After over a decade of being a staionary object the Valiant lives once again, moved under it's own power today for the first time.
It's been one thing after another since I got the car back in the spring (which I expected), I didn't have any fuel at first thanks to a clogged 30 year old pump and then went for a long while trying to get some spark, replacing the entire ignition system. I finally narrowed it down to the disty and a wonky looking points plate, turns out it wasn't attached at one end, so I ordered a new distributor.
I got my new distributor yesterday and managed to stick it in today, a little gas down the carb, the engine turned over about 3 times and fired up, it ran rough but it ran, for the first time in over a decade.
I went to the parts store and got new plugs since that was the only tune-up item I hadn't replaced (because I didn't have spark getting to the plugs) and now it fires within half a turn and idles smooth, purs like a kitten...a 45 year old, SOHC, solid lifter kitten.
I moved it around the yard a little and took off the hubcaps for that super stock look, they were full of spiderwebs and grasshoppers?! It runs great and moves fine so far, though my brakes are lacking big time , I *might have one working brake that functions when you press the pedal, thank god for the parking brake. So I guess they are next up on the list of things to fix.
I'm so excited it runs though; it's nice to be behind the wheel of a mopar agian.
It's been one thing after another since I got the car back in the spring (which I expected), I didn't have any fuel at first thanks to a clogged 30 year old pump and then went for a long while trying to get some spark, replacing the entire ignition system. I finally narrowed it down to the disty and a wonky looking points plate, turns out it wasn't attached at one end, so I ordered a new distributor.
I got my new distributor yesterday and managed to stick it in today, a little gas down the carb, the engine turned over about 3 times and fired up, it ran rough but it ran, for the first time in over a decade.
I went to the parts store and got new plugs since that was the only tune-up item I hadn't replaced (because I didn't have spark getting to the plugs) and now it fires within half a turn and idles smooth, purs like a kitten...a 45 year old, SOHC, solid lifter kitten.
I moved it around the yard a little and took off the hubcaps for that super stock look, they were full of spiderwebs and grasshoppers?! It runs great and moves fine so far, though my brakes are lacking big time , I *might have one working brake that functions when you press the pedal, thank god for the parking brake. So I guess they are next up on the list of things to fix.
I'm so excited it runs though; it's nice to be behind the wheel of a mopar agian.
