1970 PLYMOUTH VALIANT DUSTER 340
GIVE OR TAKE A PERCENT, CHRYSLER CORPORATION (between middle-class Dodge and working-class Plymouth) had about 15 percent of the market in the 1960s, but its A-body compacts regularly punched above their weight. Regardless of marque, nameplate, body style, or model year, these cars consistently owned nearly a third of the compact-car market. Compacts were a big deal for Chrysler and Plymouth’s new-for-1970 Duster capitalized on that success.
ENGINE
Starting in 1968, the top small-block performance option for Plymouth was the 340-cubic-inch LA-family V-8. Featuring big-port high-flow X-code heads, big valves, a Carter AVS four-barrel carb, and a 275-horsepower gross rating for 1970, the rev-friendly 340 is a popular, but ever-more-expensive, engine. Check the trim tag for code E55, which indicates an original 340-equipped Duster. Make sure that your 340 is actually a 1970 340, and not a later, lower-performance 340 or less-expensive 360 (or even a 318) dressed to look like a 340. The 360 is externally balanced, a dead giveaway.
TRANSMISSION
Three transmissions were available for 1970: a three-speed manual, an optional Hurst-shifted four-speed stick, or the legendary three-speed TorqueFlite automatic. Manual gearboxes were floor shifted; TorqueFlite came standard on the column, with optional console shift. Chrysler’s transmissions are generally rugged, durable, and able to withstand a lot of abuse. Check the fluid level, and during
