Friend bought an economy car...

[Jarlaxle]

...an OLD economy car. He sold his AHB Diplomat & wants another old car. It's a 1976 Plymouth Duster I think is a Feather Duster. It's a slant 6, 4-speed (OD if it's a Feather), it has been repainted; now white, was originally green, charcoal interior. The option list is a little weird: factory A/C and AM/FM, but no power steering and no power brakes. The engine is junk, but the body is straight and solid. Car was garaged...has been parked for about 15 years. (Plates expired in 1999.) I went with him to pick it up yesterday...awesome shape!

[Rick]

From all I've read it sounds like a feather duster. If not painted over it had a sticker from the factory "the spirit of 76".
It appears as though power assists were an option, although most folk opted for them evidently one owner didn't.

36 mpg hwy 25 in town, 4 spd od was an option with the 225 slant 6...

[Jarlaxle]

It's definitely a 4-speed, but not sure it's the overdrive transmission. I have never seen a FD with A/C, though! I need to check the decklid with a magnet!:D (Feathers had aluminum decklids.)

[Rick]

True, easy enough to check...good catch...

[oldr_n_wsr]

I had both a 64 dart (push button tranny) and a 72 dart swinger. I loved the 225 slant 6 (although my 64 had the 170??)

You going to rebuild the engine or find a replacement.

[Jarlaxle]

Depends on exactly what's wrong with the engine.

[Gob]

I had both a 64 dart (push button tranny) and a 72 dart swinger. .

You've got a tranny and a swinger? Wow, what a varied sex life you have!!

[Jarlaxle]

Amazing that Dodge sold the Dart Swinger for many years, despite that!

[oldr_n_wsr]

Depends on exactly what's wrong with the engine.

Last I heard, Chrysler still sells the 225 slant six block/head/pan. Most get shipped to South America, but it's worth checking into. Not hard to pull/drop and engine into the Duster. Nice size hood and all.

[Jarlaxle]

He'll either rebuild it or swap a used engine.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Have him take a good look at the piston, wrist pin and crank connection of the second from the firewall cylinder. If run on low/no oil, that is the one that usually goes first.

[Jarlaxle]

He thinks it might just be a jumped timing chain. And it IS a Feather Duster.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Should be able to get to that without taking out the radiator. Although taking that out is not hard and will give you room to work. Climb on in, you can even take a nap in the engine compartment.

[Jarlaxle]

Not quite, with factory A/C.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Not quite, with factory A/C.

Damn.

[Jarlaxle]

Confirmed: just needs a timing chain.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Shouldn't be too bad a job. Not like anything on the new cars. Might be able to take the radiator and AC coils out as one. Then it's pretty straight foward with enough room.
But if the AC still works, seperate the coils from the radiator so as not to discharge the freon. Should be able to lay that down under the car and work from above.
You results may vary as it's been a while since I looked inside a duster/dart/valiant/demon and I'm going on memory.

[Jarlaxle]

Fixed with a new chain. It runs perfectly!

[oldr_n_wsr]

There you go.

[Jarlaxle]

He just had it stripped and repainted (original green), because the cheap respray was starting to flake. Discovered the RF fender had been hit somewhere and "fixed" with a bunch of filler...got a good one from a place in Texas. (It was radioactive orange...hello, 1970's!) Also sprung for a new carpet kit, the interior goes back in next weekend.

Mechanical work before spring: rear main seal is leaking, which will be done when he puts in a new clutch. Also needs rear springs, because both are cracking. Original windshield is badly pitted and starting to delaminate...so now he needs to find a glass shop that actually knows how to install a windshield in a car that uses the old gasket & clip design. (Though a 1976, the A-body is basically a 1960 design last seriously updated in 1968, and thus uses the old windshield retention design.)