The Chrysler A-Body cars, the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant, were one of the staples of sensible American motoring in the Sixties and Seventies. The Plymouth Duster came along in 1970 as a coupe version of the Valiant, intended to attract customers looking for something a bit more exciting and sportier than a sedan. Engines ranged from the thrifty 198 cubic inch Slant Six to the muscular 360 V8. A variety of special edition Dusters based on appearance, economy, and performance were available during its six-year model run. This 1972 Plymouth Duster available here on eBay is a survivor base model that was a one-family car when it was purchased by the current seller.
According to the description, this car spent its whole life in Georgia and Alabama. The only evidence of rust perforation is on the quarter panel behind the passenger’s side rear wheel and on the trunk lid. The seller states that the floors look solid from below and the photos of the trunk floor look good. However, there is an abundance of surface rust throughout the engine compartment and on the rear bumper and various body seams, which suggests this Duster once lived in a coastal area with salty air. Even with rust issues, the body is solid for an original nearly 50-year-old, Mopar product. The body blemishes could easily be touched up and enjoyed as-is. The white steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps fit the Plain Jane character of this base model.
The stripped-down theme extends to the interior, which wears a rubber floor covering instead of carpet. The blue vinyl interior has some noticeable flaws, including a cracked dash pad and shredded upholstery on the front and rear bench seats. Some aftermarket seat covers and a carpet dash cover could be used to at least temporarily remedy this. Surprisingly, this car is equipped with air conditioning, though it is currently inoperable due to some missing hoses. The fuel and temperature gauges also do not work.
Under the hood sits either a 198 or 225 cubic inch Slant Six which in either size is a stout and reliable engine. There is an aftermarket aluminum radiator which should be more than enough to keep things cool. The giant old twin-piston compressor could be removed and replaced by a modern rotary-type Sanden compressor if a potential buyer is interestedin reviving the air conditioning. Finally, the seller states that nearly every fluid is leaking, so that would be something that should be investigated as well. At the time of writing bidding is up to nearly $4200 with no reserve. What would you do with this Duster – tinker with and drive as-is, restore it to original condition, or use it as the basis for a Duster 360 clone?
I wouldn’t call this “well preserved”;(IMO) I think fairly intact would be more representative of its condition. Rust perforation is an issue, with probably more than can initially be seen. This rubber floored, bench seated base model has exceeded what I’d be willing to pay for it @ $4150. GLWTA!! :-)
If it’s as described, it will be a low priced project with a manageable amount of rust. Someone will get a good foundation that can go in any direction in the form of a desirable year and make that is suitable for a power upgrade.
Steve R
Steve R, it would appear that like me you have a little bit of a soft spot for Darts.
Yes, for good reason. Simple design that has aged well, it’s also flexible and easy to customize to fit any owner’s requirements.
Steve R
My late great uncle Simon (Reds) Jacobs had an olive green with green interior 1972 Duster with same hubcaps that he bought new at Gegnas Chrysler Plymouth here in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Had same motor. I would drive it as is, and repair things as you go along with ownership.
I bet this is a 225 not a 198. Years ago Iooked into buying new Valiant with a SS and air. Both engines were available but only the 225 was allowed to have air. That old fashioned compressor must suck 20 HP when it kicks in. After driving a 225 with air, I bought a 318. Never understood the logic in the 198. I understand, it was a base model replacement for the 170, but the difference in MPG vs a 225 must have been miniscule, yet it lost 20 HP over the 225. Seems to me, it was only a 20 buck difference in price, or something like that. Sounds like some idiot in marketing decided it was a good idea. The really should have the engineers make more of the calls. Does anyone know any more about why Chrysler just didn’t drop the 170 and go with just the 225? After a few years they did drop the 198.
So happy to see this here. I rode many miles as a kid in a ’72 just like it. It did make me hate the Slant though. Anyway, if the rust wasn’t too bad, I would put a 340 and a 4 or 5 speed in it. It does little for me in it’s current configuration except to bring back memories. I always found these to be really attractive as an inexpensive car.
Ys it would have made more “CENTS” to have eliminated the 170, 198, slant sixes and just offer the 225 six-cylinder engine. Could have eliminated the carburetors that went with the 170, and 198 engines as well. Would have made Production Control activities less complicated considering the number of plants these engines went to..
Yes as you will recall in 1977 Chrysler went to the 225 Super Six 2BBL Carburetors for Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare.
Probably something like a fleet bid spec that kept it in the lineup
Just because it’s a stripper, doesn’t mean it was a fleet car, lol…gee, maybe it was a Liberty Mutual investigator’s unit.
I agree I have a restored 64 dart 170 slant six three on the tree 76 k miles restored it back to factory condition , cool old ridr
You are spot on, the 225 was a great engine. My dad had a Duster with the 225 and it gave over 125,000 miles of trouble free service. I bought a 70 with the 340 and I loved it but it had rust in no time.
It has has some work to it ,no doubt . Someone painted the engine, so who knows if that the original ; it should be corporate blue in 1972. The seats should be all vinyl and one solid color , no velour inserts. The wheels look wider then stock and the steel rims should be painted black- the hubcaps are later Dodge style. The rear section really looks iffy , the 72s would collect water in the taillight corners and they would rust out there ; it looks like someone patched the rear section with galvanized steel and Bondo . The outside of the taillights are supposed to be grey/silver , this has white all over them, so its been resprayed ; actually, the whole car looks to be an shade off from the factory paint . The rusted out trunk lid is odd too , I dont think I’ve seen one rot there. Survivor ? No, just a 50 year old car in fair condition
500 $
The issue with both the fuel and temperature gauge not working is usually caused by the voltage regulator that’s mounted to the gauge cluster. It consists of a bimetallic strip that opens and closes to provide power to the gauges’ heating elements. It’s in a little metal can.
As far as gas gauge operation goes you have to inspect the fuel tank line at the gas tank. There is supposed to be a metal strap that snaps onto the metal fuel line at the tank and the fuel line running on the body. This strap completes the ground for sending the signal to the fuel gauge. If the strap is missing or has a poor connection due to corrosion you will not get a gas gauge reading. This is a common problem for Moapars from the sixties and seventies.
Perfect for a Hellcrate transplant.
I drove 6 cyl. Darts and Dusters for delivery cars back in the mid 70’s. All in all, a sensible pair of shoes. There used to be (back in the Direct Connection days) a fair amount of slant 6 performance pieces available including cams and multiple carb setups. A triple Weber equipped slant appeals to my sense of wierd more than a V8 swap. As effective or reliable? Heck no. But what a sleeper.
Ditto what moparman said,clearly this can be a nice driver again, but to restore,just too much money involved to do right.
Throw a big V8 in there, mount some big-ass wheels and tires, and drive the hell out of it!
I’m curious about the suggestion of the author to build a “Duster 360” clone. First of all, 1972 still had the 340 available as the top dog engine in an A-Body (as did ’73 for that matter). The 360 came out in 1974 and, quite frankly, was a piece of crap when compared to the 340. Not even close. So, why would anyone do that?
The guys posting to put 360s, Hemis and Hellcat engines in it no doubt don’t have a pot to piss in!
I resemble that remark
but , I don’t have to have any money to enjoy these posts.
The same kind of steering wheel I had on my ’78 Aspen !
I owned a 1970 Duster stripper just like this one, white with the blue interior. The only difference was mine had a floor shifted 3 speed manual transmission. It also had that particular smell from the plastic and vinyl interior parts that was characteristic of Mopars from that era, 1968ish-1976ish. Anyone else remember that smell?
I liked my little “Rubber-Mat Special” Duster. With the stick I could wind it out a bit and pick my shift point. The 225 has plenty of torque and keeping up in traffic was easy and it was cheap to run. My wife didn’t lke the manual transmission so I converted it to automatic. It wasn’t nearly as much fun to drive after that.
Action ended at over 5k.
Look at the wbay pix, there are 12 and in particular the 2 with opened doors, under the hood and open trunk.
The trunk shows obviously spray paint over rusted areas and the door jambs and nose are quite red with rust peeking out.
Id assume once you start picking that thread you will be doing a great amount of repairs.