'63 Valiant, what should I know/look for?

['67Satellite]

Hey guys, a friend of mine is in the market for something interesting to tinker with that won't be any worse on gas than a lifted one ton. The commute that would be in this cars future is about 5 miles, so he's not asking a whole lot from this car. Just something interesting and easy to work on when it needs it. And I think the asking price (around a thousand) is a reasonable start.

I found this Valiant near by and think it would be great. Push-button trans, low miles (apparently), and "the leaning tower of power" (not sure 170 or 225 yet).

No frills car that, from the ad, looks pretty doable as a tinker toy commuter car.

What do you think and what should i look for, expect? I'm sure I'll be helping him out a bit as he's a Chebby lover I'm trying to turn!:hello2:

 

[Polara Pat]

You'll get a better response on FABO or slantsix.org but generally speaking these are good little runabouts. Look for rust in the floors if it had a rubber floor mat. 170 can be id'd by the water pump crossover hose that is very short. Like hose clamps touching one another due to the shorter stroke. If it's a low level '63 then it probably has a 170. All of the early slant sixs are solid lifter cams and benefit from a good valve lash with the motor running. Besides that, upgrade the master cylinder to a dual pot and adjust the brakes. Maybe give the front end a good wiggle to make sure nothing is going to fall out and just drive the thing.

 

['67Satellite]

I'm sure there's enough know how here to handle this, i have too many accounts on too many computers as it is.

Good call on the brakes, dual reservoir is a must for safety's sake. I was thinking 170 too. Solid lifter cams in these?