UPDATE 11/12/2019 – It’s almost been a year since we first featured this Duster and while it was originally listed on eBay, it’s now popped back up but this time on craigslist and for $13,500. At least there are better photos this time! They don’t really justify an increase in price, but at least you can get a better idea of its condition.
FROM 2/18/2019 – No, don’t get excited: this isn’t an actual drag car that flew under the Sox & Martin flag in the ’60s and ’70s. Curiously, it’s called a barn find, but it’s a barn find tribute car if you can make sense of that. There are two possible stories here, one far better than the other: this is a tribute car built in the ’70s that hasn’t seen the light of day in decades, or it’s a tribute car built in the recent past with some dings and dents from its life prior to becoming a rolling memorial. See if you can sort it out in this listing here on eBay with a $10,995 Buy-It-Now.
The seller doesn’t offer any history on this Duster, or whether it was in fact conceived at the same time Ronnie Sox was tearing up drag strips everywhere he went. It’s certainly understandable why someone would want to build a tribute to this iconic racing team backed by Ma Mopar, as any number of Plymouth vehicles driven by Sox were often winners in their respective fields. The seller says the dings and dents it accrued over the years will give the next owner the same feeling as discovering one of the actual track cars in a forgotten barn – do you agree?
This barn find tribute car isn’t just about its looks, however, as the seller notes an extensive list of modifications: “The 360 motor is full of the usual go fast goodies, it is backed up by a reverse manual valve body 904 with a 3000 stall speed converter. It also has a driveshaft loop, weld in subframes, competition engineering shocks all around.” The seller notes a fresh Optima red top batter in the trunk and new tires and wheels are also included, and that the Duster has seen time at the local track while running on pump gasoline.
This Duster leaves me feeling conflicted. It’s certainly far cheaper than trying to buy the real thing, but without any proof that this car has been in barn storage for the last decade, I’m not sure this is anything other than a replica with some dings and dents. The listing is confusing at best, but whether that will dissuade someone who saw an actual Sox & Martin car laying its competition to waste in the ’70s from taking this one home in a fever of nostalgia is nothing I can predict.
personally im questioning the same thing. there is nothing that i can spot that screams barn find to me. i would expect some age shown on the seats or dust on the car. but there is quite literally nothing that says barn find. i do believe it is just a simple replica sadly.
The paint is doing all the talking. I have seen these original “Sox & Martin” cars and they are impressive(not here every year) at our annual Mopar Nationals, here in South Florida, which buy the way is this coming March 3rd, in Davie, Florida. If you are a MOPAR guy or girl this is the show not to miss.
if you wanna talk about a show you dont want to miss, come up here to kentucky and visit the street rod nationals. theres always some classic band playing and theres always show stopping cars. last year they had an original shelby daytona hauled in and sat next to me. felt like an honor to see one of Carol Shelby’s masterpieces.
It’s just a street car painted to look like a Sox and Martin car, nothing more. I doubt it has much age and has likely never seen the business end of a track. There are several things which would get it bounced at tech. If it was built years ago, it wouldn’t be running a 904 transmission, small block 727’s weren’t uncommon and one would have been used. This car was built to draw attention at shows.
Steve R
The 904 is superior to the 727 in a light weight car. I run one by choice because the internals are lighter.
Here in northern Ohio,we have been running 904’s for decades.Reverse full manual with a low gear 1’st gear.They are a bit lighter,and work great.I ran a Valiant with a 340 for a decade with a 904 running 12.90’s all day long.And I have a friend with a Shelby Charger chassis car,running,a old style stroker 340 with a 904 and it’s a consistant 9.60 car.You can’t beat a low gear 904 if you know how to build them. Just an opinion….
I ran a 904 for many years, but built a 999. It’s a low first and low second 904 with a stronger housing for a truck. The reason most people ignore them is they don’t realize how easy it is to convert to non-lockup torque converter. The 904 family has way more promise than most people realize.
Built right the 904 is a Great racing Transmission, but I agree not in this case.
I raise a glass to Ronnie Sox, greatest 4 speed driver I can think of.
Yup one of the best 4speed guys ever 👍
Being the real thing is really something and showing or driving it would be great but this with decals and paint and a few easy modifications what would do with it except a repaint so you didn’t have to tell people ” no it’s not the real thing”
If a car was built when they were racing, it would have been a copy and not a tribute.
I would expect the car was built recently.
The quality of the job would tell you as a lot of the materials used today were not around back then.
The way I read it it’s supposed to look like a barn find, the way one of the original race cars would look if it was discovered hiding in a barn. Would have looked a bit odd back in the seventies showing up at the track in a copy cat racer with Ronnie’s name plastered on the door and the big Sox&Martin emblem.
Didn’t they run a hemi powered Duster back then? I’ve seen photos of several known racers running hemi Dusters back then, I’m guessing in the somewhat new pro stock class.
I’m an “old” Ford guy, and “horrors”…Sox & Martin actually raced for them prior to going MoPar ( = MoMoney). I still followed them out of curiosity and to my knowledge they never raced anything with that small of an engine. HEMIs, HEMIs and more HEMIs. So, in my opinion, not even a decent tribute car…
They did race a 340 Barracuda for about half a season in 68. It sold at BJ about 4 years ago.
hoghead426 – I just read an article from 2010 via Motor Trend magazine , which I rarely read after some of their “way off base” cars/trucks of the year recipients. Apparently they not only raced the 340, they had another team-mate then that campaigned one as well. Both were B stock automatics ! Wow. So, quite rare. The article said they (and Butch Leal..another fave of mine) raced for “Brand-X” prior to moving to Plymouth. Another reason to disregard Motor Trend’s reporting. Didn’t even have the guts to name S&M’s prior employers.
It’s priced right for a turn key tribute. It’s been on the net for awhile so somethings wrong. Ronnie Sox was my hero back in the day and personally
I’d have no issues with it except it needs a stroker 440.
Motown Automotive Design is claiming that they built this car on their Facebook site.
I think it’s corny. It’s ok to do a tribute of something, just don’t expect others to follow. Don’t get me wrong, Sox&Martin, best ever, but to 99% of the people out there, they have no idea who that was, and probably would like just a regular fixed up Duster like this. Like others said, if you’re going to do a tribute, and go to this extent, go all the way, but to drive around with stickers plastered all over the car, kind of ruins it for me. Peel the stickers off, even leave the red, white and blue, with the scoop, draw in a lot more folks. It is a sharp car otherwise.
It needs Keystone Klassics on the car! And a 4 speed! And a hemi! OK done.
No less. Oh, and the straight down wheelie bars.
How about that fuel line riding the alternator pulley. Gotta fire extinguisher?
It’s a little ruff, for the asking price, but to each his own. Howard, a “Tribute” as you say is that one who makes it to be. I do agree what you say “don’t expect others to follow”, but some will and that is also OK. “SOX & MARTIN” was and is a GOD to us Mopar fans. I have meet them at one of our :Florida Mopar Connection car shows years ago, Super nice folks. With law suits of today, if someone would make a true duplicate, they would probably be sued. I also noticed the rubber fuel line on the alternator, instead of a stainless one that would of been used.
Ronnie Sox has been gone 13 years now, so that’s been a while. I saw Sox racing his SS/A Barracuda at Elk Creek Dragway in 2001 in a match race with the late Bob Reed. Make it a point to see these guys while you can. That generation of racers gets smaller all the time.
Yep – Hemi in their Duster with the big tunnel ram 2X4 like everyone was running by then.