Give a good ‘ol Plymouth Duster some love, and it can easily become one of the coolest set of wheels you’ll find on the strip. We came across fellow-gearhead Ryan and his ’70 Duster build on the Yellow Bullet forums, and we think he does a pretty good job of proving it.

Ryan got the car in it’s fully-stock form, with a Slant 6 and automatic transmission. The 1970 Duster wasn’t an incredibly impressive or powerful car in its day, packing nothing bigger than a 340 LA V8 and being targeted primarily at those looking for economy or trunk space. Ryan’s plans for the car, however, are transforming this 40 year old coupe into something else entirely.

The poor thing had been sitting in a yard for roughly 10 years and was a little worse for wear. So once Ryan got a hold of it, he set about completely pulling it apart. He started by stripping the car down and getting it sand-blasted, inside and out. Then, after replacing some rusted floor paneling, he got started on the roll cage. With that in progress, Ryan started gathering the high-performance goodies he would use to dress up his ride. He added a number of suspension upgrades, like a new K-member from HDK, and did some relocation in the rear to accommodate a pair of meaty 325 drag radials. For stopping power, a set of Wilwood drag brakes and a Wilwood pedal were chosen.

The performance brakes are an absolute must, because Ryan’s goal is to turn this machine into an eight-second or quicker track car. To pull it off, he’s throwing in a 340 cubic-inch R-block Mopar, with LJMS bullet cam and EFI, and fitting it with an s480 turbo. To keep things cool, he’ll be running an A2W intercooler with a 4-5 gallon ice box in the trunk.

After deciding on his setup, Ryan got to work machining the manifold and making the fuel rails. He then fabricated a set of headers himself, but later had a custom set made with the help of a local shop. He used a replica engine block to mock the structure and get things situated. With the help of a nearby shop called SMC customs, much of the fabrication work was able to be completed – such as the bodywork and getting the 25.5 spec cage finished. Ryan’s still busy dialing in his ride, so it’s a work in progress; the last update on the build was the radiator install.

The level of workmanship being put into this car is truly remarkable – it’s clear Ryan knows what he’s doing. The final product will definitely be a sight to see, so we’ll be keeping up with the build.

Have a project of your own? Share it with us! If it’s as badass as Ryan’s Duster, we’ll share it with our readers.