Vehicle Description
1964 Plymouth Valiant
In May 1957, Chrysler president Lester Lum "Tex" Colbert
established a committee to develop a competitor in the burgeoning
compact car market which included the popular VW Beetle, the new
American Motors Rambler and upcoming entries from GM, Ford and
Studebaker. Virgil Exner designed a car that was smaller and
lighter than a full-size car without sacrificing passenger and
luggage space. Originally named the Falcon after Exner's 1955
Chrysler Falcon concept car, the vehicle was renamed the 'Valiant'
honoring Henry Ford II's request to use the original name for the
Ford Falcon.
For consignment a 1964 version of the Plymouth Valiant.
Exterior
A side view of this car and it will tell you that Virgil Exner
certainly had "different" in mind when he penned this design. This
compact car is all bathed in white and has some worn but still
shiny trimmings and badging. Gaps are nicely minded, and black wall
tires have chromed badged center caps.
Interior
Retaining most of its original charm, all two tone blue vinyl, we
see original low back buckets, with light blue bolsters and dark
blue inserts. A rear bench is shown in the same color way and
slightly different pattern believed to be the original from the
factory pattern. Note the front seat mounts have a coating of heavy
rust on them. Upfront the snappy mid 60's original dash whose white
surround for the instruments is fading to yellow and is dirty. A
push button panel is to drivers left and is the futuristic way to
change gears, (Meet George Jetson...). An original light blue
steering wheel is fronting the dash and the blue surrounding
plastic is worn. Along door panels are dirty and scratched at the
sills. Blue carpeting showing some staining is on the floors and a
very wrinkly and saggy headliner is barely hanging on above in
light blue fabric. She wore blue vinyl......
Drivetrain
Flipping the hood we note bolted into this car is an original 273
ci V8. It has a nice coat of red on the block water pump and valve
covering. It is topped with an Edelbrock intake and a single
4-barrel factory carburetor. On back is an A904 3-speed automatic
enabled by those pushbuttons. Power transfers to the rear wheels
via a 7-1/4-inch Sure Grip rear axle. Looking clean and good under
this hood.
Undercarriage
Patina, faded coatings and some light surface rust sums up the
steel underneath this classic. Independent torsion bar front
suspension is now on, and leaf springs are on back. Drum braking is
on all 4 corners. A Dynomax free flow exhaust system is now on, and
it ends nicely in chrome tipped pipes in the back.
Drive-Ability
My test drive included the push button experience, and it runs
smoothly and handles nicely. The odometer and speedometer are
non-functional.
Thanks Tex Colbert for this trend starting at Plymouth in the
compact Valiant. Some work needs to be done to the interior, the
engine seems buttoned up and the exterior is good. A bit of TLC
needed to get it just right, but for now turn the key and push the
buttons! His boy Elroy...
VIN DECODE
V445143216
V-Valiant V8
4-Signet
4-1964
5-Los Angeles, CA Assy Plant
143216-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.