The More Door: A Classic Mopar Cruiser.

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72Valiant4Door

72Valiant4Door

Trouble Maker
Joined
Sep 20, 2015
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Location
Chattanooga
Today I starting the beginning of a very major overhaul on my More Door.

I drove the car about 45 minutes south of me to a friends shop in northern Alabama.

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I have aqcuired a mound of parts for my restoration, and many many of them due to the great members of FABO.

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I will be documenting much of my adventure here, doing my best to share images of FABO member purchases being installed in the resto.

Such as my FABO member, Edelbrock Intake... which was thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed with a proprietary degreaser my company uses. After much metal brushing, pressure washing, and a little purple power... the intake was ready for VHT high temp primer, gun-metal paint, and clear...

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The car was picked up in Atlanta, from an older gentleman who was given the car in payment of a debt, who really just needed his cash.

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The quarters had rust holes, the brakes pulled hard, and the car ran rough. The paint was worn out.

I took the car, before purchase, and had it put up on a lift. It was solid... more solid than I expected.

The car was bought without hesitancy and only a little bit of haggling. I checked all the fluids, filled it with 100% gas, cruised downtown Atlanta (getting compliments from the drivers of Porches, pedestrians and clerks), and drove it 2 hours north, home to Chattanooga.
 
I had the the bodywork done almost immediately, making sure to stay stock color code.

After that I had the stock manual drums rebuilt, with new hardware, shoes, hoses, and cylinders.

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A wonderful FABO member supplied me a washer reservoir, which I scrubbed with degreaser, and installed, along with new washer lines. I also took the time to change out the rusted out battery tray, all the vacuum hoses, pcv valve, and crankcase vent filter. (I used fuel hose for the pcv, because the vacuum caused normal vacuum line to collapse)

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Along the way I acquired a 73 scamp, with rallyes, a 318, and pb discs. I also bought a 71 slant 6 valiant, with better seats, bumpers and trim.

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Stacking up enough parts I reached the point where it was time to start the overhaul, from stocker, to cruiser... let's hope it turns out well. I will be spending my next several Sundays laboring and updating the restoration. It will include acomplete drivetrain refresh, interior updating, wiring update, suspension modifications, etc.

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I like these cars a lot....I drive a slant 6 '72 valiant daily and bought your cars twin...well almost (white top) a few years back for it's 318 V8 running gear but haven't had the heart to take it apart. The A/C still works!!!! your interior color is also the same.....mine was wrecked at some point and a '73/newer front end grafted on but it is a '72 just like yours! I think these cars are more comfortable than the 2 doors (Dusters) and can be made to perform! Here is a pic of mine! Hope you don't mind!
 

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I will be watching this one closely. I have a 72 that was originally a 318 with 3 on the tree, now 318 Magnum with 3 on the floor. 58,000 miles.
 

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Valleyant said:
I like these cars a lot....I drive a slant 6 '72 valiant daily and bought your cars twin...well almost (white top) a few years back for it's 318 V8 running gear but haven't had the heart to take it apart. The A/C still works!!!! your interior color is also the same.....mine was wrecked at some point and a '73/newer front end grafted on but it is a '72 just like yours! I think these cars are more comfortable than the 2 doors (Dusters) and can be made to perform! Here is a pic of mine! Hope you don't mind!
Click to expand...

Awesome! I originally bought mine for a short term hotrod, but have fallen in love. I love the white top. Retro is killer in my opinion.
 
Time for an update.

I gutted my 73 parts car.

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I removed all wiring harnesses, the v8 engine and the a/c interior harnesses.

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Here are the a/c lines and some of the vacuum lines.

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Here are the power brake and suspension parts.

Because I only have Sunday's to wrench, I pulled those parts separately to bring to the car lot I work at to pressure wash and rebuild. I am taking the brake booster/ master cylinder, and calipers to use them for cores on new parts
 
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One of the main reason I bought the parts car, was that it had a good radiator, which I need for my 72. I need to get a fin comb and steam clean it. I may take it to a radiator shop to get checked over.
 
The 73 came with complete rallyes, that I have been taking my time to redo.

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I heavily degreased them, and pressure washed the wheels. I took steel wool a wire bush and wire wheel to them, aggressively.

After a good pressure rinsing, and washing with adhesive remover, re-rinsing and drying... I sprayed the wheels with 2 full coats each of; of high temp primer, backsides and insides with high temp black, faces with high temp aluminum silver, and all sides with high temp clear gloss. I wet sanded between the last color and clear coats.

Between each coat I let dry in a heated ventilated garage.
 
I have new carpet and seat belts to put in the 72, so I pulled the interior out.

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The back seats are in killer condition, no one ever sat back there

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My fronts have a tear under the driver's *** and one on the back... I will probably end up having them recovered, and the fronts and backs dyed to match each other...

I am thinking about having my upholstery guy add cup holders to the middle of the bench and a compartment to the armrest.
 
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My 72 has a leaky windshield, which I am waiting to have replaced, but while my interior was out, i decided to grind and wire brush the floor pans, especially in the fronts where there was some rust starting.

After lots of scraping, grinding, wire wheeling, vacuuming, degreasing, etc I sprayed rustolem rust converter on the entire interior pan, clear coated them, them sprayed rustoleum premium rubberized truck bedliner on them, to deaden sound and water proof a tiny bit.
 
I had to stop short of dropping the engine, trans, k-frame together, because I needed to grab my engine hoist, to lift up on the motor so i can loosen the k-frame bolts.

I should be receiving a super front end kit from PST, for my 73 front end, as well Moog offset UCA bushings from JC Whitney, soon. I just got my lca stiffening plates from ebay, and k member reinforce kit from firm feel. I also grabbed 1.03 pst bars off a FABO member, and a Hellwig front sway from Summit.

I haven't decided what route I am going to take to paint the front suspension.


But next sunday I should have the 73 K member out, and the 72 wired for audio.
 
Great Job of Restoration and Documentation. -- Keep at It. --
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