Terry Boyd was certainly not having the best day when the transmission in his wife's LHS went out, but taking it to the shop led to a great score on this '72 Tawny Gold 340 Duster.
Anyone who relies on a car for their transportation needs has at some time experienced a mechanical failure. And while most mechanical problems lead us to unexpected expenses and unplanned time in the shop, Terry Boyd's transmission problem led him to the discovery of a fairly rare '72 Plymouth Duster. Actually, the transmission problem was with Terry's wife's Chrysler LHS, but Terry was the one who took the car to a shop near their Plain City (we're not kidding), Ohio, home. While at the shop paying the bill, Terry saw the familiar lines of a Plymouth Duster that he hadn't noticed when dropping off the LHS. Asking about the car, he was told the owner was thinking about selling.
As the owner of a '72 340 Duster with an automatic transmission, Terry was excited to see that this Duster was also a '72 340 car, but equipped with a four-speed. Speaking briefly with the busy shop owner, Terry arranged to come back the next day and look the car over. Once arriving, he found the Duster to be in great condition, still wearing the original paint and stock interior, with the numbers-matching engine still intact. The owner claimed the car had been bracket raced in Utica, New York, before he bought it, driving it for a few years then storing it for the past 21.
The following day Terry came back to drive the car before negotiating a price, having a little problem with the shifter. Figuring out he had been starting off in third gear, he got the car into first and opened it up, hanging on as the Duster quickly accelerated. Returning to the shop, he learned the car had a 5.38:1 gear ratio, partially explaining the rapid acceleration rate. Quickly striking a deal on the Duster, Terry took the car home to begin cleaning it up and inspecting his find.
This is definitely a cool...
This is definitely a cool Duster, with options like a bench seat, four-speed transmission, side decals, hoodscoop, and rubber floor mat-and the color just adds to the combination. This car proves that low-mileage survivors are still out there waiting to be located.
Although the Duster had racing modifications such as a cool-can, Holley fuel pump, aftermarket wheels, traction bars, and gauges, Terry discovered that the paint was actually in good shape, buffing the exterior and only repainting the engine and engine bay. During the cleanup, he discovered five class-winner decals from Utica-Rome Dragway in Utica, New York, as well as several time slips. As a strange side note, the VIN number of this car and Terry's automatic equipped '72 340 Duster both end in the same three digits. This hidden treasure was simply meant to be.
When this Duster was discovered,...
When this Duster was discovered, it was in full '70s racing regalia, including Cragar wheels, Lakewood traction bars, and Sun instrumentation. Raced a little then stored, this Plymouth only shows some 25,000 miles on the odometer.
The engine bay and engine...
The engine bay and engine needed to be repainted, and Terry replaced items like the aftermarket air cleaner and valve covers with factory appearing units, but otherwise this car still wears its original coat of Tawny Gold.
The interior of the Duster...
The interior of the Duster was very clean and stock, other than the array of Sun instruments bolted to the column. Terry has since taken the aftermarket equipment out and given the car a thorough cleaning.