Making a vintage Mopar into a daily driver

[69bronzeT5]

What are some things I should check and if needed, replace/rebuild on my '73 Duster to make it a safe, reliable daily driver?

[Ghoste]

Brakes and steering (include suspension generally with those two) first and foremost.  Then it's all the other obvious things for reliability; coolant, fuel spark, belts, hoses etc.

[Mike DC]

Brakes, susp/steering, keep the tire treads pretty deep, and . . .  drumroll please . . . 

EVERY GODDAMN ELECTRICAL THING IN THE WHOLE CAR. 


--  Check all the running lights, dashboard guages, etc. 

--  Keep a couple of new replacement ballast resistors in the glovebox at all times. 

--  If for some reason the car is not already running both an electronic ignition and an electronic voltage regulator (a 1973 car should already have them both unless they've been swapped out at some point), then get them on there. 

--  Make sure the battery charging system is not only working, but working at full strength.   Sh*tty replacement alternators are flooding the country faster than illegal immigrants these days.

[tricky lugnuts]

I always make sure I have some "often used" tools in the trunk... So even if you do break down you might still be golden. $70 tows get expensive quick.

[Dans 68]

Brakes, susp/steering, keep the tire treads pretty deep, and . . .  drumroll please . . . 

EVERY GODDAMN ELECTRICAL THING IN THE WHOLE CAR. 


--  Check all the running lights, dashboard guages, etc. 

--  Keep a couple of new replacement ballast resistors in the glovebox at all times. 

--  If for some reason the car is not already running both an electronic ignition and an electronic voltage regulator (a 1973 car should already have them both unless they've been swapped out at some point), then get them on there. 

--  Make sure the battery charging system is not only working, but working at full strength.   Sh*tty replacement alternators are flooding the country faster than illegal immigrants these days.

Hah, made me laugh!  Also put the car up on a rack and check all the hardware, tighten nuts and bolts, and replace worn-out items. That is on my to do list before heading down to MATS.

Dan

[squeakfinder]

Seems like the parts of the car that have brake fluid and gasoline in them are week points if the vehicle has been sitting for awhile.

[kingjoop]

put a /6 in it 

i had  a 66 Coronet 440 with a  stock, never rebuild, /6 as a dailly.. had to drive 150miles every day to work with at least 30 miles of traffic jams... never had any problems with it.. even during the summer 

[WingCharger]

put a /6 in it 

i had  a 66 Coronet 440 with a  stock, never rebuild, /6 as a dailly.. had to drive 150miles every day to work with at least 30 miles of traffic jams... never had any problems with it.. even during the summer 

Hey Kingjoop, what kinda gas mileage did you get?

Good to see your posting again.

[kingjoop]

eeuh, let me think.. i did 1liter on 8km that;s ... eeuuh... 0.264172052 US gallons on 4.97096954 mile 

but my boss payed for the fuel.. so i really didn't care about that.. 

[WingCharger]

eeuh, let me think.. i did 1liter on 8km that;s ... eeuuh... 0.264172052 US gallons on 4.97096954 mile 

but my boss payed for the fuel.. so i really didn't care about that.. 

Uuuhhh... .
Thanks man.

Gonna have to break out the calculator later.

[kingjoop]

haha 

[green69rt]

Yeah, after looking at the obvious safety items - brakes suspension and, yes the electrical, I would look at the cooling system.  These old cars are usually gunked up pretty bad.  Even if you clean the radiator the inside of the block can be bad news.  So unless you have had the engine dipped and rodded out do everything you can to keep your cool. Good luck.

[moparguy01]

when you think your done with the electrical stuff, go through it again. thats what i had problems with when i daily drove my 68 coronet. ask Todd Wilson, RD, or Rick Keesler, they all helped me trouble shoot it when she went down.

[Mike DC]

 
Good idea about the cooling system stuff.



Modern fuel makes these motors run hotter than they used to.  (IMHO people blame overbored motors unfairly for overheating problem sometimes because of this.)  And the factory was never known for providing more of anything than they needed to.  So the same cooling system that was fine in 1973 may be inadequate on the same unmodified car today. 

That's bad enough, let alone the major additional stresses being put on the cooling systems between hot-rodding + older age.  And modern driving conditions tend to trap us in stop & go traffic more often than in the 1960s/70s too.  More bad news for that cooling system. 





And replace the radiator cap.  It's cheap insurance for something that tons of people overlook. 

It's not just a cap on the radiator tank, it's also a spring-loaded item that governs the pressure on the system and wears out periodically.  If it fails, it can sometimes take the water pump and/or other seals on the motor with it.


   

[b5blue]

Don't forget the bearings and u-joints...grease them up and change axle lube! Bleed the brakes totally so all the fluid is fresh!(It holds water) Keep extra fuses a flashlight and rope in the trunk and get a spare set of keys in a hide a key thingy and a list of your buddys phone numbers!Good luck!!!    

[bigcountry]

Sounds like you might as well go ahead and do a frame-up resto.

[myk]

These cars are almost half a century old.  That's not a bad idea for some...