Clean Survivor: 1974 Plymouth Valiant Scamp

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The seller of this 1974 Plymouth Valiant Scamp could have been describing me when they say that it’s far from perfect but is a remarkably clean survivor! I know, weird. I also have a couple of dings and, most likely, some rust lurking. They have this Scamp posted here on craigslist in Camino, California and they’re asking $4,500. Here is the original listing.

There seem to be similar dents in the leading edge of both front fenders for some reason, like someone tried to pick it up with a big pair of pliers. Otherwise, I don’t see any dents or areas of concern. A couple of chunks-o-trim are missing but that should be easy to redo after you fix the pliers dents. One area that is of concern is lurking under everyone’s favorite feature of 1970s cars: the vinyl top.

GAAA! I hope that I don’t have that much rust lurking under the surface. That’s scary stuff right there on the c-pillar, no? Yes. I’m a big fan of vinyl tops but they often cause trouble like this and they can be hard to fix, not to mention expensive. Hagerty is at around $4,700 for a #3 good condition car if that’s of any value to prospective buyers. The Scamp was a hardtop and it’s hard to beat that sweet concave rear window.

Plymouth made the fourth-generation Valiant for model years 1974 through 1976 and you can see that there is a fair amount of work to do inside this car after you finish the pliers’ dents and fixing rust under the vinyl top. Hey, where’d everyone go? The back seat looks almost perfect, at least other than the top of it, but the seller says that the dash is cracked so this time the dash cover isn’t protecting a perfect dash, it’s covering up a bad one. Changing a dash, that’s something that Todd Fitch could do in his sleep, I can barely change wiper blades anymore. That hot California sun will bake the ___ out of fabrics.

This one doesn’t have the preferred 318 V8, it’s a 225 slant-six with 105 horsepower, an engine that I know or used to know very well. It starts instantly and runs well. Overall, this looks like a worthy project for any two-door-hardtop Scamp lovers out there. Are you one of those people?

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Comments

  1. Cellblock Steve

    Love the engine, but that name? Who bumped the left front fender? Ouch!

    Like 7
    • Poppy

      Probably the same person who bumped the right front fender! Double Ouch!

      Like 9
      • Bob C.

        Nana backing out of the garage.

        Like 6
  2. LCL

    Regarding the speedometer wobble mentioned in the original listing: My 1967 Dart had a similar problem which was resolved by putting liquid graphite lubricant down the speedometer cable from behind the speedometer.
    The cable made a thudding sound in cold weather when the drive cable stuck to the outside sheath, wound it up then let go against the floor of the car.

    Hence thud.

    Too bad about the U-joints I replaced first! The learning that occurred was tremendous.

    Like 0
  3. Luki

    Slow news day?

    Like 5
  4. BoatmanMember

    Any leaks, Scotty?

    Like 3
    • Scotty GilbertsonAuthor

      Ha, me or the Scamp?

      Like 4
      • BoatmanMember

        Why you, of course!

        Like 4
  5. Rex Kahrs Rex KahrsMember

    I liked that pliers joke Scottie.

    Like 7
  6. Joe Haska

    I had a 1969 Dart equipped almost the same, I think I paid $1,200 for it. That turned out to be one of my best buys ever. I like this car ,but having a hard time with the price. It is certainly not bad and everything is repairable, but that comes with a cost, which could certainly be, a little more than you might expect.

    Like 4
  7. S

    I used to be the owner of a 73 Scamp. Not in bad shape, but it looks more like 149,887 miles than 49,887. The rust underneath that vinyl top – better have that checked right away!

    Like 2
  8. Bill Hall

    This is a car you can drive forever. Enough power to at least get out of its own way and economical. Easy and cheap to maintain and repair unlike a new car that by the time they are the same age as the Scamp will have been recycled numerous times.

    Like 1
  9. Tim LovingMember

    I have a 73 Plymouth Scamp now. Awesome car, that I am thinking about selling. We are moving and I am going to be losing my 2,000 SF Shop for some time. Have to build a new one, maybe, the new lot has some topo to it. May be losing some of my prize possessions to keep peace in the family if you know what I mean.
    Not sure that I want to store it for that long.
    Hotchkis Sport Suspension, 340 V8, headers, big cam, Holley fuel injected, MSD Ignition Sytem. Wimbledon White with Blue interior. Perfect. Forged Cali Wheels were 5 K. Roughly 400 HP. I have not Dyno’d.
    If anyone would like to give me some advice on an accurate sales price that I should ask, I would sure appreciate it and would love to send some pics. 82K original miles. Power steering, A/C, new tires, immaculate car. Oh, AM radio, does not work. Sorry. Scary fast. Please hit me and I will send some pics and post it for sale on Barnfinds. Thanks. Tim

    Like 0
  10. Beel

    Dad had the Dodge variant for his company car, same year. SE trim including crushed velour seats. The fenders had rust holes after only nine months. He put a lot of miles on his company cars. In two years when he traded it, it was very badly rusted with many holes. Disgraceful.

    Like 0
    • karl

      Very doubtful they would have rusted out in 9 months , even the Darts replacement the Aspen didn’t rust out that fast and they were known to rust quickly . Here in New England , unless it was an import or a Vega , cars would have rot by the time they were 6 or 7 years old

      Like 1
      • Beel

        Well, I’m sorry I don’t have pictures to prove it to you, but I know what I saw.

        Like 0

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