'71 Scamp in da house!

[octanejunkie]

So I got my new project yesterday, a true 1971 Plymouth Scamp. Ran the VIN here and got the following info:

Vehicle Model: Valiant/Duster/Scamp
Vehicle Class: High Price Class (Scamp, Satellite Sebring, Satellite Custom, Barracuda)
Vehicle Body Style: 2 Door Hardtop
Vehicle Engine: 318 CID/230 HP 2 BBL V8
Vehicle Year: 1971
Vehicle Assembly Plant: Los Angeles, CA, USA
​

Certainly happy about all that! Wish that VIN told me more though...

Here it is being delivered. The seller drove it out from Vegas yesterday, guess there are a few good folks on eBay after all; but we are car-guys, we have to take care of each other!

So we inspected the car together, found a few more body spots (dents,rust) than were apparent in the auction pics and a few rust spots that were worse than represented in our dialogs; so he adjusted the price accordingly - stand up guy.

In the deal I also got the following:

-a sheet load of parts for the scamp, just about everything that came off the car, interior and exterior, plus everything he bought for it
-a few body panels to replace the "known" rust spots
-a '99 360 magnum roller block, hot tanked and line bored .030 over
-SP Hyper .030 over pistons mounted to rods and balanced
-standard magnum crank, journals polished and balanced
-all new clevite bearings
-a set of magnum 360 heads, state undetermined
-new in box Edelbrock Performer RPM Air-Gap manifold
-new in box Mopar purple cam 280/280, .484/.484 kit w/lifters
-mid-sump oil pan to clean the Scamp K member
-an A body Dana 60 rear end with posi 3rd member, axles, etc - needs gears and bearings I'm sure
-old water pumps, distributors, timing cover, etc
-an MSD box, model yet unknown, uninstalled in the back seat
​

All in all, a huge lot of stuff I have yet to review and catalog - today and tomorrow will be fun - Merry Christmas to me!

Back to the Scamp. The car has a few nice parts on it already too:

-running 318 in it, probably the original one, but leaking oil and who knows what else...
-new Optima battery
-an older Edelbrock Performer intake
-Carter 4-bbl
-electric fuel pump seller installed himself (super quiet actually)
-340 exhaust manifolds
-new 2.5" x-pipe exhaust to walker turbos and dual rear layton SS tips, it sounds good too
-cam unknown, suspected Erson by the seller but who knows...
-904 trans, supposedly "built" to take some abuse by the seller's dad (old mopar trans guy)
-magneto distributor of unknown origin, but at least no points
-power steering which feels great!
-Police disc brakes swap up front on 4-1/2 bolt pattern rotors
-14 x 7 rally rims and caps with 4-1/2 bolt pattern and caps
-new Kumho tires all around
-8.25" (suspected) rear end with unknown gears, seller things they are 355s, will find out today!
​

That is the short list on the mechanical, I'm sure I forgot a few things but I also just got the car so I'll figure it all out soon enough.

The interior and body need a lot of work, which I expected honestly. All in all it should be a fun project car and I have yet to decide what I want to do with it. I would really like to tackle the oil leak first, looks like the rear main seal, but I will need to get it registered first, I will try to do that today so I can park it on the street.

I will be asking MANY questions specific to this model and mopar in general as I am a chevy guy through and through, but I fell in love the Scamp body style and just had to have one in time for Christmas - now my mopar hat is on. Here are a few pics for those that like pics

I'll post more updates later and publish an album link to track the inventory and progress

Merry Christmas everybody! :cheers:
-mike

 

[Backtobasics]

Congrats on the new purchase.

I would be interested in pictures of the "Dana 60 A body" axle you speak of.
The most prevalent differential for desireability and HP use is the 8 3/4 housing. Dana 60 is not standard fare for A bodies, unless it is an aftermarket housing or a cut down housing from a larger application (truck, etc) We might be able to give you some direction on the rear end, and its feasibility for your project.

 

[octanejunkie]

I would be interested in pictures of the "Dana 60 A body" axle you speak of.

There are plenty of custom Dana 60-based rear ends out there for $$$, here is a magnumforce example, obviously shortened to fit various applications. Turns out the extra one I got is not a Dana, it actually looks like a Ford 9", will post pics and dimensions tomorrow. Along with it I got 3 sets of 3rd members, one is a posi, all need rebuilding

 

[dustermaniac]

Congratulations on your cool new Scamp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Move
Over
Plymouth
Approaching
Rapidly

 

[Badart]

Looks like a fun project. Great find and a cool Christmas present.

 

[Bill Crowell]

Oh, you are going to have a lot of fun with that! Of course, Mopar will ruin you forever as a Chevy guy. You are going to be a former Chevy guy.

 

[octanejunkie]

Oh, you are going to have a lot of fun with that! Of course, Mopar will ruin you forever as a Chevy guy. You are going to be a former Chevy guy.

If anything, I'll add mopar to my repertoire, but I'll never loose my love of Chevy or the ubiquity of the aftermarket and over-abundant inexpensive used parts - mopar is pretty darn expensive stuff, as is ford

 

[bumnround]

What year front end is that? I like scamps too. Good luck.

 

[octanejunkie]

What year front end is that? I like scamps too. Good luck.

Front end is stock 1971 except for the disc brakes, I believe those were off a 74 Dart, but I did not do the swap and am not 100% sure