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FAQ1972 Plymouth Duster 318ci - originally sold in Switzerland as Chrysler Valiant
| Condition: | Used |
| Make: | Plymouth |
| Model: | Duster |
| Type: | Coupe |
| Year: | 1972 |
| Mileage: | 74,000 |
| VIN: | VL29G2 |
| Color: | Red |
| Engine: | 318 |
| Cylinders: | 8 |
| Fuel: | Gasoline |
| Transmission: | Automatic |
| Drive type: | RWD |
| Interior color: | Black |
| Safety: | Front Disc Brakes |
| Vehicle Title: | Clear |
| Item location: | Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada |
| Extras |
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Power Steering, Power Brakes CD Player |
| Listed by |
| Private seller |
 Enquire |
Description of 1972 Plymouth Duster |
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For sale is my 1972 Plymouth Duster that I have owned for 20 years. The car is an unrestored car in good condition. I am only the second owner of the car and always kept it garaged and out of any inclement weather. The car is largely original except for the changes described below. The car is equipped with the original 318 cui (5.2L) V8 engine, Torqueflite 904 automatic transmission, 7-1/4" rear axle (I believe with 2.76:1 gear ratio) and front disk brakes. The car has the small wheel bolt pattern (5x4" bolt circle), the front tires are 205/70R14 and rear tires are 255/60R15. Please note that this car was built for the Swiss market and the speedometer and odometer are in kilometers not miles. History: The car has an interesting history in that it was originally assembled in Switzerland by the local AMAG company. This assembly process was done through a CKD program (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock-down_kit). There is little information about this Swiss assembly process on the internet but one article can be found on the Allpar website here: allpar.com/world/switzerland.html As a result, this Plymouth Duster shows some oddities: The car was sold as a Chrysler Valiant Coupe and consequently has different badging. The VIN is different from regular production vehicles with the digit for the "plant" missing, so instead of a 13 digit VIN it has only a 12 digit VIN. The speedometer and odometer are in kilometers (not miles), and the car has front and rear stabilizers. Swiss car registration and inspection rules are one of the strictest in the world and cars get inspected annually by a government engineer. As a result, buying a used car in Switzerland is very different as most used cars are in incredibly good condition and any work performed by garages, body shops and mechanics are of outstanding quality. I purchased this vehicle in Switzerland through a used car dealer and drove it there for several years. Luckily, I was able to get in contact with the original owner to learn more about the car's history: The original owner drove the car from 1972 to 1984 as a daily driver. In 1984 he decided to bring the car back into top form and only use it as a hobby car thereafter. At the time, some bodywork was completed to address some rust that had formed on the car. While I do not know every detail of work that was performed, I do know that parts of the trunk floorboards were replaced. The car was then repainted in "Volvo red" as it was described to me. I do not know the exact name of the original color but it seems to have been some sort of gold-green. The car today still carries the same red paint that it was sprayed with in 1984 - a testament to the quality of bodywork and paint performed 33 years ago. At the time, the original owner also installed a "Fairbanks" shift-kit into the transmission. After I bought the car in 1997, I drove it as my hobby car for several years with Swiss registration before bringing it to Canada when I moved here in 2000. I still have a copy of the original Swiss car ownership document from back then. Condition: According to the conditions rating scale from Hagerty the car's condition would be rated as "good". The car runs and drives excellently and has a good solid body. This is not a restored car and shows signs of wear corresponding to a 45-year-old car. This car was never in any accident as far as I am aware of it. I uploaded more pictures to box.com, please find them here (please note that the pictures are presented on 5 separate pages that have to be opened individually for viewing, alternatively, use the 'Download' function): app.box.com/s/7jgba424w4s7nyvfuwq3ek617ywtgbyd Exterior: The paint while still in good condition, bear in mind, it is 33 years old. There are a few inconspicuous door dings on both sides of the vehicle. The chrome bumpers, mirrors and door handles show their age with some pitting. The body has minimal rust with some showing on the bottom left corner on the driver's door, and on some minor spots in other places (please see pictures). The undercarriage is in good condition. It appears the original owner painted the entire undercarriage with rust protective paint at one point. The vinyl top is in excellent condition. The windows are all in excellent condition. The neutral safety switch in the transmission is defective, as a temporary workaround I grounded the relay to be able to start the car normally. The tires are in excellent condition. Interior: The seats and carpets have been replaced a few years ago. The interior door panels are in good condition, except the passenger door panel has 2 holes where an additional handle was installed at one point. The map pocket on the driver's side door panel is missing the chrome strip. The headliner and rear seat bench are in good condition with no tears or holes. The dashboard cover has no cracks. All instruments in the dashboard are functioning. However, the gas gauge only shows 3/4 full when the tank is filled up. When I bought the car, the odometer showed around 83,000 km (52,000 miles) and I was told that these are the actual kilometers the car had driven. Today the odometer is showing approximately 19,000 km (12,000 miles) or 119,000 km actual (74,000 miles). This means that over the 20 years I owned the car, I only drove it 1,800 km per year (1,125 miles per year). The engine is running fine but does need an occasional oil refill and will eventually need a rebuild. The car has minimal oil leaks considering it is an old Mopar. The suspension has some minor squeaks that can be heard when driving at low speeds, as is often the case with older torsion bar suspensions. The following parts were replaced or rebuilt over the last few years:
The last insurance appraisal in 2012 valued the car at $14,000. Modifications: I tried to keep the car as original as possible over the years. The following items are not original:
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