info for 72 Valiant /6 for road racing

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mackwagon

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I'm a newbie guy here on the A-bodies, and sort of a newbie to A-body Mopars (although I was hauled home from the hospital as a baby in a Plymouth Valiant SW).
I just posted a WTB ad looking for information and parts to build out a 1872 Plymouth Valiant Scamp for 24 hours of Lemons road racing. I know you guys know your stuff, we are looking to tap into that knowledge and find some cheap good solutions to make this thing run good on a track.

Its going to be handling first, so suspension parts and brake parts, then motor /trans reliability. Maybe for the 2nd race we'll be able to afford some go fast parts (GFP).

Thanks - Dan
 
For the handling look at the hotchkis tvs system, that or RMS alterKation and streetlynx system
 
Guys,

Thanks for the information, Really truly, thanks. I will be looking at all of that stuff.

But you missed a key point. Its 24 Hours of Lemons. The car plus any money we sink into it to get it running or make it perform better has to TOTAL LESS than $500. we got the car for $75 and we have to fix the burnt wiring to make it run. Meaning we have $425 total to spend. So we are looking for some cheap answers.

That means things like welding a steel plate onto a modified 1BBL manifold so we can run a 2BBL, or chopping two free 1BBL manifolds and carbs to make a 2 x 1BBL set up. Or finding truck springs that fit, in the JY on 1/2 price day, so we can stiffen up the rear springs. Or ????? We want the cheap hack job ideas!!. Please read the Want AD i posted in the parts wanted section first!!

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=165575

Safety: Roll cage, seat, belts, fuel system (prior to carburetor.), brakes, tires, wheels are excluded from the $500 limit. We end up spending about $2500-3K for all of that.


Thanks again.
 
JMO, you're not gonna get a good race car from something that old for under 500$. Likely the suspension is crapped out and needs a rebuild.

Get something cheap, reliable and stupidly easily to work on, like a late 80s honda.
 
Will loan you my backup slant motor that ran a 13.00.Also have a sway bar I will loan you,that way you will bee under the money limit.call me,I am in Long Beach.Mark 562 290 2194
 
magnumdust said:
Get something cheap, reliable and stupidly easily to work on, like a late 80s honda.
Click to expand...

Magnumdust,

Thanks, funny, keep reading.

We have a 1984 Honda Civic hatchback with Accura Integra engine and suspension/brakes. It has 9 races under its well beat skin. The back end is 3" left of the front end from being hit on the passenger side so many times. We are throwing that away, and looking for a new challenge. and a $75 Valiant is it!!

So now we need to figure out those cheap swaps (Volare 2BBL?, and Van leaf springs, and hack job turbo systems)

The hondAcura:
http://www.murileemartin.com/UG/LSPF11/LSPF11-UG-0150.html
 
I thought I would give you guys a little update on our quest to road race the 72 Valiant.

We picked up a 2 BBl carb and Aluminum manifold for $100 from a guy in Gilroy.

Picked up a free 225 engine and auto transmission from a guy out in Tracy, CA, it ran although not well. The engine has the head off, is missing the rockers tube, rockers and pushrods, and has a damage pistion in #3 cyl. The pistion is missing a small section of the top, so we can see the top ring. like a 3/4" x 3/16" long chip out along the edge.
This will be a back up engine and trans. So we need a couple of the spark plug tubes, push rods, rocker arms, and the rocker tube and caps and one replacement Piston. (free? or cheap?? we'll pay shipping)

Pick up E250 rear leaf springs from the JY for $90 set, and we are currently working combinations of flipping one or two of the leafs to flatten the pack. When engaging all of the leafs these are roughly 500 lbs/in rate springs. They fit into the existing mounts/shackles with a few minor mods (bigger hole and modified bushings).

We are working on a cheap modification to the front torsion bars, and have a $20 set of SB V8 bars as a back up.

Got a rear sway bar mount kit for $60. and It looks like one of my excess (free) Datsun 510 front 20 or 25mm sway bars will work on the rear.

Still working on finding a big sway bar for the front in the JY or friends garages (Take-off from some other car).

Picked up the front spindle brake assemblies from a late 70's Plymouth Gran fury!!! 12" of ventilated brakes ($150) Brakes are "safety"and thus not part of the $500, unless you slap on something new and fancy like 12" Willwoods). we are going to send out the front and rear pads to Hawk or Carbotech for new pad material.

We will probably get 5x4 to 5x4.5" wheel adapters for the rear axle so we can run the same sized tire, but that will probably mean getting FWD wheels for the rear and normal offset wheels for the front. We are looking at 16x8 or 16x7, or maybe 15x8 / 15x7. Ford wheels should work.
 
So our car (72 Valiant) is almost done, we are finishing up a few last minute things. I thought I'd give you guys an update. I'll post some pictures on
http://www.facebook.com/dudesexmachina (dudes Ex Machina)

72 Valiant with a bad Master cylinder, bad radiator, bad thermostat housing, fried 12 vdc power line from starter solenoid to dash. $75

The car came with the thermostat housing so that was fixed first, then we found the bad radiator. Found a rambler radiator in the JY for $50. Its bigger and we just have to put on on a longer lower hose.

we are adapting hose onto the transmission lines, and routing those to the AC condensor coil for transmission cooling. about $25 in parts
Transgo Shift kit (#2) $65

Junky Yard E250 leaf springs $90. We flipped the shortest (thickest) leaf and clamped the pack back together and installed it. Had to drill out the front mount to hold the bigger bolt for the E250 leaf. The back spring rate is now about 350-400 Lb/in

$45 of 1.25" .120 thick steel tube, 2 x 33" sliced lengthwise. Then rewelded over stock Slant 6 torsion bars and welded at the ends. New front spring rate is about 410#/in (calculated)
we have V8 bars and coil over springs with adjusting collars as a back up.

Datsun 510 front 7/8" sway bar - Free
Sway bar mounts from Speedway $15
Ubolts and plates for sway bar mount $9
Threaded rod and some 1" angle steel welded to the rear frame outside for the sway bar linkage $5.
8 used shock top rubbers and washer for the swaybar to linkage attachment - free from auto shop
Had to weld the ubolts to the axle to prevent the mounts from moving, after being located to the rear a bit to clear the diff.

99 mustang front sway bar ~1.125" - free (a take off for a bigger bar)
Sway bar mounts from Speedway $15
2x4 steel box, some end plates, and nuts and bolts welded to the front part of the cross member hanging down about 4" for sway bar mounts. $25
4 heim joints and some threaded rod for the linkage. The upper heim joint is sandwiched in the LCA. $35

new 1973 MC (brakes do not count toward the $500 limit) $45
Carbotech XP 8 pads for front brakes $165
12" rotor brakes from the 75-79 Mopar M body (I think that is right, the 78 Cordoba or Dodge Monaco cop brakes) $250
74 duster upper Arms $90
off set bushings for upper A arms $50
ATE Blue brake fluid
Summit Racing Brake proportioning valve from the previous HondAcura car. Mounted to the Trans tunnel at drivers right. re-routed the rear brake line inside the car and down the center tunnel to P valve.

1.5" Thick 5x4" to 5x4.5" adapters for the rear wheels $90
1.25" thick 5x4.5 to 5x4.5 spacer/adapters for the front wheels $60

16 x 7.5" Lexus wheels with the centers drilled out with a 2.75" hole saw and filed out to fit on the front hubs (2.815") $250 (used set)
205/50/16 Yokohama S drive 300AA tread wear tires at ~$120 each (these are our rain tires)

16x8" Dodge Steatlh wheels with the centers also drilled out $60 (used set)
Falken Azenis 215/45/16s 200AA treadwear tires at $145 each for dry race tires.

Custom built roll cage meeting 24 HoL and Chump car specs, with an added Dash (knee cap) bar, a NASCAR driver door bars (extends into drivers door), a single passenger door bar, and a middle roof bar, $1700.

our old Sparco Evo Plus 2 seat installed on some custom seat mounts welded to the floor, rocker and center trans tunnel.

Costs against $500 limit $453
wheels, brakes, tires, safety gear $3870
 
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