In past posts, I’ve shared with you my finely honed skill for trawling the list that is Craig’s, and my fondness for finding great deals. Sometimes, they make it here. I start to research one car/model, and wind up reading a compendium on the history of an entire car company. This is one such time.
A recent discussion with my dad and my brother about a very fast, very expensive Plymouth sparked my search for the perfect Duster to add to my growing pile of want-to-own cars. I think I may have found it. Tell me what you think of this one.
It’s a 1974 Plymouth Gold Duster.
Not this one.
From the ad:
318 engine, automatic, power steering & brakes, working AC, rally wheels, engine only has 75,000 miles, new exhaust, shocks, brakes, radiator, battery, and alternator, runs & drives well, rear seat has been redone, needs lower quarters and body work, and interior work finished. I have an extra front fender. Drive and enjoy the car while you restore it call Ron if you have any questions
I researched some more information on the always right Internet and found a few details about the Gold Duster’s options. You could have your choice of either the 225 Slant Six or the 318, which you see here. For a little extra bread, you got special badging (so everyone knew what you were driving), gold stripes down the side, the finest plush carpet, vinyl seats, whitewall tires, hub caps (sorry – wheel covers), sound deadening, and a vinyl top. Not very dusty, but definitely comfortable.
This Gold Duster, with its relatively mild 318 and plush carpeting. wasn’t really built to dust anyone, but it still made enough power to stay out of its own way. It was really more of a comfy cruiser than a street light hero, but it sure looks the part.
There a few things about this car that need some attention. First of all, the interior is in pretty good shape, but I would throw those bucket seats out. That’s just me. I would refinish the interior to its original golden glory. It’s also got the typical Midwest rust on the rocker panels, so there’s probably some pretty bad cancer under there.
So there you have it. With a little bit of polishing, this Duster can truly be Gold again, and for only $3000. What say you?
[Source: Springfield Craigslist]
Craigslist Find: 1974 Plymouth Gold Duster
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11 responses to “Craigslist Find: 1974 Plymouth Gold Duster”
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Definitely one of the best looking malaise-era cars, and with a 340/360, pretty darn quick. A set of Cragars and some M/Ts is classic.
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Good looking? I always thought mine looked like a slouched over, cross eyed, pear shaped suburban mom with a butt the size of a Volkswagen. Then again, I was comparing it to my mom’s ’68 Camaro convertible, which is a high bar.
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I think it’s a pretty good looking car, considering it’s a warmed over Valiant. A very well-warmed over Valiant.
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$3,000 is a bit of a stretch. It might be worth it though. Especially if you put $5,000 into it.
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I’d be in for 2, but yeah, 3 is a little rich.
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I owned a ’75 Duster 360 for several years in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Fast in a straight line (with Torqueflite), tricky handling above 80, reliable, noisy, crude-feeling, sloppily built, and very rust-prone. Mine had the “custom” interior with high-back buckets, console, and the fakest-looking wood trim I have ever seen on the dash. That car got the desire for Mopar A- bodies out of my system.
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If it makes you happy, go for it! Aside from the factory 340 cars, they never did anything for me. Largely for the reasons tonyola mentions. Cheap feeling, sounding, and acting. My best friend in high school had one. Slant Six, auto, jacked up, etc. I had a ’67 Pontiac Ventura. Four hundred cubes, dual exhaust, posi, and comfort in a true fastback hardtop bodystyle. I won.
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My personal theory behind Duster names:
The naming department, in a slump, got drunk, saw a Jaguar advertisement, and were inspired by the famous motto of “Grace, Space, and Pace”.
The Feather Duster, Gold Duster, Silver Duster, and Duster Twister could, in some perverted way, be considered graceful. The Space Duster had added space, and the Duster 340 and the Duster 360 definitely added pace.
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The Duster 360 was originally going to be the Duster CK – Clark Kent.
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My third car, c. 1989. 1974 Plymouth Gold Duster with the 2BBL 318. One feature of the Gold Duster package was a fold down rear seat and pass-thru to the trunk.
Mine was pretty far gone with the rust and the chronic Mopar rapid front end deterioration. Shitty MAACO repaint, maybe missing the vinyl top. The exhaust fell off and I put a Glaspak on there, sounded okay.
Like Tonyola, that cured me of any Mopar bug I might have had in my system. Sold it for $300, no regrets. -
This model Duster marked the end of the same car being sold in Australia as the ‘Valiant’
Australia went on its own with the ’71 VH model and it’s facelifted successors. 318s and 360s were available but the hot engine was the 265 ci ‘Hemi;’ head six, an ‘abandoned’ US Chrysler truck engine taken up in Australia and that had replaced the slant six.
And the two door to go for was the SWB two door Valiant Charger, although there was also an often forgotten LWB two door for ‘ Buickish tending’ buyers as well as the usual utes, panel vans and wagons.
Some of these may have found their way to the US where there Lucas electics and RHD draw a crowd at Mopar gatherings
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Chrysler_Valiant_VH_Ranger.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Valiant_VH_Hemi_Pacer.JPG/800px-Valiant_VH_Hemi_Pacer.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Chrysler_VH_Valiant_Charger_R-T_HEMI_Six-Pack_1.jpg/800px-Chrysler_VH_Valiant_Charger_R-T_HEMI_Six-Pack_1.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Chrysler_CH_Hardtop.JPG/800px-Chrysler_CH_Hardtop.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Chrysler_Drifter_rear.jpg/800px-Chrysler_Drifter_rear.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Chrysler_VJ_Valiant_Regal_Wagon_(rear).JPG
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7136/7053159909_91fb0edb52_b.jpg
http://www.fastlanemirrors.com.au/connect4designs/chryslerv-1296803592-7561.jpg
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