Tristan Hankins uploaded something a bit different to the Cohort; this Chrysler Valiant VG (1970-1971) convertible, for sale, no less. And you should know it’s a mighty rare beast, as in one of a kind, as this is a custom made conversion. There never was a factory convertible of this car; just about every Australian, car, for that matter. Me thinks it’s a bit too sunny for ideal top-down motoring. That mangled looking top behind the rear seat rather gives that away.
And don’t be put off by that price; it’s a mere $6,407 US dollars. What are you waiting for?
Here’s what it would have looked like on a previous gen VF hardtop before it had its roof shorn: now you recognize it; it’s a Dart, with a bit of front end work. This generation of Chrysler A Body didn’t come as a convertible in the US either, unlike its predecessor. Which means there was no ready source for the convertible roof. The ’67 – ’69 Dart was available as a convertible.
As to what’s under the hood, a 225 slant six in the above VF and early VG or a 215 or 245 “hemi” six in the VG or a 318 LA V8 in either series.
Paul – the hacksaw is a VG (1970). Almost certainly a 245 Hemi. Round headlights, VF.
“This generation of Chrysler A Body didn’t come as a convertible in the US either”
True for the Valiant, but not for the Dart until after 1969. I have seen some pictures of 1967-69 Dart convertibles turned into 1971-71s by bolt-on updates to the front and rear ends.
I have always liked those Aussie parking lights on the leading edges of the front fenders up above the headlghts.
It was getting a bit late last night, and my mind was obviously falling asleep already. Fixed now.
Those 67-69 Darts are easy to forget because we saw them so seldom. It seemed like they fell off the earth early while the 1970+ versions stayed around forever.
I can see swapping a ’70-’71 Swinger doghouse onto a ’67-’69 convertible, but replacing the rear taillights looks like it would be a whole lot more work. To do it correctly would require new quarter panels, and they’d have to be cut down to mate up to the convertible pieces correctly.
But the effort might be worth it. A ’70-’71 Swinger convertible would be pretty cool, kind of like the ’68-’70 Charger convertible that occasionally pops up.
For the enlightenment of the interested few, there was a convertible version of no Australian car later than about the 1949 Vauxhall Velox (itself, a bit of a cobble-job). Why, despite being loyal Empirists and subjects of Her Objectness, we never even got convertible Morrie Minors other than as expensive personal imports.
This VF, a vaguely ingenious update of the VG using Hillman Hunter headlights (Hillmans then being assembled by Chrysler as the local Euro Rootes offshoot), is one of many, many poor and unfortunate such 2-door Vals that met betwixt the midnight slicer-yard and the profit margin in circa ’88 or so. Beetles were done over at a similar rate, and with similar attention to professionalism at the same time.
To be entirely fair – not my usual pastime here, but anyhoo – they were essentially valueless at this point in history, a bit of a giggle given their big-arse values now if the roof is still connected. The coupes were never sold in big numbers – and that’s big Oz car numbers – so few indeed.
Their floppy, unsealeable remnants still arise from the murk for resale from time to unfortunate time, this being one such at one such time.
Even with immensely devalued Aus dollars in their present state, I would have to advise against purchase, except as a leaky swimming pool.
Looking closely at these, it would seem that one could start off with an American 67-69 Dart convertible and then swap enough parts with an Aussie hardtop to make it good. This would not work with a lot of Australian cars, but these VFs look like the US body was used with virtually no changes (beyond what could be done with a wrench set).
But then that would likely have cost a lot more than finding a native beater then applying that ever-handy mixture of beer and a Sawzall.
That’s right, the Australian VF-VG 2-door was a right-hand drive ’67-’69 Dodge Dart 2-door with some cosmetic changes. With enough beer and sawblades, as you say, yep, it could be done.
But if I wanted to make people spit out their beer and make confused noises with a Mopar A-body, I think I’d probably have something like…oh…this.
Would it be essentially a front clip swap, Mr S? I have some vague notion the 2-doors came here as CKD kits, unlike the locally-stamped sedans and wagons.
The pic shows a stock South African ’71 Valiant wagon, which was made by Chrysler South Africa putting the US ’70-’71 Dart front end assembly on the Australian ’68-’70 (VF-VG) Valiant wagon body. Everything lines up, and it was a logical move for Chrysler SA because their ’70-’71 Valiants were RHD ’70-’71 Darts.
The Australian VE wagon (’67-’68), from the rear, suggests a double-takemaker of its own: the taillights are very similarly configured to those of the ’67 Baccaruda. The ’67-’69 Baccaruda front end assembly won’t match up with the non-Cuda A-bodies, even of those same years, but I have to think it wouldn’t be all that difficult for a talented metalworker to remedy that and make a one-of-none Cuda wagon.
My thoughts exactly, that’s how some have created XR Falcon “coupes”. Convert to right hand drive would probably be the only non bolt-on effort to accomplish a US body swap.
https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/1966-ford-falcon-sports-coupe-with-xr-gt-style
Other way round; the VG (with rectangular headlamps) came after the VF (with round ones).
The headlamps themselves weren’t specific to/designed for the Hillman Hunter. They were used on that model, and the Austin Kimberley, and a whole bunch of other British and Australian vehicles. It’s an English-made Lucas all-glass sealed beam, 75/60w high/low, non-halogen, producing European beam patterns. At about 180 × 130 mm, it’s a little smaller than the American and Japanese large rectangular sealed beam (200 × 142 mm).
Er, yes, quite. G does follow F, after all (and I just now typed that round the wrong way!)
As to headlamps, I should’ve known you’d pipe up, in fact, I should’ve known better than to speak of lighting at all, let alone in old Vals!
You will doubtless know of many other cases, but for a (definite) non-expert, it’s remarkable how different this light looks in those various applications you mention. Big, on the Val. Smallish, on the Hunter. A much broader oblong on the Kimberley. Seems I am at the mercy of the stylist’s trickery.
Oh, heavens. I hope I don’t inspire people not to talk about lighting; that’s sort of opposite the intended effect! I certainly don’t expect anyone else to share my weird fixation with car lights.
The variable-size effect you mention is real. This particular sealed beam was an off-the-shelf item offered by Lucas to whoever wanted to buy it, but we’re talking about markets where headlamp shape-size-mount was not standardised, so just as there were dozens of different lamps around the size of the standard 7″ round item, there were multiple rectangular formats as well. Different mount/aim provisions, some a little taller, some a little wider, some with rounder or straighter sides, some with deeper or shallower lenses, etc.
I’ve often wondered what the VG-VH Valiants might have looked like if they’d been designed to take the larger rectangular lamps that became legal in the US for ’78 Seems to me it could easily have been done; those cars readily accommodated the 7″ round lamp, and the big rectangular lamp is only 5.6″ tall.
The hardtops were very popular in NZ you’d be amazed at how many came here new Valiants were well reguarded here.
Some extra history, if any one wants it.
Holden built the bodies for the prewar-body-carryover Vauxhall Caleche Justy mentions, but also made the Vagabond, a tourer/roadster (no side windows) version of the fifties E-series Vauxhall, though I think they stopped production about ’55. I remember seeing a few around, but so few you’d wonder why they bothered. Also Austin sold a two-door tourer version of the A40 Devon, again, Australia only. Think this one was a Ruskin body. No Holden convertible? No, as these postwar ‘tourers’ were based on cars with a solid chassis; the Holden was unitary. And GM were selling every Holden they could make.
This Valiant? Definitely an eighties leftover, as nobody in their right mind would cut the top off such a desirable car nowadays. The wheels rather date it, too. I’m impressed that it has survived. Also, most states (maybe all) now require inspection and certification from a recognised engineer before such a thing could be registered. Enforcement seems to vary from “who cares” to full-jackboot.
I usually end up feeling like these “hack jobs” should have been done as roadsters for anyone who was that excited about a convertible version. Replace the interior with marine materials and redo the electricals so they can stand a dousing.
Much better than a car that looks great top down and likely very ungangly with the top up.
Doesn’t the last version of the Capri count as an Australian convertible? Was it in fact the only one from modern times?
Oh!
Well, yes, not including the Capri, then.
I forgot it. Most Australians have, and those that haven’t – those who bought it, really – still try to.
Sorry if I brought up a topic of national embarrassment. Two nations really, the one that built it and the one whose HQ allowed it to happen.
IMO, losing the questionable two tone paint job with an attractive solid colour would help make it more sellable. 🙂
Definitely. And someone needs to decide whether it’s sporty (alloys, black grille) or a luxury model (sill and arch chrome, hood ornament). At the moment ift falls between two stools.
The background couldn’t be more perfect. “Finance available here” and “Cash for Cars and Commercials” Nothing says better I am a third tier used car dealer.
This pic and article rang a faint, distant bell for me. Quick, to the archives! Yep, thought that’s what I remembered. This page from the June 1986 issue of the Slant-6 News goes into some detail on the construction of at least some of these cars.
Yeah 67 Vauxhall Viva lights into the VF Valiant along with a 215 or 245 Hemi and voila the VG of course Aussies got their HB Viva labled Torana with round lights and missed the trick, There was as Justy says a minor industry churning out Valiant ragtops for a while the raw material was worth nothing the other booming backyard sawzall boom was in rebirthed Holden utes which had value starting with panelvans which didnt all you needed to complete the conversion was the front of a sedan or wagon roof and you had a very saleable comodity on your hands, As justy pointed out GMH played this game with new cars of the Vauxhall range producing ragtops and utes using EIP sedan bodies and CA Bedford van chassis and now with restorable ragtop Vagabonds going for 20-30k I’m amazed someone hasnt started knocking those out too it wouldnt be that difficult.
Thanks for the shout out, Paul! I knew this was a rare beast when I caught sight of the two-tone paint job. I’m just glad my flatmate let me pull over and snap some photos!
Here’s a shot of the rear end:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187826099@N08/49733524002/in/dateposted-public/
And another of the interior:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187826099@N08/49733201881/in/dateposted-public/
The previous Australian VE Valiant had a Dodge Dart front end but was only ever a four-door. The VF and VG were the coupes, and from the A-pillar back, 100% Dodge Dart. (The only difference between the VF and VG front are the headlights and grille.) However, because of the longer front on the VF/VG, the VE/Dart front end won’t bold on. A few people have mated the VE with the VF/VG coupe and made a Dodge Dart clone but they had to do some fabricating to make the make it work. Here’s a great example of an Australian VE VF/VG Dodge Dart conversion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm81LcFMP34