1968 Plymouth Valiant Slant Six from North America - Comments

Nothing went wrong with it.

This was the most mechanically sound and durable car that I ever owned. I had the Plymouth Valiant in high school when it was 3 years old and sold it to get into more high performance cars. We lived in a rural area of the Western US where I actually saw this particular car of mine on the road until 1990's. I sold the car for $700. The slant six has to be the single most reliable and durable engine that Chrysler ever produced. No Mopar motor has come close to it yet, and never will. The Valiant had a really solid, thick sheet metal body for its time -- almost like a 1950's car.

I still see these cruising around. People don't ride these today for show; they are rebuildable workhorses that are built to last and used as commuter cars.

The 225 slant six can also be found in the early Dodge Dart, a somewhat sportier workhorse. And the automatic version of the Valiant was used in the country as a US Mail delivery vehicle long before Jeeps and vans.

Yeah I agree.. these things are indestructible. I had a '75 Dart sedan with the 225 and I ended up selling it for $200 because it had a bad K-member (front-end component), the guy took the motor out for his son's Duster and scrapped the rest of the car (what a shame). I wish I'd rebuilt it because I know I'd still have a trouble free ride, instead of this Neon I drive which is nothing, but problems!!

I surely agree... my daily driver is a 1968 Valiant with a slant six. People often ask me why I don't get another, newer car - what can I say? Nothing rides/performs like a Mopar to me - it's just got soul!

L.Branin.

You ever hear a slant six run? Sounds like a combination of a bunch of anemic bees flying and ball bearings rolling around in a shoE box! Yes, that's what I WANT TO HEAR!

Obviously yes, they have heard a Slant 6 run, since they have been driving one every day for years. That's the key: driving it every day for years. They hear it every day because it's not in the shop getting the transmission's computer replaced, or rebuilding a sludged out engine, or having the ball joints that fell off replaced, or getting the remote keyless entry fixed. Way to go on driving those old Mopars, guys!

I just love the sound of a slant six exhaust. It is a drawling burble sound with a no-nonsense quality to it. I owned a 1968 Valiant Regal sedan in Australia from 1980 to 1983, and it had the 160 HP version of the Slant Six, with a Torque-Flite transmission. For an old car, it had a mile of power and it ran as smoothly as a turbine. I also had a beat-up 1970 Valiant utility, (that's what we call a sedan-based pickup in Australia), for part of that same period, and it had a slant six that ran on five cylinders most of the time I had it, but it just ran and ran. You can't kill one with an axe.

Not sure where the ball bearing and bumble bee thing comes from. Like any car that's as old as any Valiant must be by now, the person owning it has more to do with it's condition than the people that built it.

Just a few ideas on older cars. Since you're not making payment, think about setting aside a fund for when thing do wear out. On the older slant sixes, check the valve lash every so often. These are not hydraulic lifter engines untill about the time the Volare came out (mid seventies). If your good with electrics, think about changing the alternator and electronic ignition from a later Dart or Valiant.

Don't let the little things become big things, and you will have a good car for years. I'm a Mopar fan myself, but this is true for any American car from that era.

I wrote back in 2005 about my '68 Valiant. It's still going strong - aside from regular maintenance (tune-up) and new tires - hasn't been in the shop for a breakdown. Unfortunately, the exterior/interior isn't as nice as it used to be (when I used to have a garage back in NY, where I'm from/car was first purchased). Now it's out in the CA sun all day (covers always get filthy or blow off it, so I don't bother anymore). The dash is cracked, too. The original upholstery was beautiful, but the car was in a flood years ago (submerged almost half way! Mechanic couldn't believe it still worked) ; insurance paid for new upholstery, but it was substandard and nothing like the shiny original and began to crack in spots in less than 10 years. Also, it was hit a few times (always when I was in a parking lot by people not looking in front of them). So, the paint jobs have never matched, bubbled within a year, and the rear panel and front panel are different colors. But the body is still straight and someday, I tell myself that I'll have it restored. Until then, I just continue to drive it everyday without fail. It's such a smooth, enjoyable ride! I get offers to sell a lot (usually young men at car washes), but I can't do it. What else would be as reliable?

L.Branin.

UPDATE: Now that my Valiant has hit '40', I've decided to fix it up. I've had the interior re-upholstered (using original vinyl grade and cloth pattern - it's looks great!). And now... it's going to be painted. Very excited!

Sounds great. The 2nd car I ever owned was very similar to yours--a '67 Dodge Dart with the 170 slant six that was still running strong when I sold it with 130K miles. Sadly, the body had succumbed to the rust bug, however.

My Old Man's 68' Valiant (225) had a quite few "fails" at DEQ. Just barely missing a passing grade. It's O.K. to drive a huge SUV really fast, achieving miserable fuel economy, but old Plymouths that puff a little smoke are bad for the environment? My Dad could get 18-22 mpg in his (250,000+ miles on the motor) greenhouse eating machine.

"13th Jun 2008, 06:02.

My Old Man's 68' Valiant (225) had a quite few "fails" at DEQ. Just barely missing a passing grade. It's O.K. to drive a huge SUV really fast, achieving miserable fuel economy, but old Plymouths that puff a little smoke are bad for the environment? My Dad could get 18-22 mpg in his (250,000+ miles on the motor) greenhouse eating machine."

I'm kind of surprised that such an old car would fail an emissions test. When I lived in Denver, which has a very stringent emissions testing program, my '73 Charger would pass with no problem. Basically, if it had the original emissions control equipment in place, it would pass, and all it had was a charcoal canister and a PCV valve! It seems that if you change oil, maybe put in some thick stuff, and give it a tune-up and change the PCV valve before the test, it ought to pass.