I’ve had this car sitting in my garage for several years after selling my matching numbers 1971 Duster 340; GB2/GB7/white stripes bench/blue printed 340 w/pocket ported heads/XE268 727/3.55s. My matching numbers Duster 340 was a great little car that ran 13.60s @ 102Mph and was in the Dodge Dart & Plymouth Duster Musclecar color history book, Johnny Lightning Mopar Muscle 1/64” and also in Mopar Muscle. Eventually I just tired of it and didn’t want to modify it and sold it several years ago.

I bought a 6-cylinder1971 Duster from a member here on Moparts with the idea of building a FAST clone that was streetable. I was looking for 11.80s @ 118Mph in a drivable combination. This project stalled with two kids in college (Texas A&M and University of Texas grads) and then other priorities.

This past summer, my wife was getting the itch for a new Plum Crazy shaker hood Challenger 6-speed for fun. We test drove a Tor-red one and probably would have bought it if it was the “right” color. She really wanted something to drive with modern convinces. I told her we could build the Duster for about the same price with a Gen III Hemi or look for a Challenger that would meet her requirements. End of story, build the Duster!

Lucky for me, Uhcoog1 (Wade) and Alex, both into Gen III Hemi conversations were close by. I drove Wade’s car this past July and was hooked on the conversion as well as moving more toward a corner carving, stiff Unibody car.

So what are my plans for this car? I guess it would be called a resto-mod that is going to look like a stock 1971 Duster 340 with big disc brakes and 18” American Muscle matte black Bullitt wheels that can be driven anywhere on pump gas. It will have to be able to dip into the high 11.00’s @ 120Mph at the drag strip and carve corners on an autocross or road course with modern muscle cars with only tire pressure changes.

Exterior
Color: Snow White (W3)
Matt black 340 stripes (372, 6.1, hum, subject to change)
Sharktooth grill
V24 blackout hood with correct white 340 Wedge callout (372 Hemi?)
Hood pins
Duel painted sport mirrors

Metal & Body work
This car was from Maryland and sold to as a rust free example. I should have known better; we actually have rust free cars in Texas!
Stripped and blasted the bare body
New front floor pans, spare tire well, trunk extensions (Rust)
Cutout and replaced sheet metal in quarters (Rust)
Installed 4-speed hump
Installed US CarTools chassis stiffening kit
Reverse tub (Eliminated the hump on the outside of the inner wheel wells) and rolled the lip on the quarter panels into the reverse tub
Rolled the tops of the front fenders
Rebuilt driver-side striker plate
Various cleanup of other holes
Installed reinforcement plates behind the sport mirrors and door handles

Yes, a "Rust free" example!

Enough of this, let's get this car cleaned up!

Now we know what else was hiding under there!

US CarTools Chassis stiffing kit

Subframe connectors, extensive new metal in trunk

More metal progress

We can make it better, let's reinforce the K-Member

Lots more to do, let's get it powder coated

That's what you call a swaybar! Box the lca's as well. They need to go to the powder coater.

Mockup, it's 6.1 Hemi time

Lakewood and an 833, 160AMP JEEP GC alternator

This side looks good

The pinch weld is going to be a problem. Borgeson steering box and TTi headers

I mocked up with the first version of the TTi headers that Wade persuaded. Wade, working with TTi has since helped them with the updated version. Hope they fit!

Sanden 7176 A/C compressor. Mocked up mounts for it. JEEP GC P/S pump

The rest of the build:

Exterior
Color: Snow White (W3)
Matt black 340 stripes (372, 6.1, hum, subject to change)
Sharktooth grill
V24 blackout hood with correct white 340 Wedge callout (372 Hemi?)
Hood pins
Duel painted sport mirrors

Metal & Body work
This car was from Maryland and sold to as a rust free example. I should have known better; we actually have rust free cars in Texas!
Stripped and blasted the bare body
New front floor pans, spare tire well, trunk extensions (Rust)
Cutout and replaced sheet metal in quarters (Rust)
Installed 4-speed hump
Installed US CarTools chassis stiffening kit
Reverse tub (Eliminated the hump on the outside of the inner wheel wells) and rolled the lip on the quarter panels into the reverse tub
Rolled the tops of the front fenders
Rebuilt driver-side striker plate
Various cleanup of other holes
Installed reinforcement plates behind the sport mirrors and door handles

Interior
Rally Dash by Redline
6600Rpm redline tachometer and hidden LED shift light
Amp-meter converted to volt-meter
Rebuilt speedometer and gauges
GCar re-chromed bezel
Radio filled in smooth
Clarion marine M303 radio with XM, Bluetooth and iPhone capability only
Clarion MF1 handheld RF controller
Alpine SPS-410 & SPS619 speakers
Leather wrapped TUFF steering wheel
All new black/charcoal legendary bucket/rear seat covers, burlap, cotton and foam
Legendary black woodgrain door panels, head liner
Black Seat belts re-webbed and restored by Ssnake Oly Products
Classic AutoAir for Mopar A-Body

Wheels & Tires
American Muscle 18” x 9” & 18” x 10” matte black bullets with Michelin Pilot Super Sport 255/40-18’s & 285/35-18’s I plan to carry a full size 255/40-18 spare

Steering, Brakes, Suspension and chassis:
US CarTools chassis stiffening kit
Borgeson 14:1 power steering box
13” duel piston front (BAC), 11.7” single piston rear discs (Dr Diff) with hydroboost master cylinder (BAC), all new lines
1.04” Mopar Performance Torsion bars (BAC)
BAC SPC upper control arms
Bilstein shocks
BAC custom rear springs lowered 1”
Helwig 55907 tubular front swaybar
Helwig 6907 adjustable rear swaybar

Rear-end
’68-’70 B-Body
742 clutch type SureGrip w/3.73 gears
New axles, green bearings
Offset spring hanger/Shackle kit
Leaf sping perches 42” on center
All parts from DrDiff

Motor
This is pretty much a clone of Alex’s 6.1 going in his RoadRunner!
4.055x3.580 6.1
Stock pistons/new rings
Stock Powdered metal rods with new Chrysler rod bolts (Same as 8.4 viper)
King Bearings
Stock 6.1 Timing set and tensioner
Melling Oil pump
Frank Racing 219/223 .571/.574 112LSA
Hughes ported 6.1 200 cylinder heads with PAC 1220 Springs
Stock 6.1 Intake Manifold with BBK 85mm cable driven throttle body
Stock 6.1 injectors
Stock 6.1 fuel rail
EFISource MS3Gen3 Hemi plug & play Gold Box and harness
Mildon Oil conversion oil pan and pickup
TTI 1 3/4 Headers to a 2.5" X pipe system with Dynomax VT mufflers to stock oval tips
TTI Motor mount brackets with a Schumacher locking motor mounts

Fuel system
Complete system from Tanksinc
Fuel injection gas tank
Fuel sending unit
GPA-4 fuel pump module
GM LS engine fuel line kit

Cooling system
Champion CC1643 3-row 26” radiator for Gen III Hemi

Transmission
Passion 855
LA Lakewood Bellhousing and blockplate
Schumacher Polyurethane transmission mount
Mcleod Hemi Conversion Flywheel, Pressure Plate and Clutch

Bullet, 6.1, heads on there way to Hughes

Camshaft specs, heads back from Hughes