Destiny's ChildÄusty, on the other hand, was very much destined to happen. Fun fact: Plymouth tried to talk Warner Brothers into letting them use the Tasmanian Devil in the Duster's logo. That's when Plymouth deemed it necessary to produce a replacement based on something more modern than a 1967 chassis. Both the Valiant and Duster were produced until 1976. Plymouth made the Duster to compete with cars like the Ford Maverick, Chevy Nova, and AMC Hornet. The Valiant needed a makeover which Plymouth provided with the sportier Duster coupe variant in 1970. The Valiant was the sort of boxy that comes from an eight year old playing Minecraft. While it fit the bill for small (at the time), sleek it was not. Plymouth made the Valiant from 1960 to 1976 as their entry into the compact car market that had started in the 1950s. Let's set the stage a bit before we dive into Dusty's upgrades, though. In 2000 they changed from furniture to cars and started Ozark Mountain Classics. For a few years they ran the family furniture store but his passion lay with engines and wheels. However, come the mid-'90s he and Becky found themselves moving back home to Arkansas to help his father-in-law after he'd been diagnosed with cancer.
At the time they worked on a lot of 5.0 Mustangs, Grand National Buicks, IROC Camaros, and Corvettes. "Even though late model grocery getters were okay, my heart was more focused on cooler cars," he tells us. He started working in a production body shop in North Carolina back then. Like Dusty itself, Bob's need for speed has some history to it, going all the way back to the late '80s. Option the car out just the way I would have ordered it." Build something that Chrysler would have built if they had the SRT technology of today. "But after much thought we decided we needed to go big. "My first intention was to go back stock with slight modifications," Bob said. While it's got the stock look and modern tech inside, that wasn't what the couple originally envisioned for the car. Shop owners Bob and Becky Villiger dubbed it Dusty and added it to their family as a numbers-matching 340 car, which they've now owned for 25 years. This is the stylish two-door wagon that loves to cruiser.Ozark Mountain Classics asked, "What if Chrysler had modern SRT technology in 1973?" This Plymouth Duster restomod is their answer. You'll enjoy hitting the road, because this wagon has an automatic transmission, power brakes, upgraded front discs, and wide modern tires to make driving easy. It fires up nicely with a dignified sound from the dual exhaust.
And because this wants to be a useful driver, you also have upgrades like a Mallory distributor, upgraded coil, and an aluminum radiator. So you get a classic Ford powerhouse with the best displacement of the era. The overhead valve V8 era was just beginning to heat up at Ford when this wagon was introduced, but this one utilizes the larger 352 cubic-inch motor that was introduced later in the 1950s. Under the hood is the right kind of upgrade. Beyond that is the classic speedometer, but it's now flanked by well-integrated AutoMeter Pro-Comp supporting readouts.
There are provisions for some worthwhile upgrades like a retro-style AM/FM/cassette and R134a air conditioning (they will need servicing to full function again.) You'll love slipping behind the vintage steering wheel with Ford family crest at the center. It's nicely detailed, right down to the working dome light and carpeting in the rear. Beautiful seats with cloth inserts, detailed door panels, plush carpeting, and a taut headliner all make this a nice place to spend some time. The blue interior has the sharp style of a solid investment. So we bet you're already imagining spending the day at the car show with the two-piece tailgate open for a picnic-style afternoon. Thick chrome bumpers, jet-inspired tail lights, and upgraded Torq Thrust wheels - this is a great total package. The full length silver streak needs truly straight sheetmetal for it to make this kind of stellar impression over the whole body.
It starts with a well-done white paint that has a timeless sense of style and an attractive gloss. This example seems to unite both of those feelings. Two-door wagons were a big part of 1950s fun, and today they seem to offer an extra hint of sporty style. It makes for the ideal two-door grocery-getter for those who love to drive and show off a distinct classic. This 1956 Ford Customline Rach Wagon has a sharp-looking gloss exterior, attractively restored interior, and a larger V8 to go with its cruising attitude.