project '65 Valiant

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stretch

I cut my cars!
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
154
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Location
michigan's U.P.
I have been chasing this car for around 10 years now. The Monday after this past Easter I finally caught it. It has been in a barn about 3 miles from my house sense the mid 80's. The Gentleman who owned it had intentions of doing something with it but never got around to it. His is much more focused on his drag cars.

I have known Ed for many years. He has tons of MOPARS and parts cars. He is always willing to help a fellow Mopar man out with parts if he can. He has always liked my charger and that car started a conversation in my shop one afternoon 10 years or so ago. He came in to have some drag slicks changed out, he asked about my charger, I asked about his '66 Coronet drag car combo, and I mentioned I would love to have a '64 to '66 Valiant one day to build and throw my "Hotrod" parts at. (My Charger is all original and I can't bring myself to change that). The next day he returned for his tires and said "I have a '65 Valiant 3 speed car. It's been in my barn for years. Its a rust free Southern car that at my age I will never get to. It's yours for $2500.00".
I had to tell him I couldn't swing it because I was in the middle of remodeling my kitchen. He responded with, "It's your car. Come get it when you can afford it". I would run into him time and time again over the years and ask about it. Tell him I want it but my wife wanted a new bathroom, then we had a daughter, then a son. Well that day finally came and its home.

Hats of to Ed for staying true to his word! Who holds a car that long for a guy starting a family and running through lifes curves like that?

Now for a few pictures of my prize assuming I can figure out how to post them here.

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It came with the bumpers and all the trim. As far as I know so far, all I need is is one back up light lenses. I'm not sure which side as of yet. Its in the trunk and I noticed it is broken.

Plans for it is my ,68 340, My fresh rebuilt A833 4 speed and my 8 3/4 rear diff. I haven't decided on gears as of yet. My original plan was to just leave the paint as is and run her but I have decided she is way to solid not to paint. I'm thinking 1970 Ice blue. I beleive the code for that is B3.
 
Final cast was $2000.00. Its stone solid too. I can't wait to dig in but I have a few other projects to handle first. My Buddy's '69 Valiant is on my lift at the moment. We changed the left front frame rail and are in the processes of changing the floor pans now. The other long term project in there is a 1929 Oakland Sports Roadster I'm restoring. The chassis is done on that and I'm building the hardwood body structure now.
 
Awesome car and great story! Your friend is a stand guy for sure.

Have you thought about exhaust with the 340 install?
 
Have you thought about exhaust with the 340 install?

I have thought about the exhaust but I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do. Right now the plan is to go with TTI or Dougs headers.
I have been poking around the old early a -body header threads and it looks like the Dougs headers might be a bit easier to install.
I seem to remember seeing a thread on here a few years ago with gorgeous black "early a" on a lift with a under car shot of a nice set pipes he bent for his car. I think it had TTI headers on it. I was looking for that post to get some ideas as to exactly how the pipes need to be placed. I know I'll be modifying a spool type trans cross member for the right side pipe. I can bend exhaust at work. Any insight, advice and or pictures of exhaust on these cars is more than welcome.

Exhaust is a bit down the road though. As I said above, I'll be preping the body for paint this winter. I didn't expect to be doing body work or paint but it's so solid it would be a shame not to. I was thinking 1970 Ice Blue but The factory blue is really starting to grow on me. I might just paint it the original color.

I'm also planing on doing a rear spring relocate before I paint it.
 
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