4x5 - Farm-Find Rescue! Plymouth Duster Big-Block Swap

May 29, 2015

On this episode we present a new Roadkill project car: the Crop Duster! It’s a 1970 Plymouth Duster that Freiburger forgot that he owned—a result of multiple trades with a buddy, and at least 5 years of neglect in the dirt of a grape farm. Once he was reminded of the car, and with a 440 Mopar big-block sitting on the shop floor (salvaged from the General Mayhem ’68 Charger), it was evident what needed to happen. Freiburger and Finnegan headed up to the farm run by Steve Dulcich, editor of Engine Masters magazine, to drag the Duster out of its moss-covered indignity and attempted to get the 440 in the car and running, driving, and doing smoky burnouts within five days. Along the way, the trio did engine upgrades, butchered some headers, built a homemade driveshaft, cobbled together a used exhaust system, did some halfhearted bodywork, and executed other mechanical feats the likes of which you’ve come to expect from Roadkill. Then it was off to the chassis dyno and the drag strip. Hate to break it to you, but the fail in this episode is minimal! Thanks for support from MSD Performance and from Optima, the new Official Battery of Roadkill! Make sure to check out the new Roadkill.com.