It’s been a few days since I shared some of the Mopar madness material that user Hyperpack has been uploading at the Cohort. And after yesterday’s Charger and Challenger post, I feel it’s a good time to do some catch-up.
From previous Cohort posts by Hyperpack, I’m pretty sure these vehicles are part of a family collection that was being sold, scrapped, etc. Not all were going away though. The gray ’68 Road Runner is making its first appearance at the Cohort, but the ’64 Dart and ’62 Valiant-trailer have shown up on a few occasions. With that in mind, I would think that those two must be ‘keepers.’
Here’s the ’64 Dart on its own. One of the first images of it to show up at the Cohort a while back.
Meanwhile, the Valiant-trailer has also made repeated appearances. Here it’s again, next to a race-track Valiant of similar vintage.
I honestly never thought of a Valiant as material for a makeshift trailer. But if the rest of the car was shot, heck, why not? Oddly, I have a feeling some out there will feel this arrangement is an improvement over the car’s original lines.
I’m one of a peculiar few who enjoys the original Valiant for being such an oddball. Not that I mind the Valiant-trailer one bit. You all know I have a soft spot for handicrafts and creativity, especially in the automotive realm.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1964 Dodge Dart 720 – The Valiant Brougham
Curbside Classic: 1964 Dodge Dart 2 Door Sedan
Curbside Classic: 1962 Plymouth Valiant – Doing Too Much
Curbside Classic: 1960-1962 Plymouth Valiant – Nobody’s Kid Brother
Well, it’s not the best trailer I’ve seen but it was a…Valiant effort.
That appears to be a ’62 Lancer trailer. No fake continental rear deck and the taillights are round. Always preferred the clean Lancer front/rear over the Valiant.
The rear of the trailer suggests ’62 Valiant rather than ’62 Lancer. The rear “eyebrows” are distinctly above the taillights in the Valiant, whereas the brow emerges directly from the taillight in the Lancer. The ’62 Valiant no longer had the fake-spare on the trunk or the “cat’s eye” taillights of the ’60/’61, in any event.
The Valiant and Lancer brochures show these differences:
https://www.oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Plymouth/1962_Plymouth/1962-Plymouth-Valiant-Brochure/slides/1962_Plymouth_Valiant-06-07.html
https://www.oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Dodge/1962_Dodge/1962_Dodge_Dart-Lancer_Brochure/slides/1962_Dodge_Dart__amp__Lancer-13.html
Right, you are! I was stuck on the round taillights and the ’60 Valiant trunk lid.
Any better pictures of the Road Runner? That ‘grey’ color actually looks like the ‘Special Buffed Silver’ paint option (don’t remember the code). In 1968 dollars, it was actually a bit pricey, but it definitely had a luster to it.
I love the Quonset hut. The cars and the trailer are cool, too.
That weathered Theater Bar font is most excellent but not as cool as your Dart with that shaved front bumper. High quality and tastefully done mods are always a pleasant sight here at CC.
Early A bodies might be one of the few classic cars larger diameter wheels suit well, both the Dart and Valiant racer had their proportions balanced out with late model Mustang 17s. The skinny stock 13/14s
Hello CC Readers, and thank you Rich for sharing a feature of my ’64 Dart and ’62 ValianTrailer.
Details on each can be found here:
’62 Trailer:
https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=66511
and the ’64 Dart GT:
https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60536
The trailer and the Dart are my cars, no chance of them going anywhere to any other owners for now.
The picture with the Quonset hut was taken in Carthage, MO while I was in the middle of a slant 6 parts gathering tour with my daughter.
Here is a bit about that trip:
https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60536&start=420
I do not have more info on the Road Runner, it belonged to the gentleman that I was buying parts from. He is another like-minded MoPar nut. Also located there was a ’66 Dart station wagon, some very nice Dodge Trucks, and a field of parts cars. I am not sure if the RoadRunner was wearing the original paint or a respray after 1968 (my guess is the respray was likely).
That was sure an epic trip for us with the trailer full of slant 6 parts and camping gear hauling back on the interstates from halfway across the country. Camping out each day along the way with my at the time 8-year-old was fun too – She was excited to spy the arch in Saint Louis, even though we went past it at about 05:30 AM each time.
That trip will be in our memories for a while.
The trailer started as a parts car that I was going to surgically deconstruct with a spotweld cutter, to save all of the sheet metal. I started at the front, as the floors and framerails were junk – the 170 was locked and full of rainwater from previous owners carelessly leaving it out in the water with the hood up. when I got to removing the A-pillars and cowl, I thought the back half of this car was solid enough and had the right patina to make a trailer out of.
so the work began, – After a lot of welding and grinding and some respraying, the trailer emerged.
Another A body lover here .
I love the Theater Bar, such great architecture .
Many decades ago I was out with my ex wife and changed upon some seriously down & out red necks who were towing a 1939 Dodge trailer, it was in very good shape rust & dent wise, my ex flt said ‘ no way are you buying that !’ no wonder she didn’t make the final cut .
-Nate