One word that most people wouldn’t use in the 1960s to describe the Plymouth Valiant was “sporty.” So, Chrysler set out to change that by developing the Duster for 1970, a fastback coupe that was all-new from the windshield back (the front clip was Valiant). The car would be a hit and sell 1.3 million copies over the next seven years, plus a smaller number put up by Dodge with the Demon/Dart Sport. This 1973 Duster is a “Plain Jane” model with few add-ons and a Slant-Six engine under the hood. It looks good overall but hasn’t run in a while due to bad gas. Perhaps an easy project to get back on the road, this Plymouth hails from Sharon, Massachusetts, and is available here on craigslist for $9,000. Another tip from yesteryear brought to us by T.J.!
Only about 75,000 of all the Dusters that were built had the performance 340/360 V8 engine. That meant the rest had either a 318 V8 or Chrysler’s venerable Slant-Six, usually 225 cubic inches in displacement. That would have been the one most commonly found under the hood of a Valiant/Duster, and such is the case here with the seller’s car. Duster production would reach a to-date peak of 264,000 units in 1973, only to be eclipsed once in 1974 after the OPEC oil embargo drove buyers to gas-sipping cars (by the standards of the day).
We don’t know much about the seller’s Duster other than what the photos portray. The odometer reading is north of 76,000 miles which – given the presentation of the automobile – could very well be accurate. The dark green paint may be original given that you can still see the dealer’s sales decal on the trunk lid. And it seems to shine up well, although close-up photos may say otherwise.
The basic interior also looks just fine except for cleaning, although we can’t tell about the floor covers. Could be rubber, could be carpeting, but a new carpet set is not a big outlay. About the only option on this car is the automatic transmission, which may also need servicing since it sounds as though the car has been dormant for some time. Certainly, the fuel delivery system will need cleaning, but afterwards, you could have a car that’s ready to make the rounds. Not every machine at Cars & Coffee hasn’t to be about performance.
Also, not every classic needs to have a V8 under the hood to be cool or interesting. There are some cool hop-up parts for these old inlines. Like Clifford Performance!
https://cliffordperformance.net/store/ols/products/68-mopar-225-coombination
‘One word that most people wouldn’t use in the 1960s to describe the Plymouth Valiant was “sporty.” So, Chrysler set out to change that by developing the Duster for 1970, a fastback coupe that was all-new from the windshield back (the front clip was Valiant).’
No, that would be the Barracuda in 1964.
This rare Granny’s Duster should be left ‘as is’
but I’m sure someone will want to drop a V8 in it.
Price would be about right if it had a 318, although the /6 is a very good engine (I have 2 of each engines and they are both tough).
9G seems to be very high for a base Duster that supposedly isnt running due to “stale gas”
There was also a 198 slant six as well , but only on the real stripper models. This one is close to a stripper , other than the am radio ,auto, full wheel covers and bumper guards its pretty much a bare bones car. It even has the rubber mat instead of carpeting !
Stripper would have 3 speed manual and dog dish hub caps.
Yes , as I said , its close to a stripper with its few options, but its not a real base model stripper
That was almost loaded in 73
There is a lot of options this could have had , V8 , P/S , power disc brakes, A/C , carpeting , sport mirrors ,wheel arch mldg , rocker mldg ,heated rear glass , light package, space Duster package ,sliding steel roof , bucket seats and floor shift ,Gold Duster package ….. This was hardly almost loaded
My brother ordered his Duster from factory, bench seat, 3 speed stick, rubber flooring, dog dish hub caps, power steering and brakes, space server trunk option and AM radio. He was in the service and that car served them well, over 200k miles.
I would leave it as is, the old leaning tower of power was a good engine. Fun driver.
The bumper guards were standard equipment, fwiw. Neat car; too bad there’s no AC.
The rubber biscuits on front and rear bumpers were the base bumper guards for 1973 due to the implementation of 5.0 MPH bumper standard protection for front bumpers and 2.5 MPH for rear impact. There was a chrome base and smaller rubber insert available as an extra cost option for 1973 model year.. Those 225 six cylinder engines could almost run on water. The carburetor probably needs to be rebuilt , change the fuel filter spark plugs and spray some penetrating lubricant underneath the distributor pick up plate and change the fuel pump and you should have a good runner. Remember 1973 was the first year for Electronic Ignition for six cylinder engines at Chrysler .
Love strippers, can’t get enough so sexy to look at ! The Plymouth ? Not so much , a 340 / 4 speed would fix that , sorry guys but 225 & automatic is reliable as stone but not sexy