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Super Sleeper

Super Sleeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
126
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Location
Sequim, WA
Hi All
I will be starting to restore my late brother's 66 Valiant Signet bracket car soon. He passed away recently and I want to bring the car back to its former glory. I am fairly unschooled with Mopar, not for lack of trying by my brother, but I am definitely a car guy and do my own work. I am not sure yet what I will need in the way of parts but the car itself has been sitting under a cover for a very long time.

So here's where I have to admit that my background has been primarily Ford Mustangs (69 Boss 302, 70 Boss 302, 84 SVO, and I now have a 2018 GT) and Triumph sports cars (TR6, GT6, TR4, Spitfire, and a Herald). The 69 Boss I built as an open track car. The 70 Boss and the TR6 were ground-up restorations. I did a 5.0 EFI engine for the SVO.

Right now I only have a few old snapshots.
Valiant OCIR 1.jpg
Valiant engine 2.jpg
Yes, the engine did grow from the 273 to a 340 over the years he raced it. I think the 11.6 bracket was just about its best.

I hope that I can count on your forum to help me to get this project done.
Thanks - Jim
 
Welcome aboard! Looks like a sleeper for sure back in the day. How is it holding up today? When was it last run? You will get all the help you need from this forum.
 
Super Sleeper said:
-- Hi All _ __ _ _ _ _ I am fairly unschooled with Mopar _ _ _ _ I hope that I can count on your forum to help me to get this project done.
Thanks - Jim --
Click to expand...
-- :welcome: -- You've come to the right place -- lots of knowledge, and help, here. -- Neat Car.
 
Welcome to FABO. That's a slick looking Valiant. It should be a fun build.
 
Thanks
It will be quite some time before I can actually access the Valiant. We are working through the estate slowly. After the Valiant he built a 9.80 bracket car from a super stock Duster/tube chassis with 340 power. I believe he used some of the gear from the Valiant to finish the Duster build. I also know that he sold off some of the parts, like the Paxton goodies, over the years. And I'm pretty sure the original fenderwell headers are also gone. They were set-up for W2 heads - a different bolt pattern, right? But in any case what ever I do will have to include fenderwell headers that fit appropriately. I guess I can get the Paxton set-up from the Shelby GT350 kits that are currently sold but I hope the Mopar mounts are still somewhere in his stuff.
He kept the interior pretty complete so I am considering a street/strip build. I remember riding in it, with full slicks, on the street when it was about a 13 second car about 50 years ago.
Maybe this should end up in a different forum, but thanks for the welcome!

Jim
 
Welcome from the frozen tundra. You have come to the right place if you are wanting endless opinions and guidance! I have seen pages written over the merits of one tape measure over another! Hah! You will not be disappointed, as this is a great bunch of folks, and all are willing to help as much or as little as you want.
 
Some guys saw the black wrinkle valve covers, 273 call out and Paxton setup and peed themselves a little. Torqstorm makes the geared supercharger now, everything else is still available. I think a turbo would get you faster in the quarter with the limited wheel well on that car.
 
Jim, welcome aboard. I’m sure you’ll get a good dose of help here. The small block MoPar is pretty good. It does take a bit to get to know the in’s and outs. There not that hard. You’ll find somethings similar and different between the Ford and the SBM that you’ll ether say, “Wow that’s cool or boy is that dumb.” LMAO! Each have there pro’s and con’s. For us, it’s just our weapon of choice.

An excellent set of books is actually the basic one every kid probably started with before the internet days.
How to rebuild your SBM
How to HotRod your SBM
From these old books, updates and superseded parts we can point to.

Super Sleeper said:
Hi All
I will be starting to restore my late brother's 66 Valiant Signet bracket car soon. He passed away recently and I want to bring the car back to its former glory. I am fairly unschooled with Mopar, not for lack of trying by my brother, but I am definitely a car guy and do my own work. I am not sure yet what I will need in the way of parts but the car itself has been sitting under a cover for a very long time.

So here's where I have to admit that my background has been primarily Ford Mustangs (69 Boss 302, 70 Boss 302, 84 SVO, and I now have a 2018 GT) and Triumph sports cars (TR6, GT6, TR4, Spitfire, and a Herald). The 69 Boss I built as an open track car. The 70 Boss and the TR6 were ground-up restorations. I did a 5.0 EFI engine for the SVO.

Right now I only have a few old snapshots. View attachment 1715386999 View attachment 1715387000 Yes, the engine did grow from the 273 to a 340 over the years he raced it. I think the 11.6 bracket was just about its best.

I hope that I can count on your forum to help me to get this project done.
Thanks - Jim
Click to expand...
 
pishta said:
Some guys saw the black wrinkle valve covers, 273 call out and Paxton setup and peed themselves a little.
Click to expand...

LOL! I wish they were still in place... but I will try to replicate it.

Tustin, eh? Perhaps you know OCIR?

Jim
 
Super Sleeper said:
LOL! I wish they were still in place... but I will try to replicate it.

Tustin, eh? Perhaps you know OCIR?

Jim
Click to expand...
OCIR, yes of course. I was 15 when it closed but I do remember riding on the back of my Dad's 73 Suzuki 350 and having a bee fly up my jacket sleeve on the freeway ride out there, and stinging me good and long on the back of the bicept. That F'r hurt! Old location was 6 miles down the 5 freeway from my current house. Its a Costco complex now....They still do SCCA cone racing at the base airstrip to the right of this photo.
upload_2019-9-4_18-42-51.png
 
There you go! My experience was more on the opposite end of the track history - when it first opened. We used to go down there for Thursday evening brackets then go back over the weekend for match races and eliminations. Man, those were the days!
More recently, Steve Saleen had his place there where he built his Mustangs and the S7 also. I drove my SVO to his car show - even took home a trophy. Nice factory tour also.
Glad you had some experience there at OCIR. I could talk about that place all day.
 
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