restoman Posted October 17, 2023 Posted October 17, 2023 The first thing Lynn did when she landed the teaching job at Riverview High was to go car shopping. She really wanted something reliable & practical, but with a bit of sportiness. Her budget dictated a smaller car, preferably a six cylinder. An automatic transmission was a must, as was room for her friends and some trunk space. A brighter colour would be good, too. This Plymouth Duster ticked off those boxes, and then a few more. Powered by Mopar's rugged 225 six, it also came with a bench seat, column-shift automatic, a vinyl top, A/C, full carpet and a nifty AM radio. Perfect for her and her Springer, Dot. Her Dad even thought she got a heck of a deal! The faithful Duster carried Lynn & Dot through many years and countless adventures, proving that her choice of the slanty Duster was right for her! This started as the '71 Duster 340. I used Lindberg's slant six engine and trans, and kept the kit's A/C. A little modification to the valve cover made the engine look a bit more 70s, with an air breather from the parts box. The bench seat came from Hart's Parts, along with the grill. Tires and dog dish hub caps are Fireball pieces. I fashioned a reasonable facsimile of Chrysler's light duty 7.25" rear end to replace the kit's 8.75. Colour came from Scale Finishes, the vinyl top is eggshell black dry sprayed for a vinyl-look. The green interior is some custom mix green that I came up with. This is actually near-identical to a '71 I owned back in the early 80s. Mine had full wheel discs, a lot of rust, and the same funky colour combo. Comments always welcome! 9
happy grumpy Posted October 17, 2023 Posted October 17, 2023 I like those plane jane cars. Great job on downgrading the Duster. It sure looks the part.
karbuildr Posted October 17, 2023 Posted October 17, 2023 Oh yeah. Very ingenious use of parts from various sources, great build, really like the engine, vinyl roof and bench seat interior.
Hard_2_Handle_454 Posted October 17, 2023 Posted October 17, 2023 Looks good. It's something you don't see every day. I also noticed you switched out the mirrors from the kit.
michelle Posted October 17, 2023 Posted October 17, 2023 Nice work looks great and great story to go with the model
Kenmojr Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 Excellent wok on the conversion. Riverview High? As in Riverview, New Brunswick? If so hello neighbor, I'm from nearby Halifax, Nova Scotia.
restoman Posted October 18, 2023 Author Posted October 18, 2023 2 hours ago, Kenmojr said: Excellent wok on the conversion. Riverview High? As in Riverview, New Brunswick? If so hello neighbor, I'm from nearby Halifax, Nova Scotia. Riverview as in Riverview Rural High in Coxheath, Cape Breton. Born & raised on the Island. Left in '84. Sister, Dad, loads of uncles, aunts & cousins still there. Brother lives in Bedford.
Kenmojr Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 57 minutes ago, restoman said: Riverview as in Riverview Rural High in Coxheath, Cape Breton. Born & raised on the Island. Left in '84. Sister, Dad, loads of uncles, aunts & cousins still there. Brother lives in Bedford. Cool. I see you posted this model on the Facebook group "Maritime Model Enthusiasts"
Yeah Nah Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 Great paint, convincing roof and excellent overall finish. Superb!
Classicgas Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 14 hours ago, Jim B said: Very well done. X2!
espo Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 Besides the interesting story, this is a great conversion to a vehicle from your past. Always enjoyable to build a vehicle you have owned, and this build represents the colors common at that point in time and a nicely equipped car. Great paint finish and vinyl roof. The engine compartment looks good along with the chassis details.
Tom Geiger Posted October 20, 2023 Posted October 20, 2023 Great model! Typical of the Dusters running around back in the day! Early Dusters were a sales success. In 1970 my Uncle Dan waited 6 months for the one he ordered. His was the classic stripper.. 198 Slant six, 3 on the tree, manual everything. That’s the way he rolled!
Dave Darby Posted October 20, 2023 Posted October 20, 2023 On 10/17/2023 at 5:11 PM, restoman said: The first thing Lynn did when she landed the teaching job at Riverview High was to go car shopping. She really wanted something reliable & practical, but with a bit of sportiness. Her budget dictated a smaller car, preferably a six cylinder. An automatic transmission was a must, as was room for her friends and some trunk space. A brighter colour would be good, too. This Plymouth Duster ticked off those boxes, and then a few more. Powered by Mopar's rugged 225 six, it also came with a bench seat, column-shift automatic, a vinyl top, A/C, full carpet and a nifty AM radio. Perfect for her and her Springer, Dot. Her Dad even thought she got a heck of a deal! The faithful Duster carried Lynn & Dot through many years and countless adventures, proving that her choice of the slanty Duster was right for her! This started as the '71 Duster 340. I used Lindberg's slant six engine and trans, and kept the kit's A/C. A little modification to the valve cover made the engine look a bit more 70s, with an air breather from the parts box. The bench seat came from Hart's Parts, along with the grill. Tires and dog dish hub caps are Fireball pieces. I fashioned a reasonable facsimile of Chrysler's light duty 7.25" rear end to replace the kit's 8.75. Colour came from Scale Finishes, the vinyl top is eggshell black dry sprayed for a vinyl-look. The green interior is some custom mix green that I came up with. This is actually near-identical to a '71 I owned back in the early 80s. Mine had full wheel discs, a lot of rust, and the same funky colour combo. Comments always welcome! Looks great! I had a 72 Demon in that same color combo. Mine had a 318 with a posi rear end though. I still miss that car.
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