I finished up a few things on my Li'l Red Express, so I had some time on my hands and decided to work on the Duster. I had been looking for an easy way to get the electric choke working correctly, since I have a 318 BBD with the wrong choke lever and also wanted to improve on the metal fuel line, since it always took a while to get the Duster running after shutting down and leaving it for a while. I suspected the ol' fuel boiling in the metal line problem, but didn't really like the rubber fuel line fix for that, so here's what I did.

I had an extra fuel line set for the Li'l Red laying around. I took it out to the Duster and started seeing if it would work, with a little cutting and bending. Turns out it does, so I made a few bends, cut a bit off the filter end and viola! I did the same to the fuel pump piece, too. In the end, I only have about 4" of rubber hose, just for the fuel filter. Also, I slipped a piece of 3/8" rubber line over the whole thing, to help insulate it. Here's some pics ;;

Driver's Side View


Pump and Filter


Passenger's Side View


For the choke, I had a bunch of Thermoquad parts laying around, so I started looking through them to see if anything there would work. Nothing was a direct replacement, but I was able to take the lever that thermostat to the choke rod and modify it so I could bolt it onto the 318 choke lever, thereby changing the angle of the choke rod. It took about 10 minutes to cut off the extra leg, tap out the hole in the 318 lever and bolt it all together. It seems to work like a charm, but I still have a little adjusting and rod bending to do to get it just right. Here's a pic of the completed assembly ;




Now, I just need to do a little more tuning and this baby will be running right, hot weather or cold!

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70 Challenger (under resto)
70 Charger Daytona Clone (under construction)
70 Charger 383 (awaiting resto)
74 Duster /6
79 Li'l Red Express
'90 W350 Cummins
'93 D250 5.9L Magnum

Nice work! but that air filter has to go. I ran one of those for a while and it clogs up in just a few months. Way too small.

Is that a Panther Pink Duster I see?

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I tried using the 2bbl air cleaner that I got with the carb, but it hits the A/C line. This was the only one I could find at Kragen's that would fit.

Yes.. Panther Pink Duster.. White vinyl top, white interior, white stripes. I built it for my niece and took it back from here when she went away to college. I put on the 2bbl setup while she was away and I'm trying to get it running reliably for her while she's home on Christmas break. I'm close, just have a little miss I need to clear up, set the timing, and road test it then she'll be terrorizing eastern Sacramento county in it for a few weeks...

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70 Challenger (under resto)
70 Charger Daytona Clone (under construction)
70 Charger 383 (awaiting resto)
74 Duster /6
79 Li'l Red Express
'90 W350 Cummins
'93 D250 5.9L Magnum

Nice. I always loved those high-impact colors. I painted my first slant six car, a 78 Volare Wagon, Krylon Safety Purple, which is somewhat close to Panther Pink.

Pink with a white interior and white strip would be a nice looking combo.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

have fun adjusting your valves... the reason hose is used for this upgrade is to facilitate removal of the valve cover for lash adjustments. SAE 30R9 is a very durable hose and you will be very hard pressed to wear it out. i have seen up to 6' sections of 30R7 used in industrial equipment OEM installations and i have put 40K on my upgrade without any sign of wear.

what you will have to do is disconnect the line at the filter, loosen the flare nut, and swing up your tubeline to access the valves for adjustment. doing this on a regular basis will put wear and tear on the flare coupling, and the brass inlet. be gentle and keep a sharp eye for any leaks. i doubt you have gained much in terms of durability here but do continue to seek better answers, that is how great ideas are formed.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

I don't see that it's any more difficult to remove the valve cover with the fuel line there, next to the A/C line. The tubing has a nice bend in it that should allow me to snake the VC off without disconnecting it, plus, you adjust the valves like every 12 - 15K miles? I've had this car 3 years and haven't put 5K on it, so I can live with it. On the other hand, I'd like to be able to take it to Sacramento raceway and see what she'll do in the 1/4 mile, and I know the tech inspector would fail me for all rubber line (happened on the LRE once, before I put the hard lines in).

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70 Challenger (under resto)
70 Charger Daytona Clone (under construction)
70 Charger 383 (awaiting resto)
74 Duster /6
79 Li'l Red Express
'90 W350 Cummins
'93 D250 5.9L Magnum

12 to 15K is way too long. i do mine at every oil change. id recommend at least this often until you establish a wear pattern, and if none of them are sinking rapidly push it out to 9K.

that AC hose can easily be lifted. try it out, if your fuel line installation satisfies you that's all that matters as long as it is safe.

if i was racing, id use stainless braided hose but im neither up on regulations nor interested in the pissing contest of drag racing. good luck on the track and have fun~

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.