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Posted:
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Windward
Side Mopar Special &
the
Man Behind the Wheel
Cal Yoshimoto's 1973 Plymouth
Duster
By
Dustin Burnout
Honolulu Streets Magazine
Kailua,
Hawaii After a
very impressive military career that spanned over 39 years in the
Air Force and Air National Guard one that would make any U.S.
presidents mother proud of `63 Roosevelt grad, Cal Yoshimoto
of Kailua drew up a things-to-do list when he retired in 2002. And
on that list had been to own a muscle car.
Not
just any muscle car would do however and rebuilding one from scratch
was just out of the question. He wanted something he could jump in;
"turn key, drive and enjoy" said Cal. With that in mind,
he found a restored, dazzling midnight black `73 Plymouth Duster in
Flushing Michigan for sale over the Internet.
"The
Duster immediately caught my attention." Cal said, "It
basically had everything I wanted in a muscle car". And what
could that have been? For starters, it needed to be stuffed with a
big block and built for performance and this one was just that. From
the bored .040 over 440 cubic inch engine to its 727-race
transmission turning a rear end fitted with 410 gears plus a whole
slew of other goodies made buying this Duster a no-brainer.
So
a deal was negotiated and the Duster was soon on its way home to the
Windward side of Oahu. When Cal picked up the car from Matsons
terminal on Sand Island, he said the Duster
was a head turner and driving it back to Kailua - still sporting Michigan
plates - "It felt real good getting the Shaka signs
and exchanging comments at stoplights".
He
has owned the Windward side Mopar since August 2002 and has
subsequently added more performance parts such as replacing the
six-pack scoop and many other small improvements that just plain add
up to making this Mopar one special ride from the Windward side.
Other
than an occasional weekend cruise Cal would like to take the Duster
to Hawaii Raceway Park. In his own words, he said that he plans to
keep cruising but "maybe cut loose at tracks at least once,
okay maybe twice". "This Mopar is definitely fun to
drive".
In a
"special" interview, Cal Yoshimoto revealed a very exciting
and rewarding life at the peak of the muscle car era.
CLICK for the complete interview
Man Behind the Wheel
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A
Few Specs...
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More Photos |
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1973
Plymouth Duster
Cal Yoshimoto
Kailua, Hawaii.
Engine:
440 cid bored .040 over.
Trans:
727 Torqueflite transmission
/ B&M shift-kit
Rear end:
8-3/4 stuffed with 410 gears.
Ignition:
MSD 6A Blaster /
Mallory Promaster Coil.
Shifter:
B&M floor shift with reverse lockout.
Wheels:
Centerline Auto Drags.
Gauges:
Stewart Warner /Auto Meter 10,000-rpm Tach with shift lights and memory recall functions.
Floor mats:
Taz |
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