68 Valiant

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Dog dishes rule... can't knock the Frigidaire look either. Sleepers are evil.. but I think they are going to know you are coming! Maybe "Fridginator" is a better name.... to bad a flat hood probably won't close...
Looking forward to seeing it done.

Alan
 
alan627b said:
Dog dishes rule... can't knock the Frigidaire look either. Sleepers are evil.. but I think they are going to know you are coming! Maybe "Fridginator" is a better name.... to bad a flat hood probably won't close...
Looking forward to seeing it done.

Alan
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Omaha, i grew up in Omaha, most of my family still lives there. i have one brother in law in Papillion with a 70 coronet R/T and another in springfield with a 68 dart and a 70 T/A challenger.
 
Huh! My brother and his family live in Springfield... I live about 10 minutes north around Chalco. Small world isn't it? There are a decent number of mopar guys around town but I don't know most of them. Most of the time in the decent parts of the year I am moving dirt which is usually dawn to dusk.
A buddy of mine just formed a new group on facebook, if they would like to join they might want to check it out...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/315732368446362/


Alan
 
Yes, i know, I get carried away with these projects and dont know when to leave well enough alone. Hell im still waiting for the 70 swinger i picked up from mad Dart to get back from the body shop, it should be nice when it gets back. that car will be back to the origional two tone colors with the white painted top and white tail stripe. The valiant isnt going to get that detailed of a job.
 
alan627b said:
Huh! My brother and his family live in Springfield... I live about 10 minutes north around Chalco. Small world isn't it? There are a decent number of mopar guys around town but I don't know most of them. Most of the time in the decent parts of the year I am moving dirt which is usually dawn to dusk.
A buddy of mine just formed a new group on facebook, if they would like to join they might want to check it out...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/315732368446362/


Alan
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Ill pass it along to them. And i used to party with a kid that lived in Chalco, cant remember his name, todd somthing! I graduated from millard south high school.
 
Not sure how he spelled it, but I think you mean Todd (Knowca? Noka? sounds like NO-KA) he still lives there.. although it's been a few years since I've seen him. Here is a pic of my eternal project car.. sure hope to get it going again before too long. Damn economy... at least I haven't had to sell it. I'm also a Millard South grad, class of 1981. My brother damon.. class of 1980.
 

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Yes, Todd Noka, and im not sure on the spelling either. That kid was a trip, but pretty nice. I graduated in 85 so im a bit behind you. i had the blue 67 firebird, if you remember that car running around. it was a nice car but a dog. not many kids in millard with mopars, but there were a few i remember. that Valiant of yours looks like youve put alot of work into it. You need to post some pics of it, id like to check it out.
 
I have to get all the crap off of it first. I suppose i should give it a thread of it's own.. it started off as a /6 3 on the tree...7 1/4 rear. Bought it from a guy in Columbia Missouri. Found it at a Mopar meet at KCIR in Knasas City.

Removed all the running gear, replaced it with an 8 3/4 with a #741 casting 3.91's with a Dana Powerlock. V8 leafs, .75 offset shackles from MP... 15X8.5 Centerline Auto Drags with BFG 295-50-15's under it. Frame connectors, 1 floor pan patch... sumped stock gas tank.. POR -15'ed everything.

It has a 73 Duster K frame we reinforced, 11.75 discs, all new front end parts with the big sleeves and tie rod ends. It then got a $300 paint job over 2 or 3 others.. it's all going to come back off. Looks like crap up close especially after getting banged into in the garage all these years. Although it was amazing what a coat of white paint did for it's looks! (96 Chrysler Bright White.)

I have a 68? 340 built for it, Edelbrock heads, Performer RPM manifold, TTI headers, a Jet Stage 3 Holley 750 that flows 930 cfm... ought to make right about 400 HP. I need to rebuild my 4 speed or put a 727 into it, not sure which yet, since my plans for it changed since I bought it... it's now going to be less of a multi-purpose Green Brick sort of car, and will probably become mostly a drag strip machine.

Not much of a street scene around here and I'm not much for car shows.... and because of that I'm not thinking of keeping it a refrigerator white sleeper as much anymore.. But I'm open to opinions!

Might become silver.. or Surf Blue, or some combination of the two... or... I might just paint it white again because there is a certain appeal to that look if it's done right.... like this one was. (see pic). I don't know who owns this one but it sure impressed me. Looks like it's all business.


Alan
 

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1985... I had a red and white 73 Dart Sport 340 with a black hood with the twin snorkle scoop about that time.. and had a tan/gold 72 Gold Duster before that.. if I could get a picture of either of them it might jog your memory....

Did you know white is also the lightest color to paint a car? Less pigment in the paint means less weight... another bonus!
 
Nice,
looks like our builds are pretty close. Ive decided big block with this one though, just to say that ive done it. I mini tubbed my 69 swinger, so i got that out of my system. That is alot of work, so this 68 only got the offset shackles. I did get the tires from jegs yesterday, and ordered the wheels from the mopar dude. Im going to shoot the trunk and engine bay myself and start getting this thing put back together. Ill run the paint that is on it for a while but its going to need a vinyl top and paint soon.
I dont remember any dart sports or dusters in 85, but i dont remember much at all from those days. But there were some nice cars at millard south. i remember a yellow 72 or73 charger a kid got for graduation, a 72 or 73 nova a kid used to just piss pound in the parking lot. there was a white 68 kamero with two four bbls on a tunnel ram. I lived with larry snipes who had a pro street 72 chevelle with two fours, and he had a 69 4 speed 428 mustang. man i could go on but ill stop now.
 
Not much progress to show, but ive been working on it pretty often. Pretty much doing small detail things that need attention. Put an Electro tech aftermarket speaker in the dash, and trying to get the dash ready for the new harness. Pulled out the old carpet and have new ready.Cleaned up the steering column, not much to do there. Painted the front turn signal housings and polished the lenses. The tires showed up so i did a test fit to see if they will fit and there is plenty of room. Wheels should be here in a week or two.
 

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What size tire did you get to fit on yours? I have 15X8.5 Centerline Auto Drag wheels with BFG 295-50-15's under mine, and it's not jacked up like a grocery cart either.
I'll be starting a thread for mine here in the next couple of days... I spent all day today trying to clean it up (success) and getting all the crap off of it. (mild success) Nature hates a vacuum.. my garage proves it.

Alan
 
I went with a 275/60 and its tight, ill get the wheels here shortly and see if everything will work
 
Shot some color today,did the engine compartment and the backs of the fenders. It didnt turn out to bad, but im a long ways from a bodyman. Ill do the trunk in the morning.
 

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shot a little undercoat tonight
 

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Nice Valiant 2-drs, guys. I also have one, a '69 V-100. Bought it because it was too inexpensive to pass up, ended up selling my '68 Dart GT and keeping the Valiant. Just something about them, especially when they are refrigerator white with the black or that tan/gold interior.
 
Larry Snipes.. I remember that dude.. lived off of Stonybrook Blvd. Had that ex-racecar Chevelle with a tunnel ram and 2 silver painted Q jets on it (snicker).
He raced (and lost to) a friend of mine's Nova that ran high 12's on nitrous down on Abbot Drive in the good old days. Which was sweet since Larry came down after the auto show bragging it up and cutting down my buddy's Nova... he he he. I seem to remember him having a little trouble with the cops afterwards too.

Had another buddy named Todd Vermilya who had a 67 427 Chevelle and a 4WD 76 Pinto wagon.. he used to take the 67 by Larry's place and intimidate him..

Seems to me Larry later had a dark blue 75ish Monte Carlo with a huge mailbox on the hood too. One of the big Monte's...
Sorry if it sounds like I'm trashing Larry.. I didn't mean to. I didn't know him, just knew who he was.

Getting back to the present day, looks like you are making some good progress on your Valiant. Thanks for the inspiration.

Alan
 
Yes, thats Larry, and i was there the night on Abbot drive after the auto show. We pulled it down there with my pickup and trailer. I dont remember the nova, but it very well could have happened. I dont remember much from those days. Larry later had a blue 69 4- speed fastback mustang, that was probably one of the fastest cars ive ridden in, probably faster than the chevelle. Im not sure larry owned the monte carlo, but i remember the car being owned by rich scott, and then a chick by the name of Kim Watson. Now Todd vermilya i think i remember also, he was a bigger dude, he was in a class of mine and we used to talk cars, but i never saw any of his rides. I actually thought you may have been him at first.
 
Todd V actually lived in Larry's neighborhood.. a few steets west and a bit north. He graduated the same year as I did.. saw him occasionally after graduation on the street and at auto shows but it's been 20+ years since the last time.

The story I heard about the Chevelle was it used to be a Super/Stock or serious bracket car and that Larry didn't get the motor it was fast with.
I sure did look awesome with all that rubber under it though.

The Abbot drive story as I remember it went like this.. we had gone to the auto show, watched the power display on Sunday night when everybody came out of the Civic auditorium, and headed down to Abbot to see what was down there.
Larry (and you, apparently) wound up down there too.. My friend Gary had a gold 73 Nova with SS stripes, a decent 350, turbo 350 with 4.10 gears and an cocky attitude... they wound up racing, got a fair start and Gary won by a length or so... and afterwards Gary asked Larry what the Chevelle ran and he said 11's...

I was the smartass that said something like "so, Gary, you ran a 12.80 at Scribner, I guess that makes the Chevelle the slowest 11 second car I've ever seen...".

I always disliked guys who made their cars out as faster than they really were, and still do... and I was young and a lot less tactful than I am nowadays.. and after all, there was no shame in having an ex-race car with a mild motor.. it looked more badass than anything anyone else we knew could afford at the time!

Also, I remember him getting into a little trouble with the cops afterwards because he didn't get it back on the trailer before the cops arrived.. which is one real disadvantage to having a trailered car.

Anyhow, thanks for the trip down memory lane. One of these days I'll get my pix put on a CD and I'll post them here. And I will give my car it's own post this week, and stop cluttering up your thread!

Looking forward to more progress on your Valiant. Take care!
I attached a pic of me... try to imagine 80 pounds less weight.. more hair.. less 20+ years of age.... LOL!

Alan
 

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Alan,
Dont worry about cluttering up anything, these stories are why we are working on cars today, post away! As far as Larry and his Chevelle, he was not the sharpest tool in the drawer, and i ''hear'' that drugs had taken over his life years ago and hes pretty screwed up, so take that for what its worth. That chevelle was a pretty nice car, set up for a 4 speed and/ or an auto for a quick swap. it had alot of chrome, like door,trunk,hood hinges etc. but ya, i think it was pretty tame. I really dont recognise you, but your a few years older. ill check out your attachment and get back to you.
 
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