When I first started shooting CCs ten years ago, there were still so many Dusters around. I never wrote them all up, although two of them did make it into the archives, a ’71 Duster 340 and ’74 Gold Duster. Sadly, I never did find a Feather Duster, although David Saunders did, but not stock.
Here’s a fine dusty and grimy example sitting out in front of a nicely color-keyed industrial building.
These were the tri-five Chevys of their time: the cheapest way to got some hot wheels under you, or at least create that impression.
There are still a few to be seen in Northern California but oddly, more four-door Dodge Darts and Plymouth Valiants, though they didn’t sell as many, seem to have survived. Perhaps the demographics of the buyers made a difference. The four-doors tended to be owned by older, more conservative people who went for the “traditional A-body” values, while the Duster was aimed at the low end economy range and then with the 340 models, the performance market; neither of which tend to keep and maintain their cars for the long term.
Perhaps it’s just me but having owned several A-bodies of both types, I felt the body of the four-door felt more solid than the Duster coupe’s; that may have been because of the Duster/Demon/Dart Sport structurally pillarless design.
It was before I was born but in the 1970s and early 1980s my maternal grandmother had two different Plymouth Dusters. She loved them. She also had a bit of a lead foot and both were V8 (318 I assume) and the first one she had was blue therefore her father called her “Blue Streak” because he said that was all you saw when she went by. The second Duster she had was brown and he said “Well I’m not going to call you the ‘brown streak’ because that just doesn’t sound right.” 😂
She ranks her Dusters just below her 1971 Olds Toronado in her favorite cars she’s owned.
The Duster was introduced 50 years ago. Can’t remember the last time I saw one.
My college roommate had 3 different ones, each a different powertrain – 1972 /6-auto, 1971 /6-3 speed on the column, 1973 318-3 speed on the floor. Yes, they were e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e well into the 80s. And for good reason, as it was a really nicely turned-out package.
Was this one of the last cars that could do triple duty as a hair-shirt stripper, a “regular people” grocery getter or an all-out performance car? Credibly, I mean, fulfilling each role extremely well. I miss Dusters.
In the Northeast, rusted then in the junkyards. It was common to see Dusters down on one side or the other when the cross-member where the torsion bars were anchored rusted to the point where the bar tore loose. No one tried to repair rust in a unibody, especially on a cheap car like a Duster. If it happened to have a V8, guaranteed it ended up in the hands of some young buck with a heavy foot being throttle-stomped to death.
Crushed, rusted out, part of a boomer’s retirement portfolio, or in insurance commercials for some reason.
It is nice that they are using the 71-72 version, which I find the most attractive of the bunch. The later ones always seemed more common.
My avatar shows me on March 15, 1980, the day we sold our ’73 Gold Duster to some greasy-palmed shyster for five genuine $100 bills, the most cash I’d ever seen in my nine years. If my dad had been a better negotiator, he could’ve gotten $600, I know it. Good memories of that car and its sporty white stripe.
This is my 70 gold duster was owned by my great aunt has a 318 v8 w factory a/c great car I am the second owner only has 91 ,000 organ miles
Can we call this a 1973? It lacks the extra heft of the 1974 bumpers. How appropriate to be parked in the environs of a Honda Accord. If it had been a Civic, it would have been so appropriate, the successor so to speak of the Duster. Inexpensive, commonplace transportation, attractive, yet plain, fairly reliable, and sometimes customized with not so attractive wheels. Ahh yes the good old days.
Only this very day, today, did I find the “Dodge” chrome (plastic) emblem from my Dart Sport, for which I had been looking for a number of years, knowing it to be around the house here somewhere. It was located, naturally, when I was looking for something else completely. It is now elevated to a more secure location, not to be misplaced again.
The bumpers didn’t change for 1974, they just protruded further out and used those black rubber guards. The fillers are present between both front and rear bumpers on this one so I’m inclined to say it’s a 74 or 75
It’s a ’74. The 1973 A-body (as well as E- and B-body) had the more massive, all-black rubber guards. The ’74 had the chromed, smaller-rubber guards.
IIRC, what happend was Chrysler got a waiver for certain models due to be discontinued or undergo a full rebody for 1975, plus the bumper test changed from 1973 to 1974. For 1973, it was a straight-on flat test, so all Chrysler had to do was slap the big rubber guards on 2.5 mph bumpers to pass.
For 1974, the bumper had to sustain no damage from corner hits, as well. So, the whole bumper support system had to be strengthened, meaning the big black guards from 1973 weren’t needed.
the beige car is a ’74.
’74s have the same front bumper as ’73s but got the bigger 5 mph rear bumper that it kept through the remainder of the Duster run at the end of the 1976 MY. The ’73s have the same rear bumper as the 70-72s.
My father bought a 72 Duster brand new with three on the tree an 225 engine. He did get disc brakes and one inside adjustable mirror. I believe the car cost $2,300 out the door. He put a hundred and twenty five thousand miles on it basically trouble free. It was very Spartan inside and had terrible seats. But it served its purpose for many years. Would have made a good race car with bigger engine of course
About 10-15 years ago the price of E bodies skyrocketed. At that point the 2 door A bodies started to become collectible and prices have gone up. Unfortunately the 4 doors are mostly seen as parts donors for the 2 doors.
There’s one parked against the side of a garage, across the street from the school. Hmmm, that’s the only one I regularly see.
Yes. They’re disappearing.
These were the poor man’s hot rod when I was in high school. It has been years since I have seen one. The best I can do is a Dart Sport (square body) I spotted parked (not running) a couple of weeks ago. I should take a picture and post it the next time I get up that way.
I do recall these had the most unfortunate front seats. Very thin, split in the middle with fake bucket seat looking benches. Some had real bucket seats but not many. I had a friend who had one of these with a slant six and a 3 speed floor shift. He thought he had a hot rod because it had slotted mags. Another friend later had a 1976 Dodge Dart of the same body style. Spirit of “76 edition..(tacky tacky tacky)…at least it had a 318.
Like this one.
The Dart Sport was the Dodge clone of the Duster after the original name of Demon went away. The Dart Swinger was the squared up hardtop that dated from 1967. Plymouth got its Scamp clone of the Swinger in 1971.
Nobody knew what a “Dart Sport” was when you said the name. But everyone knew what a “Duster” was, so I suspect most people just called them Dusters.
You are right on those seats. The 70-71 cars actually had very nice seats. My buddy had a 72 Duster when I got my 71 Scamp, both in a middling kind of trim level. I always found the interior on the year-older Scamp much nicer.
I remember a lot of people referred to them as “Dodge Dusters”.
In the 70s I had one with the slant six and three on the tree that ran like top. Until one of the rear springs popped up into the trunk when the trunk floor rusted. That was that.
Never mind won’t take picture so why post anything
I bought a 73 Duster in 1985 for $10. I needed a car and this one ran but was due to be junked. The brakes were horrible and pulled hard to the left. The 3 on the tree used to jam up in second gear often enough that I used to just Rev the piss out of first and then throw it down into third. It ran like a top for the 5 months that I drove it but this was clearly a car that had not been maintained at all. 1973 was the year that Chrysler went to electronic ignition but this slant 6 had breaker points. I made $15 when I junked it for $25.
Hi I live in the northeast and still have my 1972 although the rear end and engine are from a 1970 dart Swinger and I know guys that’s the car I should have held on to but I didn’t have anywhere to keep it so I decided that I wanted to do the duster it’s garaged all year round but keep her registered because I still have to get an inspection sticker every year 😄I stil have an extra K frame for this body Incase there is a decent one around with the slant 6 I love the 340