1971 Plymouth Duster for sale $26,900

1971 Plymouth Duster $26,900
Car Ad from: Hemmings View Original Ad
Price: $26,900
Contact: View Original Ad from Hemmings
Location: Cleveland, OH
Details: 13,810 original miles. Rotisserie restoration with built 340. Numerous upgrades including front disc brakes, extremely clean, 100% original sheetmetal and interior. Beautiful, fast, and affordable!

Weandrsquo;ll start out by saying this wasnandrsquo;t always a 340 car, beginning life with a slant-6, but what that means is that it was never abused, never raced, and with just over 13,000 original miles (youandrsquo;re reading that correctly), it was a fantastic place to start. The sheetmetal is all original and there are no patches, no crappy reproduction panels, no half-hearted bodywork anywhere on the car. Itandrsquo;s just laser-straight. And while it had few miles, it was 45 years old, so it was fully disassembled, stripped, and repainted in its original Sherwood Green, a very 1971 color that works rather well on the intense little Duster. Correct Duster 340 graphics were installed on the flanks and hood, as well as a set of Chryslerandrsquo;s popular twin hood scoops which make this compact look more than a little nasty. All the chrome and stainless trim appears to be in excellent original condition and even details like the grille and taillights reflect the carandrsquo;s low-mileage history. You probably wonandrsquo;t find a nicer $25,000 car anywhere else.

The black vinyl interior is almost completely original, which shouldnandrsquo;t be a surprise given the low mileage. The front bench is almost like new, with no popped seams or notable wear, and thereandrsquo;s still a comfortable spring to it when you slide behind the wheel. And while this Duster carries a full array of instruments, someone has thoughtfully added a set of Auto Meter dials under the dash to better monitor the engineandrsquo;s vitals, as well as a tach tucked under the pad. The transmission is a 727 TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic with a reverse manual valve body, so you do have to shift it yourself, but youandrsquo;ll find that itandrsquo;s actually a lot of fun to click the shifter down through the gears and feel the transmission shift instantly. And when youandrsquo;re not running hard, thereandrsquo;s a recent AM/FM/USB stereo head unit for entertainment, but I bet you never use it. The trunk is obviously original and you can see that thereandrsquo;s exactly zero rust in this car and that it still sports its original quarters, floors, and trunk extensions.

Showing is fine if thatandrsquo;s your thing, and this pretty Duster will always acquit itself well when itandrsquo;s on display. But what it does best is hammer down the road, mostly thanks to the built 340 cubic inch V8 living under the hood. It is detailed for show, with correct clamps, fasteners, and markings throughout, but the most remarkable thing is that when you turn the key, it springs to life almost instantly and idles well, even when itandrsquo;s cold. Someone spent a lot of time tuning this one to get it right. Bright Hemi Orange paint looks great in the green engine bay, and power steering is a welcome find, making this car very easy to handle at any speed. Youandrsquo;ll note that the paint in the engine bay is just as nice as the rest of the body, and almost every single external component is new, not just cleaned up and bolted back on.

Underneath itandrsquo;s the same story: sanitary and solid. The aforementioned TorqueFlite was rebuilt with a modest torque converter and reverse manual valve body, but it doesnandrsquo;t need a lot of throttle to get it rolling, so itandrsquo;s not over-done. Thereandrsquo;s a fresh 8.75-inch rear end out back with 3.91 gears inside, so itandrsquo;s punchy as hell around town and there probably arenandrsquo;t many cars that can get off the line better than this Duster. The floors are covered in a light dusting of undercoating, enough to protect everything but not hide the original seams, panels, and reinforcing ribs. Again, thatandrsquo;s more evidence of this carandrsquo;s easy life someplace warm. The front suspension and

Analysis: Good Deal, 28.0% below market avg. What's this?