1972 Valiant sedan

OK, you got me. Yes, that's a '69 Dart GT! But again, it's the closest I can come with a file photo.

The '72 Valiant was basically the same body, though. It was a light yellow 4-door sedan, with the 225 cu. in. slant-six and automatic trans. I bought it from my father-in-law with 125k+ on it (he'd bought it new). It was rusty, and a bit banged-up on the passenger side, but still a solid and reliable little car. I'd done a valve job on it for him about a year before I bought it (shortly before he 'customized' the passenger side), so I knew the car pretty well, and kind of felt like I already had a stake in it.

To be honest, I forget what I paid for the car.. but it wasn't much! However, it turned out to be one of the most persistent of my "winter" cars; Karen and I drove it for nearly five years (and year-round, not just in the winter). The last 2 years the car showed zero oil pressure at the sending-unit tap. I figure it must have had pressure on the bottom end, and was restricted downstream, between the bottom end and the sending unit. I mean, the slant-six is a tough engine, but not that tough! I still ran when I sold it, but that oiling problem had me nervous, and I figured I should sell it while I could still get a few bucks for it. I regret that a bit, now, I sometimes wonder just how long it did go!

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