Side Yard Roller: 1963 Plymouth Valiant

Plymouth joined the compact car market in 1960 with the Valiant. It continued Chrysler’s then-current theme of quirky styling, which may have hindered the Valiant’s sales in what was otherwise a hot market. This revised 1963 2-door sedan is from the first redesign, and buyers responded more enthusiastically. Located in Liberty, Kentucky, this project comes as a roller, so we assume both the engine and transmission have flown the coop. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,500 OBO, though trades are not out of the question.

With all-new sheet metal, Valiant sales saw a 50% increase from 1962 to 1963. And Dodge’s knock-off, the Lancer, had found fewer buyers, so they renamed the car the Dart in ’63 in hopes of finding more customers (they did). A 170 cubic inch Slant-Six was the standard engine in 1963, with the 225 version an option (a V8 was a year away). If you ordered your Valiant with an automatic transmission, the push buttons were still in the dash on the left side (like here).

Few details are offered on this Valiant, which appears to have been sitting out in the yard for many years. We’re not sure if the bottom of the car isn’t sitting on or near the ground, making the unibody more susceptible to corrosion. This Plymouth looks like it’s wearing an Earl Schieb kind of paint job, so we don’t know if that’s the original color (I think there may be some white under there somewhere).

The interior is incomplete, and there may be a decent foundation here for a restoration. But since it’s a pillared coupe with no drivetrain, how likely is it that someone will pour a ton of money into reviving this vehicle? If you look at it as a parts car, is $2,500 going to net you a viable assortment of parts for another project? Our thanks to “Pnuts” for this tip.