Out of the Shadows

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theFightingFew

theFightingFew

Always Learning/1975 Valiant Custom/1974 Valiant
Joined
Apr 9, 2020
Messages
166
Reaction score
245
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Hello All,

I'm a long-time lurker who recently joined FABO.

75_Valiant_Custom.jpg
I became the proud owner of a 1975 Valiant Custom (with factory installed 1975 clear vinyl seat covers still in one piece) a bit over a year ago and have tapped the extensive knowledge base on FABO more times than I can say to help me navigate the /6 A Body waters I found myself wading into. I use my '75 as a daily driver commuting about 60 miles a day round trip for work. I've been slowly work'n on various updates and just have recently finished a 2bbl conversion that gets me the extra bit of kick I need to be roll'n on that crazy highway with a bit more confidence.

74_Valiant.jpg
In any case... I found a sweet yellow '74 Valiant in April that needed some TLC and was no longer wanted by its owner which has become the new project for the kids and me as they get to driving age.

I appreciate this community and the depth of knowledge it provides and hope to become a more active participant.
 
A pair of 4 door Valiants (74 and 75) and they appear to be in great shape. Welcome! Feel free to share more pictures of the cars!!!

Looking at the picture of your 75, I notice the front grille turn signal lens colour is orange which was only for 76. They were clear in 73 thru 75. Perhaps the previous owner installed the orange lenses? Does the car have a foot operated parking brake and or a black instrument cluster (instead of wood grain) and or a two spoke steering wheel? All those were 76 only items. Maybe your car was a very late build 75 model year.
 
Last edited:
H22A4 said:
Maybe your car was a very late build 75 model year.
Click to expand...

@H22A4 That was something I have been curious about myself! I was starting to believe that it may be a very late build. There are some other little oddities that I've been discovering - compared to some the research/information I've come across as I've been working on it. One example is the head... somewhere I read that the non-tube/tapered-seat head was introduced in '76 other places I've seen it as listed as '75... I have the tapered-seat. On the yellow '74 I have the tubes... so that was throwing me off. I pondered whether if the lenses were offered as an option and ordered as part of the "custom" in the Valiant Custom badging... :p ?

Honestly, I have been so concerned with getting it all going mechanically I haven't really dug in to the history. I do have the original punch card and there are hints of a build sheet I've seen tucked under the glove box. I will have to dig them out and do some more investigating. I will post some pictures!
 
If you open your driver door, there should be a silver and black sticker that has the VIN number along with vehicle weight data. The top right corner will have the month - year the car was produced (5-75 would be May 1975). Bottom left corner of that sticker has a MDH with numbers below indicating the month, day and hour car was produced to really narrow it down. If yours is a late build it would be July or August (very late) 1975.
 
Yeah, very late model 75 Valiant! In previous years the next model year started production sometime in August as dealerships needed to be stocked in September for the new model year cars. Since 76 was going to be the last year of the A bodies, clearly they didn’t stop producing the 75 model until later in the Fall. You’ve got some 76 parts on yours!

That’s neat the paperwork was still on the glove box! How many miles are on your 75? Looks to be in great shape and nice to see another 75 still on the road.
 
Thanks for the insight @H22A4 ! I picked it up with about 37k original last year and I'm just over 60k now. I do a lot of drive'n... but hey, how can I not when I dig this thing so much! I'm gonna do my best to keep it go'n.
 
Welcome, glad you stopped lurking and decided to join. Great people, lots of information and very friendly helpful people. Beautiful car!
 
H22A4 said:
A pair of 4 door Valiants (74 and 75) and they appear to be in great shape. Welcome! Feel free to share more pictures of the cars!!!

Looking at the picture of your 75, I notice the front grille turn signal lens colour is orange which was only for 76. They were clear in 73 thru 75. Perhaps the previous owner installed the orange lenses? Does the car have a foot operated parking brake and or a black instrument cluster (instead of wood grain) and or a two spoke steering wheel? All those were 76 only items. Maybe your car was a very late build 75 model year.
Click to expand...
Black instrument panels were for 76? I had no idea. That explains why the replacement I purchased at the dealership in the mid eighties was black. Thanks for throwing that little tidbit out there. FYI....I didn't even know there had been a 76 year model Duster until I came to this board.

And before I forget, nice cars. A lot of folks are still searching for their first and now you have two that seem to be in pretty good shape. Congratulations and welcome!
 
Welcome from Upstate NY. Very nice looking Valiants. I've got a '75 Brougham. Mine was an early build, Aug 29, 1974. Shoutout to H224A, a good man, he has helped me out a lot!
 
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