66 Valiant Vert RUSTORATION

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66valiantconv

66valiantconv

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Location
north carolina
1966 plymouth valiant signet convertible.... with some cancer issues.... we'll see how it goes.... first we have to fix the brakes to get it moving :)
 

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Love the '66's and cool to see the build sheet. I can't remember, are all '66 convertibles Signets? And I don't think a 170/manual is too common on them...is it a 3- or 4-speed? Hope you find mostly 'good' and not too much 'bad' or 'ugly.'
 
Where in NC ? I've got to go see if my 65 Dart parts car is still where I left it, and if it you need a parts car....it might be a good one. PM me if interested.
 
JDMopar said:
Where in NC ? I've got to go see if my 65 Dart parts car is still where I left it, and if it you need a parts car....it might be a good one. PM me if interested.
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i'm near gastonia, you're not to far away! also, it's a 4 speed manual.... i just got it on friday and i'm hoping to fix the brakes to be able to move her.... we'll see about the rest when i start to really tear it down
 
66valiantconv said:
i'm near gastonia, you're not to far away! also, it's a 4 speed manual.... i just got it on friday and i'm hoping to fix the brakes to be able to move her.... we'll see about the rest when i start to really tear it down
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As bad as that undercarriage is I wouldn't be moving her if you have her where you are going to work until some supports are installed.
 
Very cool car. I really like '66 Valiant Signets because my dad bought a used one when I was young and we had it forever. I love the sales receipt. But enough about me! As much as I like your car you really need to consider that it will take a BIG commitment in time and resources (money!) to even make it driveable. It does look pretty complete and this site is a great reference and can also be a great source for some motivation when the going gets rough
 
No offense, but I think THIS should be the donor car. Seriously, you need to find a solid shell, maybe what's left of somebody else's part-out. Then transfer that nice interior, top, and mechanicals.

You're a braver man than I am!
 
You can save this car with a good donor car. Don't listen to the negativity, It will take a long time,and a lot of work and money. But save this car because you love it,she will be a great cruiser when you are done.
 
65DartGTConv said:
No offense, but I think THIS should be the donor car. Seriously, you need to find a solid shell, maybe what's left of somebody else's part-out. Then transfer that nice interior, top, and mechanicals.

You're a braver man than I am!
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Itssssssssssssss time is up,RIP little Misssssss Mopar.:-k
 
Will a 4 door 65 or 66 Dart work for him as a parts car, as far as frame rails and the structural stuff he appears to need? I don't know enough about early A's to know if the wheelbase and frame rails and stuff are common between a 4 door, and a conv. I know his rockers are probably beefier because it's a conv. I may have a parts car he can hopefully use if stuff will work.
 
65DartGTConv said:
No offense, but I think THIS should be the donor car. Seriously, you need to find a solid shell, maybe what's left of somebody else's part-out. Then transfer that nice interior, top, and mechanicals.

You're a braver man than I am!
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Snake said:
Itssssssssssssss time is up,RIP little Misssssss Mopar.:-k
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you guys are great! i have a feeling that this is going to be a really fun site and thanks to all who have reached out with their info.... that being said, i AM REALISTIC about what i have and lickily i didn't pay much for it, and the fact that a single mom got the money it's almost as if i gave her charity and got the car for free.... the car actually made it on a wrecker and drove forward and backward turning the wheel at low speeds.... i know it looks ugly, but the majority of the frame cancer is behind the rear axle and forward of the driver splash shield (it's been wrecked there)....

we have LOTS of time to investigate this car and the first thing i'm going to do is to strip out the interior and other savable trim and look at the car from a bare bones perspective.... surprisingly the doors don't sag and it feels solid in the center, but trust me, this car WILL not see the open road any time soon :p

as for money, i don't have much, and i know i could probably buy a restored/fixed one for half of what i'll invest to fix this one, but that's the key.... making the car mine :) that trumps the investment of time and money any day when it comes to these old cars.... but who knows, once we get a really good look, the body might go the way of the scrap heap..... until then, i'll dream a little dream of cruising with the wife down the road in our 66 plymouth valiant conv. with a 4 on the floor and wind in our hair :)

thanks for the warm welcome! :)
 
I think I would find a nice solid 66 with a roof and transfer all your convertible parts to the other car.Is that a 3 speed or 4 speed car?

Jim
 
i think i'm going to have to post a map of where the frame is bad.... it would probably be a smaller one if i showed where it IS good :cheers:

the only thing i'm missing from the interior is the dash ash tray..... i think i might be missing a reflector or 2 also and the radio was changed, but the rest is all there.... even the broken antenna pieces were in the glove box :p..... and spare tire... never used :p
 
66valiantconv said:
you guys are great! i have a feeling that this is going to be a really fun site and thanks to all who have reached out with their info.... that being said, i AM REALISTIC about what i have and lickily i didn't pay much for it, and the fact that a single mom got the money it's almost as if i gave her charity and got the car for free.... the car actually made it on a wrecker and drove forward and backward turning the wheel at low speeds.... i know it looks ugly, but the majority of the frame cancer is behind the rear axle and forward of the driver splash shield (it's been wrecked there)....

we have LOTS of time to investigate this car and the first thing i'm going to do is to strip out the interior and other savable trim and look at the car from a bare bones perspective.... surprisingly the doors don't sag and it feels solid in the center, but trust me, this car WILL not see the open road any time soon :p

as for money, i don't have much, and i know i could probably buy a restored/fixed one for half of what i'll invest to fix this one, but that's the key.... making the car mine :) that trumps the investment of time and money any day when it comes to these old cars.... but who knows, once we get a really good look, the body might go the way of the scrap heap..... until then, i'll dream a little dream of cruising with the wife down the road in our 66 plymouth valiant conv. with a 4 on the floor and wind in our hair :)

thanks for the warm welcome! :)
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You know what you want then go for it .. I could never take on some thing that bad .. But man i want to see this thing live .. Rock on man good luck to you :cheers:
 
supposedly they only made 2,507 valiant signet convertibles.... i want to do my best to keep this one :) worked on the brakes and found a leak in the line under the driver seat so there's going to be no moving this thing under it's own power.... i think it's trip here on the wrecker might be it's last move in a long time :) so, i'm going to start stripping the moldings, seats, dash, etc. and see just exactly whether her cancer is terminal or not.... i guess time will tell.... hopefully i'll have it done over the next few weekends.... now to find a place to store all this crap :p
 
there is nothing there that cannot be fixed or replaced. its a big job BUT, you will know if you want to tackle this when the car is completely apart. hopefully, you can get you a donor car and park it close. this is more than i would be willing to tackle. i know feeling the need to keep it because of what it is. in 1998, my buddy picked up a 70 coronet 500 convertible for 800 bucks. it had a brand new top, a ghetto red paint job but still had the fender tag and broadcast sheet. it had sat outside for the better part of 15 years and still had the original 383/727 , A/C car, power top and windows, 1 of 147 known built. the car was originally B5 blue with a white top and white interior, bucket seats and console. we got it home and got it stripped, and unfortunately, even with as rare as it was, we assumed there was just no saving it. it was rotten from the floor up. these days, we would have kept it and built a new car out of it. only you can decide if this is something you want to take on. i have seen worse pulled from the earth and restored.
 
73AbodEE said:
i have seen worse pulled from the earth and restored.
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thanks for the voice of confidence :) honestly, i'm not looking to "restore" the car for show or race or anything like that..... i just want to be able to drive it with the wife in the passenger seat and the top down:burnout:.... if it meant welding a big "X" with a tubular frame i'd do it :p.... well maybe not THAT far!
 
66valiantconv said:
thanks for the voice of confidence :) honestly, i'm not looking to "restore" the car for show or race or anything like that..... i just want to be able to drive it with the wife in the passenger seat and the top down:burnout:.... if it meant welding a big "X" with a tubular frame i'd do it :p.... well maybe not THAT far!
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Time and a lot of hard work will get you there. remember when it gets to you step back and take a break for a few days. Then return to it when your batteries recharge so to speak.
 
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