Hey guys, I'm new here. I have been reading through different posts and getting some tips here and there. But about 2 years ago my wife and I were going to buy a car for our daughter. I saw this 68 Valiant parked on the corner with a for sale sign starting at $1000. Weeks went by and it was now $900 so I called the guy and we went for a testdrive and I bought the car for $700. The body seemed to be in good shape and it ran good except when we took it up on the highway exhaust would come in from the firewall. Well, the car ended up sitting and my daughter ended up buying her own car. I loved the car from the get-go because my dad had a 69 Coronet and it reminded me of him. Anyways, 2 years has passed and the car has sat until now. Finally I have done all my 'honey-do's' (for now) and I have started on working on the Valiant. The car seems to be complete except the underdash airconditioner was removed and was put in the truck along with the compressor (airpump). The hoses, belts, and you name it all seem to be original. The transmission pan and oil pan seem to be leaking. So there seems to be alot of work to get it in tiptop shape and I am excited to do the work, that I am able to do. My question is(are) besides the hoses, belts, and obvious, what would you suggest I replace or rebuild. It has front and rear drums also. I know I will be back here many times all of your help or suggestions. If you need, I can probably get a complete list of specs (not that there are much because these cars seem pretty basic). Another question (wrong category) how does the front suspension work without springs/struts???

Thanks, Dan

It has a kind of spring/strut called the torsion bar...jack car up, look at the lower control arm under the front wheel spindle, it will be connected to the K-member, where it connects is a big socket where the front of the bar is moiunted the other is keep in check at the cross member under the middle of the car...these are like a peice of steel that is "wound up" and act like your springs...(oddly if you nick them or abuse them badly expect them to crack/break/never spring back...so no 4x4 with the valiant or using vise grips to pull hem out...)

Good luck on your acquisition, my mom had a '68 V-100 2 door 225 3 on the tree, it was a nice "learner" car while in school...

-D.Idiot

Welcome aboard! I am glad to see another 68 Valiant on the board. First thing that you will want to check on any old car are the brakes. In my opinion, it does not matter what is under the hood because if you can't stop it once it get going then what is the point? Check all the hard steel brake lines from the master cylinder all the way to the various wheels. Replace them if you are in doubt. Check all the wheel cylinders and the rubber lines too while you are at it. Safety first!

Russ

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1968 Valiant 100 4 door 225/6

i think what 68Valiant said is worth repeating......

First thing that you will want to check on any old car are the brakes. In my opinion, it does not matter what is under the hood because if you can't stop it once it get going then what is the point? Check all the hard steel brake lines from the master cylinder all the way to the various wheels. Replace them if you are in doubt. Check all the wheel cylinders and the rubber lines too while you are at it. Safety first!

and having gone down a scary hill, i still won't say i didn't have brakes....but i wasn't slowing very much....but calm prevailed, and the green light gods were with me that day....man that was a ride!!!!

so yeah, a G later, i had them all done....having the look of the repair guy...
"you DROVE this here?!?!?!? and shaking his head...."your right front brake line is completely cracked thru...i'd assume it was a interesting ride..."....then i kinda chuckled, and nervously realized how close to the end i was....*gulp*...so yeah, BRAKES!!! check the BRAKES!!!! even 10-15 mph is scary with a ton and a half rolling....

blind hopes that what is refered to as the "brake incident" NEVER repeats....and is equally hoping that the G he spent is the "hurdle" the last guy didn't wanna take on...b/c otherwise, she's a nugget!

Thanks guys, I appreciate your advice and knowledge. As for the suspension, I had never seen something like that before. But hey thats cool, learn something everyday. I had been thinking about rebuilding the brakes because they look awfully bad. The hub/drums are heavily rusted and gunked up. Also the brake pedal was almost to the floor and very soft. I did find new drums for $15 each, is that good? I'm gonna try to keep everything pretty much stock. Do you know of where I can get a kit for those brakes? I had to laugh, 68Valiant, when I scrolled down and seen the pics of your valiant and I thought, hey how did he get in my yard and take pics of my car? Haha. Its the exact same car, color, 4dr, everything. Thats cool.

68 is a good year, it will make parts easier to get (67 had some weird one year only, combo of new and old parts)

You will be surprised at how much you can get from your local autoparts store. Soft interior parts, body panels, etc.. are the only things that you have to do some leg work/key board work to find.

partsamerica.com and rockauto.com are great places to start looking. You will find everything you need except steel brake lines at partsamerica.com (kragen, scnucks, advance auto). I am willing to guess that you have 9" drums all around. Also buy new if you are getting a master cylinder, rebuilts are sketchy these days (search previous posts of mine to hear my horror stories).

Have fun, these cars are a pleasure to work on.

Tim

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My Swinger gets the Highlight Valet Parking spot over the German sports cars on the Sunset Strip. I love my Mopar.

Go to www.paddockparts.com

Order a catalog (1st catalog request is free). They have everything you could ever need for your car. A front to rear steel brake line is around $55-
I purchased a kit for under $200 but I don't think that it was from them. The kit came with 1 front to rear steel line, The 2 steel lines from the proportioning valve to the rubber lines in the front, the steel line that goes across the rear axle, the 2 little steel line from rubber lines to the front wheel cylinders and all the rubber lines.

The big money came when I purchased the 4 wheel cylinders. I bought new, not rebuilt, and it cost me the same price as the whole brakeline kit.

Russ

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1968 Valiant 100 4 door 225/6