Although the muscle car era had peaked as of about 1971, there were interesting offerings around for several years afterward. This 360/4-speed Duster is among them and is worth saving despite apparent terrible condition.
The Duster was Plymouth’s semi-sporty compact offering and was closely related to the Dodge Dart. Much like the Chevy Nova and Ford Maverick, many of these were ‘just transportation’ back in the day, but the were available with big engines and performance packages. The better equipped ones now get a lot of respect. This particular trim level was called the “Duster 360” and included performance suspension, disc brakes, dual exhaust and tape stripes, along with the 245 horsepower 360 (5.9 liters, if you insist).
The 340-equipped Duster, exterminated for 1974, was a better performing car from the factory; but this (probably smog-choked) 360 can be ‘stealth modified’ to make a lot of power. Being a ’74 model vehicle, smog checks won’t be a problem in CA. The downside here is that the seller provides few pictures and essentially no information on the car itself – only the model. Whether $3,775 is a good deal depends on how much work is really needed.
Click for Craigslist adNewport Beach, CA
$3,775
It appears that this was originally brown, as the tape stripes survived on the side. As you can see, it clearly needs paint, but it does look like all trim pieces, etc. are present. The front wheel is incorrect, though.
Is that poor bodywork on the side?
Again, poor condition, but ‘all there’ from this angle.
The interior looks like it needs soft parts, but isn’t missing much.
Does the engine block in the truck mean there’s not one under the hood? We don’t know, but the front end doesn’t appear to be missing the weight of an engine in the other pics.
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74 plymouth duster LA CODE , 360 V-8 Hurst-4-speed factory dual exhaust and factory sway front and rear sway bars, limited edition; High Performance, (fresh air package) very rare all original paint and interior believe there’s less than 400 made 360 4- Speed are less than that ,this is one of the most sought-after Plymouth duster’ s made , back seat folds down also ca title clear this is true barn find all original matching number car
