What the hell am I going to do with this?

id get it running, drop it a few and drive it.

 

Fwiw ...

 

I like the A/FX as done above!

I would clean it up, basic stock colour paint job and build a great sleeper out of it - 360, 727, 8 3/4" rear, disc brakes up front, fairly quiet exhaust, steel rims with dog dish hub caps. Build a 400 hp 360 (very easy to do) for it and have some fun.

 

I had a room mate in college that had one of these. It was bullet proof. Ran like a top until he rolled it. I'd round up a 225 and make a driver out of it. The youth of America would have no idea what you were driving.

 

That car is cool... A set of custom wheels can even make a turd look good.

 

I was offered one free a few years back. Me nor anyone else wanted it. Some things are just too ugly to have.

 

I'd take a foot out of the middle and make a "what if?" AMX type car out of it...

Photochop, anyone?

 

You might already have an aluminum block /6 in it. MOPAR was experimenting with the use of aluminum and ran a bunch of blocks, and installed them in cars going to the market. Even the dealerships did not know what cars had the aluminum blocks, there was no special code in the ID numbers, or on the engines. You might want to scrape a little pint on the block to see whats under it.

 

This was my driver training car! Only car with a manual trans. and I was the only one who wanted to drive it. Loved it. All good ideas for this one.

 

If it were my car I would give it a good wash, get it running, and shoot it with clear... Instant daily driver that would have everybody thinking, "what the hell is that thing?" Also, if I had the money i'd put as many cubic inches as would fit under the hood. I like it, but then again, I like fat chicks too.

 

This is probably the most ludicrous statement I have ever read on the Hamb,,obviously you were dropped on your head as a child! HRP

 

I thought the same thing. But I automatically thought he must be joking. Maybe this is where i fail in life, giving to much credit where its not due! I'd do anything, ANYTHING for a '36 ford.

 

I`m all about improving or modifiying something,,,,,,
but I think that it would look better , original and stock
all white with dog dish caps,,, kind of cool !!!

 

Keep it, fix it up a little and drive it. It will grow on you.

 

My old race car is a thought

 

Yes I think making a cut-up show sports car from the body would work,there is enough lines in the body to make something that could look cool. if it had a V8 and not a falling over 6.
My Dad got a OJ Valiant brand new,I never know why he picked that car,I thought at the time it was just werid looking. I drove it,and the stock 3speed floor shifter fell over flat on to the floor when I shifted to 2gear ,but no prob,ya just pick it up and wiggel it back in place after coming to a stop [ POS].
The motor leaked oil all over the carport too all the time,Dad took it back and dealer fixed it for about a month at a time tell it would leak again.

 

Anybody remember the jacked up wagon with the black steel rims and the BB that appeared in Isky ads around 1970?

 

Good save.I think it's a pretty neat car .

 

If you don't want it sell it to someone who does.

They are an ugly car with a lot of potential. Plym46 is right, in their day they beat the competition so bad NASCAR dropped the compact car series. Like, if there were 3 Valiants in the race they always came in 1-2-3 with the Corvairs, Falcons, Ramblers, Larks and Volvos trailing far behind.

Smokey Yunick said the slant six responded to a few simple hop up tricks, more than any other engine he ever saw.

So, take advantage of the torsion bar suspension with good shocks and replace worn parts. Built a hot slant 6 and add a 4 speed or 5 speed trans. Add disc brakes using later model Valiant or Dart spindles. Some cool wheels and tires and a nice paint job.

Have a daily driver that will beat the ricers and get 26 MPG.

 

Ill buy it.

 

Love it. Love all the suggestions so far. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I can't stand the sight of it. It's like an ugly puppy. It's just so far out there it takes a while to see it as anything else.

It's a keeper for now, and I'll give it some love. It's just kind of like someone giving you a really odd sculpture from their college art days back before the drugs were any good.

Any more pictures or thoughts?

So far a built 225 is the ticket underhood, and the mild 60s look is intriguing. 4-door gasser has crossed my mind, only because the thing is so ridiculous already...

 

HRP, you are spot on about '36 Fords. In my humble opinion the '36 3-window coupe is the best looking thing Henry produced.

 

Sorry if I upset any '36 lovers. I just find them to be the ugliest car Henry ever made. I could never figure how Ford could go from the absolute perfection of a '34 to the butt ugly '36 in just two short years.

 

318/5speed from a Dakota and ya got a fun daily driver.

 

Glad you saved it!
I would get it to "daily driver" status and sell it to someone who loves it. Maybe not even for much profit... it would just be cool to see it out on the road.

 

I still think you were dropped on your head! HRP

 

You might save it and use it for trading stock on a Kaiser. Allways got to be thinking about upgrade. Not that there's anything wrong with a Kaiser......

 

Lord those were ugly. My mother-in-law ran hers into a tree when the brakes failed. It was one of the baby blue ones...
Grand-paw replaced it with a cream colored 65 Malibu SS (6 cylinder). Really pretty but slow.g

 

Yep, it's not exactly a chick magnet, is it? I always thought my '62 Dart was ugly (don't get me wrong, I loved that car) but it always made me feel better to know that it would never be as ugly as one of those Valiants. That being said, you were right to save it. You can always do something interesting with it (like a big block) or just drive it.

Oh yeah, you just HAVE to get one of those toilet seat trunk lids!

 

Don't think these ever came with a 225 in them originally as they had a lot longer stroke and the blocks were taller. You might not be able to close the hood on the "BIG" slant six. Of course I guess you wouldn't have to have a hood on it... I think both the 170 and 198 were low deck blocks.

Were the 170 and 198 versions the only ones available with the aluminum blocks?