1964 NHRA Plymouth Valiant Convertible/340 factory 4 speed/Restored as Resto-Mod

1964 Plymouth Other Additional Info:

Smokin Joe Smokin Joe jmt67@aim.comHide
To	JBorucki3 JBorucki3@WI.rr.com
Cc
Bcc
Slideshow

HISTORY.This Plymouth ValiantSignet 200 convertiblestarted out as a factory speed car with a slant 6. The car now has 57,552 miles on the car. The miles are documented on the previous owners title as 57,177whichwas documented on the title on 2-04-16 as actual mileage when he purchased the car. I do have the original window sticker which isin very good condition and is laminated to preserve the document. I also have a copy of the original window sticker as I was going to put it in the window as when the car was new. Both comethe car. It is not a repo window sticker. Also Ihave the original owners manual which has the VIN engraved in the front cover. Itto is the original to the car in 1964 and not a reproduction. The car is in remarkable condition for a 64. Most of these cheapValiants rotted away, especially being a convertible. The previous owner told me that it was originally purchased in 1964 by a 18 year old guy. He drove the car only in the summer up until the late 60s when he was drafted for Vietnam. Like so many soldiers he did not return home. The car then sat in his parents garage until about 2011. The vehicle was then taken by his brother and sat until 2013 when he sold it to someone who did the drive train updates and paint work. The paint job isa very high quality paint job andexcellent pinstripes throughout. After completion the car was sold to the guy I purchased it from in Miami who owned it for about one year. I purchased the vehicle last year and only drove it a few times at best. As luck would have it shortly after I purchased the car,I discovered I have slipped discs in my back, deteriorated hips, sciatica and arthritis in my knees. It is just too painful to drive the carwith the four speed. I was going to covert the car to a automatic transmission, but since the car is a factory four speed, I hated to ruin the originality of the factory four speed, especially in aValiant. Most were three speed transmissions on the tree. There were not to many factory four speeds on the floor produced. Being almost 60 years old, I decided I would never be able to do the conversion and the car has been sitting for almost one year. I start it up every week or so, change the oil every six months and have added Stabil since day one. The car was stored inside and put on jack stands. I had my son drive it every 6 weeks or so to keep everything moving. I hate to see the car just sit on jack stands and not being used. The garage space is also too valuable for a car which just sits. ENGINE.
The engine is a 340. The casting numbers on the side of the engine block read, 2780930 and 3577130 T/A, which correspond to a 340 from 68 to 73. The casting number on the heads is3418915. It also has the "J" cast into the heads. I was told the heads are 360 heads, but not sure. I was told also by the previous owner that the engine was rebuilt at 56,755 miles and now has 57,552 miles. I have no receipt or document proving the rebuilt but the engine looks like new and inside the valve covers the heads look like new. The engine does have a open plenum aluminum intake manifold. It has a new Holley replacement 4 barrel carburetor with a electric choke. The engine fires right up and has a nice fast idle and comes right down to a nice idle when the accelerator is tapped. Mickey Thompson vintage valve covers are also on the engine. A new billet housing electronic ignition was also just installed with new wires. Car has a new aluminum radiator and electric fan. I think the best part of the car is the vintage fenderwell headers, as I love the sound. The look is pretty cool too. The car does have mufflers. I am not sure what kind of cam is in the car, but it does have a pretty good lope to it. TRANSMISSION.
The transmission was replaced when the drive train was updated. The transmission is the A833 4 speedtransmission and does have the hurst shifter. The car does have a blow-proof scattershield. Not sure what the clutch is a single or dual disk. The driveshaft was also updated with the slide in spline design rather that the cumbersome bolt in configuration of stock design with the slant six. REAR END.
The rear end was updated with the 8-3/4 unit. I am not sure of the ratio but the little I drove it, it feels like a low 3.00 ratio. I am not sure if it is a posi or not, as I never drove it hard. If it is a big deal for someone, I will raise the car and check it out, but with my bad back I would rather someone specifically ask me to do it. INTERIOR.
I guess the photos speak for themselves. The interior is absolutely all original and in excellent condition. Although I believe the carpet was replaced. The new Valiant floor mats are new. The seats are in great condition and very firm. No tears, but the drivers seat seam is separated a bit but not open. The seats feel like new. The back seat is in excellent condition but has what looks like a cigarette burn in one spot. The door panels are excellent too. On the right side at the back below the side window, there is a plastic piece which is broken out but is in the glove box. Original anniversary steering wheel is in excellent condition with no cracks. The windows roll up and down real nice, just like new. All original glass including the windshield. The emergency brake even works perfectly. The factory AM radio was never removed and still works. All lights and signals work, as do the factory gauges and gas gauge. Yes, the gas gauge does work perfectly.
GAUGES.
All the factory gauges work properly and display the readings perfectly. There is a vintage oil pressure gauge installed below the dash as shown. It is a mechanical gauge and works perfectly. The oil pressure when the car is hot is 50 PSI as shown by the gauge.
BODY.
The car still retains all its original body panels and I could find no evidence of any rust or metal patching. The door bottoms are perfect, never repaired and the seams are perfect. The trunk and floor pans have no rust or repair that I could find. I have some trunk and frame photos but I ran out of room posting the photos. I did notice thaton the rearquarter panel there is some bubbling which just started. It is minor but it is starting to bubble. I will send some trunk and floor pan photos and do the best I can as my back is really bad and laying under a car is painful. I will do the best I can but the underside of the car is the best part. The frame and pan are in excellent condition. It looks the car was undercoated when new. The frame itself is in excellent condition. No frame repair or heavy rust at all. The car has been repainted and is in excellent condition. The car was originally white. The paint job was done professionally and was very well done. The car must have been taken completely apart prior to painting as there is no evidence at all of this being a previous white car. Not that I can find anyway.Thepaint color appears to be a pewter. I had a 2002 Camaro Z28 and the paint is almost identical to that color.I love this color as it has some color, is not too bold and never shows dirt. Although I never even got a chance to getthe car dirty. LOL. No orange peel or runs anywhere. No signs of bodywork in which I could find. The paint appears to have a clearcoat but not sure. The pinstripe fits the car perfectly and was done by a person who knew what they were doing. The pinstripes are hand done and not decals. The bumpers are original and in excellent condition. No dents or peeling chrome. Anew era correct antenna with removal mast was just installed. Radio works even better with new antenna. I wanted a removal antenna so you can put a car cover on the car without tearing the cover. CONVERTIBLE TOP.
I was told and believe it that the top is the original top when it was manufactured. It does have the pinhole material and looks like it did in 64. There are no tears or cuts in the top, but around the rear window at the bottom, there is some separation from worn thread. It still looks in excellent original condition. The rear plastic window is original and has no cracks but has minor scratches. Top does have parade cover. The top is a manual and goes up and down with ease. TRIM.
The trim is in excellent condition but has a few small nicks in a few of the pieces. Very clean bright work. The head light bezels are original and not reproductions. The right ring does have a very small nick but is hard to notice. The rear tail light castings are original and in excellent condition with extremely minimal pitting. All trim is in place and none missing TIRES AND RIMS.
The tires are a rather cheap brand but the tread is like new. Not many miles. All four treads are equal and no dry rot or ply separation can be found. The rims areMopar14 x 7 steelies with no dents or flat spots. The hubcaps are the original caps and not reproductions. The caps are not perfect but are in excellent condition. A few small nicks can be found. Rims have no rust pits from sandblasting are in very good condition.The rims appear tohave been power coated as the finish is very hard and durable.No curb rash or dents. SUSPENSION.
The suspension all looks to be original. Including the torsion, rear springs and front suspension. It all looks to be original. The car does not lean and no leafs are cracked. The grommets all look good and appear to be original. There is some weather checking on some of the rubber bushings. BRAKES.
The drum brakes do the best job they can possibly do. The brakes were just completely redone before I got it. The front brake hoses were replace too. The car stops as it should and does not pull. GAS TANK.
The gas tank is original and in very good condition. No rust at all. The tank is very clean with absolutely no rust in the tank. I had a friend with a bore scope check the inside and it showed no rust and looked like new. I always had stabil in the tank. The straps looks great. Even the gas gauge works as do all the other gauges. OVERALL CONDITION.
I would say the car is a nice driver. It is not perfect and some defects but the little I drove it, I think it is a good driver. No more no less. It is not a perfect show car, but shows very well. I encourage you to inspect for yourself. Like I said the car is not perfect but for a 54 year old car, I think it presents itself very well. Not manyValiant convertibles made it pastsurvived past thelate 70s. They are a cheap little car, but I like the factory four speed, 340 engine and the original interior. NHRA HERITAGE.
I am not sure what the relationship to the three NHRAclass wins the car has. I do know they are NHRA original Wally class winner badges which were on class winner Wallys. I had a few people look at the badges who have won class Wallys at NHRA events and they testified they were originally on class winner Wallys. I even had a friend bring one of his NHRA Wallys over and they match perfectly in size, weight, material and printing to the original Wally Class Winner badges which is found only on original NHRA class winner Wallys. Like the photos show they were all won in 2003 and are from the Gatornationals here in Florida, the O'Reilly Nationals in Houston Texas and the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago Ill. I am not sure if someone competed with this car in a stock class or what, but I like the mysterious history with these original NHRA Wally Badges. DISCLOSURE OF SALE.
The mileage documentation is documented on the title and is dated. That is all the guarantee you get. I believe the car speaks for itself as far as mileage. The original body panels, original windshield, non worn pedals and non worn seats all prove the point of a low mileage car. The car has no guarantee whatsoever, so do your homework. The information I have is from my own observations and what I was told by the previous owner. Car is sold as is where is. Car will not be released until all funds clear.
PRICE.
The starting bid of 11,000.00 is the reserve price. I will not end the auction early regardless of your situation or if you want to purchase the car now. I also will not put up a "Buy It Now" option either. I want to make this auction fair for everyone.
15 Attached Images Reply Reply All Forward