1973 Plymouth Duster Emerges From Dusty Barn, Gets First Wash in Years

Introduced for the 1970 model year as a semi-fastback, two-door coupe of the highly popular Valiant, the Duster arrived toward the end of the golden muscle car era. However, unlike the third-gen Barracuda, which was offered with Chyrsler's high-compression big-block V8 engines, the compact was restricted to small-block power. But that didn't stop buyers from flocking to dealerships and buying them by the hundred thousand.

In 1970, Plymouth sold a whopping 268,002 Valiants and Dusters combined, outselling its Dodge twin, the Dart, by a ratio of two to one. As muscle cars went extinct and the Oil Crisis hit the US, sales rose to 380,592 examples in 1973 and an even more impressive 459,083 units in 1974.

By the time they were discontinued, the 1970-to-1976 Duster and Valiant had moved more than two million units. As a result, these compacts became throwaway vehicles, and most of them ended up in junkyards and barns. And with minor exceptions, these classics aren't very desirable today. And that's exactly why I'm always glad to see a Duster rescued before it becomes a rust bucket.

The green 1973 Duster you see was recently dragged out of a barn. It spent about five years in storage, which isn't a lot by barn find standards, but it emerged with the usual issues associated with these types of vehicles. I'm talking about lots of dust and grime, a moldy interior, and some rust on the outside. Not surprisingly, the Mopar also needs some work to run and drive again.

But here's the good news: while most barn-found Dusters end up as parts cars, this one's getting restored. It won't happen right away, as the new owner wants to get it running and drive it for the summer as is. But he's planning on starting the restoration in a few months. And the reason we're seeing it right now is that he commissioned "The Detail Geek" to give his newly discovered Mopar a proper wash and detailing.

Like most vehicles that sat in dusty barns for years, the Duster cleaned up nicely and revealed the extent of its rust issues. Fortunately, it's not that bad. Sure, the side skirts need to be replaced, but everything else appears to be in solid condition. Our host did a great job reviving the paint, but this Plymouth will need a fresh paint job and a new decal package.

Speaking of paint and stripes, this Duster sports an Amber Sherwood Poly finish. It's a nice shade of green that slots between Mist Green and Bright Green, and it's also a hue you won't see on many Dusters. The seats are also wrapped in a similar hue, making this Mopar a green-on-green rig if we ignore the black door panels.

Unfortunately, there's no information on whether this Duster was repainted in the past or whether the color combo is factory original. The engine, on the other, is 100% not original. While this is bad news regarding market value, it's greenlight for a modern HEMI V8 transplant. On the other hand, period-correct Duster engines aren't hard to find. What would you do with this 1973 Duster?