Hello everyone!

This is Margarett


I got er from Tilted just a few days ago.

She's a 1965 Valiant with a 225 1bbl. with 54,000 original miles. I am very new to the world of cars and turnin' wrenches. I was a small engine mechanic about the age 14-16, but that only taught me the basics of the internal combustion engine. I have the tech manual, and great resources like this forum, so wish me luck. I figure that a newbie can figure stuff out if he/she just puts their mind to it.

I am on the fence as to what I should do with the car. Should I make it as stock as possible or turn her into more of a performance car (can I have both?)

As of now, my ideas are to upgrade to an electronic ignition and find a super six setup. The car is in pretty sweet condition and doesn't need it, but I would like the added power and, from what I am reading, better fuel economy. Other than that, my primary goal is to get the seats repaired.

I have pleny of questions for everyone here, but I'll put the search option to use, and if I can't find anything, you can expect to hear from me.

Thanks ahead of time for all your patience from a true newbie.

Billy Wilson

Well Billy you came to the right place. That looks like a great car and im sure you have the goal to and experenance to do this. If we can help just post it here on our site. The differance between a person who say their are smart and a person who is wise is . A smart person says they have all the right answers. But a wise person says i can not answer that question but i know some one who does. That is a big differance. So who is the funny man. Thanks Ron Parker







It Aint Over Until I Win

Nice score! I was really interested in that car, but 3,000 miles was just a bit far for me. Bad enough I ended up going 1,000 miles to get the one I just got!

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Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Fords.

'64 Valiant 100 '66 Dodge A100

Billy and Margaret, welcome onboard! Me, I filled my folks' garage with small engines when I was 8 to 15, myself. You'll find a lot of what you learnt is applicable to your new car. First thing to do: Go get the three books described inthis thread. And, ask lots of questions!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Margaret looks like my '64's younger sister. Similar good looks, slightly different face. Very good choice!
Mine started as a bone stock grocery getter. She still fills that role, but now has several upgrades: disk brakes up front, electronic ignition, much better tires, et cetera, all done in the interest of keeping her on the road and up with traffic.
You certainly can improve performance without changing the nature of the car. Decide what you want out of the car, then figure out how to get there.
You'll find a lot of good info here, and some great folks.
Have fun!

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

Thanks for the recommendation on the books. The service tech manual came with the car, and I just purchased the other two off of amazon. These books are freakin' huge! Looks like I'll have my lap full for the next few months. Perfect for the rainy days.

Hey BDUBYA, I'm Tilted's brother. Nice to see he sold it to a true fan. My personal recommendation would be to keep the car as original as possible since it's so original to begin with. Once you fix the headlight bezel and the seats it's pretty much there, aside from the little dings and stuff.

I have a '69 Dart that also has manual drums and I was surprised that his (your) car actually felt more solid than mine. I bought a disc brake parts car that I'm going to use to upgrade my brakes and wheels but aside from that and adding a Pertronix ignition at some point, I'm happy with mine. I admit I've had the urge to give it more power but then, the only truly sensible way to do that is to put a V-8 in but then these guys will hang us, so...

Slant sixes just aren't performance rides. I think their strength is in their simplicity, reliability, and cruisability. You pretty much have all that already. I say get it looking great cosmetically and just drive it.

I'm getting ready to attempt the "$50 roller paint job" on mine and if you're interested I can tell you how it goes and give you any advice if you want to try it yourself.

Good to meet you tripower, your brother was a sigh of relief for me, as the other sellers I had met were pretty shady.

I am definately gonna keep her a six, and for a 41 year old ride, I can't believe how well she runs.

Thank your brother again for me!

As for the paint, I will wait till summer to get the cosmetics done ($), and since I have a garage I am not too worried about her gettin' any more rust for now. I am feeling like I want a shop to do my body work. I know it's a lot of cash, but they will do a better job than I can.

If anyone knows of a body shop in portland that is fair/reasonable/kicks arse, let me know.

Cheers.

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Billy Wilson
1965 Valiant 225

Better smile when you say that, guy. There are a lot of people on here and elsewhere with scary-fast slant-6 cars.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Besides, define "performance" — as compared to what? A 2000 Camaro SS? A 340 Challenger? Well, maybe not. But compared to its peers (both modern and past), it holds up pretty darn well in my opinion.

I was out shopping for a NEW car a few months ago. Now, admittedly, I was looking at entry-level Kias, Suzukis and Focuses, but I was pleasantly suprised to find that my super-sixed Swinger would leave them ALL behind, even with its highway gears and automatic (and the new cars were sticks). They'd all beat me at the gas station, of course, but you could use the same logic when comparing a slant to a 340 Challenger.

Maybe I'm getting old (okay, I KNOW I'm getting old), but I've come to the conclusion that a slant can provide all I need and more for the purpose of my daily commute. In traffic, I can keep up with ANY Mustang or WRX.

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vm