Canadian Built 74 Plymouth Valiant Questions.

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hemi71x

hemi71x

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I went wrecking yarding this morning at a couple of the Northern California Pick-N-Pull yards expecting to find a 1974 Plymouth Valiant in one of them.

I normally go looking for the A bodys to get brake and suspension parts off of them to clean up, rebuild, and resell.

This Valiant was an oddball car that i never knew was built this way, and looking at the door jam decal, it was built by Chrysler, Canada.

A 318 V8 car, that had 9 inch drum brakes on all 4, with the small 4 inch bolt pattern.

I thought all 73-76 A body cars with a V8 had disc brakes on them, and 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern.
Or if it was a 6 cylinder car, it would have 10 inch drum brakes, but still the small 4 inch bolt pattern.

Never heard of, or saw in person, a V8 car with the small 9 inch drum brakes on it, and the 4 inch bolt pattern.

Is this something that Chrysler, Canada was capable of building on the A body cars, back in the day?

If anyone told me before that they had a factory V8 car with 9 inch drum brakes on it, i would have told them "no you didn't.

Guess now that i have seen one in person, i guess Ma Mopar was capable of doing something like this.

Sure was a stripped down, bare bones, nothing special at all, Valiant.

Any comments, especially from Canadain members, about such stripped down vehicles being produced, up North.

Thank's
Jim V.
 
Not too likely a factory build with that configuration. Did you check (or, better, photograph) the fender tag? A few things to remember: (1) This what you saw is a 38-year-old car. A lot of parts can be swapped in 38 years. (2) There were no substantial differences in Canadian-built vs. US-built Mopars for the US market by '74. Most of those differences abruptly stopped after '66. And there weren't many differences in Canadian- vs. US-market Mopars after '66, too.
 
I looked at the fender tag, but didn't think of pulling it off at that time.

If that's the case, that someone might have swapped the front suspension out, then they went through lots of work to do that.

The wimpy drum brake spindles for the 9 inch brakes, upper control arms with the small ball joints, but i guess anything's possible during the past 38 years, as you say.
Jim V.
 
pics would have went a long way here. my charger is canadian built...nothing special about it. the 318 could have been swapped in. a VIN number would have said it all
 
It's a 318 car for sure.
The decal on the inner left fender was still there, and intact with that information for 1974.
 
I had a 74 318 Valiant. It had the discs and 7.25 with 10 inch drums. I also had a 73 /6 with discs and 8.25. I've only seen small bolt on the 6 bangers...
 
quite possibly a very early 74 , and they found themselves using up the last of the SB drum brake stuff. the 9" drum brakes used the 4" pattern through the entire 73 run. kind of like the 78 SE charger. leftover 77 SE parts were used up and ran 2,900 units and then the magnum took over the XS22 platform.
 
73AbodEE said:
quite possibly a very early 74 , and they found themselves using up the last of the SB drum brake stuff.
Click to expand...

Nope, that ain't it. 9" drums were available on the whole run of '74s (basic equipment with 6-cylinder engine)...

the 9" drum brakes used the 4" pattern through the entire 73 run.
Click to expand...

So did the 10" drums on the A-bodies.
 
slantsixdan said:
Nope, that ain't it. 9" drums were available on the whole run of '74s (basic equipment with 6-cylinder engine)...



So did the 10" drums on the A-bodies.
Click to expand...

ok well, blows my theory out of the water. i guess then i really have no idea :grin:
 
Yes, there were 6-cylinder cars with big-bolt brakes: All disc-brake A-bodies got the big bolt pattern starting in '73, and some drum brake cars may have had big bolt in '75-'76.
 
hemi71x said:
That i have Never, ever, seen that at all in my life.
Click to expand...

My 55k-original-mile '73 Dart, with disc brakes, parked in my garage on the other side of the wall from where I am now sitting and typing, has the large bolt pattern. Just like every other '73-up A-body with disc brakes.
 
Does anyone why, what reason, there are some slant 6, A body cars out there that have 4 1/2 bolt pattern on them.
Taxi cabs, heavy duty fleet?
 
What are ya, deef or something? Do I hafta shout? Okeh: ALL '73 AND LATER A-BODIES WITH DISC BRAKES HAVE THE BIG BOLT PATTERN!
 
My 73 Dart has 9" drums in the front and 10" in the back. All big bolt pattern. Was originally a slant 6...
 
That makes sense, I know it's not the original rear end... Can't imagine 9" drums all the way around. Guess that's why they were called the panic brakes. lol
 
Yeah, the 9" drums were okeh for the lightweight '60-'62 Valiants, but really marginal even in "back in the day" traffic once the A-bodies started getting bigger and heavier. Special definition of "panic stop": you panic before you hit the brakes, wondering if you're going to be able to stop!
 
slantsixdan said:
What are ya, deef or something? Do I hafta shout? Okeh: ALL '73 AND LATER A-BODIES WITH DISC BRAKES HAVE THE BIG BOLT PATTERN!
Click to expand...

Am i getting into a pissing contest, internet fight with you now??

I Know that the 73-76 A body cars with Disc Brakes are 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern.

I am asking about 6 cylinder cars that supposidly have 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern.

Another poster stated that he has seen 6 cylinder cars with big bolt pattern.
I never have, and never heard of that until tonight.

Was asking what reason for that might have been.

My understanding is that all the slant six cars from 73-76 were small bolt pattern, that had drum brakes on them.

Is that fair enough of me to ask??
 
hemi71x said:
Am i getting into a pissing contest, internet fight with you now??
Click to expand...

No, you're missing cues (such as "deef") that I've got a big ol' smile on my face. Relax, dude, ain't nobody trying to start no pissing contest.
redbeard.gif


Are you under the impression that 6-cylinder cars were unavailable with disc brakes? That is not the case.
 
[QUOTE

Are you under the impression that 6-cylinder cars were unavailable with disc brakes? That is not the case.[/QUOTE]

I Know that 6 cylinder cars could have had disc brakes on them.

I have pulled plenty of disc brake components off 6 cylinder cars.

Nobody has answered my other question, including you, in what regard did some slant 6, drum brake cars, have a 4 1/2 bolt pattern, as some have stated that they have, or had?
 
i am curious now too. why would only some 73+ , slant 6 cars, with drum brakes, come with a 4 1/2 inch pattern? would it be because of the 10" drums?
 
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