*** All the stats to the left are estimates based on proven set ups.

Page One: 1974 Duster "Sic Six"
Page Two: My Old 1964 Dart

"SIC SIX"

 INTRO:

This is a description of my Sic Six project. I recently bought a 1974 Plymouth Duster on its way to the scrapper. The car is undergoing a total renovation/upgrade that should take about 1 1/2 years to complete. It will be made into street/strip car, that not only will be my daily driver, but also a casual street racer and strip car. When all is said and done it will have gained about 150 horsepower and 200 torque, be lightened over 300 pounds, and hopefully push the sluggish slant six into the 13's without a turbo.

THE PURCHASE: . . . . . (Aug 07)

My neighbor put two of his cars up for sale. One was a 1980 Chevy K5 Blazer, dropped to the ground, aftermarket edlebrock equipped 350, 5 speed, and open exhaust for $2,900. The other, a 1974 Plymouth Duster, all stock, been sitting and covered in mud/leaves, with a blown 225 and a 3 speed for $700. I asked how much he wanted for it, he said $600. I said I might be able to get it by the weekend, he replied then I'll let it go for $500. I asked how much if I could get the money tomorrow, he replied $400. I figured I'd try to push one more time for today's purchase, and he dropped it to $300. So I got the money together and left with 57% off. Pretty good considering it would start and drive.

THE CLEAN UP: . . . . . (Aug 07)

Even though the first cylinder had no compression and the head gasket was blown I figured it could still be driven. I went out and got a battery, a gallon of premium and sure enough; started on the second try (after 20 years of sitting). Drove the car, which was filled with garbage and car parts, a few blocks to a friend's house with no problems. The next day my girlfriend and I started cleaning out the car. A few notable items we found were: front fenders/grills to a 72 Valiant, a small bag of coke, and a vibrator.

THE GOOD:

For starters, it's a Mopar, but beyond that it has a 225. Most people overlook the "Docile 225", personally it's my favorite engine. I drive with a heavy foot and need an engine with high durability and low end power, so I'm not tempted to push it too far. The car was already manual (the only real way to drive). Plus with it's faded general lee paint job, it was begging to be fixed up. Luckily the interior was in pretty good shape and won't need tending to until near the end of the build.

 THE BAD:

Where to start... Well the engine's first cylinder intake valve is lodged open, the exhaust manifold is cracked in two places, the head gasket and oil pan gasket are shot, my carb was covered in "muck", some vacuum lines were missing, the radiator was empty, the distributor is points, the tranny is an A230, my steering column is loose, and my tires are dry rotted. As far as rust, there are some minor holes near the rear quarter panels, a large hole where the spare used to sit, and another hole in the passenger floor pan. Plus I had a broken windshield because some asshole threw a brick through it.

This is about how the engine looked when I got it, minus the new air cleaner and with a red engine bay.

STAGE 1: . . . . . (Aug 07)

My girlfriend and I spray painted it flat black to protect it from rust. Then I put some anti-freeze in it and changed the oil that had been sitting in there since 1974. I already put in a new battery, so I got new plugs and a new belt. I also changed out the stock choke for a new one. I removed the carb, disassembled it and let it soak in solvent over night. Put the carb back on, with new vacuum lines. I had my girlfriend bump the ignition a few times to fill the lines to start her when it happened... On the third bump the dash starting pouring out smoke. There was an arc in the firewall and now it was on fire. Luckily it was only the electrical that burned and it kinda went out by it self. The wires under the dash were shot and the wires entering the engine bay were melted.

STAGE 2: . . . . . (Sep 07)

When I got the car I ordered some parts... Clifford Performance sent me out Dual Headers and an Aluminum 2bbl Intake Manifold for about $650. I installed them with no problems, but my car wasn't running yet. I still needed a carb, wiring harness, and NOW, a new exhaust system.

STAGE 3: . . . . . (Sep/Oct 07)

I decided to take the car to the shop and get some work done. I had them install a 2bbl Weber Carb 200/450cfm and jet it. The choke was upgraded to electric and I had a computer installed to control the intake setup. They welded me up a cheap exhaust into nothing but a cherry bomb. Got a new wiring harness installed for the dash and engine. I got rid of the points and got a HEI Distributor with new wires and a HO Coil, along with another computer to control them both. Total cost including parts and labor came to about $2,650.

IT'S ALIVE?: . . . . . (Oct 07)

Finally she runs again, the number one cylinder was still dead, but she runs. I got a moving permit so I could replace that wind shield, and did so suprisingly cheap; just $210. The day was pretty eventful, on the way to change out the glass I blew through a red light at 70 in a 35, which was just slow enough to see the Highway Patrolmen shake his head and ignore my disregard of normal driving procedures. Made the same mistake later that day with a LVMP Officer who saw me pass doing 65 in a 35, and again the shake of the head but no lights. I also stopped by the military surplus store and a 1999 Mustang GT tried to race me, but I didn't wanna finish off the engine.

DRESS UP ACT I: . . . . . (Nov 07)

I know the engine is still busted, but I'm driving her regularly (no tags or plates), so I wanted to make her look a little more aggressive. Problem is, at this point I ran out of money. So I went to the military surplus store and bought stickers. Got a Confederate Flag for the back windshield, Angent Orange sticker up front, and a Jolly Rodger on the rear window. I also had a few Summit stickers from the Hilborn Carb Scoop I bought for later install and a Clifford Performance 6=8 sticker, so I slapped them on the rear windows. Went to Checker and got rubber floor mats with a huge Iron Cross on each.

SHE DIED AGAIN: . . . . . (Dec 07)

My expired moving permit finally got noticed, so I had to move her to my mom's house. Apparently my apartment complex doesn't understand how utterly bad ass having my car parked there made them, but whatever; their loss. So I went to go drive her out and I had my friend follow me for a ride back. Once on the street he pulled next to me to let me know all my oil just dumped and that I have a trail about 8 inches wide all the way back to my place (1/2 mile back, with another 2 miles to go). So I said screw it and drove it anyway, made it all the way with no smoke, no knocking, and not one problem (besides lack of oil). Once again the slant six proves its durability.

GUESS WHO'S BACK?: . . . . . (May 08)

Finally I'm settled in the new place, time to start getting the Duster up and running. I once again threw the Duster back into the shop to have some major work done. The engine is being pulled and being completely reworked. The shop I went through last time is going to be installing the race package that Clifford came out with recently, which should add some kick. This will probably be the most costly part of the build-up, I'm going to have to shell out another $5,850 since I'm not doing the work myself. The way I see it, if this means I get my car faster and done right, then it's worth it.

HECTIC TIMES: . . . . . (June - Nov 08)

Last month my long time girlfriend of 4 years lost her father. After being struck by a speeding Honda Civic, and being cast out into traffic he was rushed to a hospital where 2 weeks later he passed away due to complications. Aron Steven Hernandez was 39 years old and past away on May 29th 2008. Ever since that day, I've been having a hard time keeping up with the twisted little things life has to throw at you. A few weeks later after missing too much work due to being at the hospital and dealing with court, my girlfriend and I lost our jobs. Soon after we lost our apartment. Things have been pretty rough the last few months so finding the time and money to put into the project has been hard. Although I still have the Duster and it is in the shop, funds for the build have been almost completely cut off. It is late November now and things are finally starting to pick back up. With the money starting to finally come back in things are finally underway for the Duster. Hopefully the car should be done by late January.

TATTOO: . . . . . (Dec 08)

My Christmas present from my girlfriend this year was a Duster tattoo on my left forearm. Very cool present, just wish I could drive the damn thing.

STILL IN THE SHOP...: . . . . . (Feb 09)

Things at the shop are coming along really slow. Apparently there may be a possible problem down at the machine shop where the engine was being rebuilt. After the shop I went through got done inspecting the engine, they were uphappy about the the gasket job the machine shop had done. They are currently dyno testing it to make sure the engine was assembeled properly and are making sure they won't have to take it right back out after they put it in. Being that it comes with a 1 year warranty on the engine and transmission work, you can believe I'll be taking it back with the slightest hint at something being wrong. The car should be ready by March or so, just in time to drive it to Mopars at the Strip and park it it the parking lot as the engine will still need time before I can take it out to race.

BIRTHDAY SHOPPING: . . . . . (Mar 09)

Well my birthday is this month and being that I may be finally getting my car sometime soon, I wanted to buy parts with the money I got. After looking through all the vendors at Mopars at the Strip I only left with a few emblems, Mopar or No Car plate cover, and a really cool Duster neon clock in Mopar orange. Once I got back home I decided to use a Pepboys gift card I got from my Dad for $100 and get some cool minor parts for the Duster. Got a Grant Steering Wheel (cheapest one), Iron Cross shift knob, Jolley Roger front plate (illegal in Nevada), front bench seat cover, and skull door locks. Later from Home Depot I got about 24 cans of flat black paint, although I'm not sure how much it will take. Now I have all the stuff to make the car look pretty cool for only about $150, not bad.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?: . . . . . (May 09)

 Well the car is pretty trashed. After not being worked on for over a year and sitting with open windows for just as long, the car is starting to degrade. When I went to the shop last I found garbage inside the car with items including: boxers, bottles, paint cans, masking, and a shit load of shop towels. Also two tires were completely flat. Now if you were getting paid $5,750 for the small amount of work I'm actually having them do, wouldn't you take a little better care of the car than this. How does this shop owner expect anyone to come back? Plain and simple, I won't. After a year the only thing that has been done, is that the engine was sent out to a machine shop to be worked on and has yet to be picked up by the shop I'm going through. This is starting to look pretty bad; and with the failing economy, this is probably going to get worse...

MELTDOWN: . . . . . (Jul 09)

If this isn't rediculous I don't know what is. Come to find out the reason nothing has been done with my car, even though the work has been completely paid for by me was that, the shop I was going through never paid the machine shop building the engine itself. Being that they owe the machine shop $1,200 and that they are filling for bankruptcy means it may be a long time before my car is going to be finished. The car was returned to me last week. Problem is, it has no engine, transmission, radiator, or carb. The engine is still at the machine shop waiting to be disassembled and given back to me in parts. It's anyone's guess how long that might take, and it'll take even longer to find out whether or not I'm getting the $5,750 I already paid them back. The new plan is to get another Slant Six and put it in place of the original block. The original block is now bored .030 over so the pistons can't fit making it useless without the performance parts. I figure I'll drive a stock motor around until I can find the time to make the performance engine myself on my own time and without anyone else touching my money. In the event I get my $5,750, I'll be installing the Cliffrod Performance package liked originally planned and making sure it gets done right.

IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR ME, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT Metal_drummer_6six6@yahoo.com