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 Post subject: Aussie Valiants
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 2:27 am 
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3 Deuce Weber
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Thought you might be interested in seeing how the last of the Australian Valiants ended up looking.
This is my latest car, a Valiant GLX. The GLX was a limited edition sports pack(approx 400 made) and featured cloth interiors, factory stripe kit( including the black out under the windows), factory alloy wheels, overhead console and a sports dash. This particular car got a 4 speed, 4.3 hemi six, aircon and a floor console. The hemi six actually got a dual outlet exhaust manifold on late model cars, and I am running a dual 2" system.
Plans are for a mild street cam, bolt on the 4bbl manifold I am modifying for a Thermoquad and have fun eating V8 powered cars...the factory horsepower is 203 with 262 ft lbs torque at 2000 rpm.
This particular car was made in mid 1980, and Valiant production ended on very early 1980, but no one is sure exaclty when. Mitsubishu bought the Australian plant, and they promptly destroyed prety much anything paperwork wise when they moved in.
Interestingly, you bought Valiant spares at Mitsubishi dealers for years after the takeover, and I just bought a caliper rebuild kit off Ebay in Mitsubishi boxes.
I also have an Australian built Dodge truck with a slant in it, if you are wondering why I hang around this board!
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 2:35 am 
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3 Deuce Weber
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This is my 225 slant powered truck.
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 2:41 am 
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3 Deuce Weber
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Slant engine bay.
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:37 am 
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EFI Slant 6
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cool, have always loved the AUssie Valiants and have gathered load of materials about them over the years.

Belive it or not, but there was recently a '75 Valiant Ranger wagon for sale up here! very cheap, but lacked engine and tranny, unfortunately to far away for me, and besides, its definately not a good looker...

How and why it has got here puzzles me, and its now located somewhere up north, clos to the artic polar cirle, the most "northern" Aussie car in the world?

Are also following up rumours of a Valiant Charger that is supposed to be around in Eskilstuna west of Stockholm, but have not confirmed its existence. That car is easier to explain, since a small batch of some 270 Chargers was sold in the UK around 72-73.

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Signet '68 4dr, 460k miles and still rollin'


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:39 am 
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EFI Slant 6
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Please do put in more pics of how the GLX do actually look like.

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Signet '68 4dr, 460k miles and still rollin'


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 4:17 pm 
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3 Deuce Weber
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Marten,

Chrysler Australia used to export a few cars to different places when they wer building Valiants.
It's known that about 1000 or so Valiants in total ended up in Great Britain, all sorts of various body shapes. Also, our embassies overseas used to use them as staff cars etc, and I am guesing the Valiant wagon you saw was either a UK export, or maybe an embassy car.
You should go and look at it if it's not too far away, as there is some conjecture over here as ti whether Chrysler actually exported any cars with the hemi six, as none have been sighted.
I think everything exported had the slant six, as they were more common overseas, and therefore easier to get parts for. A factory slant powered late model valiant would be a rare treat over here! Any Valiant built after 71, when the VH range was introduced, is considered late model here, as it was the last body shape and mechanicals change.

Stand by for more GLX photos!

Regards, Andrew.


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 Post subject: GLX fest
PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 5:10 pm 
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3 Deuce Weber
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Lots more photos. By the way, if anyone knows where to get that wool blend upholstery fabric, I would love to know.
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:54 am 
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EFI Slant 6
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Thanks for the pics, is this what also was called the Chrysler Centura?

That '75 Ranger is located about 1000 kilometers north of where I live, so...

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Signet '68 4dr, 460k miles and still rollin'


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 12:54 am 
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3 Deuce Weber
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Marten,

No, the Centura was based on a French car platform, a Simca if I recall. You would probably know better than I being in europe. A Centura is a reasonable amount smaller that a Valiant, probably a small midsize, but came out with the 4 litre hemi. Needless to say, when a 4.3 is swapped into one, they go fairly hard! Centuras are known for a horrible weight distribution though and is probably why Chrysler didn't sell very many. The Centura had macpherson strut suspension and wasnt a bad car to look at, but had avery small boot.
The Centura was Chrysler's answer to flagging large car sales, and a plant that was not running at full capacity. Unfortunately for Chrysler, they were a little too late in getting the message(which was Chrysler Australia's story for many years)...the Centura was not sold in huge numbers.
The Valiant was by far the biggest sedan you coyld buy in Australia at teh end of it's life, and this is why CL and CM models sold very poorly, and why Chrysler sold off the Australian division.
Mitsubishi to this day build and export Magnas, Veradas etc overseas from this plant, so who knows what Chrysler could have done if they didnt screw up!

Regards, Andrew.


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