Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant

Mr_Shiftright · January 2007

Well you could charge up the battery fully over night and then see how the car starts. If it starts right up, then something is draining your battery.

Once you know that you can test the alternator using a volt meter across the two battery terminals while the engine is running. When you rev it up, you should go over 14 volts.

If THAT'S okay, then I'd suspect a battery drain.

You can test this by placing a test light in series between the removed positive battery cable and the + battery post. Be sure you have closed all the doors and shut off everything, including ignition. Also be sure you don't have an engine hood light that goes on when you open it.

If everything is off, you should not get a light going on. If there IS a light on (if the test light is lit), then keep it connected (or have a friend keep it connected) and pull each fuse one by one until the light goes out. Now you know the circuit where the short/drain is.

bplante440 · February 2007

I just bought a 65 Dart G/T 4spd. The car is on it's way from CA to Boston. I'm pretty familiar with the car, it has the 235 horse 273. What I'm not familiar with is the rear end set up. I suspect it has the little 7.25 rear with some tame gears? Does the later A body 8.75 rear fit? Has anyone done an upgrade of this? I'm planning on keeping the 273 for now so maybe the little rear is O.K. What are your thoughts.

andre1969 · February 2007

I could be wrong here, but I don't think Chrysler started shoving 8.75 rear ends in the A-body until around 1967-68, when they stuffing 340's and big-blocks under the hood.

As for gearing, a 273-4bbl is a high-performance engine that likes to rev, so I'd imagine that they stuck a pretty quick ratio behind it. The 273 gets its peak hp of 235 @ 5200 rpm, while peak torque hits 280 @ 4000 rpm (at least according to Allpar.com), so putting a tall axle ratio behind something like that would be of no use. I'd imagine it has something like a 3.31:1 or 3.54:1.

Now something like a 273-2bbl most likely just had a 2.94:1, but then it got its 180 hp @ 4200 rpm and peak torque of 260 ft-lb came on at a lazy 1600 rpm.

I believe the 1963-66 A-body has a similar rear track as the '67-76 (something like 55.4 or 55.9"), but the spring perch might be different. It's probably close, but I dunno if it's close enough to swap in a later rear-end.

FWIW, I believe a 235-4bbl would do 0-60 in something like 8.2 seconds just with the automatic, so I'd imagine with a 4-speed, you'd be making the drivers of many bigger-name muscle cars pee their pants.

I guess for something really scary, you could swap out the 273 for a 340 or a Crate 360. A big block can be made to fit, with enough effort, but these cars were so light that I don't think it's really necessary.

Anyway, good luck with it; hope you enjoy it. I've always had a fondness for A-bodies. Back in college I bought a '69 Dart GT hardtop, but it just had a 225 slant six. It got wrecked in 1992, and I replaced it with a '68 Dart 270 with a beefed-up 318 2-bbl (according to the VIN it originally had a 273-2)

bplante440 · February 2007

Thanks for the input. I put a 440 in a 68 cuda with 3-23s and the car is totally nuts! I'll try the Dart as is and it may be fine for cruising. I'm getting to the point of not being excited about another engine swap. Thanks for the info.

robbeers · February 2007

tonight I am going to look at 1974 Valiant, slant 6. I have fond memories of these cars growing up. The Valiant and the Falcon! Problem is I know almost nothing about them. I know how to shop for a used car but I do not know what the compression shoul be when I check it. I don't know what glitches and signs to look for of existing or coming trouble with this particular car.

What advice and warnings does anybody have regarding this?
Is there anything to really look for?
It is a 4 door and is almost all original with the body in great shape and interior in good shape as well.
What is a fair price for this year?
I look forward to hearing from you all! :shades:

andre1969 · February 2007

particularly bad about the 1974 Valiant. 1975 was the year that the slant six went to Lean Burn, and that caused a lot of problems, but I think the 1974 slant six was just a fairly simple generic electronic ignition unit.

In 1974 the Valiant still offered the smaller 198 slant six, with the 225 being optional. Make sure you get the 225. There was only a difference of 10 hp (95 versus 105), but a fairly big difference in torque (145 ft-lb versus 180). I don't know if they would've had emissions stickers and such under the hood that would tell you the engine displacement, but the 5th digit of the VIN is the engine code. If that digit is "B", it has the 198. If it's "C", it has the 225.

I had a 1969 Dart GT with a slant six, and it had a big silver and red sticker that said "Charger 225" on it, but I don't know if Chrysler put stickers on all of the slant sixes or not. Somehow I doubt it.

Electrical stuff tends to be a weak point with Mopars, so don't be surprised if at some point your starter or alternator goes out on you. And as for rust, Valiants tend to do the usual thing around the bottom of the rear quarter panels, as well as the base of the rear window and the cowl panel ahead of the windshield.

Also check the front floorboards for signs of rust. Valiants and Darts tended to leak and get water down in there. What would happen is the water runoff for the fresh air intake would become clogged with dirt and gunk, and then they'd fill up with water and it would dump down into the fresh air vent boxes under the dash, as well as getting into the inner workings for the heater vent, and just running all around up under the dash and making a mess.

If you open the front doors, you can see where the water comes out of the cowl. Basically, it just dumps down in the back part of the front fender, right ahead of the door.

As for pricing, I have no idea, but I'd guess the nicest 4-door Valiant in the world would fetch $4-5K, while a decent driver should run around $15000-2500?

robbeers · February 2007

Great information, thank you.
Price for this beuty is $1500 and only has some mild surface rust being in Colorado, rust is not a common malidy.
Do you have any idea what compression should be? :shades:

Mr_Shiftright · February 2007

Mostly you want EVEN compression and 100 and above would be nice. Make sure you test compression with the gas pedal DEPRESSED, not closed, and with the car all warmed up.

Anything below 85 is completely unacceptable, and any variation in numbers between cylinders more than say 20% is suspicious.

Two adjacent cylinders with much lower compression that the other 4 suggests a bad head gasket.

A very very slow climb in compression suggests a leaking valve or worn rings.

robbeers · February 2007

Great info. If I buy it I will run compression check on it.
the car is in impecable shape. I was very impressed and am having a hard time not buying it. All original and all in unbelivable shape. Even the paint is not oxydised. 14 inch whells and the 225 engine. What is the collector value of a 1974?

Mr_Shiftright · February 2007

none

Buy it, use it up, enjoy it, be proud of it. You'll be an old gray man bent over with a cane before that car is worth anything...except to you of course

robbeers · February 2007

I bought it and will soon post pictures. $1300 and a deal at that. I am prety stoked. It does need an alternator. Not because this one doesn't work but because somehow the pully is too small. Any thoughts or experience with this sort of thing?
:shades:

andre1969 · February 2007

You could probably get some auto parts store alternator for about 50 bucks and put it on yourself in about 10 minutes with a couple of wrenches and a crowbar or tire iron. IIRC, there's only something like two bolts holding the alternator in place, plus a small third one that attaches the wire.

Congratulations on the car! Hope you enjoy it! What color is it?

robbeers · February 2007

Green. How do I post picutres? :shades:

andre1969 · February 2007

cool...I'm a sucker for a nice shade of green! Do you have a website where you can post pictures? Often your internet service provider will give you space where you can do it. Or you can create a carspace account at Edmunds and post pictures there.

I have an account at www.photobucket.com where I post my pics. Photobucket has a couple plans. One is free, but is limited in storage space, although I still got a lot on there before I hit my limit.

Once you have a picture posted, all you need to do is copy its url, and then click the "Img" button below the message text box. Then, paste in the url, and click the "Img" button again. That should post it.

Or if ya want, email them to me and I'll post them on my photobucket site for you. I have a ton of space there. My email is in my Edmund's profile.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2007

Just remember that you tighten the belt using the long base bolt on the alternator swivel....don't tighten the belt ONLY by tightening that one bolt on the upper adjusting arm. So make sure the long bolt on the bottom of the alternator, the one that runs through it completely, is tight.

If you just tighten the top bolt on that upper flimsy swing arm, you will break it sooner or later and you wont' get a solid adjustment, either.

Try to avoid cheapo chain store alternators. Get one from NAPA or some reputable store.

If you can't figure out how to post pictures, e-mail me!

robbeers · April 2007

I have to post pictures still, been neglectful. Car is great but I have another question. This weekend we had a stretch of cold wet weather. I had to run headlights, defroster, and wipers, with the occasional bit of AM radio (yes it still has a working original AM radio)and my battery died. I went and had the alternator and batery and voltage regulator tested and they were fine. I noticed that whenever the heater or defroster is on, the lights will dim and the turn signals will turn on but not blink. this will also happen somtimes when any 2 of the mentioned componants are turned on. ANy thoughts?

robbeers · April 2007

The alternator tested fine. Any ideas what might be causing lights to dim, blinker to slow or stop, and radio to fade while under load or a lower RPMs?

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

I can't think of anything other than a bad charging system. If you had a current drain so large as to pull down an alternator driven by an engine, surely a fuse would have blown. So I think you do have some deficiency in either alterantor, regulator or battery.

The battery needs to be load-tested. You can also check charging rate by using a simple volt meter across the poles of the battery while the engine is running. You should be showing high 13s low 14s on volts.

andre1969 · April 2007

had fairly weak charging systems, where if you were running too many accessories and were stopped, such as idling at a traffic light, the amp gauge would lean toward the "D" side of the gauge. And if the turn signal was on, the needle would bounce in time with it. Running the air conditioner at night would really put a strain on the system.

Anyway, if the charging system itself is coming up fine, it's quite possible that the car is just idling too low. You'll be fine when you're driving, but when you're stopped, the engine just isn't revving fast enough to get the alternator to crank out much current. So one fix might be to just kick up the idle a bit, which involves turning a screw a bit.

I guess another possibility might be to just put a stronger alternator on it. IIRC, these things only had something like a 45 amp alternator. In the later 70's, I think most Mopars started using 60-amp alternators, with the police cars going to a 100-amp.

Also, my experience with old Mopars is that they don't seem to like cool, damp weather. Now bitterly cold weather they do just fine, but it seems like the combination of cold weather and high humidity can get them really cranky. For instance, on a cold, drizzly day with temps in the 40's, my Mopars usually would run pretty badly.

If it's just that, I don't think there's much you can do about it, except bear with it. If it's mainly just stalling out at traffic lights and othe situations where you're stopped, you could just get away with putting it in neutral while you're idling. That'll let the engine rev a bit faster, and if it's still not fast enough, you can rev it a bit.

I don't know if carbureted Mopars ever did get rid of that cold-weather crankiness. The newest carbureted Mopars I had were a '79 New Yorker and a '79 Newport, and, while better than the Darts, they didn't care for cold, damp weather either. I had an '89 Gran Fury too

, but it had a GM carburetor so that doesn't count!

robbeers · September 2007

I live in Colorado Springs, CO which is over 6000 feet above sea level. My carb (the original and rebuilt) is not working properly, it is jetted wrong, I need improved air intake, the timing is off and likely a new exhaust would be advisable. I am not a motor head but want to improve performance and fuel economy as right now I am getting like 14 MPG. This is a daily driver for me too. it is the L6 - 225, single barrel carb. I investigated going to a 2 barrel but the intake is so rare! I think I would be happy with a new carb tuned for high altitude, improved air flow and exhaust...any idea where to find parts and what they are?

andre1969 · September 2007

I wonder if you could just fit on an older-style single-barrel carb? Those 225's had 110 hp (145 gross) up through 1972, but then I think it dropped to around 105 in '73-74, and a miserable 95 when they went to Lean Burn for '75.

Anyway, you might want to try Mopar Performance. Also check out the website http://www.valiant.org . Lots of good info there, and probably someone who's knowledgeable to help you out.

As for the 2-bbl, it was actually common in export markets in the 1960's and early 1970's. It bumped hp to 120 net/160 gross. It was never used in the US, though, probably because in the States they would've just rather you gone with a V-8 than a stronger 6.

The 2-bbl came back in 1977 as the "Super Six" setup. It was standard on the 1977-78 Fury/Monaco, as well as the 1979 Newport/St. Regis. It was optional on the Aspen/Volare and Diplomat/LeBaron, and may have been standard on the wagon versions of those models. By 1977-79, hp on the slant six 1-bbl was down to 100, and the 2-bbl boosted it back to 110. By that time they had Lean Burn though, so those later systems were probably more troublesome. The 2-bbl went away again for 1980, when they just had a slant six 1-bbl putting out 85 hp.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2007

I don't know if the 2-barrel carb will really help. Your problem is not enough air--you already have more than enough gas in the mixture

You might try bumping (advancing) the time about one degree for each 1,000 ft. If the engine doesn't ping under load, then you'll be fine, and you'll notice an improvement. Also one of those free-flow air filters might help as well and a Cold Air Intake, if you could rig one up, might give a denser fuel/air charge.

robbeers · September 2007

I checked the sites recomended and it is like finding a needle in a hay stack. I just want to buy a new carburator and I cna't find one. It is almost silly that it is this tough. Any suggestioons?

andre1969 · September 2007

is going to http://www.moparmailinglist.com/

It's an online Mopar club that you have to sign up for, but it's free. Lots of knowledgeable people there, and I'm sure someone could answer your questions. Heck, probably some people who have gone through the same thing you're going through!

Good luck!

zaken1 · September 2007

To start by getting a bigger picture, the engine in your car must first be mechanically sound and running properly, in order for any carburetor to work right. Assuming the engine now has good compression, five items which often need maintenance on these engines are the distributor vacuum and centrifugal advance mechanisms, the valve clearance adjustment, the spark plugs, the ignition coil, and the plug wires. These things should be inspected, tested, adjusted and replaced as needed, before proceeding any further. I find that Borg Warner ignition coils and NGK #GR4 (stock #2635) spark plugs work best in slant 6 engines.

During the 1960s, slant 6s were produced with 2 different carburetors; one made by Holley, and the other made by Carter. But from about 1973 on, all the slant 6s used Holleys. My experience with the Holley is that, after it became a few years old, it was prone to running over-rich and tended to be generally unstable and troublesome. The Carter, on the other hand, was very much the opposite; it never ran rich, and was very stable. So I used to convert my customers slant 6s that were equipped with Holleys, over to Carters. The two brands were basically interchangeable, with a few small differences in appearance and design. The mounting flanges are identical. The throttle linkage is pretty much the same, provided the two carbs are from cars of the same time period. The fuel line on the Carter is on the front side, while on the Holley, it was on the engine side and curved around to the front. But both brands fuel lines went to a fuel filter in the same location, so it was easy to either bend the line to fit, or substitute a fuel line from the other brand. After about 1971 or '72, the two brands used different style chokes, so it became necessary to switch choke thermostats along with the carbs. But again, this just involved loosening two small (but often rusty) bolts. Parts like choke thermostats, air filter housings and mounting brackets can be found at auto wrecking yards that deal with older model cars. New choke thermostats, and good quality rebuilt carbs can be ordered through NAPA stores, as well as online sources. For 1974 models, I used to use the latest model Carter that I could find (which was typically from 1971-1973). Carters were most commonly supplied on stick shift cars, and on pickups. But the 1971-'73 throttle linkage will also work on vehicles with automatic transmissions. The carb from the 198 engine will also work on a 225. (And when used in high altitudes, its leaner jetting may make it a better choice than a 225 carb.) The EGR signal can be supplied by adding a 'T' fitting into the vacuum advance hose, while all the other plumbing is pretty much the same. After installation, if the engine hesitates on acceleration, it may be necessary to move the accelerator pump rod to the hole in the throttle linkage which is furthest from the throttle shaft, and possibly also raise the height of the pump plunger, by bending the pump rod. These two adjustments have a big effect on throttle response. It this job is done properly, I think you will be very happy with the results.

valiantman · October 2007

I'm not sure where to post this, so I'll try here. I just rebuilt the carburetor on my '73 Valiant, and for some reason I don't remember how it all goes back together (could be because I didn't take note of where things went before I took it apart, but maybe I could find something more creative to blame it on, either way...)

Does anyone here know what that 1-bbl holley carb is supposed to look like all together? I have pictures to send you if you have the time to look at them. I think it's all good except for the choke diaphragm, the linkage of which I know should be attached to something, but damned if I can figure it what, possible I'm missing a spring that I forgot about.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Jeff

email:

Phatbass01@hotmail.com

zaken1 · October 2007

The connecting link of the choke pull off diaphragm (also called the choke vacuum break) is supposed to go into a small hole in the plate that fits on the end of the choke shaft. This is the same plate to which the rod from the thermostatic choke coil on the exhaust manifold also attaches. Sometimes the thermostat rod obscures that hole, so you need to look carefully to find it. There is no spring between the vacuum break link and that plate.

Let me know if that helps. I'll contact you at your other address if you need to send pictures.

Joel

valiantman · October 2007

Thanks a lot Joel, I'll check into that in the morning.

Jeff

valiantman · October 2007

Hey Joel, can I email you a picture of the carb so far?

Thanks,

Jeff
Phatbass01@hotmail.com

1969valiant · November 2007

I just bought this car for 200.00. I'm sure I didn't get ripped off but was just wondering I've been tld this is a rare car with it having a v8 in it. Can someone help me out. It runs and drives after only putting new spark plugs and also adding some sea foam to help with the old gas that was in the tank. The guy I bought it from said it has been sitting for about 3 years and it does have rust on the back quarter panel on passenger side but all other is just some surface rust. Just curious what the car might be worth. I am wanting to put some money in it for new paint and new carpet. Help me....

zaken1 · November 2007

The value of a car like that very much depends on the finances and motivation of whoever is interested in it. While V-8 Valiants are relatively uncommon, I expect this one probably has a bread and butter variety 318 engine. And that engine is not particularly desirable in the classic car market. Now, if it was a 340, a 383, or a Hemi; that would be a whole different picture. I wouldn't consider a 318 engined Valiant as a potentially valuable investment. If it was completely and thoroughly restored, it might bring a few thousand bucks; but it would cost close to that much to do it up. To me, this seems far more like a car that someone would own because they particularly liked that model; rather than something that would be expected to gain much value. Look through some of the magazines that list the sale prices in recent collector car auctions, and you'll get a better idea of what the market is.

Joel

andre1969 · November 2007

In 1969, the Valiant was little more than a low-end economy car. There were no high performance options, or even cool body styles. When the Barracuda was restyled for 1967, the hardtop and convertible versions of the Valiant were dropped, to eliminate competition from within Plymouth. As for the hot engines like the 340, the 383/440 big blocks, and even the Hemi, they were offered in the Barracuda, but not the Valiant.

The Valiant's only V-8 options around that timeframe were a 273-2bbl with 190 hp, or the 318-2bbl with 230. Now in 1970, when the Duster fastback and Scamp hardtop were added to the Valiant lineup, the hot 340 returned, available in those styles. But not the sedan. Oh, as for production, they built 21,492 Valiant Signet 4-doors in 1969. My book doesn't break out V-8 production, but if I were to take a guess, I'd say around 1/3 to 1/2 of them were V-8.

And yeah, don't expect it to appreciate in value. Buy it because you like it, think it's neat, has some sentimental value, etc...but don't buy it as an investment!

isellhondas · November 2007

Do you really think V-8 production was that high on those?

I would have guessed more like 20% but I could be wrong.

Personally, I would rather have a slant six in one of those cars.

And, I definatly agree. I wouldn't put much money into that car.

andre1969 · November 2007

Do you really think V-8 production was that high on those?

I would have guessed more like 20% but I could be wrong.

I dunno, to be honest. Awhile back, one of my friends was able to break out Dodge Dart engine stats for 1968, and I think something like half of the 270 model were V-8, and 1/3 of the 270's had a/c.. I think the American Standard Chrysler book might break out stats like that. I have one of those packed away somewhere, but danged if I know where it is!

I had a '69 Dart GT with a slant six, and still have my '68 270, with a 318-2bbl, mildly hopped up. The V-8 is A LOT more fun in acceleration, but oddly, once you're out on the highway, it really didn't roll along at high speeds any better than the 225 did. It would get from, say, 0-60 or 0-100 much quicker, but if you were rolling along at 75 and stomped it, the difference seemed negligible.

The 225 was a lot more ecnomical, too. 15-18 around town, 22-23 on the highway. The 318 was more like 12-14 around town (sometimes worse) and, if I was lucky, 17 on the highway.

Chrysler switched the slant-six version of these cars from a 2.94:1 rear, to a 2.76:1, for 1968. That cut 0-60 times, at least the way CR tested their cars, from around 13 seconds to 14. quarter mile stayed about the same though...19 seconds at 72 mph, IIRC.

I never saw a CR test of a late 60's A-body with a 273 or 318. However, they did test a '68 or '69 B-body (Coronet or Satellite, can't remember which) with a 318-2bbl, 2.76:1 rear, and got 0-60 in 10 seconds flat. So in a Dart/Valiant, I'd guess the 318 probably got to 60 in around 9-9.5?

I liked both of my Darts...the slant six and the 318. They both had their good points and weak points, so I dunno that I'd have a favorite. I did like my '69 GT better than my '68 270, but that's mainly because it was in better shape and a nicer trim level. It only had about 49000 miles on it when I bought it. The 270 had 253,000! I dunno if I'd buy another, though. After around 27,000 miles in the GT and another 85,000 in the 270, I'm sort of Darted out!

**edit: if I ever can find that American Standard Chrysler catalog, I'll post the slant six/V-8 stats.

isellhondas · November 2007

It just seems that almost every Dart of that era that I remember had the slant six with just a few exceptions.

We have talked about the slant six in these forums many times and I guess that's because of the respect we all have for them. They were primitive polluters to be sure, but rock solid engines that people couldn't kill

The term "bulletproof" is overused but in the case of those engines, I can't think of a better word to describe them.

andre1969 · November 2007

It just seems that almost every Dart of that era that I remember had the slant six with just a few exceptions

I just dug out my Chrysler catalog...
1968 Dodge Dart 170:
3400 V-8
58900 slant six

1968 Dodge Dart 270:
21300 V-8
55200 slant six

1969 Dodge Dart base:
24600 V-8
61800 slant six

1969 Dodge Dart Custom:
22100 V-8
41600 slant six

Unfortunately, the book doesn't break out Valiant engine production. If the Dart is any indication, the nicer trim level did tend to be more likely to have the V-8. But still, not anywhere near 50%. Maybe 30% at best for the Valiant Signet?

I have a feeling though, that one thing that may be weighting the V-8 average for the Dart was that it offered a hardtop, which was viewed as more of an upscale body style than a lowly 2- or 4-door sedan. Note that in 1968, when the base 2-door Dart was a sedan and not a hardtop, the V-8 hardly saw any installations at all. Yet in 1969, when the 2-door sedan was replaced by a 2-door hardtop, V-8 installations were suddenly around 25%.

I wish my book did break out engine production for the Valiant, because now I'm really curious!

Oh, I did notice that my old '69 Dart GT was one of only 5600 that was built with a slant six. The remaining 15300 were V-8.

Not that it really counts for anything, but I think that '69 Dart GT slant six might have been the rarest car I've ever owned! In contrast, they built 12,179 of my '57 DeSoto Firedome and around 10,000 of my '67 Catalina convertible.

isellhondas · November 2007

Thanks for doing the research!

I wouldn't have thought V-8 production was nearly that high.

Do you still have your Intrepid? Must have a bunch of miles by now.

We had one traded in, I think it was a 2000 model with 165,000 miles. It still looked and ran fine and the guy said it had been pretty troublefree. It'll go to some wholesale lot somewhere.

Funny how we talk about how long lasting the slant sixes were but nowdays almost any modern car can rack up a lot of miles.

Back in the sixties, 100,000 miles was about the end for most cars and today, it's nothing. The slant sixes were the exception back then and that's why we remember them so fondly.

andre1969 · November 2007

Yeah, I still have the Intrepid. Has about 137,000 miles on it now. For the most part it's been a good car, but 2007 hasn't been a good year. So far I've sunk about $2000 into it this year...and yesterday the check engine light came on! :sick:

I wonder if one reason the slant six was so sturdy is that it was initially designed to be a big car engine, and they just shrunk it down for use in smaller cars? In contrast, the little 6-cyl used in Falcons was specifically designed for little cars. It would ultimately get massaged to 200 CID. I don't think they were bad engines, per se, just not as durable as a slant six. And now that I think about it, wasn't the Chevy 230/250 inline six derived from the 194? Which was originally desigend for the Chevy II, if I'm not mistaken?

Ford had another 6-cyl engine that came out for 1965...the 240. It was designed originally for big cars, and later came in 250 and 300 CID displacements. And similarly, I've heard tales of the Ford 300 inline 6 being one of the most durable engines ever.

There was a 2-bbl version of the slant six offered in export markets in the 60's, up through maybe 1972. It put out 160 hp gross/120 net, compared to the 1-bbl's 145 gross/110 net. Too bad they never offered that in the US. Seems to me an A-body with a 225-2bbl and a 2.94 rear would make a good middle of the road car. Probably would have been a nice alternative to some of the milder compact car V-8's of the era...stuff like the Nova 307, Dart Valiant 273, and Falcon 302.

isellhondas · November 2007

Yes, the Chevy 194's came out in the 1962 Chevy II's and they did evolve into the 250's. Very good engines and those old Chevy II's were quite peppy for what they were.

And your knowledge of the Ford sixes is accurate too. The 300's were one TOUGH engine that didn't break! Seven main bearings and torque galore.

1969valiant · November 2007

Ok thanks for all the information. I didn't know if i wanted to keep it or not. If I want to sell it what would be a good asking price for it. Also if anyone is interested I can send pics.

isellhondas · November 2007

Sounds right up your alley!

hpmctorque · November 2007

" The 300's were one TOUGH engine that didn't break! Seven main bearings and torque galore."

Yes, but as you probably know, the Ford 300 c.i. I-6s were also gas guzzlers. while I don't have first hand knowledge, I've read that the smallest of the optional V8s (302, maybe) delivered better fuel economy, although it may not have been as durable.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2007

The inline 300-6 sucked gas like a whale eating krill, as they say. You'd be very lucky to get 14 mpg on a good day.

isellhondas · November 2007

Yes, they were terrible on gas but not nearly as bad as the 360's. The 390's actually got better mileage than a 360.

valiant66 · November 2007

The wiper switch on my old Valiant is on its last legs. I thought this would be a good opportunity to replace the single-speed switch with a 3-speed or variable speed switch from another/newer Mopar. Has anyone done this? Can it be done? And if so, which make/model/year switches would interchange? New switches for my year (1966) seem to run between $140 & $190, so I'd rather be able to scour a junkyard for one, but I don't know what I'm looking for. TIA for any info you might have.

andre1969 · November 2007

I dunno which years would interchange with a 1966 Valiant, but I have a feeling that the 3-speed wiper is going to be pretty rare. My '69 Dart GT had 3-speed wipers, with an electric pump for the windshield washer fluid. My '68 Dart 270 just has 2-speed wipers, with a foot pump for the washer fluid.

I wanted to pull the 3-speed assembly out of my '69 Dart before it went to the junkyard, and try swapping it onto my '68, but never got around to it. Anyway, I'd say your chances would be better by looking for the more upscale A-bodies (Barracuda, Dart GT, Valiant Signet, etc). I guess it's even possible that the larger B- and C-bodies used the same basic setup?

texases · November 2007

It's probably not just a matter of a new switch - wouldn't the motor need to be swapped out (based on motor listings that distinguish single from multi-speed units)? And even if the new switch worked, it would just give slower speeds, right? Here's one option - an add on delay unit from JCWhitney:
JCW delay unit

zaken1 · November 2007

If you're looking to save money, the cheapest way to do it would be to buy a wiper switch from another model. My 1971 Dodge B100 van has a two speed wiper switch. For a long time, I thought it was only a single speed switch, because you couldn't pull the knob out. But then one day, I tried turning the knob, and lo and behold, there was a second speed. That switch is about as small as it could be. I'm confident it would fit into the stock position in your Valiant. There are three wires coming from the switch (slow, fast, and a wire to park the wipers when you turn the switch off). If the Valiant really has a single speed wiper, your switch would just have two wires (run and park). The neat thing is that Dodge vans from the 1970s were very common, and should be plentiful in wrecking yards that deal with older models. And the wiper switch probably was the same from 1971 until at least 1976; and very likely some years beyond that; so it should be easy to find.

The two speed motor has a porcelain resistor mounted on it, and has four wires going into the motor. I'm assuming a three speed motor would have five wires, and either two resistors or a two section resistor.

Once you found that switch, you could use it with a single speed motor by only connecting the slow speed wire (the slow speed switch position would run the wipers at full speed, because you don't have a resistor in the circuit to slow the motor down). You could then add an inexpensive wiper delay unit, which would give your single speed motor infinitely variable speeds.

valiant66 · November 2007

That delay unit looks like a backup idea, but not as elegant as having it in the dash. It looks like you're right about having to swap the motor too, though. The only place I've found offering new wiper parts lists 1- and 2- speed switches AND motors.
Jim's Auto Parts. 3-speed and variable wipers weren't introduced until 1967. Hmm. I wonder if it could be made to work...

texases · November 2007

You're absolutely correct, "elegant" and "J. C. Whitney" never go together...but it's a (kludgey) option.

Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant

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