Need advice on purchasing 1963 Valiant

[Dab]

Hello,
I am considering the purchase of a 1963 slant 6 Valiant in descent driveable shape. .It has the pushbutton automatic.
My questions..
Is rusty rear floor pans incredibly expensive to fix on these car? I know they are unibody so I don't know if that makes it more difficult. Also, I know that aluminum engines were available for this model. Should I stay away from the aluminum engine? Any other problem areas to look out for?
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[VDART]

if the rear floors are that rusty I would check closely the frame rails & rocker panels.
Rust repair can get expensive if you cannot do it yourself.
really hard to tell with out
specific description & pictures. Think of rust like an iceberg-- what you see is only partially visible.

As for the alum engine that would be a plus -that is a pretty rare piece, look at the side of the block should be obvious if aluminum. Lawrence

 

[abodyjoe]

if you can't do the floors yourself then yes they can get expensive to replace the right way. look for frame rot too with rusty floors..

 

[Darter6]

Unless the car was well taken care of and it does have a aluminum block after 50+ years corosion may make the block unuseable. Also they take a special head gasket that is hard to come by.Chances are that it won't be aluminum if the car is still running and driving. I agree with any rust,look hard at the structure. If all else is good floor pans aren't hard to replace.

 

[nm9stheham]

IMO, it sounds like you need to take a good car mechanic with you to look at this car. It would be money well spent if you can get it for free.

 

[BillGrissom]

Rusted floor pans is common. Usually the front passenger's (heater core leaks). Rear floors are more concern. If too rusty, run away. You expect some in IN, but could be a killer. It would cost <$1000 to have a rust-free western car delivered to you. Re uni-body, some fear excessively about strength loss from poor sheet-metal. I suspect you could install fiberglass for floor pans and wouldn't make much difference.

The aluminum slants are cool, but a killer for most people. Most got head gasket leaks from corrosion (people used cheap coolant), which can't be fixed, plus requires a special head gasket. Search on slantsix.org. The alum blocks also didn't perform faster in drag tests. While lighter, they weren't as rigid as iron, which limited high-end.

 

[Dab]

Thanks for the input. I've learned alot. Not sure this is the car for me, even though I really liked it. It ran great and looked great, but I wouldn't buy it unless I could find a trustworthy body man or my mechanic to look it over. Then there is the problem of getting the car and hour away to have someone look at it. Those rear floor pans seemed so thin that I could probably put my foot through them, and I could see asphalt through one of them.

 

[neilskiw]

I wouldn't stress about the floor pans. The car is 51 years old. The pans lasted this long, they'll probably last a few more. I fixed mine for less than 200 bucks...

I bought a carpet kit, threw it in, and have never looked at the floor pans since. 7 years to be exact.

It isn't a museum piece. It is an inexpensive driver car that is considered an "economy car" by insurance companies, should be easy on tires and brakes, gets plus or minus 20 miles per gallon, is easy to learn to fix and upgrade, and will get you honks, smiles and waves every time you drive it.

You will need to put yourself in a 1963 mindset while driving, though. The signals blink slow, no power steering or brakes, no anti-lock brakes. Leave plenty of following distance. And when some A$$ cuts into your lane, just get over it and back off some more.

You will have so much fun with the car. There is so much knowledge to be had from the members on this site and local MOPAR clubs, car shows, cruise ins, etc.

Don't let a little rust scare you off. Just don't look at it. And when a rod sticks out the side of the block, you can get another motor for a couple hundred bucks. Or you can part out the car for likely what you pay for it.

I say "DO IT" !!!

 

[barbee6043]

like neilskiw says , its not a high end collectable but can be a fun car to drive and learn about old mopar slants with. you have to decide what you are interested in. unless YOU can and are willing to do most of the work on these cars, you can sink WAY too much $$ in them UNLESS you enjoy them and don't count every $ put in them.
having friends available that are willing to let you maybe use their mig welder ( anyone c an learn to weld ) helps a bunch. you DON"T need to build repo floors pans. find a metal distributor . buy some scrap 18 ga and form your own, not that hard. cheap and hust as good metal as the repo stuff, YOU just has to do some cutting, bending, and welding....
main thing is too make sure the frame rails are good. if not, run don't walk. most all these old cars have some floor and trunk pan rust. if you buy it right, you could always part it out if you had too . good running slant can be had anywhere from free, come get it to maybe $150.
life is a gamble, nothing ventured nothing gained......and as Forrest Gump said " s--- happens!!???? in other words, after you get any old car home an start lookin it over and goin thru it, anyone will find things that didn't bit them at first look!!???

 

[moperformance]

My first car was a 63 dart and when it quit/ broke you could always get it home (for the most part). It's as simple as a car gets. Fuel, spark and air is all it needs. It's not like cars today where you need thousands of dollars of specialised equipment to diagnose. Trouble shoot which sensor, what micro and/or branch circuit is non functional. Or at the least a AAA card and cell phone to get home. It truly was a kinder gentler time as far as cars are concerned. This is where you pick up the basics.
Keep the oil changed, tuned up and you may end up passing it on to your kids.
Seriously... You'll have total strangers come up to you and tell you what a cool (plus already paid for) car you have!
Nothing ventured nothing gained. GO FOR IT!!
And let us know how it goes ;D