Steve Magnante’s Old Valiant

[dart4forte]

Anyone know the whereabouts of Steves Valiant. Last time I saw it was on a auction site in OZ.

This is the last pic I found. Car was at an auction somewhere in OZ.

 

[Darter6]

The one he raced in the Slant Six Class ?

 

[GTX JOHN]

I have owned Steve's 70 Valiant Duster after buying it from Steve
for the last 20 years if that is the car you are looking for.
It was Project Feather Duster
with many articles on the build in Hot Rod and Car Craft.
It is totally street legal and run 10.30 @
128 and weigh 2365.

It will be For Sale soon as my health is failing.

 

[Hyper_pak]

Steve's 62 Valiant was for sale on a Facebook page a month ago. It was around $30K.
It was a 2 door, I missed when he went from a 4 door to the 2 door.

 

[Hyper_pak]

I have owned Steve's 70 Valiant Duster after buying it from Steve
for the last 20 years if that is the car you are looking for.
It was Project Feather Duster
with many articles on the build in Hot Rod and Car Craft.
It is totally street legal and run 10.30 @
128 and weigh 2365.

It will be For Sale soon as my health is failing.

Why did he call a 70 Duster a Feather Duster?

 

[abdywgn]

I have owned Steve's 70 Valiant Duster after buying it from Steve
for the last 20 years if that is the car you are looking for.
It was Project Feather Duster
with many articles on the build in Hot Rod and Car Craft.
It is totally street legal and run 10.30 @
128 and weigh 2365.

It will be For Sale soon as my health is failing.

was that the "red" one that they documented lightening mods on?

 

[mbaird]

Why did he call a 70 Duster a Feather Duster?

Probably because they got the weight down to 2300 lbs…it was “tongue in cheek “

 

[GTX JOHN]

was that the "red" one that they documented lightening mods on?

Yes.

It actually was the original paint and the color was Turbine Bronze
was what the color was called as my elderly mind recalls.

 

[Jeff Seighman]

Wasn't the Feather Duster an option where the used some aluminum parts like the Dart Lite?

 

[abdywgn]

steel hood with aluminum underneath, sometimes the deck lid AND one fellow claimed he saw one with aluminum quarters...urban legend?

 

[mbaird]

Feather Dusters and Dart Lites had aluminum hood braces , deck lids , bumper braces , aluminum O.D 833 and slant 6’s . I have seen a few of each over the years in salvage yards .

 

[GTX JOHN]

No Aluminum Quarters.

Correct on lightweight Hoods/Deck lids/Bumber brackets..

I believe Dart and Duster only 1976 as I remember.

I have a nice 76 Duster Lite hood in the back of the shop.

It has been For Sale on this site but never any interest.

 

[volaredon]

I thought the green brick valiant was his when they did the buildup of it in the magazine.
I do remember the older one when had with the /6 that went overseas too, though.

 

[GTX JOHN]

No Sir!

I bought it directly from Steve and it was not Green.

 

[volaredon]

Well then who's valiant was that?
The one I'm thinking of was a 69-70ish and a 2 door

 

[Charrlie_S]

I think the OP was referring to the "toad" Valiant. Don't remember the year (60-62). I think Dutra had a hand in building the all aluminum slant six. The car was white and had period correct lettering and decals.

 

[Darter6]

Well then who's valiant was that?
The one I'm thinking of was a 69-70ish and a 2 door

Richard Ehrenberg project car from the now defunked Mopar Action Magazine

 

[rumblefish360]

The Green Brick I think it was.

 

[volaredon]

Steve has owned and/or been involved in so many cars over the years I thought the "green brick" was one of them

 

[GTX JOHN]

My son owns and runs a Red 68 Valiant 100 that was Hot Rod Cover
Car way back then and voted one of the most influential Hot Rods of first 50 years
of Hot Rod Magazine and invited to be displayed at Peterson Automotive
Museum.
Perhaps that is the Red Valiant you were thinking about.
It is still being raced most every event in Vegas and runs in the 10's
thru the mufflers and as driven on the street.

 

[mbaird]

Well then who's valiant was that?
The one I'm thinking of was a 69-70ish and a 2 door

The green Brick was a Race Across America project . Like the Power Tour …

 

[Dave_J]

EBooger's Green Brick tech pages had a lot of good info back then. Crossmember mods, torsion bar info, powersteering mods.......

But I do not remember if Steve was involved at all. I'm thinking not.

 

[volaredon]

Don't know. Hard to keep track. But somehow I tied him to that car when I saw the thread. I did recently read the story about his older /6 valiant that went overseas. And I know that it wasn't all that recently that he had sold that one, it had been a little while ago

 

[junkyardhero]

The green Brick was a Race Across America project . Like the Power Tour …

it was One Lap of America

One Lap of America

One Lap of America in a Plymouth Valiant

2002 One Lap Of America

2002 One Lap of AmericaAfter a five-year, self-imposed exile, Team Mopar Action will be back in action in the 2002 running of the Car and Driver Magazine One Lap of America. For those of you whove been under a rock, this flog is run by C&Ds Bro

www.moparaction.com

 

[mbaird]

it was One Lap of America

http://[URL]http://www.onelapofamerica.com/home.do

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://www.allpar.com/d3/history/mopar/lapping-valiant.html

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://www.moparaction.com/2016/03/16/one-lap/

[/URL]

Right … I couldn’t remember the exact name.