Doc's 76 Four Door Valiant

Doc's 76 Four Door Valiant

This site has inspired me to restore my Valiant, I'll be paying as I go, so I know it will take some time and patience. I am thinking I will retain a mostly stock appearance outside but cant decide between using the 400 block I have or to go with a G3 hemi. While I am undecided about the engine/transmission, I am certain that I want an AlterKtion Street-Lynx suspension/disc brakes front and back, and plan on keeping the 8-3/4 rear axle.

I’ll start my post with some background history of the car:

This was the last car my grandparents owned, it had less than 8K miles when it passed into my care. My grandfather was a dentist in Emporia, Kansas, explaining “Doc’s Valiant” (Doc James paid cash for the car along with a trade in, see attached file).

I have owned the car since 1980, except for a momentary lapse of reason when I gave it to my fiancé back in 1982. That relationship cratered spectacularly – we never married – and I ended up paying her to get my Valiant back.

Fast forward to 1983 and I find myself involved with a different girlfriend, with whom I end up settling down. We had three children in 5 years’ time, and that Valiant took us to the hospital for each of them to be delivered. Ten years later, in 1993, I’m single again, but at least I still have my Valiant!

I turned the speedometer over three times since I've owned the car, and attempted a partial restoration in 1994 after marrying for the second time. Things didn't work out and I was single again in 1999. I also had to part with the 383/727 out of the Valiant to survive and it has been sitting since 2000.

If you haven't noticed, I cant seem to stay alone too long and later on in 2000 I found myself at an Irish bar, on a Friday the 13th, with a full moon shining and a Czechoslovakian blue grass band playing. As the “Luck O’ the Irish” would have it, I met a pretty redhead at the bar who would put all my previous spousal units to shame and become my third wife. :prayer:

Thanks for your patience with the history, next up I will post the current state of dissasembly and progress with Doc's Valiant.