1970 Valiant purchased - rust!

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1974PlymouthDuster

1974PlymouthDuster

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Hi guys - Wife and I purchased a 1970 Valiant Sedan with Slant 6 last week.

Car has a little more rust than I had hoped. I've already looked up replacement inner and outer fenders, those parts seem pretty much bolt-on from what I see.

Any advice from anyone who has gone through rust rebuild? Car is driveable, but gas leaks from tank - hoping its the lockring/sender, but possibly will be rust hole.

Do you wish you just dropped off at auto body shop and paid the bill, or DIY? I like doing stuff my self, but haven't done this kind of stuff before.

I dont weld but some of my buddies do. Just looking to do it right, have something with 4 doors to cruise around in. Planning on swapping stroked 318 in it.

-Ryan
 

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You have to decide how much money you are willing to put into it. Remember 4 doors and Valiants don't have much resale value. So a 4 door Valiant really isn't going to have much resale value.

Rust on the non bolt on parts such as quarters, around windows, trunk, floors etc are where the problems are going to lie. That's a lot of money. If you drop your car off at a shop and tell them to fix all the rust, you're going to be out $10k in a hurry if there's a bunch of rust.

Personally if the rust is bad I would sell it and find a non rusty 4 door. You should be able to get a nice 4 door for $2k and then spend your money on the fun stuff like the engine. Post up pictures of the rust you're talking about and the guys here should be able to let you know whats up.
 
In my opinion, if you're gonna buy and fix up old cars of any kind, it's time to make a purchase and buy a welder, practice on some junk and get good at it.

Old cars and rust are a love affair. You can't break those kids up for too long.

This way, you can fix whatever you buy, no matter how rust free you thought it was to begin with, you can make it as rust free as you want.

If everyone sold rust buckets, we would all be driving rusty classic cars. It's impossible to get away from.

Look at it this way; if you thought this car was relatively rust free and now it's not so much, what happens if it goes down like that again?

That's why it's a good idea to get good at doing rust repair and bodywork, if you are in to old cars and don't have deep pockets.
 
I think it is time to find that one a new home and then find something that is more rust free. Out in Southern California, you should be able to find something a lot better.
 
I had a Duster, '74, as my first car. Check close the rear end behind the rear wheels for rust. The fenders are easy to spot, but they have a bad habit of rusting under the rear window and all under that area.

Also, check the weld spots in the front. They leak, leading to internal rust and sometimes, as I experienced as a wide-eyed teenager, shorting out your wiring harness. If you can find and resolve this, you'll save yourself some short hunting and invisible land mines later!

Good luck with her. I really miss mine...
 
I agree also that Dave hit it on the head. First accept that you won't be driving a show car (at least until you get good) There is always the debate on here of show cars vs daily drivers. I run with a couple friends that have professionally done mega buck cars. But I look at it this way.....I can say I did it all myself! I am not good but my ride looks cool and I can drive it every day!
 
My advice is to cut your losses with that car and go find a clean one. Clean 4 doors are out there.
 
Hi guys - I'm not so much concerned about the resale value - I have always wanted a 4-door smog-free cruiser. I'm only in it for $1000 + $108 registration fees. My general view on these old cars, especially pre-smog since CA capped it at 1975, is they go up intrinsically in value every year, as there are less and less of them running and driveable.

Brought it home, distributor was off a entire tooth, fixed that and it runs perfectly. Changed the oil and filter. Slant 6 225 in case I didnt mention that. Shifts pretty hard (HARD) , but I'm sure that is due to old fluid / Type F that someone put in.

I have come across these items online and they seem like an easy enough job?
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2352574&cc=1440911 (SHERMAN 19524R)
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2376920&cc=1440911 (SHERMAN 19524L)

http://www.jegs.com/i/Sherman-Parts/455/195-02L/10002/-1?parentProductId=
http://www.jegs.com/i/Sherman-Parts/455/195-36L/10002/-1?parentProductId=1918561
http://www.jegs.com/i/Sherman-Parts/455/195-36R/10002/-1?parentProductId=1918561

It seems like the aftermarket has a good array of bolt-in / weld-in pieces to fix the rust. It doesn't seem like its something REALLY Weird, like 30's, 40's, etc where everything must be fabbed bc it doesnt exist in the aftermarket.

I know this will be a project (read: "MONEY"), but the car was exactly what I was looking for - even started as black, like I wanted.

Let me know if I am looking at this incorrectly?
 
Replace the quarters, don't try to fix them. You will be way happier. Buy a Miller Lincoln or Hobart 125a Welder with GAS not flux core you will be way happier.
Use a grinder on outside edge of pannel to cut it off. Usually you do not need to get the pannel off the back of the door completly just use drip check or Urethand to fill in the gap. You must check door fitment first though before attaching pannel. Make sure you coat the backs of quarters before attaching as you can't get to a lot of spots after installed. Be prepared to replace trunk extensions with rear quarter.
 
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