Duster vs. Dart

[datzenmike]

its the nickname for the Datsun truck. All models up through the 720 had that name on some of the advertisements. No special upgrades were needed.

 

The name was used more often in Canada. A Hustler had a slightly different meaning in the USA. :D

 

I hear ya. Try driving a '70 Dodge Dart with SWINGER written on both sides.

[71-521]

I hear ya. Try driving a '70 Dodge Dart with SWINGER written on both sides.

I used to drive a 71 with Demon on it...much faster!

[datzenmike]

I used to drive a 71 with Demon on it...much faster!

 

Over 150?

[71-521]

many times...speedo broke religiously at 130 until I switched to the rally pack 160 unit...

made it from the police station in Mount Vernon to my house in U.P.(Tacoma) in 35 minutes once in '88...x-wife pissed me off & less traffic back then!

[datzenmike]

many times...speedo broke religiously at 130 until I switched to the rally pack 160 unit...

made it from the police station in Mount Vernon to my house in U.P.(Tacoma) in 35 minutes once in '88...x-wife pissed me off & less traffic back then!

 

No shit? I bought mine new and it had the rally dash with 150 speedo and center mounted tach that idled around 4 o'clock and swung around to 6 grand at 12 o'clock. I used to shift about 1,00RPM past the end of the scale. I put a Sun Super Tach in it and that was the end of that! Seems the factory one was reading high, a built in safety factor so you wouldn't over rev it. It was a sweet car, 300 hp 3,000 lbs for $3,000. I miss my old Dart. My brother got a 340 Demon in the late '70s and I got to drive it.

[OL YELLER]

No shit? I bought mine new and it had the rally dash with 150 speedo and center mounted tach that idled around 4 o'clock and swung around to 6 grand at 12 o'clock. I used to shift about 1,00RPM past the end of the scale. I put a Sun Super Tach in it and that was the end of that! Seems the factory one was reading high, a built in safety factor so you wouldn't over rev it. It was a sweet car, 300 hp 3,000 lbs for $3,000. I miss my old Dart. My brother got a 340 Demon in the late '70s and I got to drive it.

 

Well now seems as though I used ta one time had me one o' those mo fo fast machines my owndamn self...1973 Duster 340... (BUT, I told them to not put those damn "Duster Decals on) it was a very pretty Brown metallic..special order car (remember those?) Police brakes and suspension, special camshaft, special carbs ( two (2) o them big 4 barrel thingies) the back seat folded down and that made the trunk about 6 ft long...my kids used to sleep back there......Oh yeah and the mileage?...hmmm, well it was a whopping 10 MPG..(your mileage may vary).........paid $3300 bucks for it from Ray Vane Chrysler/Plymouth in Torrance, Cal............the salesmen all wanted to drive it when it was delivered..(took the factory 6 weeks to get it to me)..Oh and it had a factory "sun roof"...without the vynil top..(had to hassle em over that..all sun roofs "had" to have a vynil top in '73......memories...wow........

[71-521]

It's been years, it must have been the 150 unit...

I've owned 3 Demon's...all 71's...didn't have the yellow one I put the rally dash in to very long...got in a wreck and sold it really quick... :(

I'd trade my truck for one though...

[datzenmike]

Hmmm, the 340 Duster only came with a 4 bbl carb, the only exception was the '70 Challenger and 'Cuda T/A AAR with a 6 pack, special heads and valve train. By '73 the 340 had been detuned and compression lowered. The only other Chrysler engine to offer twin 4 bbls (and it wasn't an option) was the 426 Hemi, but the last ones were used in '71. The 440 came with a 4 bbl and a 6 pack, but only a 4 bbl after '72. Sadly the 440 eventually produced barely as much hp as an early 340. There was no factory twin 4 bbl option for the 340 engine and no larger engine option, or did I misunderstand you Ron?

[datzenmike]

It's been years, it must have been the 150 unit...

I've owned 3 Demon's...all 71's...didn't have the yellow one I put the rally dash in to very long...got in a wreck and sold it really quick... :(

I'd trade my truck for one though...

 

I think my 318 '69 Charger had a 150 speedo in it too, thats a laugh! I have no idea what the speedo was reading that day, it was bouncing pretty good. I went by the Sun tach that was reading a solid 6,250 RPMs in 4th. At lower speeds it would read 25 MPH for every 1,000 RPMs. A couple of years ago I was traveling through Calgary and saw a '70 Dart identical to my old one except that it didn't have a vinyl roof. (sigh)

[71-521]

I beg to differ...my green 71's fender tag clearly stated the 340/6 pack option...

have you ever heard of a Sizzler?

then there was my grey beast...acid dipped doors, fiberglass fenders & hood and trunk lid, plexi side windows...426 hemi...built for the Nascar circuit and then not ran for political reasons....scary fast!

sold it in Vegas in '89 for 8500...of all the cars I've had, I wish I had kept that one above all others!

Datsun note: I broke my speedo today in my 521 getting on the freeway!

[datzenmike]

Nope, never heard of a Sizzler up here, but we did get a Scamp (a six and 318 only) and the Duster Twister and a Gold Duster.

The 340 6 pack was available on the '70 'Cuda and Challenger Trans Am cars for that year only. They did not return for '71.

It's very possible to make a '71 340 6 pack but it was not, I believe, a factory option at the time.

[OL YELLER]

Well, all I can remember is that Duster had dual quads and it came to me that way..somewhere, being the pack rat i am, i have the original bill of sale and assorted stuff..(I seem to keep all that stuff ya know..will try to find it..) i do know there was the same discussion you are stating between the sales people at the time..but my sweet special Duster came from somewhere that way.....maybe the dealer had someone doing hi po shit for him..(something like Yenko did to the camaros?..heck i dunno..) I do know that the paperwork did not state that the motor was a 340..was not a HEMI I know.. ah heck that car is long gone anyway, traded it in on a 76 Datsun 620 as a matter of fact!...(The original Ol yeller)

[datzenmike]

If it was modified with a wink from the dealer like a Yenko that would be, not only not only cool, but colectable! Having owned a new '70 Dart, I would be much interested in hearing about it. Thanks Ron.

[ggzilla]

> of all the cars I've had, I wish I had kept that one above all others!

 

I'll bet. Those AFX hemi cars are selling for what, $1M in year 2007?

 

 

 

I miss my duster...here's a photo of it, it was a gold 71 with a red door: http://groups.msn.com/davidsdatto (first photo on the page)

[datzenmike]

> of all the cars I've had, I wish I had kept that one above all others!

 

I'll bet. Those AFX hemi cars are selling for what, $1M in year 2007?

 

I miss my duster...here's a photo of it, it was a gold 71 with a red door: http://groups.msn.com/davidsdatto (first photo on the page)

 

You know only about 80 '68 Dart and Barracudas were ever built into Hemi racers. They were not licensed for the street at all. They were delivered without paint, side glass, window windups (windows were of Lexan plastic and lifted by hand and held by Velcro) The body panels were welded but no sealer to save weight, no radio no heater or controls, no seats (driver's seat was a light Dodge van seat) no wipers, no electrical wiring, sound deadener or mirrors, motors, transmissions or rear ends, the doors and fenders were stamped out of thinner metal and a fiberglass hood was used.

 

There can't be too many left out there and and I'll bet more and more are 'discovered' in the future. I can't believe what those idiots at Barret Jackson pay for these things. Simply the rich ripping off the rich, so go ahead I just laugh at them.

 

I had a small muscle car back in the day and had too much fun in it and many memories. You can't buy a piece of that at auction, for any price, you have to be there and do it.

[dat521gatherer]

ha ha those are all very fast and i bet you all got lots of tickets. i'll stick with the slant 6. i drove a 65 dart 4-door (ya know the one nobody wants)around for many years with the one barrel holley 1920 carb. i always wanted to put a 2-barrel super six in it but never did. i could still power brake and make the tires smoke with that one barrel. no tickets for me thats why i drive slooo cars. it would still do 100mph though. my friends uncle is a dart freak!! he has many sitting in his yard. he even has the super six i wanted. i'll own a dart again one day.

[datzenmike]

Love the looks of the '65.s, wanted a 2 door. You must have had the 170 cu.in. slant six. My dad's was the 225 but had a single Ball & Ball carb. When I got it I made an adaptor for a 318 2bbl and split the exhaust and ran duals. Not much change off line or top end but would stay with a 283 Chevy from 30 to 90 MPH. Had to use a bicycle hand brake cable for the throttle cable as it was in a different position and the stocker wouldn't reach. There was a factory marine engine cam available fot the slant six too. Great times.

[RB_Shaggs]

in the movie "highway men" the heros car was supposed to be one of the 68 hemi barracudas i thought that was cool..

 

my dad has a 63 dodge dart wagon with a power rear window, push button trans, and had a slant six now he has made it his little sleeper and put a injected 360 out of a dakota.. but he kept the push button trans.. i have had quite a few darts and dusters i grew up in a mopar family my dads racecar is a 63 belvedere w/ a 440 with too much for me to write done to it runs low 10's. he had a 69 factory 4 speed barracuda but he sold it ( that pissed me off i wanted it) my grandpa has a 28 dodge sedan full custom streetrod.. and so on..

[datzenmike]

There were Hemi cars, but these 80 Dart and Baracudas could not be licenced for the street. They had no VINs and much of the safety items were modified or lacking. They were not available to the public and were sold to serious factory racers such as Dick Landy.

 

My dad's/my '64 was a three in the tree standard, but I did have a push putton (or typewriter} auto years later. The strange thing is they mounted the buttons on the left side of the steering column, always felt wierd using it. I think the Belvedere looked somewhat like my '64 too. M-m-m-m-m 440.

[RB_Shaggs]

the belvedere is the size of a satilite its a big car i will get pics up soon but the car was just completly redone so it looks different from the pics...

[datzenmike]

Might have been a Polara. Had 440 on the glove box, model number? Very plain, no P/S, P/B or anything.

[dat521gatherer]

my 65 dart had the 225 and i was in my 20's as the second original owner. the slant six 225 also came out with a hyperpack option that would be a four barrel setup. i've been reading about those aluminum block 225's and i guess only 45000-50000 were made. most are beyond machining cause of corosion but what a great conversion piece being as rare as they are. i keep forgeting about them when i'm at the yard but some people find them at local pull-a -part's.