Posted By: hotairballoonpilot
74 360 4 speed Duster V21 hood - 12/02/20 10:46 PM
I am doing this car for a friend/customer. I have more pictures on my shops facebook page but Facebook changed the format and now I can't seem to get the pictures I take with my phone and upload to the shop page. So I saved a few pictures and thought I would share them here. I will try to keep uploading pics as best as I can. Below is the write up I did on the facebook page. Hope you enjoy. Yes it is crazy the amount of work that I have done to a 74 duster but it is the car he had in high school and his wife and him want to keep it that way rather than cloning it into another shell which would of been LOADS easier
.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=Hartfordsbestpaint&set=a.2912599905456025
This car was the car owners high school car in the middle 70's. He bought it from I believe maybe the second owner. He drove it through high school then sold it. In the middle 80's he tried to locate it again. He knew it was traded in at the Chevy dealership in Howard SD. Back well before the internet he drove to the dealership and asked if they remember a yellow 74 duster and who might of bought it. They did not recall but were willing to let him look through the sales books. Imagine that happening now a days. Not going to happen. Well thankfully he remembered the last portion of the VIN number. As he scanned through all 74 dusters traded and sold he was not able to locate it until just about the end. Asked the sales manager when he located it and sure enough he remembered the car. Story was that when the new owners (which only listed the last name) left the boyfriend spun the tires and threw rocks back at the dealership showroom floor window and broke the window. Brian was able to locate the car had moved to Mitchell SD. Well before the ability to search out peoples last names he had to look through the white pages calling people with that same last name. He kept calling and caught a few people asking if they had a yellow 74 duster. Most said no but one said they did not but thought their relation did. Turns out she worked at a truck stop in Mitchell. Onto the next stop to ask if she was working at the restaurant. Manager was little reluctant to get her but he did. She did inform him she had owned the car and had some brake work done at a mechanic shop in Mitchell but the bill was more than she had so she gave the car to the shop. Onto the next call to the mechanic shop. Asked if they had or knew where the car went. Sure enough the car had been there and was actually still at the shop out back. The question was asked if it was for sale and sure enough they were willing to let it go for what was against it on the bill. Back to Sioux Falls it came where it sat behind Billion Chrysler Plymouth on 41st where Brian was a mechanic. That is where I come into play. I was a teenager at the time and having been raised around dusters my "dream car" was a Plymouth Duster. Needless to say I spent a lot of Saturdays hanging around my dad at Billions as he worked with Brian for many years. Being employed at a Plymouth dealership you get opportunities that some don't. Brian got just one of those chances. Chrysler Corp was liquidating old sheet metal in the 80's. He was able to buy both quarter panels,both door panels,both outer rocker panels,both fenders,a hood,a front stone guard panel and an upper radiator support panel. All for less than $300! Imagine that happening now a days! Well as time went buy the car was eventually moved to a pasture where it resided until 2020 when the decision was made to bring it back to life. Now most will and have said why not just start with a more solid 74 Duster. There are a few reasons. The biggest one is the story behind this car. Anyone could make a "clone" of the car but at the end of the day those numbers Brian searched out and knew would not nor could they be on another 74 Duster. The end of the day when this car makes noise and cruises back down the street it will be truly his teenage dream as well as my teenage dream. Stay tuned its been a fun ride so far!
.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=Hartfordsbestpaint&set=a.2912599905456025
This car was the car owners high school car in the middle 70's. He bought it from I believe maybe the second owner. He drove it through high school then sold it. In the middle 80's he tried to locate it again. He knew it was traded in at the Chevy dealership in Howard SD. Back well before the internet he drove to the dealership and asked if they remember a yellow 74 duster and who might of bought it. They did not recall but were willing to let him look through the sales books. Imagine that happening now a days. Not going to happen. Well thankfully he remembered the last portion of the VIN number. As he scanned through all 74 dusters traded and sold he was not able to locate it until just about the end. Asked the sales manager when he located it and sure enough he remembered the car. Story was that when the new owners (which only listed the last name) left the boyfriend spun the tires and threw rocks back at the dealership showroom floor window and broke the window. Brian was able to locate the car had moved to Mitchell SD. Well before the ability to search out peoples last names he had to look through the white pages calling people with that same last name. He kept calling and caught a few people asking if they had a yellow 74 duster. Most said no but one said they did not but thought their relation did. Turns out she worked at a truck stop in Mitchell. Onto the next stop to ask if she was working at the restaurant. Manager was little reluctant to get her but he did. She did inform him she had owned the car and had some brake work done at a mechanic shop in Mitchell but the bill was more than she had so she gave the car to the shop. Onto the next call to the mechanic shop. Asked if they had or knew where the car went. Sure enough the car had been there and was actually still at the shop out back. The question was asked if it was for sale and sure enough they were willing to let it go for what was against it on the bill. Back to Sioux Falls it came where it sat behind Billion Chrysler Plymouth on 41st where Brian was a mechanic. That is where I come into play. I was a teenager at the time and having been raised around dusters my "dream car" was a Plymouth Duster. Needless to say I spent a lot of Saturdays hanging around my dad at Billions as he worked with Brian for many years. Being employed at a Plymouth dealership you get opportunities that some don't. Brian got just one of those chances. Chrysler Corp was liquidating old sheet metal in the 80's. He was able to buy both quarter panels,both door panels,both outer rocker panels,both fenders,a hood,a front stone guard panel and an upper radiator support panel. All for less than $300! Imagine that happening now a days! Well as time went buy the car was eventually moved to a pasture where it resided until 2020 when the decision was made to bring it back to life. Now most will and have said why not just start with a more solid 74 Duster. There are a few reasons. The biggest one is the story behind this car. Anyone could make a "clone" of the car but at the end of the day those numbers Brian searched out and knew would not nor could they be on another 74 Duster. The end of the day when this car makes noise and cruises back down the street it will be truly his teenage dream as well as my teenage dream. Stay tuned its been a fun ride so far!
I would like to find a nice 360 Duster with a factory sunroof...someday. Keep us posted on your progress!
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