory, which is a rare engine for Mexico.
This one is a stick, but not as nice as the first.
https://auto.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-660833348-valiant-super-bee-1980-_JM
Hello Again Miguel, The 360V8 was automatic only in the States. But you could get the stick on the 318V8 and the Old Faithful Slant-6, Thanks Again for sharing. I remember you telling me that stick shift Ford Fairmonts are very common in Mexico. I wish that I knew more about the import process as I believe the lack of emissions and smog controls on Mexican vehicles is a problem. Anyway, Something strange is going on with the 340 Duster at the above featured eBay auction: The former high bidder has backed out and retracted the bid on Friday, February 8. With the high bid now at $19,700 as of Saturday afternoon the reserve is back on. Wonder what went wrong, The seller sure must be pissed!
John, the import process won’t be a problem and you would be able to register it in any state other than California.
I will let all you guys here know when I have the system set up to export the cars from here. I am working on setting that up.
I have to research the new rules as the agreement between the US and Mexico has changed this year.
I no we’re a dart swinger 340 drag pack car is and only 7 grand.
$21,000.00 ? ,l see snow, snow means salt, bumps around side markers could be rust. Even with that it should be a cool car to keep on the road. If the mileage is correct 79,000, the motor is just broken in. Smoke in a 40 year auto is probably a simple fix, oil seals replacement. Can be done without taken the heads off in two hours.
In a strange kind of way what amazes me is how it survived being modified into a real street machine all these years, back when these could be had for dirt cheap and the only value was in the performance. Ran pretty good stock but that was just a starting point for what these were really be capable of.
One things for sure, I bet it sounds nasty with those Flows on it! Great controversial machine here.
Am I the only one who noticed the gutters on the house falling apart? (Maybe they need the money for home repairs?) Often, poorly maintained homes have issues when snow & Ice damage the roofs and gutters.
This is kind of an amazing car, Dont see them much, We used to say “Dirty Dusters Done Dirt Cheap!” and they were very successful in short track-circle track as you didnt need much HP, Because of the torsion bars suspension they dominated circle track racing. Direct connection sold manuals how to make these into great race cars. (Do a search, great books!)
Back in the day, 351 cleveland, 350 Chevy and 340 Mopars dominated, and Waddell Wilson also put out an excellent book on building race engines. But most of these Dusters came with the leaning tower of power, the Slant six and a weak tranny. (Motors would go 400,000 miles, but you would go thru 3-4 trannys)
But these were a great variation to the Chevy Novas and Chevelles. This could be a great hot rod,, Love the Orange, needs black rally stripes or 2 tone. Cant believe the prices,, but vintage V8 mopars are $$$ these days.
‘No foreign buyers.’ LOL! Mom had a green Demon, yes, with the leaning tower of power. Sure looked good though!
Great year. 340. Not bad .20000 would be my top price..
Sluggo, I disagree with you somewhat. You do need HP in the short track, but you also need the short stroke motors. I am a Mopar fan and the 340 ruled the tracks down here in S. Florida, but one motor you didn’t mention was the 327 chevy. Not sure where you came up with the 351 Cleveland(Mid block) where the 289 or 351 Windsor would of been a better choice for Ford. I own a 70′ Cougar once with a Cleveland and it was a great motor, but did not do well in turns ( Too Heavy). Top end is another story.
True Jerry, You could order a car or buy one off the lot and still have the dealer add more to it. I know because I have.
Terry, I was stationed at an Idaho AFB in the 1980s before going overseas. Got involved with several GI racing teams who raced regionally. ALL were short tracks but some dirt and some paved. The consensus was HP was not as important as that torsion bar suspension and the fields were dominated by mopars with these, especially Dusters. I crew chiefed on a Mustang fastback owned by Ssgt Greg Lyle and he had the idea of a 390 for the torque. Didnt ever pan out, He even wrote Smokey Yunick in circle track magazine and Smokey said so as well. (I pushed hard for a 351) The more successful team was the 3Rons race team. Mostly North & South Carolina boys who grew up in racing. Ironically they all worked in Transportation squadron. They built some very competitive cars and some locals contracted them to build them cars too. A cut well above the local race teams and they were often protested. (Chevy guys, mostly Novas and Camaros)
The engine citations were from Waddell Wilsons book, See:
https://www.amazon.com/Racing-engine-preparation-Waddell-Wilson/dp/B0006WITNM
Which seems to be out of print. His is one of several that formed my opinions on engine blue printing and building. I DO love the 327, I have had several and still have one out of a Corvette and I have had it in several cars over the years. One of my favorites. While I used to build monster motors, I have also a soft spot for a 283 in small lightweight cars like my old 64 Nova SS and putting one in a ratrod prewar coupe. Im not a big fan of Fords, But yes,,, I have some association with them. And yes,, Greg used to get grief even back in the 80s of why the hell did you cut up a fastback??
My wifes family are very pro-Ford and they tolerate (Barely me being a Chevy guy) But we are looking at buying a new Dodge Truck and were told point blank, we will be disowned. I mentioned the new Chevy trucks look nice. My wife replied she *MIGHT* be able to eventually sway her family over if we bought a Dodge based on tech specs,, But its game over if we bought a Chevy truck. (I have 3 older Chevy trucks they overlook but still make fun of. 65 GMC, 72 Luv, and a 85 GMC, Used to have a 59 fleetside)
Sluggo, what was good about the torsion bar on Mopars were they could be adjusted easier for the turns, then cutting springs. Yes, the 283 was a great little motor, they are not any longer found. I do have a 05′ 2500 ram and it has been good to me(except changing the plastic blend doors for aluminum ones in the ac box). The new RAMS are rated top, if you can afford one. Sorry, Ford would be my second choice of trucks. LOL
Did not do any research at the time, but in 1988 I went to Hawaii on vacation and while there I did some shopping in junk yards(the wife was not impressed) and found many Dodge Darts(67-69) 6 cyl. with standard transmissions and bought parts(z bar) for my 69′ 340. Did not see any V-8’s. They were everywhere on the road. Guest they were slant sixes also.
Ended: Feb 10, 2019 , 11:15PM
Current bid:US $19,700.00
Reserve not met
[ 43 bids ]