68 valiant signet 2 door

[mygasser]

so i've looked for a blasphemers section but can't find one so here it is . as above some of you may have seen the green valiant on ebay over the last few months down in bristol. so it's now here with me. initially i planned to fit a jensen 383/727 a mate has offered me which he took out of his ford pilot to fit a 302 ford (more economy). but over a year ago i started collecting parts to build a 383 chevy stroker motor with lowish compression so it could be turboed. so i'm going to fit this along with a 5 speed manual box to the valiant along with a 9" ford rear axle as the little A body axle wouldn't like the 700 ish hp the motor will make. other than the drivetrain bast...isation it'll be gloss black with black interior (not sure whether to retrim the benches or just go with s/hand 'modern' leather seats).
so give it to me guys, should i continue to keep you updated as and when or is this too far from what's expected behaviour on here?
regards, neil.

[cadboy]

Hi Neil

yes we will follow all sorts

picture or two will help a lot

good luck with your build

[Pete]

I look forward to the build - should be both interesting and challenging!

Are you going for an intercooler as well?

Brake upgrade?

[Blue]

Interesting, I have what I believe is the only other 2 door '68 Valiant in the country, mine is an original 4 speed car.

[Dave81]

Welcome and look forward to the updates.
When are you planning to get all this done by (not this years NATS i take it)?

[mygasser]

thanks for the encouragement folks, wasn't sure what to expect on here what with the chevy swap and 9" rear. good to see you're still just car guys
for this summer the plan is to get it moted so i can register it as is and get it on historic tax. dvla won't register 'modified' imports these days on historic tax class full stop, not happening. hence register and tax it as stock then swap out the parts while still staying within the 8 points rule. i've bought turbos now too, a pair of to4e's at £100 each which is a bargain. i know they're chinese but i've been on the turbo forums for a while asking advise and checking prospective purchases so it's got as good a chance of being ok as any other build i guess. so the engine will be put together this summer and it'll all get swapped in over the winter. at this stage i wasn't going to fit an intercooler as it'll only be running about 7psi of boost which is well within the turbos capability so shouldn't make too much heat, i'll have to suck it and see. i work at rally design so hoses, pipes and intercoolers are cheap to me so if it needs one/two it's not a problem.
i'll hopefully at least get a set of wheels on it for this summer, the 13's don't do the looks any favours for sure.
i'll update when i do more but it'll be slow as i've got a corsair in for a v6 swap at the moment followed by a mk2 zephyr with a 283 chevy for a few jobs and then build the 350 chevy to refit to my boys mk3 zephyr hirider. busy, busy
cheers, neil.

[Dave999]

you could turbo that slant

LPG it and you won't need an intercooler or a CR change

Dave

[lough3969]

I'm very interested to see this build

I have a 68 Dart 2 door sedan... same car apart from the front and rear clips and a roofline change.

I'd recommend seeing Blues Valiant build at some point... COOL Car but of course he's has a great thread in the build section.


Keep posting!

[mygasser]

i almost bought a 68 dart gt hardtop also with a six before i got this. i even sent a deposit but the owner in the US backed out and i got the deposit back. i actually think i prefer this valiant because it's a bit more oddball and i like oddball. all the trim's good too except where the o/s front wing's dented the top of the headlamp bezel is bent over a tad. it could be straightened but i got a nos one from pennsylvania for about £50 inc' shipping etc so i'm happy with that. i may give all the trim a brushed finish, the bumpers will be gloss black like the car. someone on the turbo forums said the mopar boys will be Bananarama! at me for fitting a chevy and i told them you're cool with it. i guess brand loyalty in the states is like the english with their football teams. i don't get either myself, use what you have to build what you want i say.

[mygasser]

i forgot to say i bought the turbo's yesterday too, £100 each inc' postage. almost worth buying a third one as a spare.
today i stuck my charger on the battery and fired the six for the first time, boy it's sweet. checked the lights while in there and they all seem to work ok. i guess there are no indicator idiot light on the dash as there are rear facing repeators on the top of the front wings where you can see them clearly?
i didn't say this car is quite well specced with dual circuit servo assisted brakes, power steering and aircon' (the parts for the engine bay are in the boot, not refitted after the engine rebuild). when i do the engine swap i'll get a smaller compressor and refit it all. i'm sure the engine will make enough power not to notice if the aircon is on

[Dave81]

Should have tell tale indicators on the dash.

Mopar did a 'lights package' option which gave the wing mounted lights, interior map light etc. They did this in 72 (got it on my Dart) so would guess it was the same in 68.

[Blue]

Yes should still have lights on the dash, my '68 Barracuda has them both.

[DaveB]

I wouldnt even put a Chevy in a Chevy

[mygasser]

i'm going to fit proper valve guide seals so it doesn't smoke like a chevy
i'll look into the dash lights, thanks for the replies.

[Dartfan]

I wouldnt even put a Chevy in a Chevy

Chevy motor and 9" is a good call Neil, A body engine bays are far from roomy, Chev is FAR more compact than a "small" block mopar and you can get loads of value for money performance from a Chev. 7 1/4 axles snap like carrots and 8 1/4 A body axles are like hens teeth and cost more than the national debt!!!! Why dont you also consider junking the ridiculous torsion bar front end whilst you are at it, those damn "Springs" get in the way of everything LOL