1976 Plymouth Valiant

The 1976 Plymouth Valiant, Scamp and Duster

As Plymouth entered the 1960s, it did so with a new compact car dubbed the Valiant and would become one of Chrysler's best-selling automobiles during the 1960s and 1970s. It was sold in other markets worldwide (sans the Plymouth name), and gained a reputation for its durability and reliability. Road & Track touted the Valiant as 'one of the best all-around domestic cars'.

The 1960s became known for its compact, pony, and muscle cars, but as a new decade began, the market changed dramatically as the world wrestled with an oil crisis and a rising fuel crisis. Increased emission regulations, insurance rates, and safety concerns brought the muscle car era to an end, with the void being replaced with larger and more luxurious vehicles. Lackluster performance and significant weight gains were eventually compensated by smaller and more aerodynamic vehicles.

Throughout its existance, the Valiant remained as an economical and practical automoible with an adequate platform and appropriate power.

A 'Scamp' package was added in 1974, which came standard with four doors, a 318 cubic-inch V8 engine, a three-speed automatic transmission, power disc brakes, power steering, vinyl roof, chrome trim, air conditioning, carpeting, a radio, rear window defroster blower, a 120 mph speedometer, and split vinyl bucket seat bench. These were built per customer's request, and only a few hundred were constructed in its inaugural year.

The Valiant Brougham was also new for 1974, offered in two- and four-door body style configurations. This compact luxury model came with velour cloth upholstery, interior door padding, deep cut-pile carpeting, color-keyed or simulated wire wheel covers, additional chrome trim, a vinyl top, and a special selection of paint and trim combinations.

1975
The styling of the 1975 Valiant remained fairly consistent with the previous year, albeit with slight updates to its front grille. Examples destined for California and high-altitude regions received catalytic converters and required unleaded gasoline.

As the world continued to move towards greater fuel economy, the Valiant gained radial tires and a 'Fuel Pacer' system that lit a warning light to tell the driver that the vehicle was being driven uneconomically. The Chrysler A833OD four-speed manual transmission was another new addition to the options list, and the first four-speed Chrysler had offered with a six-cylinder engine in the North American market since 1965. A 'clincher' warranty covered everything on the car except trim for 12 months with no mileage restrictions.

1976 Plymouth Valiant / Scamp / Duster
After sixteen years, production of the Valiant was coming to a close. Styling remained unchanged, for the most part, with the previous year, with the front wearing a wide grille with a crosshatch design flanked by single round headlamps in square housings. Resting within the grille were rectangular-shaped park/signal lamps. The center section of the grille insert protruded forward, and at its center was an emblem. Below the grille was the full-width bumper with rubber bumper bars.

The rear-end treatment consisted of horizontal rectangular tailmaps enclosed in bright moldings with thin horizontal divers. The body sides were clean, smooth, and rounded outwards from the bottom to center, tapering back into the roofline.

The Valiant came standard with a torsion-bar front suspension, unibody construction, three-speed manual transmission, vent windows, electric choke assist, hubcaps, dome lamp switch, an ammeter, and fuel and temperature gauges. The standard engine was the 225 cubic-inch Slant Six. Examples equipped with eight-cylinder engines came standard with front bumper guards and front disc brakes; the six-cylinder examples had four-wheel drums. Optional eight-cylinder engines included a 318 CID or 360 CID (the latter was not available in California). The 360 CID V8 was solely offered with the TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

The Valiant 'base' model could be purchased with Custom or Brougham trim packages. The Brougham came with simulated woodgrain inserts on the instrument panel, velour upholstery, and day/night mirror.

The list of available colors included Golden Fawn, Yellow Blaze, Spinnaker White, Rallye Red, Powder Blue, Sahara Beige, Formal black, metallic Silver Cloud, Vintage Red, Jade Green, Deep Sherwood, Caramel Tan, Spanish Gold, Inca Gold, and Jamaican Blue. The Silver Duster decor package included bodyside stripes that twisted upward at the rear, another stripe between the taillamp housing, wheel moldings, and a red interior.

An extensive list of optional equipment allowed the Valiant to be customizable, from comfort to performance. Among the available items were an AM radio, AM/FM radio, rear speaker, tinted windshield, air conditioning, tuff steering wheel, locking gas cap, horns and mirrors, bumper guard, sill moldings, undercoating, vinyl split-back bench seat, cloth/vinyl bench seat, vinyl bench seat, vinyl bucket seats, carpeting, color-keyed mats, bodyside tape stripe, and more. A Spacemaker option allowed the rear seat to be folded down, and the Fuel Pacer System helped conserve fuel. The Feather Duster fuel economy package added lightweight aluminum components, including the hood, deck inner panels, aluminum case for the manual gearbox, and the intake manifold. It also used economy axle ratios. This was a popular option on the Duster, with nearly twenty-five percent of buyers selecting this package.

Scamp
The 1976 Plymouth Valiant Scamp resided on the same 111-inch wheelbase as the 'base,' and was offered with a two-door, six-passenger hardtop coupe body style. The six-cylinder option was priced at $3,485, and the eight-cylinder at $3,620. A total of 5,147 examples were built, plus an additional 3,308 of the special hardtop. The Scamp Special was an economy package priced at $3,315.

The styling of the Scamp was slightly different, with a unique appearance in the back, with horizontal taillamps that wrapped around the quarter panel. The quarter windows were of the roll-down type, different from the Duster's swing-out windows. Between the taillamps with the word 'Plymouth' on a dark panel. The standard interior had all-vinyl bench seating. The Scamp Brougham had velour cloth/vinyl upholstery, woodgrain instrument panel inserts, hood and deck accent stripes, a hood ornament, and wide sill moldings.

Duster
The 1976 Plymouth Valiant Duster rested on a shorter 108-inch wheelbase and was offered as a two-door Sport Coupe with seating for five and a semi-fastback roofline. The six-cylinder version was priced at $3,215, and the eight-cylinder at $3,350. The Duster was very popular with 26,688 examples sold, albeit much less popular than the previous year's circa-120,100 examples built.

The bench seats of the Duster were clothed in cloth and vinyl.

Engines
The standard six-cylinder engine displaced 225 cubic inches and had a cast iron block and head, 8.4:1 compression, four main bearings, solid valve lifters, a one-barrel Holley carburetor, and delivering 100 horsepower at 3,600 RPM.

The 90-degree, overhead valve 318 cubic-inch V8 engine had hydraulic valve lifters, 8.5:1 compression, a two-barrel Carter carburetor, a cast iron block and head, and produced 150 horsepower at 4,000 RPM, and 255 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 RPM.

The optional 360 cubic-inch V8 had overhead valves, 8.4:1 compression, a four-barrel Carter carburetor, and produced 220 horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2024