1976 · Plymouth · United States
1976 Plymouth Duster
The Duster's last year offered the 360 only with TorqueFlite and not in California, beside the new Feather Duster economy and Silver Duster decor packages; reference books disagree on production (26,688 or 34,681).
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
1976 closed out the Duster's approved 1970-1976 chronology, and the brochure itself does not treat every 1976 Duster as a performance car. The year introduced the Feather Duster fuel-economy package and a Silver Duster decor package that replaced the Gold Duster, while the 360 V8 was withdrawn from California for emissions reasons. Total Duster coupe production, covering all trims on the VL29 body, carries an open conflict: the Standard Catalog of Chrysler gives 26,688 (priced at $3,216 with the six and $3,353 with a V8), while Consumer Guide's encyclopedia instead gives 34,681 (priced at $3,241).1,2,3
Both reference books agree on a 2,975 lb weight for the car but differ on production by roughly 8,000 units and on price by $25, and neither names an underlying Chrysler production record, so both figures are carried as disputed rather than one being preferred; a Chrysler production report would be needed to settle it. No sourced production figure for the 360-engined Duster specifically was found at all. The Standard Catalog separately states that more than 22% of Duster coupes carried the Feather Duster package, but that percentage is not converted into a count anywhere in the source.2,3
Factory prices ran $3,216 for the six-cylinder VL29 Duster and $3,353 with a V8, with the Feather Duster package adding $51, the Silver Duster trim package $178, and the 360 four-barrel with dual exhaust $392 as a standalone engine option. The 360 was optional in the Duster with TorqueFlite as its only available transmission and was not offered in California at all; the 318 remained the standard V8, and the 225 six, standard as well, formed the mechanical basis of the Feather Duster package.2
The three-speed manual was standard with either the 225 or 318, while a four-speed overdrive manual, new for 1976, was optional with those same two engines; TorqueFlite was optional generally and the only transmission listed alongside the 360. The Feather Duster package used an aluminum intake manifold and aluminum hood and deck inner panels along with engine modifications and economy axle ratios, restricted to the Duster; the Silver Duster added body and deck stripes, wheel moldings, and a red interior with "Boca Raton" cloth-and-vinyl bench seats, also Duster-only. Further options included the SpaceMaker Pak fold-down rear seat, a Light Duty Towing Package requiring TorqueFlite and front disc brakes for trailers up to 2,000 lb, a manual sun roof, a canopy-style vinyl roof, a body side tape stripe, a Fuel Pacer system not offered in California, and a heavy-duty suspension that came with a standard front sway bar.
On a 108-inch wheelbase, the Duster measured 197.0 inches long, 71.7 inches wide, and 53.4 inches tall, with a 59.2-inch front and 55.6-inch rear tread and 20.1 cubic feet of trunk capacity. Tire and wheel sizing varied by engine: 6.95x14 on 14x4.5-inch wheels with the 225, D78x14 on the same wheels with the 318, and E70x14 on 14x5.5-inch wheels with the 360, whose rear axle ran 2.94:1 standard with TorqueFlite, rising to 3.21:1 optional with Sure-Grip. Sixteen exterior colors were offered, including Silver Cloud Metallic, Powder Blue, Jamaican Blue Metallic, Rallye Red, Vintage Red Metallic, and Formal Black.
Fact sheet · 1976 · United States
The numbers
1976 Plymouth Duster — The Duster's last year offered the 360 only with TorqueFlite and not in California, beside the new Feather Duster economy and Silver Duster decor packages; reference books disagree on production (26,688 or 34,681).
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- No sourced 1976 Duster 360 production figure was found. Total Duster coupe production is disputed: the Standard Catalog of Chrysler gives 26,688 (VL29, $3,216 six / $3,353 V-8) and Consumer Guide's encyclopedia 34,681 ($3,241). The catalogue prices the 360 four-barrel with dual exhaust at $392.1,2,3
- 360 V8 in the 1976 Duster: TorqueFlite only, 2.94 standard axle, not available in California.
- New for 1976: Feather Duster Fuel Economy Package and Silver Duster decor package, both Duster-only.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duster 2-door sport coupe (VL29), all engines and packages2 Duster (including Feather Duster, Silver Duster and 360 cars) · 2-door sport coupe (VL29) · not stated The Standard Catalog of Chrysler prints 26,688 in the Duster row, the same figure MuscleCarClub gives without scope (held in unpublishedLeads). It is the whole Duster body total; no 360 or package split is given. Consumer Guide's encyclopedia prints 34,681 for the same body (next row); see conflicts. Never add the two. | 26,688 | not stated (catalogue production total), model-year | Disputed |
| Duster fastback coupe (VL29), all engines and packages, Consumer Guide figure3 Duster (all) · 2-door fastback coupe (VL29) · not stated Competing figure for the same cars as the Standard Catalog row; the Valiant.org 'sales' figure held in unpublishedLeads is the same number and probably this lineage. Never add the two. | 34,681 | not stated (encyclopedia production column), model-year | Disputed |
The catalogue says more than 22 percent of Duster coupes had the Feather Duster package (archive.org leaf 474); the page does not convert that percentage into a count.
No count of 360-engined or Silver Duster cars was found in a citable source.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Factory price, Duster 2-door sport coupe (VL29), six2 | $3,216 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options; catalogue FACTORY PRICE AND WEIGHT NOTE: left of slash six, right V-8, 1976 model year |
| Factory price, Duster 2-door sport coupe (VL29), V-82 | $3,353 | factory price (catalogue column), base car before options, 1976 model year |
| Feather Duster package2 | $51 | option price as listed in the catalogue, 1976 model year |
| Silver Duster trim package2 | $178 | option price as listed in the catalogue, 1976 model year |
| 360 cu in 4-barrel V-8 with dual exhaust, Duster2 | $392 | option price as listed in the catalogue, 1976 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360 V8 360 cu in | optional in the Duster with TorqueFlite only; not available in California | Not yet sourced | |
| 318 V8 318 cu in | standard V8 | Not yet sourced | |
| 225 Six 225 cu in | standard six; basis of the Feather Duster package | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Three-speed manual | standard (225 and 318) | Not yet sourced |
| Four-speed manual overdrive | optional in Duster (225 and 318) | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite automatic | optional; the only transmission listed with the 360 | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Feather Duster Fuel Economy Package (aluminum intake manifold, hood inner and deck inner panels; engine modifications; economy axle ratios; Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Silver Duster trim package (body and deck stripes, wheel moldings, red interior with 'Boca Raton' cloth-and-vinyl bench; Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
SpaceMaker Pak fold-down rear seat (Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
A34sales code |
Light Duty Towing Package (TorqueFlite and front disc brakes; 2,000 lb loaded trailer) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Sun roof, manual (Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Canopy-style vinyl roof (Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Body side tape stripe (Duster only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Fuel Pacer system (not in California) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Heavy-duty suspension (front sway bar standard with it) | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Silver Cloud Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Powder Blue | Not yet sourced |
|
Jamaican Blue Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Rallye Red | Not yet sourced |
|
Vintage Red Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Jade Green Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Deep Sherwood Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Sahara Beige | Not yet sourced |
|
Caramel Tan Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Cinnamon Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Yellow Blaze | Not yet sourced |
|
Golden Fawn | Not yet sourced |
|
Inca Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spanish Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
|
Spinnaker White | Not yet sourced |
|
Formal Black | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Cloth-and-vinyl bench seat standard on the Duster; all-vinyl optional. Standard interior colours for the Duster/Valiant line: green, black, gold, parchment, blue, red | Not yet sourced |
|
Silver Duster: red interior with 'Boca Raton' cloth-and-vinyl bench seats | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 108 in | Duster 2-door |
| Overall length | 197 in | Duster 2-door |
| Overall height | 53.4 in | Duster 2-door |
| Overall width | 71.7 in | Duster 2-door |
| Tread, front / rear | 59.2 / 55.6 in | Duster 2-door |
| Trunk capacity | 20.1 cu ft | Duster |
| Tires / wheels | 6.95x14 on 14 x 4.5 (225); D78x14 on 14 x 4.5 (318); E70x14 on 14 x 5.5 (360) | Duster/Valiant |
| Rear axle ratio, 360 with TorqueFlite | 2.94 standard; 3.21 optional (with Sure-Grip) | 360 V8 |
Where the sources disagree
1976 Duster coupe production (VL29, all trims)
Both shown with attribution and marked disputed. The two reference books agree on the 2,975 lb weight but differ on production by about 8,000 and on price by $25; neither names a Chrysler record. The earlier leads (MuscleCarClub 26,688; Valiant.org 34,681) each follow one of these books. A Chrysler production report would settle it.
Same model year
Also in 1976
- AMC AMX No AMX was sold in the United States for 1976. The Javelin ended after 1974, and the badge returned on the 1977 Hornet.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX The last year of the V8 Gremlin. The 304 was cancelled at midyear after 826 installations, and the X package moved to Custom models only.
- Buick Riviera The GS name gave way to an S/R package, fitted to 1,619 of 20,082 Rivieras.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The final Laguna Type S-3 year; the 454 no longer appears on the compiled engine list.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last Nova SS year in the source production table. Enthusiast-compiled production: 334,728 cars; Super Sport 7,416.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1976 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 44,890 El Caminos built, 5,163 of them with SS equipment.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The final year of the approved Dart chronology; MuscleCarClub reports 13,642 Dart Sports of all engines, and Flory says the Dart Sport 360 was dropped.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber was dropped and a Stallion paint-and-trim package took its place; no Stallion count was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT continued on the 1972-76 Ranchero; 4,942 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird Sixth-generation personal-luxury Thunderbird; the record holds the production total and the luxury-group option prices only.
- Ford Torino The last Torino year: 193,096 built with no Sport model left, and Ford's 1,000 white-striped red 'Starsky and Hutch' Gran Torino replicas were the only performance-styled edition.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 83,765 Cougars for 1976 per Wikipedia's table.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds An appearance and handling option in this period; no Hurst/Olds was offered and no production figure was found.
- Plymouth Road Runner The Road Runner became a Volare option package.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The first black-and-gold Trans Am, the last Trans Am 455, and a Firebird line past 110,000.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Quad headlamps and a 50th-anniversary year for Pontiac; the last Grand Prix 455.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The 455 returns to the LeMans options list, a 260 V8 with a five-speed arrives for the Sport Coupe, and a Rally RTS Handling Package replaces the GT.