34 CAR CRAFT AUGUST 2019
C
ar Craft’s Dustbin Duster project
was on hold for a few months
while we worked on another car,
but now we’re back on track. The time
away from the project gave us pause
to think about how the car was coming
together, and we decided to make a
few changes so the car would be easier
to drive on the street. One big change
was the decision to switch engines.We were planning on using a 700hp,
470-inch big-block, but went with a
milder (but larger) 512-inch wedge.
Other changes include installing big-
ger front brakes, adding a stiffer front
suspension, and upgrading the cooling
system. In short, the build was headed
a little too far into race-car territory, so
we pushed it back toward the street
side of the street/’strip balance. We’re➔PROJECT CAR
By Andy Finkbeiner / Photos: Andy Finkbeiner
Car Craft’s Duster project got pushed to the side for a few months, but
now we’re back at it. The new rollbar is in, and the front core support has
been replaced. The big Viper brakes up front are just mocked up in this
picture. We’ll have all the details on how we installed them next time.We switched to a pump-gas, 512ci wedge. The 512 will still
use the Holley EFI system, but we eliminated the motor
plate due to interference with the factory-style water pump
and alternator. The 512 has a hydraulic roller cam, 10.4
compression, and CNC-ported heads. It should have enough
power to put us deep into the 10s at the track.DUSTBIN
DUSTER:
UPDATE &
REBOOT
We Recap Our Street-Bound 1972 Plymouth Duster
and Tell You Where Things are Headedstill aiming for low-10s at the track, but
now when it’s on the street, it will be
safer to drive and easier to live with.
One complication with switching to
the 512 engine was that it had straight
spark plugs rather than angled. The big
TTi headers we purchased for the proj-
ect were designed for angled plugs, so
they were sold and replaced by a set of
smaller 1^3 ⁄ 4 -inch headers, also from TTi.