Plymouth conceived the Duster to add some pizzazz to their Valiant compact line which was viewed as being a family car. The Duster had a fastback roofline and new sheet metal from the windshield back, while the front clip came from the existing Valiant parts bin. Because of the car’s lighter weight, it was natural that a performance edition would be included, the Duster 340. This 1972 version is sharp looking and has its original drivetrain which was rebuilt and tricked out some years ago. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this Plymouth is available here on eBay where the bidding holds at $19,100, with the reserve still outstanding.
One of Chrysler’s hottest engines was the small block 340 cubic inch V8, which was usually rated at 275 hp and went into more than 216,000 Chrysler products from 1968-73. After peaking at 56,672 installations in 1970, the motor still found 42,171 buyers in 1972 as the muscle car market was cooling down. 15,681 of them went into Dusters in ’72, plus another 8,773 in the Dodge equivalent, the Demon.
This ’72 Duster 340 may be wearing its original gold paint and black vinyl top. We’re told that it’s rust-free and the sheet metal would pass any magnet test you wanted to put it through. It’s not perfect with a little touch-up paint here and a scratch there, but it presents quite well. The hood with scoops is not original, but the seller still has the factory one with a 340 Wedge decal on it. It has Rallye wheels all around and new tires on the front. While the chrome rings aren’t shown, the seller says they’re on the car now.
It’s said to be a solid running automobile that received a serious makeover of the engine more than twenty years ago and the price tag added up to $7,000. This includes balancing the motor and adding an aluminum intake manifold, headers, Holley 750 carburetor, and a great deal more. The odometer sits at about 43,000 miles and we’re told the Plymouth has only been driven 500 miles in the last 10 years. So, the Duster should be ready for someone to help it flex its muscles on the open road.
This well-equipped Plymouth has a nice interior and the driver’s seat has a small tear, but the seller is providing a new set of correct seat covers. The car’s cowl tag is still intact, and the factory-built sheet has managed to survive the past 50 years. While it may not be in show condition, this Duster looks like the kind of car you could show with pride and not be afraid to use from time to time.
Depending on the paint conditiin, this might be a nice ride. Out of all the Mopar engines in ’72 the 340 suffered the least degraded performance than any other. A Duster should have plenty of pep with this sertup if the Holley 750 has been properly jetted.
Whether you are a MOPAR fan or not, you have to admit, Chrysler sure knew how to make a mundane car into tire smoking beast, that even the paper,,person or pump jockey could afford. I remember, more than one gas station always had one parked off to the side. It had just the right amount of doo-dads to make it just look like it was going fast. I read, the price of a base of a ’72 Duster was $2290. The “340” package added $500 bucks, and you went from there, literally, They would do 0-60 in 7.2 seconds, and the 1/4 mile in 15.2 @94 mph. Not funny car times, but good enough to get in trouble.
Again, at the risk of sounding redundant, it’ll cost someone $20g’s what the pump jockey picked up for $400 bucks in 1975. Oh well,,dems da breaks.
Cool 😎 car. Nice lines, 340, torqueflight , 3.91 gear. Nice cruiser.
I knew this one felt familiar – it was here just over a month ago: https://barnfinds.com/fully-documented-survivor-1972-plymouth-duster-340/
While I love reading the articles here, there are SO many cars out there to write about that posting a repeat is a waste of your time and takes up valuable BF space.
There must be an easy way to prevent this from happening.
I’m sure the seller doesn’t mind the $500 increase in bids.
IMHO, vinyl roofs did nothing to improve the looks of the Duster’s fluid lines.
As much as I love big boats, I also have a thing for pretty much anything Mopar from about 1965 on up. I had one of these with the /6, which I really liked, so I am pretty sure I would love this one too!
It appears to be in rely good shape too!
The price? I tend to side with Howard in regards to price. I am a bit cheap lol.
Thanks, Sg, but you have a long way to go to be as cheap as me,, :)
Lol I am well on my way.
Nice looking ride. Glad to see the interior is Black and Not Brown, adds a little more class. Nice job with the offset wheels. This is one you can turn the key and cruise, NICE MOPAR