CV and mad panic behaviour

[Gointocarlton]

Glad your dad got out of the accident okay... must have been really travelling to wrap a Valiant around a pole, they were one solid piece of machinery.

Through the 60s us kids were either Ford or Holden... not Baggers, I was a Valiant kid, especially the Valiant S. I convinced dad and mum to get a Valiant Regal in '69. Ripper car. Sorry, I digress...

Pouring rain, turning a corner, probably too quick and spun. The curse of the Valiant light rear end is what he blamed  

[Baggers]

Pouring rain, turning a corner, probably too quick and spun. The curse of the Valiant light rear end is what he blamed  

He's right, they were notoriously light in the rear.

[capcom]

Gee another long lost memory.  My brother had a push button auto.  AP5?

[LP]

He's right, they were notoriously light in the rear.

Yes, my parents had one as well, the rear end was very light for a rear wheel drive with many running the 4L Hemi engine. We had the obligatory Valiant Regal Wagon VF, seat down, dogs, surfboards and kids in the back in those days. They used to come with venetian blinds on the rear windows, the VE had a rear window with a locking winder.

They upgraded a few years later the VH model with the squarish headlight. The VH also had the 4L Hemi engine but a heavier rear end, unbreakable and the transmissions were good too. Reliability became an issue for my mum, because she wanted a new car and dad didn't want to get rid of the Valiant because it just kept on going, the VH had no winder but had a key operated electric rear window, that was notorious for flattening the battery at family picnics and such.

[Macca37]

Gee another long lost memory.  My brother had a push button auto.  AP5?

The AP5 was the last model with the push button auto. I bought mine in '64.  I still remember that lovely slant 6 motor. 

[LP]

The AP5 was the last model with the push button auto. I bought mine in '64.  I still remember that lovely slant 6 motor.

Great motors to work on, so much room under the hood you could almost stand in there with the engine on some models. Now you have to be an octopus just to disconnect a coil.

My uncle had a push button Dodge around that same vintage, late 50s early 60s, owned a fleet of big yank tanks because he could get the whole family crammed in, big catholic families back in those days. My favourite was a De Ville four door hard top, I think it was around a 1960 model, not sure if that one was push button or column shift. I know one of them had a horizontal row of chrome shift buttons on the dash kids just couldn't resist once they had been told don't touch!

[Baggers]

I think we need to start a thread on early car memories! Sorry to hijack the thread... my first was a Hydromatic Eh Holden, two tone. Killed it in the first month hanging doughnuts in the local park!

[ElwoodBlues1]

School friend had a Valiant Pacer with a slant 6 motor, the mounts on the seats failed when he had a slight collision and he got rid of it. Think there was a recall with regard seat mounts not long after, nice looking car though and I guess they would be worth a few bob today with collectors if you had one mothballed in the garage.

[kruddler]

Unfortunately, Cooper Ratten is an example of someone who would have benefitted from wearing a seatbelt. A cop who was part of the crew investigating that crash told me it took them some time to find Cooper as he was thrown well clear of the car in long grass. He reckoned if he'd worn a seat belt, he would have lived. 

That whole thing happened somewhat near me. A workmate knew one of the others.

I heard that he was thrown 100m from where the car ended up.
Not sure a seat belt would've helped that.

They were supposedly going 140km/h+

[Gointocarlton]

Gee another long lost memory.  My brother had a push button auto.  AP5?

My dad had the AP5 Safari Wagon, push button auto blood red with a white roof. The one he wrapped around the pole was a green S Series.