66 Valiant Convertible

Memike,

Hope you enjoy the thread. Not sure how fast it will move while it is in the body/paint shop. I THINK we are going to go with a Factory maroon color. We werent big on the Original color for the car but liked some of the other colors that were available in 66 for the Valiant.

The engine is a little beefy, it is a 318, it came with a 273 but when we got it, it had some sort of late 70's smog engine in it with all kinds of vaccum lines and temp sensors and was leaking and burning oil, so I had my students rebuild a 318 I had at the shop. It is now .030 over, a 260H Compcam with fully rebuilt heads (new valves, springs, keepers, guides and seals) true roller timing chain, a Performer RPM manifold with a 650cfm Edelbrock carb, it has an Accel electronic distributor and a Summit brand CDI box to assit that distributor.

While the engine and dash are out of the car, I will be replaceing the heater core, and cuting ports for the vintage under dash a/c unit I acquired when I first purchased my Chevelle. I will be using a later model accessory setup so that I dont have to use that mostrousity of a compressor that they used in the 60's.

I still need to either rebiuld or purchase a rebuilt covertible top pump, ours leaks like a siv, and ruined the new carpet we put in it 5 years ago.

I am pretty pumped about this project, I am going through a HUGE learning curve after doing a Camaro, Chevelle, 57 Chevy, two 65 Mustangs and now a Mopar. MUCH MUCH different with regards to the mechanicals. The Camaro was mine in high school, the Chevelle is my pride and joy, the 57 is for a buddy of mine, and the first Mustang was for my brother when I was in college, the second was for his memory as he was KIA in Iraq in 2005. It is a tribute car and was given back to his highschool (at the time) aged girls and his wife. I will post a link to the Mustang later for your reading enjoyment. That was very emotional and moving all in one with all the help and such that we got from strangers to finish it.