Flipper Caught Trying to Sell This Big Block 1978 Plymouth Trail Duster Before Ever Buying It!

We just got this super cool 1978 Plymouth Trail Duster that was seriously the craziest vehicle purchase we have ever had! Watch the video to find out the story. Will just say we thought we lost the truck like 3 times and ended up with it in the end.
Truck is a Trail Duster which is unusual in and of itself. Most of these were Dodge Ram Chargers but Chrysler Plymouth dealers wanted some trucks to sell too so they rebranded these as Plymouths. The truck originally came from Brewster, Washington and it absolutely loaded out. Factory big block with the great 400 engine, Sport package (which we believe was basically the SE package for the Plymouth), AC, cruise control, rear sure grip, dash clock, power steering, roll bar, etc. Even has the original spare in the back! It is a Goodyear Polyglas L78-15 white wall. We think this might have even come with factory slots like the Lil Red Express. Hope you enjoy the video! Includes some shenanigans out in our field, we had to make sure the 4 wheel drive worked.
Special help from ‪@DeadDodgeGarage‬

[@markcollins457]

😊Coming from an "OLD" Mopar nut the sound of the old big block is definitely Chrysler product, at idle it counts off the cylinders just like an old boat! When you nail it sounds like a bunch of hammers.

[@beljames1563]

Cool truck. Fun to hear the back story. Glad you guys were able to get it. I like to see both your and Jamie's perspective on this. Good job.

[@rocketresto]

We haven’t done a dual release like this before. This video is number 1 so far and number 2 on his list for the last 10 videos so looks like it’s working!

[@moparedtn]

Damn straight you keep it. Non-garbage Traildusters are rare as heck. Side note to viewers: Do not get into any drinking contests where you take a shot every time Tom says "like". You'll be hammered before the video is half over. 🙂 - Ed on the Ridge

[@rocketresto]

I like your comment

[@0004612]

Wow! Beautiful find guys. I’ll pass on the drinking game…unless it’s with light beer for each “like”😅

[@AV_Mopars]

Definitely a crazy story, awesome rig vary cool , had a 77 Ramcharger SE wish i never sold

[@justralphajerseyguystuckin3671]

Wow ! ...such a crazy but Cool story, and I'm glad you got it instead of the Rat Bastard Cali Flipper ! And yes- I did watch Jamie's Video first.... and man you guys are rough on your just bought relics .... sheesh. Anyway- very nice, I always liked these. And it reminds me of something in my past that's bothered me for 45 years...long story short- back in the late 1970's I was still living in my old home state of NJ, and my next-door neighbor had a best friend who used to borrow his dads pickup truck all the time and he did burnouts everywhere with it- we were young- lol. Anyway I could swear that Pickup was a PLYMOUTH- Not a Dodge !...but after researching Mopar trucks in the past few years- I find out Plymouth didn't make pickup trucks in the mid to late 1970's- WTF?

[@jonbruce536]

You did great! Great story and I'm glad you ended up getting it.

[@jeffhutchins7048]

AH, MOPAR plastic wiper linkage bushings!!! I have a '75 and an '85 Ramcharger(s). LOVE 'EM. '91 and '96 Cherokees too. I've been following the Uncle Tony montra for decades and didn'teven know it: if you like something, get TWO of them. '91.5 and '98 Cummins '94 and '95 PHORD Crew Cab diesels Only one Suburban....the Wife's.

[@michaelroberts4644]

What is the bolt pattern on the chrome slots? They look bigger than 5 on 4.5. And the spare tire could be original but on the 4wd it’s usually at least an all terrain tire. Check under the carpet usually on the passenger side to see if the build sheet is there. The speedometer was changed after 1979 because it originally had a 100 mph speedometer. Nice find.

[@rocketresto]

Yes sticker on the a pillar says it was changed, good spot! Pretty sure the slots are 4.5.

[@idaholineman5788]

The east side is definitely a honey hole. Lots of solid rigs over here in eastern wa and north Idaho

[@johnwelch6490]

I knew a guy who Ebay posted other people's RV's etc then when the auction went up $$ he'd try to buy the RV before the end of auction and sell to bidder. Ebay caught him.

[@rocketresto]

People like that should go to jail.

[@brycecook4000]

I have that trim on my rust bucket. Might work for you.

[@lpmorify]

nice truck. I love the bird bath hood trucks.

[@mraudio]

Is it possible to find that seat upholstery any more?

[@rocketresto]

I got inserts from SMS in Portland Oregon but it’s not an exact match. Also expensive and a total pain to deal with them.

[@tomzambori5827]

I spotted my truck for sale in a Ford flareside group using the pics I had taken when I was working on it. When I messaged the guy, He instantly blocked me and started posting in other groups.

[@rocketresto]

Scammers are everywhere.

[@Brimstone667]

makes me miss wrenchin with my brother

[@MyronBuss]

Is the crewcab in the background for sale? I'd love to have that!

[@rocketresto]

Keeper for now but you never know! Factory 440 crew cab.

[@p-m2127]

If you are going to sell that truck let me know...I'll see if I can get 'er sold before I pick it up..lol

[@LoneStarMillennial]

First!

[@the_truck_farmer]

That truck is a unicorn. Wish i had friends to help me find deals. I typically hear back from the seller "i just sold it" lol. Cant ever get to the deals fast enough.

[@rocketresto]

Friends are very important in this business, can't be everywhere at once and how I find my best finds!

[@mattskustomkreations]

That “fever” was the basis of an April Fools joke I played on a friend 30 years ago, before the internet or cell phones. A good friend of mine had been dying to find a mid-80s Hurst Olds. I called and told him I saw one in a parking lot. It even had T-tops! I called the number and an old lady answered. She had absolutely no idea what she had, she just called it “the Cutlass” and she sounded senile. She was selling it because she bought it for her son who was off in the Navy and he was refusing to make the payments he agreed to and she wanted it out of her carport. I told him the price was super cheap so he better jump on it. One more thing… the old lady was kinda out of it so you had to talk kind of slow and be really nice. Then, and this is the real beauty of it… I just looked in the phone book and picked the most old-biddy name I could find and gave him her phone number. The rest of the prank wrote itself…😅. “Dude I called that lady and she said she had no idea what I was talking about.” “Oh man, I was afraid of that. You’ve got to talk slower, and be nicer about it. Try her again.” “Dude, I tried to reason with her but she won’t let me see her car! She says she doesn’t know about it!” “You can’t give up now. This deal is too good. Just try to be sweeter and talk even slower.” The “deal” was ridiculous btw, the price was so low I thought there would be no way he would have believed it. I had a household of friends over, and would tell them what he said each time. We were crying with laughter. Minutes went by. Finally he calls back and says. “I really tried to be sweet but she said if I try to call her one more time she’ll have the police trace the call and have me arrested!” I said, “I guess it’s just not your day… by the way what day is today???” I got the biggest earful of expletives and threats in my life. 😂😂😂😂. He was mad at me for a week. But then agreed it was one of the funniest AF jokes ever.

[@jeffhutchins7048]

People don't understand that Oregon and Washington are each split into two different states. The west side is Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis etc. The east side is a mix of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado etc. There's pieces of all of those states on the eastern sides of both. The politics are TOTALLY different (BETTER) too.

[@trojan440]

Awesome truck Tom,that gauge in left hand side of dash is vacuum gauge. Not oil.

[@joemazzola7387]

When water gets under the rubber floor it can't evaporate so the floor rust out At least with carpet it even will dry

[@danfay4860]

That truck in that condition in New England is worth $10,000

[@thezombie7839]

It's totally a scam. That's what the "We buy houses" people do!

[@jeffhutchins7048]

Gotta call it "Flipper"

[@79tazman]

Is that the same truck Jamie from Dead Dodge Garage had on his channel? Man that is a killer deal for a thousand bucks I would of paid more for it anyway what a score that thing is awesome and being a Trailduster instead of a Ramcharger is even cooler.

[@rocketresto]

Yes same truck. Jamie works for us here at Rocket and does a lot of his videos here.

[@crashsroadrunnergarage8612]

Nice trailduster,always been a Plymouth guy. I have a rusty 77 sport with factory 4bbl 400 I'd let go for a good price😎 if you're interested

[@rocketresto]

You never know, do you have my contact info?

[@crashsroadrunnergarage8612]

Yuuup,got your card at Mopars in the park last year😎

[@rocketresto]

@@crashsroadrunnergarage8612 Shoot me an e-mail with details.

[@Trex1268]

For $1000 you stole it! 😁

[@rocketresto]

Ended up being a little more after all the bs but still a fantastic deal!

[@Trex1268]

@@rocketresto When I first met my wife, my father-in-law Had a Dodge Prospector. Wish he would have kept it.

[@richardbates2367]

I have posted you quite a few links lol

[@MidnightOilsRestoration]

Such a sweet truck brother, you definitely got a great deal on it and I would keep it!

[@rocketresto]

It’s going to get driven a lot this summer

[@samuelgoodman2825]

Very cool.A thousand bucks.Gee whiz.

[@rocketresto]

Was a heck of a deal. The more I drive the truck the better I like it, been doing a bunch of work to it to get it to daily driver territory.

[@davidcorliss]

nice trailduster BTW in your description you have it 1979 not 1978

[@rocketresto]

Thank you fixed!

[@JohnSmith-vc4yg]

Making a short story long😢

[@ChuckBruton]

Couldn’t understand the name of your brother’s channel?

[@rocketresto]

Think you are referencing @deaddodgegarage? He isn’t my brother but a friend who works at Rocket with his own channel.

[@capricetony]

I would love a 1972 Plymouth Duster with a 318, original unmodified even needing work. That truck 🛻 runs great 👍

[@joooools01]

Keep for sure, she's beautiful. That big juicy V8 sounds amazing. We don't get many in the UK.

[@ThisValiantAdventure]

A Plymouth that leaks from everywhere? The heck you say! :) Love the Trailblazer. Fantastic find. Enjoy!

[@mikedaugharty5544]

you got blessed there with that vehicle very unique to find a big block i have a 1988 small block 318 dodge ram charger

[@DoctorMindbender]

Vultures fighting over bones.

[@rocketresto]

Or I'm breathing life back into a truck that had been sitting for 20 years.

[@DoctorMindbender]

@rocketresto you're just higher up in the food chain than the lowly flipper. At the end of the day, it's a feeding frenzy that is definitely uglier in the post internet content creation world.

[@Brimstone667]

omg, i hate when people do that, thats horrible but glad yall got it, great find an congrats

[@rennkafer13]

Flippers are the worst. That truck is great, definitely a keeper, Tom!

[@Roosters_Restos]

There is a guy east of me that got a 2 tone blue 440 trail duster with a 4" lift and old school slot mags. It had the roll bar and was a pop top too. I tried to buy it but it was a no go. It was rust free too. His kid wanted it so i wonder what ever became of it. Those are so rare to find up here. Most rusted to dust like my ramcharger plow truck. Nice find and as for that ass clown and his games he is committing fraud so thats a felony in CA. To bad you didnt get his name to turn him in. Oh ya i love the exhaust smoke rings lol

[@rocketresto]

Imagine not many survived your way.

[@jeffersonwebb5850]

Cool truck!!

[@rocketresto]

Thanks!

[@noberet]

Love it! Keep it! Under the cowl, do you vacuum out the leaves and crud, or is there enough clearance somewhere for that to get to the ground when you wash it?

[@rocketresto]

Vacuum then pressure wash. Reason it always fills up, they have drains but not very big. Not that hard to take cowl off so worth it to do it. When I get a new rig always clean out the nooks and cranny’s.

[@kenjohnson3641]

Nice

[@OlderNotNecesarilyWiser]

That's a crazy story, glad you got it!

[@Brimstone667]

Flipper Skipper since ya saved it from a crooked flipper gettin it

[@rocketresto]

Still can’t believe the guy did that, so messed up.

[@Brimstone667]

@@rocketresto ya its crazy what people do nowadays

[@idaholineman5788]

There’s a local guy over here around rathdrum who’s got a yard full of old dodge trucks and ram chargers. He does usually have a post of parts for sale..might have the valance you need

[@rocketresto]

Know the guys contact info?

[@idaholineman5788]

@@rocketresto I’ll have to look back through some old messages

[@hammanhamman5002]

Great find! Last owner took care of it, either did not drive it in winter or kept the road salt rinsed off.

[@rocketresto]

Came from estate of original owner, they really cared for it. Was sitting undercover most of its life.

[@brianbaker6196]

that is a bad ass truck!!

[@dantupper1784]

That flipper deserves a bus-toss to the proper authorities. That Trailduster is in fantastic shape for it's era- and the rims in the back are a nice bonus!.

[@rocketresto]

Definitely getting slots soon just need to figure out what tires to run.

[@dantupper1784]

@@rocketresto I run 33x12.5r15's on all my RC's

[@darricksword9282]

My 72 dodge d200 has metal wiper bushings/clips it’s interesting

[@rocketresto]

Not sure when they changed over, might have been 73. Lot of different parts on some of those early tin grills (72-73).

[@darricksword9282]

@@rocketresto very true neat trucks though

[@autonomous_collective]

Keep it or sell it to me 🙂. Call it: Brewster

[@rocketresto]

That’s not bad.

[@louislepage5111]

Nick name suggestion, "Dusty " 😊

[@rocketresto]

Not bad…

[@Sherlock067]

Hope you keep this and restore it, very nice find👍

[@rocketresto]

That's the plan!