74 Duster - My first project.

Well I learned something last night. If you don't plug in the distributor you get no spark. If you have no spark your car won't start. If you whirl it over toil the battery is dead before you find the distributor issue, you are best off to have a beer and go to bed cause 4:30am is very early.

Most people already know this but I'm not as sharp as most people.

Cley

At least the fuel should have made its way to the carb.

Well here it is the first time under it's own power! I had some trouble getting it running because I put the plug wires on in reverse rotation. That caused a nasty backfire that made me change the timing chain. But when it finally roared to life I was so happy!






I immediately loaded it up because I was a day late going to the lake for my week of holidays. I dropped it off at my parent's house on the way by and Dad did a little tuning and tweaking so I could drive it to my First car show as a participant. It was homecoming in my home town. It was a great feeling to have my car there. I did my official first burn out that day too. I haven't burned tires in Quill Lake Saskatchewan for over 20 years!



It still needs a wheel alignment to be ready to drive on the highway but hopefully I can get that done this Friday. I was super happy to load up the family and cruise down to Dairy Queen on Monday evening.

Cley

She looks good. It certainly gives you a different feeling when you cruise into a Dairy Queen or Burger joint, when your driving a classic car. Congratulations on your first Burn out in 20 years.

Honestly driving it for the first time was so much fun! I just need to do a couple more things to make it highway worthy like a wheel alignment and get the alternator charging. There are still a quite a few things I want to do before it's "finished"! But I doubt it will ever be finished.

I also need to learn to speak "Holley" so it idles well.

Cley

89on35s wrote: There are still a quite a few things I want to do before it's "finished"! But I doubt it will ever be finished.Cley

You are absolutely right. They are never done.

smoken340 wrote:

89on35s wrote: There are still a quite a few things I want to do before it's "finished"! But I doubt it will ever be finished.Cley

You are absolutely right. They are never done.

Yup, we find usually at least one little thing to improve on or replace.

Well I got the wheel alignment done on the weekend. I have a rubbing sound when the wheel is half way from center to full lock when turning left. I still need to solve my charging issue. Sometimes it charges good at about 14 volts and sometimes no charge at all. I'm losing about .5 volts through my ignition switch to my voltage regulator but I don't think that's a problem since it does charge sometimes. I'm scratching my head on this one. I'll check the brushes, then I guess I'll have to do some research. Maybe study my FSM.

Cley

Well I have put a hundred km or so on my Duster. There are still a couple bugs I need to work out but it sure feels nice to be driving it! My son and I went to his football game in the city with it this past Sunday, What a great feeling! Well at least it was a great feeling when it started for the trip home. I'm still a little nervous every time I take it out.

I started this adventure about 11 years ago and now I can honestly say it was time and money well spent! I know it's far from done but now I can take it out of commission over winter and every spring bring it out as a new and improved version.

Cley

Cley

Nice to hear that you are finally enjoying it. The fear gets less and less every time you take it out, and returns for the first couple of drives, when you take it out of storage. Did you resolve the charging issue ?

I ended up with a new alternator and it charges great now. I should have done that in the first place but I guess I overthunk the problem.

Cley

Well I guess I am sidelined for the year with a front suspension issue. I think the inner bushings in my lower control arms must be shot really bad. When I accelerate hard, the front end comes up, but then won't settle back down to ride height. It causes enough change to my toe in that the tires squeal like crazy. Eventually it does settle back down and ride/steer correctly. When I pulled my front tires off, I could see where the torsion bar keys had been hitting the frame, so the LCAs must have moved out enough to allow this. Over the winter I'll go through the entire front suspension and be ready for spring. I was really hoping to take it to the track this Sunday for the final day of street legal drags but definitely not moving it anywhere like it is! I guess there is always next year.

Cley

That sucks but at least you got it figured out and can get it looked after over the winter. I have lots I want to do to the dart just have to make sure its done before next cruise season.

Yeah, the couple rides I took it on were so great that I'm super excited to work on it this winter again! I think I'm gonna take a couple weekends off of car stuff to use my ATVs before the snow flies!

Cley

I'm surprised, that the alignment shop to catch this.

Yes, Me too! I spoke to them and they agreed to align it again after I make the repairs for no cost.

Cley

Well at least it's not a complete lose.

I think most of us have this happen to us to some extent, we end up just trying not to think about it.

I’ve been picking away at my Duster for the last several weeks in hopes of getting it ready to roll for spring! Well here we are, with an early spring and I am not ready!

I started under the hood installing the AC parts. I chose to retrofit a compressor and brackets from an 85 Dodge truck because I got it for a great price (FREE!). I purchased a condenser from E-bay, and I am able to source everything else I need from Napa. I use Napa because I get a great deal through work on any parts I purchase there. I may be putting together a detailed article on exactly what I used if it works as well as I hope it will. It currently is sitting needing the hoses and wiring routed. I installed the compressor and the condensor, and will be using the factory evaporator and controls. As part of this project, I had the factory 26” rad rebuilt and upgraded it to a 3 core, and I had to replace the   Edelbrock LD4B intake with an Edelbrock Performer 318/360 so the AC compressor would fit with the stock brackets. I ended up installing a 1” aluminum spacer between the carb and Intake so I could make room for a fuel pressure regulator. I will also need to change my alternator pulley for a 2 groove one.

Before I put my engine back together, I set the Tunnel Ram I bought a while ago in place just for fun! I love the thought of this but it will likely never go on this car. This will be my cruiser! I’d eventually like another Duster with the Tunnel Ram, Side Pipes and a real Spartan interior! Not a full on race car but a 70s street brawler kinda thing.


While I had the engine apart for the intake change, I cleaned up a bunch of wiring and hoses, installed my old M/T valve covers, added an adjustable voltage regulator, moved the coil to the proper spot and generally did a better job of putting things together than I did last year when I was in a huge hurry. I still have zip tie plug wire separators, but I kinda like the look!


After getting the condensor installed and putting the grille and bumper back in place I tore into my front suspension. It came apart really easy and within about 4 hours all the parts were laying all over my shop floor. The lower control arm bushings were so shot, I am sure that is where my issues were coming from. They were allowing the LCAs to shift out toward the frame rails far enough that the torsion bar keys would hit the frame rails and not allow the suspension to settle back to ride height. I was really worried that the K-member holes that the LCA pivot shafts bolt through were trashed too but I cleaned it all up after disassembly and they look perfect. I was so relieved. Taking that K-member out was not something I wanted to do right now.

So I sand blasted and painted up all the parts I intend to reuse. I will be getting 1.03 torsion bars, tubular UCAs, LCA rebuild/stiffening parts, tie rod ends and adjusters, Bilstein shocks and sway bars front and rear. I hope to get that order put in to PST tomorrow. Happy Easter to me!

The only other thing I want to do this summer is to lower the rear a bit. It sits maybe an inch too high in the rear for my liking. I’ll decide that when I get the suspension all back together and drive it a little. Now that being said, I have a factory hitch I may clean up and install. I’ll likely never use it but It would be cool to have on there.

I imagine you know that with a tunnel ram you are going to need at least a scoop and maybe even just a hole in the hood.

Your certainly getting lots done. Keep it up and you'll be back on the road before you know it.
Good Luck, Bud.

Nice job, almost done. Keep fait.

Looking great!

WOW you have made a lot of progress. So go grab yourself a power ball, a cordless drill, a couple tubes of autosol and a big ol box of beer and get those wheels polished. That car will come alive after you do that. Lucas makes a nice spray on tire and trim dressing too makes everything a nice satin black.

Autosol ... whoever invented that gets a gold star! Looking sharp fill it up and cruise!