I've joined the Mopar Dark Side with a 1969 Valiant

[Luke]

Kurt the Aussie Valiant in Greg's picture is indeed a upscale version as it is a Regal. Sort of mid high end if you will, Safaris being cheapest 770s and VIPs in 69 being slightly higher trim levels than a Regal a lot of 770s and VIPs where V8s. We also had a sport variant called a pacer all of the pacers where 6 cylinders and the major challenge to the V8 GT falcons and GTS Monaro. We also imported dodge darts and put Aus tin on them from the firewall forward and could be had in most trim levels.

68 ve valiant base model (Dodge) ute to demonstrate trim level

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69 pacer

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and the Valiant hardtop 770

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[Totalled]

^^Funky.

I love those late 60's A body's. If it has it, replace the ceramic resistor in the firewall for the ignition. They are usually the first cause of old mopar ignition issues.

 

[caspianwendell]

Cool car, congrats kurt

 

[cudak888]

Good news; the Valiant has been running excellent for about a week or two now; turns out it was a combination of a clogged/dirty fuel filter and a Holley float set a quarter inch too low.

I cleaned up the spark plug sleeves, installed new NGK's in it (sans-washers) and freshened up the block (did the valve lash adjustment too). No misfires at all now. And yes, those are fresh, NOS Mopar heater hoses:

The rotted-out exhaust remained absolutely intolerable (operation and audio wise), and with a good used exhaust sourced at the A-Body forum, I set out to fix it today.

The old bits:

The forward pipe - kept it; the '67 Dart exhaust would have required too many modifications to fit:

The muffler was fun. 1-7/8" on the inlet, 2" on the outlet. More or less. It worked on the exit pipe that came with it, but not the original forward section. Expander didn't help. Wound up cutting the inlet and welding a connector on it that was the right size. Almost bought another muffler, but nobody in town had anything under 2.5":

And I was well rewarded with a nice, quiet six-cylinder warble to go with the clacking of solid lifters. The Junkstang's NY license plate looks great here; really makes you think "late 1960's taxicab."

-Kurt

 

[73StangCoupe]

Very cool...this car definitely reminds me of my childhood. Get it running reliably and it would be a great daily driver.

 

[will e]

I like it. I like a lot. Cool car. You are not going to pull up to another on at a stop light any time soon.

Just sweet.

 

[mdunlap]

Nice ride! I would love to have a daily driver like that. BTW, Cuda, weren't you already a Mopar lover?

 

[cudak888]

Very cool...this car definitely reminds me of my childhood. Get it running reliably and it would be a great daily driver.

I started her on regular weekend duty yesterday, though I did wind up stranded at the local BBQ joint when it wouldn't start up. It seemed to be fuel starvation at first (funny how those fuel filters look to be empty when they are passing fuel), but a closer inspection revealed that the choke was shut hard. Disconnected it and she roared to life.

Once I got back, I pulled the choke thermostat off the engine. It's the original, and almost rusted beyond use, but I was able to adjust it. This had to be a northern car between the undercoating and the viciously rich choke setting. Must have spent all its time in a garage.

I like it. I like a lot. Cool car. You are not going to pull up to another on at a stop light any time soon.

I'd never seen one in person in my life before this one (this town had nothing but Dusters). Then, on the day I went to pick it up, a clapped-out '72 Valiant Signet passed by, and I spied a '63 rotting away with a For Sale sign on it. I haven't seen either since then.

Nice ride! I would love to have a daily driver like that. BTW, Cuda, weren't you already a Mopar lover?

The username stands for "Cuda Kurt" - I saw my first Hemi 'Cuda at 6 years old, and that was enough for me. However, the Valiant is my first classic Mopar (though other Mopars in the family have included a 1998 Ram Van 1500 and a 1989 Fifth Avenue).

I'd gladly pick up the '70 Barracuda slant-six (now 340 - would have preferred the slant!) project car that's a block down the street, but there's a reason I bought the Valiant: The Mopar market has priced me out of the Cuda, and I know it.

-Kurt

 

[protouringstang73]

Good looking car you have there.. I'm a big fan of Mopars too, they have made some really cool designs in the past!

 

[cudak888]

I replaced the voltage regulator and took it for a test drive. At the same time, I stuck my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera in the car to test how well it'd do for an upcoming episode of That '70s Car.

This is the result. No sound, but the footage came out great:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZaOZiFXdtk

-Kurt

 

[computercarguy]

I had a Valiant for a daily driver when I was a teenager. After a little body work we painted it dark green and christened it the "Tank". It could go anywhere; the snow, the woods, the sands, and it was tough. After I moved on to my next set of wheels it was handed down to my brother. I think it was one of the only vehicles my father was able to sell as a drivable car after my brother used it. If it could survive my brother's early years, it had to be a special vehicle! :angel:

Enjoy it!