Hello.

A little on my car, bought in 1999 a 1968 Signet for using as a daily driver, I wanted something cheap that didn't need so much attention and to care for, and with good loading capability, and of course, american.

So this car has served well, and surprisingly well in our harsh winter climate and conditions. The car originally left the factory in Hamtramck white, but has 19 owners later gone through most color schemes possible, until I repainted it (brush and roller) in a red primer, mainly just to get it in one color, instead of five...

The car is a bit strange however in specs, Valiant was the most sold US car here during the sixties, frequently used as taxi and by the police force, thankfully this has never been a cop car (since they did come with completely revised interour, puke friendly... ahrum, and with hideuos bucketseats and doorhandles from SAAB...)

Since this was registered as early as 1968 I took it for a swedish sold, but some details didn't cope, all Signets here did get power brakes and front wheel discs, also all Signets had bucket seats, these were fitted here and looks different than stock US buckets, why I dont know.

This Signet has drums all around no PB, no PS, and full bench seat with automatic on column.

Some detective work however cleared things out, the car was privatly imported new 1968 by a vicar.

But there are more to it, Valiants have had a pretty low survival ratio over here, most served hard from the beginning (police and taxicabs) and then the youngsters got them as cheap heaps, and the -70:ies was very tough on Vals and Darts, when they were in general used (and still today) as beer drinking barges... sorry no better translation for a wild scandinavian phenomena called "raggen"... (that involves US cars,cruising around in town, beer, more beer, rocknroll, beer with booze, riding 15 people in and on top of the forementioned poor US car, chasing ladies, more beer, more rocknroll, police pursuit, more ladies, then the sun goes up...)

Mine has survived not subjected to any of this, but on the other hand it has been serving as a daily since the day it got here, not being out of the register more than six months in total!

And more surprising is that even if it passed on through 20 owners, not much has been "fixed" on it, I have only redone som wiring that was messed up, the interiour is in rather nice condition, despite the drivers door inner trim is replaced incorrectly.
Also weird is that this Signet came new with no options whatsoever! not even a radio and most surprising is that none of the 18 between me and the vicar, has cut up the dash to mount one!
However someone has installed window washers, thankfully. but the car has as mentioned no PB,PS, no radio, no fender mounted turn indicators, nothing, besides the first owner did pay $163 extra for automatic gearbox...

Sadly now the car has been standing longer than I expected, did replace the engine after the old one after documented 450K miles and most likely no major service since around 1972 did take some oil... more, I replaced a valve that burnt, and accidenlty cracked the valve guidance (valve was so hammered out by the lifter that it didn't pass through...)
and then oh my, it started to guzzle oil, in the end I threw in some 3 gallons in two weeks... desicion made new engine needed... Did get a very nice 225" from a '74 canadabuilt Valiant, thats hardly been worn in, that car did only have honest 75K on the meter!

Brakes were to be fixed up, but drums needed replacement and proved tricky to find. Car is standing outdoors, so the winter is no option to fix the car for me, but eventually its almost completed by now and will be on the road again in a short time.

But will in the future wear less on it, my current daily now is a 1987 Chevrolet Caprice wagon, an old dream car to me, but apparantly that one needs some care and loving as well, when I get the time to it.

Despite living in Sweden, Volvo has never been an option to me, horrible tiny, rattling, nicy smallcars are my opinion on them, suspects that Volvo got their engineerical knowlegde from Wartburg or something...

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

Well, I'ts a winter car isn't it?

And can tell ya, its been much more reliable than any more modern V***O!




Among friends in Denmark!
Me is the one across the hood with boots on, in front of the fire we put the adults on the hoods and allm the kids on the roof...



Here I am lost somewhere in Norway... this Val has been around indeed, the previous owner have drove it to Moscow... TWICE! bear in mind, this car hasn't been properly served since roundabout 1970 somewhere...




AOUCH! and this all done without snow or hazardours conditions, the bummer in a V***o hit the brakes without warning (as they usually do) the road was wet, uneven brakes and crashed sideways into the forementioned... me, unbelted did good, he was a bit worse, all the "baloons" did come out... appearntly I had swept his new shiny V***o down the ditch hitting a rock...
Sorry...

Parts cost? $8 for me, got two new doors for free from a friend, and the rest amount was for a spray can of burgundy red for the inside of the doors... red rust primer I have a lot of, since painting is my profession...



And when its -25C, dont forget your anti-freeze!

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

On the road shortly...

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

ITS ALIVE!

Well, the Valiant has been neglected a bit, sadly, but have my Caprice under some service, and in the mean time my daily is a 1976 Buick Electra 4dr HT, that too needed some caring to pass the inspection (minor probs, sold new to the US embassy in Stockholm, both the ambassoador and me enjoys driving 455" to and from! )

And besides cars, have to work, don't we just hate when works intrudes on your hobbies?

Anyway, my last ride was in, jeez, April 2002, after swapping the engine, that testrun ended up early (just as good, since brakes proved non-existant...) with a puncture and ignition problem.

Trubleshot the ignition, but didn't get any wiser, have done it sometime more, I mean, there are not that many parts that could go wrong in these... but was just puzzling, esopecially since I knew all that parts were fresh and/or replaced.

Yesterday, was over at my old mans house for other business, but decided to take some minutes with the car, and discovered when checking the distributor that the breaker points didn't do what they should, noticed that they slipped, and adjusted them abouth 0,5 millimeter, seems like I hadn't tighned the screw enough.

Some gas in the carb, pumping the gas, turned the key... ka--BLAWM!, the engine checked back in with a big flame through the carb, and then it just got going!

A bit rough, but decided to take a small tour, and after a while, things "settled" and it ran smoother and smoother, and flet the car itself become more easy handled, its been on jackstands in an open shed for over two years, subjected to rain, wind and snow!

Some new fresh gas in the tank did good as well, and the small tour stretched to a couple of hours...

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

Runs great now after adjustments, but WHOA no brakes!

Right front wheelcylinder bursted, not just leaking, it pours a flood of fluid out of it...

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

your car look like an spanish dodge 3700GT !
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/DODGE3700GT/

Pretty much differs actually, the 3700 did carry on the A-body platform until the end, although believes few body parts are interchangable.

Which was the last year for the spanish 3700GT?

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

Well, slant is runnign pretty smooth, although choke don't work properly, and now its starting to get cold and dark in this godforsaken little country...

Brakes doing OK, but today a small test drive, the left front paw stopped braking... exhaust back on place, fixed and welded, it was in much better shape than I expected though. Bad part with that is that now I hear all the noice from the rear axle, sounds like a tram chases me down at 75 mph...

Some welding needed in the floor close to the pedals, that place was really rotten, the high-beam switch lives dangerously ner the "edge" there now, and I don't really think I need to have full visual control of the left front wheel while driving...

That, the right inner fender, and left rear fender needs some new metal, rest of the car is pretty sound.

Interiour reconditioned, its incredible how greasy things can turn just by standing still.. some moulds have been spotted, the upside of the sunvisors for example, looked like it had some kinda optional black velvet clothing... bleuch

All plastic surfaces (and there is a lot of them i US cars...) I wash with plain soap and water, then smear glycerine all over, glycerine is also good to preserve rubber sealings, preferrably diluted with methanol.
Armour-all, eat your heart out!

Interiour looks better than one might expect after 35 years of year-around use, the drivers side of the bench is cracked and worn down, and there is ahole in the headliner about 3"x3" where probably a roden have built a nest once a time, carpeting in rear looks fine, but need to chanche the front part, waterleakage and rust have done severe damage to it, but the best is that nonne has hacked up holes for radio, stereo, speakers, breakers and other junk, though the car have had 19 owners before me...

Inner doorskins looks really nice, except for on the drivers side, where someone has changed it for one from a '67 V100 orginally blue, brushpaineted red.. But I have no greater hope to find a complete doorskin for a '68 Signet 4dr with red upholstery... its more easier to find NOS and repro stuff for a '59 Eldorado Biarritz than for a cheap lowdown little anonymous Val... strange isn't it?

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

In its present shape, don't you think the white top looks rather neat too?
http://www.cardatabase.net/search/photo ... d=00008086

pity they didn't coem in two-tones, but vinyl tops was avalibale, according to the option lists, but never seen one with it.

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