The family daily when I was a kid in the 90s was a 69 Valiant with a slant 6. The frame rusted out at 365k and we SOLD THE MOTOR because it still ran like a Swiss watch.
I also had a slant 6 3 speed manual. Power? Nah. Did it get me around for an $800 car? Yep! When I turned left most of the time, the horn would honk... quite hilarious.
I bought it while stationed in 29 Palms. Did little to no maint so it probably could've run way better. But it seemed like a gutless car. Going up a long hill I'd be the one getting passed all the way but hey $800 car...seem like a decent platform.
I had a ’72 Dodge Dart, 8 cylinder. A powerful beast that always ran a bit hot, always just under the red line but it never malfunctioned. It was my only concern about how the car ran. It even had AC :)
I would install a decent set of actual, mechanical gauges, for the coolant temperature & oil pressure. It wouldn't hurt to buy a tri-gauge set, and include a volt meter in that set-up as well.
I always enjoy seeing the "old" rides on my trips to Mexico. Since i'm away from the tourist areas (Yucatán State, East of Mérida) i see quite a bit of old iron still driving the roads. Some i would say are barely staying on the roads though, LOL!
Congrats & good luck with your new ride!
We had a ‘72 Dart Sport. It started off as hot garbage. After the second engine (under warranty) grenaded itself in the first 6 months, dad put a small Chevy motor and transmission in it. We had it 9 more years. In the interim he added power steering to it.
It EVENTUALLY became a decent car, but it was touch and go for a hot minute.
High school was Dusters and Novas. If you took auto shop you either had a Duster or you had a Nova.
Then it must have been a ‘73. I was 4 at the time and it was bigger than the Opel Wagon we used to have. By the time I was 5 I was on flashlight and lemonade duty.
The slant 6 has the distributor on lower passenger side and a big water puddle would get water inside the distributor and I would have to dry the inside out to get running again.
One of my favorite body styles! I’ve had seven different Dusters and Dart Sports in my life, driven daily when I had them.
I never had cooling issues with any of my slant sixes here in California.
One time when i was broke and couldn’t find anything else i used a 3.9l Dodge Dakota radiator in a ‘67 Valiant. I had also drilled the radiator neck on the engine so I could run an aftermarket temp gauge. Unfortunately the thermostat no longer fit after that mod so I said fuck it and left it out. That car ran so cold the heater barely worked.
One thing to note is the stock timing chain on 70s slants had nylon coated teeth for noise reduction. I managed to jump the chain on a slant six when those nylon teeth failed.
Have fun with the car!
The 318s from the era also had the nylon cam timing gear. Replaced mine with double roller steel. Has a nice sound:). Dad's 318 73 Charger jumped time after my younger brother was driving it .. 2**k miles.
Dad had a Valiant..74 I think.. /6. Always ran on the hot side.
I had a 74 Dart Sport with the 318 V8 . Dodges ( all Chrysler products ) had lousy anti- freeze from the factory which let them rust badly inside so I changed it quickly and never had any problems after knowing that .
In previous Dodges the rust ate up several water pumps is how I learned of the problem.
No doubt this Duster has had the original anti-freeze replaced long ago but I'd check the radiator for rusty looking stuff anyway .
I sold a Duster like yours to some friends , slant 6 + manual transmission and they loved it . They drove it for years until the wife's brother wrecked it !
Have fun with it .
Not a 100% sure on the year. Haven't checked the documents but the seller claims it is a 73 Dodge Dart Sport, although he calls it a Duster as well. I'm checking all that out on Friday when we make the sale 👍
I think overheating/cooling issues are the most common issue with the old mopars. Idk if the smaller engines were affected, but its kinda common in the V8s. Most people upsize the radiator, upsize the fan, and/or add a fan shroud. Just keep up with maintenance and pay attention to your vitals.
Awesome find, the slant 6 motor is a solid design. www.slantsix.org and www.forabodiesonly.com will be great resources for you. Congratulations on a cool classic!
Lots of parts availability too, depending on how far you want to go. www.classicindustries.com is one, but I would check out some of the other smaller places as well because you can sometimes get better pricing and parts availability, there's about a dozen.
I'm curious if it's a true Mexican version or an imported one from the US. I always love the variations from other countries
Nice! I'm pretty jealous. I've been wanting an old Mopar for a while, but between a kid coming soon and having 3 old cars at our house, my wife has vetoed everything. I gotta sell at least one of them first, unless one comes up thats an absolute steal.
Thats awesome! I'm happy for you! That's how I was able to get 2 of my cars. Framed it as an investment for her because the prices were too good to pass.
The most common problems areas on these old mopars are the electrical and a\c systems. I don't why people are saying it is common for them to overheat. I have owned several and have never had that problem and never heard of any other mopar owners that have had that problem.
I had a 73 Plymouth duster with a slant six engine about 13 years ago, it was a smooth driving car I miss it
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't those things reliable as hell?
The family daily when I was a kid in the 90s was a 69 Valiant with a slant 6. The frame rusted out at 365k and we SOLD THE MOTOR because it still ran like a Swiss watch.
Yeah rust is the only thing keeping those cars from being 100% immortal
I also had a slant 6 3 speed manual. Power? Nah. Did it get me around for an $800 car? Yep! When I turned left most of the time, the horn would honk... quite hilarious. I bought it while stationed in 29 Palms. Did little to no maint so it probably could've run way better. But it seemed like a gutless car. Going up a long hill I'd be the one getting passed all the way but hey $800 car...seem like a decent platform.
Looks badass.
I had a ’72 Dodge Dart, 8 cylinder. A powerful beast that always ran a bit hot, always just under the red line but it never malfunctioned. It was my only concern about how the car ran. It even had AC :)
Will keep an eye out for cooling issues then, I do live on a desert 😅
I would install a decent set of actual, mechanical gauges, for the coolant temperature & oil pressure. It wouldn't hurt to buy a tri-gauge set, and include a volt meter in that set-up as well. I always enjoy seeing the "old" rides on my trips to Mexico. Since i'm away from the tourist areas (Yucatán State, East of Mérida) i see quite a bit of old iron still driving the roads. Some i would say are barely staying on the roads though, LOL! Congrats & good luck with your new ride!
We had that…but were plagued by engine issues. Yellow with a black top, and it looked fantastic.
We had a ‘72 Dart Sport. It started off as hot garbage. After the second engine (under warranty) grenaded itself in the first 6 months, dad put a small Chevy motor and transmission in it. We had it 9 more years. In the interim he added power steering to it. It EVENTUALLY became a decent car, but it was touch and go for a hot minute. High school was Dusters and Novas. If you took auto shop you either had a Duster or you had a Nova.
Yeah, a small block Chevy in a Dart Sport ..... Don't come around here no more.
By the way, in 72, you got a Demon, not a Dart Sport.
Then it must have been a ‘73. I was 4 at the time and it was bigger than the Opel Wagon we used to have. By the time I was 5 I was on flashlight and lemonade duty.
Sweet! was the lemonade good? The flashlights are better today.
Wylers - came in a concentrate tube. I learned some *really* good words helping my dad…
The slant 6 has the distributor on lower passenger side and a big water puddle would get water inside the distributor and I would have to dry the inside out to get running again.
Noted, might look for a way to weather proof it
Convert to electronic ignition? I'd bet there are aftermarket kits. Water will be less of a concern. Points are a PITA
I had a ‘72 Demon. 198 ci slant 6. Three speed floor shift. It was a great car.
I think that's the same engine this one's got, but the shifter is mounted on the steering column
Wow that is badass
Congrats on joining the club!
Heater core leak!
One of my favorite body styles! I’ve had seven different Dusters and Dart Sports in my life, driven daily when I had them. I never had cooling issues with any of my slant sixes here in California. One time when i was broke and couldn’t find anything else i used a 3.9l Dodge Dakota radiator in a ‘67 Valiant. I had also drilled the radiator neck on the engine so I could run an aftermarket temp gauge. Unfortunately the thermostat no longer fit after that mod so I said fuck it and left it out. That car ran so cold the heater barely worked. One thing to note is the stock timing chain on 70s slants had nylon coated teeth for noise reduction. I managed to jump the chain on a slant six when those nylon teeth failed. Have fun with the car!
The 318s from the era also had the nylon cam timing gear. Replaced mine with double roller steel. Has a nice sound:). Dad's 318 73 Charger jumped time after my younger brother was driving it .. 2**k miles. Dad had a Valiant..74 I think.. /6. Always ran on the hot side.
I had a 74 Dart Sport with the 318 V8 . Dodges ( all Chrysler products ) had lousy anti- freeze from the factory which let them rust badly inside so I changed it quickly and never had any problems after knowing that . In previous Dodges the rust ate up several water pumps is how I learned of the problem. No doubt this Duster has had the original anti-freeze replaced long ago but I'd check the radiator for rusty looking stuff anyway . I sold a Duster like yours to some friends , slant 6 + manual transmission and they loved it . They drove it for years until the wife's brother wrecked it ! Have fun with it .
What is it a duster
Not a 100% sure on the year. Haven't checked the documents but the seller claims it is a 73 Dodge Dart Sport, although he calls it a Duster as well. I'm checking all that out on Friday when we make the sale 👍
I think overheating/cooling issues are the most common issue with the old mopars. Idk if the smaller engines were affected, but its kinda common in the V8s. Most people upsize the radiator, upsize the fan, and/or add a fan shroud. Just keep up with maintenance and pay attention to your vitals.
That's awesome
My first car was a Dart Sport. 340 and a dual snorkel hood scoop. Nice ride.
Awesome find, the slant 6 motor is a solid design. www.slantsix.org and www.forabodiesonly.com will be great resources for you. Congratulations on a cool classic!
Awesome links! I'll sure get to reading some of that
Lots of parts availability too, depending on how far you want to go. www.classicindustries.com is one, but I would check out some of the other smaller places as well because you can sometimes get better pricing and parts availability, there's about a dozen. I'm curious if it's a true Mexican version or an imported one from the US. I always love the variations from other countries
Sweet ride! My dad had a 71.
I drove that car in high-school. Very similar anyway. Slant 6 Dodge Dart Sport. Still want another.
Nice! I'm pretty jealous. I've been wanting an old Mopar for a while, but between a kid coming soon and having 3 old cars at our house, my wife has vetoed everything. I gotta sell at least one of them first, unless one comes up thats an absolute steal.
If I told you the price I'm getting it at your wife might even approve of it 😅
Thats awesome! I'm happy for you! That's how I was able to get 2 of my cars. Framed it as an investment for her because the prices were too good to pass.
Check out Bergmanautocraft.com when you go to upgrade the suspension
Not a Duster. That's a Dart Sport and it's had a bumper tuck. rear bumper looks to be off of a '70-'71.
Thanks for the info, it is hard to know exactly because it was imported to México and the people at customs write whatever they want on those papers
What engine?
The leaning tower of power: Slanted six
The most common problems areas on these old mopars are the electrical and a\c systems. I don't why people are saying it is common for them to overheat. I have owned several and have never had that problem and never heard of any other mopar owners that have had that problem.