Any Valiant Fans?

I've been a lurker here for quite some time. You probably won't be interested in Six Pack Roadrunner convertibles, or Satellite 4 door race cars. But I do have a couple of '61 Valiants you may like. I have had the 2 door for some time, but only recently acquired the wagon. They both have an interesting history. I have always wanted a wagon like this, but this is the first real one I have seen.

 

Hi Doctor Dodge

Welcome to the HAMB

Any Valiant fans...well of course, why wouldn't their be?

Looking at your photo's that sedan was released by Chrysler Australia as an "R" Series Valiant. I can't see the boot (that's aussie for "trunk lid") does it have a fauve spare wheel cover on the boot? We had the same car, same grill, same cats eye tail lights. Ours only had the 225 slant 6 and only came in 4 door as did the next model the "S" series. That had different grill, no cats eye but small round tail light under (see pic at left) It also had an elaborate & large badge on the boot, looked like the North symbol on an old pirates map a circle with 4 points, Valiant in the middle. I refer too it as the compass.

All in all they were damn fine cars the Valiants. They were ahead of the pack of compact 6 cylinders such as early Falcon & Corvair. (I have a 64 Aussie Falcon, pretty car but my 61 Val is a far better car...and good looking too) In fact Valiant killed Ford/Chev at Daytona with the Hyperpack and the compact series was killed off after one race I beleive (Valiant 1st to 7th or some such result)

I am new to the HAMB too so its good to find a Valiant head.

Check my recent intro out here

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=8070001

It tells you a bit about what happening to my S.

 

Hey Doc! Welcome from Illinois. Yes sir I like all of the old Mopars. Niced valiant.

 

Ive got a real good rust free 67 but not HAMB frendly.

 

The wagon's cool. Hardly ever see the wagons earlier than 1963. Cool stuff.

 

I really like that wagon :-D

 

Doctor Dodge?

As in Doug Dutra?

If so, I bought a set of Dutra Duals from you a few years back.

I love Valiants, particularly the 64-66's.

 

Welcome, Love the first Valiants with the cats eye rear lights. Nice wagon you got there. Done the circle route twice so been in Thunder Bay twice too.

 

Cool, love the Val. welcome from down under.

 

Love the wagon!
Welcome from South Georgia

 

welcome from North Texas. I love the wagon, and pretty much any old Mopar.

 

Hooray to all A-bodies. I have built a couple myself too

 

How about a phanton "part numbers matching" '68 440 V8 Valiant 'clone' of a car that Plymouth never built??? I don't have any pics of it, but about 10 years ago a buddy of mine built a neat "part numbers matching", "what if" clone of a never offered '68 440 V8 powered Valiant 2-door sedan! The guy had previously done some very nice Mopar muscle car restorations, including a couple of '68 383 Dart GTS' restorations and was getting sick of the gold chainers and car show 'know it alls' pointing out that his cars didn't have a correct date-coded hose clamp on the lower rad hose, the wrong cigarette lighter, or slightly incorrectly date-coded spark plug wires and other such nonsense, so he decided to built a 'ringer' just to piss them all off and make them scratch their heads. He started with a clean, plain-jane '68 slant-six powered Valiant 300 2- door sedan. He then built a 440 engine for it using a 1968 dated-coded core pulled from a '68 Chrysler New Yorker. To further make it look "factory built" he used a pair of correct '68-date coded and part numbered 383 Dodge Dart exhaust manifolds and a proper '68 Dart 383 K-member, motor mounts, brakes, torsion bars rear axle, and other bits and pieces, left over from his two previous 383 Dart GTS restorations. Then to top it off, he worked at the Chrysler assembly plant in Brampton Ontario and was able through some "connections" at work, get some correct body tag rivets and a new VIN plate made up with an altered engine code showing the engine simply as a "Special Order V8"!. At the car shows most of the time, he'd just act dumb, pretend that he didn't know the car was anything out of the ordinary and that it was "just the way he'd gotten it from his late grandmother, who had bought it that way, brand new in '68" <LOL> - while all the self-styled Mopar "experts" would go over and over the car with a fine tooth comb, checking part numbers and date-codes and pulling their hair out!!!

Mart3406
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Welcome, my first car was a 62 Valiant, 2 door, black with a slant 6 paid $50 for it and it was in super shape. I wish I still had that car I always thought it would look good pro streeted with a hemi.

 

DoctorDodge: I'm a big Valiant fan. Had a '64 Valiant 2-door sedan years ago with a slant 6 and three-on-the-tree. Slapped on a set of the early small bolt circle Duster style rally wheels and drove the hell out of it. Used it as my work car, year round. Should've kept it. BTW, welcome to the H.A.M.B. I really like your wagon.

Mart3406: GREAT story!! That's something I'd love to be able to pull off if I had the resources. I chuckle just thinking about it.....

 

i got a 64 valiant myself

with 65 taillights and barracuda front clip

 

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The hard and expensive part of a project like that now would be accumulating all of the correct 383 Dart pieces. Those cars were never very common even when new. as the 340 Darts were just about as quick, handled better and a were lot cheaper. Ten years ago 383-powered Darts were somewhat uncommon, but not too hard to find if you knew people and/or where to look. Nowadays, factory big-block Darts - even incomplete or rusted-out 'parts cars' are pretty rare and pricey. My buddy had the advantage of restoring two 383 Dart GTSs' just about a year or two apart and in the process, he had accumulated three rusty but complete 383 Dart parts cars, plus a ton of used and NOS small bits and pieces. When he built the Valiant, the mechanical parts that were unique unique to the big-block Darts were pretty much a direct bolt on. Originally, the Valiant was going to get a 383 from one of his Dart parts cars, but when he found a '68 New Yorker with a running 440 in it for a $100, the temptation to go with the 'big motor' '"just for the hell of it", was too much to resist.

Mart3406
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Nice. Although my HAMB friendly car is a 50 Chevy, my other cars are Mopars. I almost bought a nice leaning tower of power 67, but opted for a semi-clapped out 67 Barracuda. I still have that one in slightly less clapped out shape over a decade later.

 

yup 2 of them..........and welcome..........

 

Bought my parents 62 Dodge Lancer GT after my neighbor sold his 53 Vette that I had planned to buy while I was serving my country overseas. Lancer had the Aluminum block 225 with the Tourqflight tranny. Being a hot rodder at heart I decided to make a Hyperpack out of it. Bored it .125, Jahns 11.5:1 pistons and shaved the head .040 I think. Offenhauser 4 barrel manifold with a 500 Holley, Mallory Rev Pol Ignition and Schnider cam kit made to the Chrysler hyperpack specs. Engine was a screamer but tranny and rear end couldn't take pushing the low button while wound up. Traded it for a bright red 36 Ford PU with a 301 chevy, 4 speed, bucket seats and an 8 track player. All this in the 1965-67 time frame. Those were the good old days.

 

Welcome from South-Western Ontario !
My father-in-law HAD one of those wagons .
I thought at the time it was UGLEEEE , now I regret not grabbing it.
I have a pair of those taillights that came on my '32
I ended up with an extra tail-light lens , so it seems I'm on the lookout for the rest of a wagon too.........One piece at a time , eh !

 

I SO regret that I let my '61 wagon go... loaded too. PS, PB, tinted glass, tri-tone interior, power rear window, dealer A/C, radio, auto, roof rack, can't remember what else.
I was in process of upgrading with KH 4 piston discs, 8-3/4 3.23 axle, 340 GT springs and t-bars and plans of the 340-4spd when I sold it to a friend in a weak moment. I don't even know what finally happened. I doubt that it still survives. As it was, it had been pulled from the jaws of the crusher in '77.
Sure miss that car.
Mike in SW FL

 

welcome from Ga

 

Just brought a one family owned, 28,000 mile 61 4 door home yesterday. Looking at doing some minor upgrades such as brakes, rear end, maybe a mild 225 and a 4 speed too. Car is all original and all complete. Looking forward to all the info anyone can share. Big time Mopar and AMC fan, but this is my first experience with the older Valiants and a slant 6.

 

Welcome from Tucson Arizona. I have a 67 Valiant. I'm assembling a 57 Desoto 341 hemi for it. Am getting close to being done. Money is the issue but almost there. The avatar is the engine for it. Just got the driveshaft done last week and am welding new floor boards in it now. Hope to make an easy 500 HP. Bill

 

welcome from AZ from another mopar nut. valients styling are definatly not for everyone. but I sure like em. the wagon makes for a great parts chaser.

 

Here's mine on the Gold Coast, OZ.
4 Sale if anybody wants it. 2g needs a little work.
Love Vals, but not living in OZ anymore.

 

Welcome from CT. I have a 65 non-HAMB friendly convertible project underway.

 

Welcome to the H.A.M.B. from Arkansas City, KS.
firstnomad

 

I always liked the original Valiant. I'm looking for an old Ford wagon right now, but if a good cat eye Valiant wagon were for sale, I would probably buy it. Welcome aboard.