Frankly, we’ve never seen a Chrysler 318 with a twin turbo setup, but here it is. We love the choice of a ‘grocery getter’ four-door for these mods! Only weirdos like us like these as sleepers – the market generally says 60s and 70s four-doors are just used cars, and they don’t get collector prices.
We’d love to see dyno or drag strip figures, but would consider the risk without that at the starting price…
Click for eBay ad
Fresno, CA
$2,500 with no bids and $6,500 BIN price
Post by CG
12/07/2013 update: Ended at $2,500 with reserve not met
Fender dents add to sleeper value.
Plain from every angle!
The interior is suitably bland, yet retro cool.
Here’s the money shot:
Ad text:
Up for sale is my 1972 Valiant 4 door. This is a clean original car that now packs twin T3 turbochargers. It spools quickly and makes great power. I’ve only had it up to about 7 lbs of boost so far. I will try to be as detailed as possible so there are no surprises but feel free to contact me with any questions.
The car is somewhat of a grandma special. The body is in very good condition. Minor dings here and there. No rust whatsoever The original paint shines nicely but is worn through some on the roof and hood. All of the chrome and trim panels are present and in great shape. Grill is nice with one small chip. All the argent paint still has it’s texture. The gauge cluster is fully functional and in great shape. Dash is good, all the gauges work but the pad is slightly warn from the sun (no cracks just discolored ). Rear seat upholstery and package tray are perfect. The driver seat is torn on the bottom and the headliner has split. The carpet is good but has a hole where the drivers feet go. Door panels all look like new. Wipers work but the linkage bushing is missing so the passenger side linkage falls off sometimes. Factory spare tire and jack assembly are present and in good shape. The car is a factory 328, 904 auto, 7 1/4 rear. It was my daily driver for about 6 months prior to the turbo swap and never gave me any problems. The doors all close nicely and it still smells like a mopar when you step inside. Goes down the road with out clunks or rattles. Very tight car for the age.
Now for the modifications. As I mentioned, the car was my daily driver for about six months. I tore the engine down to replace the timing cover seal and somehow it turned into a twin turbo swap :). I installed a small summit cam, new timing set, edelbrock performer manifold and 650 Holley dp with hanger 18 mods including nitrile floats. I cleaned up, resealed and painted the motor after doing a compression and leak down test that were well within spec. I purchased the basic turbo kit used and modified it to fit. They are two Nissan T3 turbos with internal waste gates. Mounted on modified shorty headers with T3 flanges. I tapped the oil pan for the returns and modified the mechanical fuel pump for boost reference. I hid a msd 6a, rev limiter, and boost timing master with adjustable knob where the glove box went. I installed two oxygen sensors and just ran a temporary wire inside that I used while tuning with an AF meter. The exhaust is 2 1/2 inch down pipes to 3″ pipes with flow masters that dump before the axle. The air conditioning and power steering pump had to be removed to facilitate the turbos. Also, I had to modify the inner fender for battery clearance. That is the only place the car has ever been cut or modified. The car spools quickly and comes on boost then begins to blow the tires off even at speed.
Now for the known problems with the car. There is an exhaust leak from the driver side header. Initially there was one on the passenger side as well I removed the header and ground the flange flat to stop it. I just didn’t get around to the driver side. The transmission slips baldly when hot. This showed up after getting the turbos dialed in. It still runs and drives but second and third gear are intermittent. When it gets too hot it slips all together. The trans occasionally dumps fluid, I’m not sure where from. It will need a trans rebuild ASAP. The msd box stopped working a couple of weeks ago. When I built it I left the factory wiring in place also so I just plugged the stock ecu back in. It runs fine on that but the boost timing master will not function until a new 6a is installed. The car is hard to steer without the power steering. I just blocked off the power assist. It really needs a manual box. If the car sits for a few weeks the rear float tends to stick. The oil pressure light comes on at a very low idle when hot. I think this is due to the extra oil capacity the turbos added.
I added to turbos because I wanted lots more power with the same driveability it had prior to the swap. I have to say it still drives nicely. Starts right up and idles smooth. The look on peoples faces when the y hear the turbos is priceless. The car is by no means a piece of junk. It is probably he cleanest original survivor type mopar I have ever owned. On the other hand , it will need some attention before you set out on the power tour. Very fun and very fast for what it is. Lots more potential with added boost. Clear California title. Currently on non op status so no back fees. Feel free to contact me with any questions. I will help with transport any way I can. Thanks.
Also there is a build thread for this car on theturboforums.com
Just search twin turbo valiant more door. Best way to contact me is via email at mrburlapen@gmail.com
Also it has a nice Alpine CD player .