A while back, I promised we'd see more Chrysler A-bodies... but it's been over a month since we saw our last one. Poor Darts and Valiants, the wallflowers of their era, slogging along tirelessly for decades with their super-indestructo slant sixes and 318s, yet constantly overlooked in favor of flashier iron. So today we're all going to admire one of Alameda's numerous surviving Valiants.
The coolest thing about the '71 Valiant is that it's the car Spielberg used in The Greatest Valiant Movie of All Time. The only problem with the '71 was that Chrysler had axed the pushbutton shifter by that time.
Sure, the Valiant was a low-priced car, but it still had style.
Generally, if you're willing to apply the Bondo, you're willing to sand it. Primer helps, too. Looks like this car's owner ran out of bodywork ambition early in the project.
You still get a hint of fins in this design, just enough to remind us of the crazy machinery Chrysler was building in the late 50s. Check out the mid-80s CSM parking permits. Vintage!