1976 Plymouth Trailduster 4WD 440/727

[charlesm1982]

I bought this truck from a mexican fella down in Dallas it had been in the family since 80's when his dad bought it from a border patrol agent in south Texas.... Fast forward to when I buy it from him parked next to his patio for the last 7 years or so not running.....it was used as a radio there's a mile of speaker wire different kinds of speakers and cd changer in the back the truck was started only to charge the battery lol....there's even a "La Cucaracha" horn  lmao......it had a Rochester Quadrajet on it with every vaccum port plugged with 6 inches of hose and a bolt....chevy alternator....front driveshaft removed but is with truck....wiring harness is hacked!.......So far I've changed carb to a thermoquad from summit racing, fuel pump, oil, coolant & thermostat. Started driving the truck on the way home the damn starter cable melted which caused the starter solenoid to melt as well, bought new cables, starter and battery but before I put them on decided to fix the electrical harness I bought new wire some connectors and pigtails was planning to do it myself but 3 months have passed and I realized I have no time to build the harness so I bought a new one from http://www.mopartruckparts.com/ it came in at $267.07 high but as busy as I am with family and work I would never have time to build a harness. Its a 1976 Plymouth Trailduster 4wd factory 440/727 no a/c only heat, original color is a orange. 

[charlesm1982]

Some pics

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[charlesm1982]

This is some of the wiring cluster

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[rjtx667]

nice looking truck.

glad to have you around. 

[SixGun]

Cool find 

Keep the horn, its a classic collectors item. 

I think most of the 70's trucks have wiring just like that. Mine was a rat's nest of extra wiring from stereo hack jobs, cb's and I too had some funky horn. It didn't work or I would have kept it for sure.

[crazzywolfie]

that is pretty cool. i wan't one eventually but finding one that is indecent shape around here is nearly impossible.

[charlesm1982]

nice looking truck.

glad to have you around. 

Thanks I enjoy the site.......Whats the story RamCargerCentral? People stop using it?

Cool find 

I think most of the 70's trucks have wiring just like that. Mine was a rat's nest of extra wiring from stereo hack jobs, cb's and I too had some funky horn. It didn't work or I would have kept it for sure.

Oh man I got wires striped stuck in fuses, wires stuck in the battery terminals and tightened, speaker wire on the coil its funny  ....need to find good wiring schematic

[crazzywolfie]

this is for a 79 so i am not sure if it will be 100% the same or not but i figure it has got to be similar. it has the wiring diagrams for a 79 ramcharger/trail duster
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7J17pYhhC6LSkxlNkFqSkJ3UWs

[taz_man440]

Great find..  I know my 82 has a 360 & runs 100% better with a quadrajet than a Holly..  Good luck on the build....

[SixGun]

When I was shopping around for an FSM, I was told by DodgeBoys that there was no FSM for 76.  You either go one year earlier or later.  I found one for 77 with updates from the 75/76 models.  Ebay can be cheaper if you have time to shop around for awhile.  I got in a bidding war for my 91 and probably over paid a bit but I sold the diesel truck addendum and made a little back.  DodgeBoys has your model for 77 but his prices can be a little higher at times.  He's a good guy but no credit cards or paypal if I remember correctly which was why I went elsewhere.  Worth a look at least.  An FSM has come in handy on many occasions.  A worthwhile investment IMHO.

[crazzywolfie]

if you are interested in getting a FSM rockauto can possibly get you one for a 75 or 77. there does not seem to be one listed for 76 like Richard said. you can get it in cd or hard copy but the hard copy is about twice the cost of CD. a lot of the time tho the basics are pretty much the same accross the board. all you need is a multi meter and you can solve nearly all the issues on these old truck. they are really pretty simple until you start upgrading them like me. then they become a nightmare for anyone other than me

[charlesm1982]

this is for a 79 so i am not sure if it will be 100% the same or not but i figure it has got to be similar. it has the wiring diagrams for a 79 ramcharger/trail duster
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7J17pYhhC6LSkxlNkFqSkJ3UWs

Thanks man this is really nice easy to use! 

[charlesm1982]

Great find..  I know my 82 has a 360 & runs 100% better with a quadrajet than a Holly..  Good luck on the build....

Thanks it was luck........the CL ad said it was a 76 Ram I knew they didn't start calling trucks Ram until 1981 so I clicked on it see what kind of surprise it might be...........With the carb I have 2 holley's I could of used but I wanted it the way it came with a Thermoquad!

[charlesm1982]

When I was shopping around for an FSM, I was told by DodgeBoys that there was no FSM for 76.  You either go one year earlier or later.  I found one for 77 with updates from the 75/76 models.  Ebay can be cheaper if you have time to shop around for awhile.  I got in a bidding war for my 91 and probably over paid a bit but I sold the diesel truck addendum and made a little back.  DodgeBoys has your model for 77 but his prices can be a little higher at times.  He's a good guy but no credit cards or paypal if I remember correctly which was why I went elsewhere.  Worth a look at least.  An FSM has come in handy on many occasions.  A worthwhile investment IMHO.

I found this little gem on ebay that supplements 75 & 76 but to complete you need the 74

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-Dodge-Ramcharger-Trail-Duster-Shop-Service-Repair-Manual-Supplement-Book-/130741244409?fits=Make%3APlymouth%7CModel%3ATrailduster&hash=item1e70c911f9:g:jFsAAOSwf-VWao7I&vxp=mtr

[bullboy0852]

That's not factory wiring? I thought they all looked like that? Lol good looking truck

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