[DHG-1934]

No real race here...

Went out early this morning to buy birthday supplies for my girlfriend. There were bunches of old showcars and classics heading down a main streen near my house on their way to a car show. Not a solid line of them, but LOTS of them. I pulled up at an intersection next to a Duster 340. I know not the first thing about plymouth/dodge/mopar, but this was a well driven, well taken care of orange beauty with a nice exhaust gurgle, and what appeared to be a nice black leather/vinyl interior. It sounded so nice, I reversed out of the left turn lane to pull in behind him. I made it pretty clear that I did this because he pulled up next to me, and I was hoping to egg him just a bit into getting on it so I could hear/see it wound up a bit.

I saw him look in the rearview as I did this, but couldn't tell whether it was Bullitt recognition (oh poisonous vanity!) or because he wondered if I wanted to play. When the light changed, he lightly got on it, I avoided the opportunity to try and dash around him, I just stayed with him and got to his right at the next intersection.

I complimented his car and asked if he wanted to go a little. He said, "I've got 3 people in the car!" I thought he meant he was worried about their safety, and I told him I just wanted to hear/see him get on it a bit, not a hard race.

I guess he really just meant it wouldn't be fair with the extra weight, because he nailed it pretty good as he took off from the light. I jumped on it and hung with him without any real attempt to pass. It was defintely a quick car. No passengers or a real race, I still feel like I would have beat him, but really who's to say. I don't know for sure how hard he was getting on it. It was a great sounding car, and seeing the whole thing hunch down and go as he was shifting gears was great to see from so close.

It was cool. When he shut it down, I told him how much I dug it, then gave a little 3rd gear chirp as I 2/3'd ahead to turn around and continue where I was going. Nice car!

 

[Bullitt4003]

When I was in high school (1973), one of my buddies bought a 1970 340 Duster. With a little work, cam, headers, holley carb & 4:10 gears it was running high 13s with street tires and auto. trans.

 

[01GTCOUPE]

One of my high school pals (in '75) smoked his 340 Duster all day, daily. It was alot of fun. Raw, raspy small-blocker. Not much finesse there, but not too many Mopars had that. We didn't really embrace the 340 and 360 variants. If it wasn't a wedge, we didn't consider it a real threat. Sometimes that was a mistake.

 

[texasbullitt]

does anyone remember a duster/demon 340 with the 6 pack like the aar cuda? I dont remember if that was a factory package or add on... I do remember the guy that had it onhis 70 use to give my BOSS 302 fits... never beat me but close enuf all things considered

 

[mystang99]

oh yeah!! i loved the 6 pack option, especially on the Cuda.
most of the cool cars i saw growing up in St. Louis were Mopar or GM so most of my early memories revolve around those makes.
didn't see(or remember seeing) as many of the cool Mustangs in the city here

 

[JAYMAN5275]

I CURRENTLY HAVE A 1971 PLYMOUTH DUSTER 340,
4 SPD,WITH 3.91 GEARS,AND ALL SORTS OF GO FAST GOODIES UNDER THE HOOD.THE CAR IS REALLY FUN TO DRIVE,BUT WHEN I WANT TO REALLY ENJOY A DRIVE I TAKE OUT D.H.G. 5275!
NOW HERE IS A REAL WORK OF ART!

 

[TBBullitt]

Sweet story, I love those cars. the light A Body Mopars with the LA small block (espically the 340 or 360) are deceptively quick cars. Even the 6 cyl cars can be made respectably quick. I personally am a HUGE fan of the E bodies (significantly heavier and not as quick with the small block). My motto used to be "Mopar or No car." However, I feel abandoned by Ma Mopar and turned to the lesser of 2 evils to get my car fix :smile:

 

[Bulittt]

I bought a new Plymouth Duster 340 in 1970 and had lots of fun with it. The car didn't have much finesse but it went pretty good. It was rated at 275 horsepower (as I recall) but I don't think it had the power that a Bullitt does. It was bright orange with a brown vinyl interior. Talk about shifting problems.... I hated the 4 speed shift linkage. The motor was strong but I had a lot of trouble with the car so I traded it in on a '71 Z28.
Boy, those were the days!

I had lots of muscle cars and even an MGB, but I still think the Bullitt is more fun than any other car I have owned.

_________________

'01 Bullitt #01737 DHG
'01 Ford Escape Red
'68 Mustang Hardtop Gold

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Bulittt on 2002-02-24 10:41 ]</font>

 

[BULLITTBRO1]

With all this talk about hi-school ill break a story out. When i was in hi-school back in 1998 a budy of mine had a 69 camero that evertime he got into would smoke the tires. I dont know how he could keep paying to put new tires on it. that thing was nasty though. If you asked me it had way to much motor.

 

[Frozen Bullitt]

I currently have a 1971 Duster, was originally a 340 car, but a mild 440 has been transplanted into the engine bay. Using the correct parts it fits real nice and makes the car a little quicker in the 1/4 mile. It should run mid-high 12s with the driveline thats in it now, haven't been to the track with it since finishing it late last year.

Its sure no Bullitt, it has its own persona about it for lack of a better term.

The 6-pack cars were 1971 Demons that were built by Norm Kraus (aka Mr. Norm) at Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. In 1972 he added a Paxton SC to the Demon. Both were available only on 340 cars.

Just my .02

 

[donwil]

When in HS a friend of mine had a light blue one. I used to dream all day/night about that car. Had the best sounding exhaust. Those days are long gone, darn it.

 

[pistolgrip]

I currently have a '72 Duster 340 and love the car. The '72's were not as quick as the 70-71's because of a drop in compression that year but it's still very quick. My parents bought the car new in 72. I was a year old, and my parents knew I would be a car guy like my dad because I was constantly crawling under the 340 on the showroom floor! Still 30 years later I'm often found under the car finishing up the restoration on the car I grew up with.

 

[MAGRACE24]

I had a '74 340 Duster with headers dumping into 3" glass-packs. It had a healthy bumpstick and a healthier rumble. You talk about a sweet sound. I used to set off car alarms at the local Sat.nite burger-stand/car show. As fun and as fast as it was, it still couldn't hold a candle to my Bullitt.

 

[TBBullitt]

Wouldn't that have been a Duster 360 in '74? I know the last year of the 340 in E-bodies was '73 and they got the 360 for '74 (they went out with a fizzle :sad. Did the A-bodies still get that low compression, Thermoquad cast crank 340 in '74?

 

[BB00797]

Sounds like a good time up there!

Don't know much about Mopars. But an old buddie of mine had a 70' Dodge Challenger with a 383 stock except dual exhaust and a 4 barrel. When I had my 97' Dakota with the 318 I could keep up with him. He would simply wait for my speed limiter to kick in (at about 117mph) and smile as he passed, nothing I could do. However there was a local guy with a fox body 5.0 that had beat him a couple of times and got to hear him complain and that was fun for me =)
#797