My Daily Driver



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by Mike Furtado
Copyright (c), 2003, My Daily Driver -- All Rights Reserved

In 1971 Plymouth introduced the "Scamp". Basically a Dodge Dart Swinger with a Plymouth Valiant grill; it was on a longer wheelbase than the Valiant. 241,031 Scamps were produced before production ended in 1976.

This Scamp rolled off the line in Newark, Delaware during the 1974 model year to fill a customer order and was highly optioned. With a 318 V-8, Air Conditioning, Ralley wheels, Lucerne Blue paint and all the chrome options, this Scamp had just about every goodie you could get, including the three-speaker AM/FM radio, electric rear window defroster, and a map light!
The Scamp on the road!

I bought the car in July of 2000 from a father and son in Eastern Massachusetts. Dad helped his then 16-year-old son buy the car a couple of years earlier, and now he was "helping" him sell it due to some irresponsible teenage act. They were both sad to see the car go, but dad was relieved to be selling it to an adult, and not some other teenager from the neighborhood. After a bit of haggling, I drove the Scamp home.

Clearly this car is going to need a little TLC (Truck-Load-of-Cash?) to suit my purposes. I plan to do a lot of driving in this car. After all, it is a car. There were lots of rattles and squeaks that have to go. The right rear tire was pretty bald (wonder why?) and the exhaust pipes were banging and clanging. The ride was a little sloppy as the shocks were old, the brakes were pretty worn, and the alignment was out a bit. Various bulbs needed replacing, some painted trim needed touching up. I can drive it while I fix it.
Hmmmm....

Big plans in my head, I started down the road. Drive it in for an oil change, then across the street for brake shoes and pads. Over to the insurance company and then the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Across the city for the safety and emissions inspection. Everything works, and the emissions came in well below the standard. Officially, and legally, we're driving.

I spent the better part of the next month driving in to every "hot rod" shop around having every mechanic along the way inspect and evaluate the condition of my car. I collected the best of the opinions and set out to get this car ready. A set of air shocks replaces the old clanky "coil-overs" in the back, and a fresh pair for the front. A set of four new BFG Radial TA's and a full alignment will set this car straight. Next the exhaust system is replaced from the manifolds back, changing the pipes from 1 7/8" to 2 1/4", and a nice pair of all steel "flow-through" mufflers is installed. Some minor details like valve cover gaskets, and new belts.

After the first couple-thousand miles, the 318 developed a bit of a miss, and ran a little rough. I replaced plugs, wires, coil, cap and rotor, and installed an upgraded electronic ignition. A few-thousand more miles and the charging system got weak. After a jump on a rainy night, the ballast resistor, voltage regulator, alternator and a new battery were installed the next day.

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The next ten thousand miles are simply delightful. Not a mechanical issue in sight. Driving round trip, 160 miles, nearly every day for work was not noticed much by the Scamp. Drinking gas at the rate of 21 mpg and oil at the rate of 1 qt per tank-full, I just can't see driving my '97 Dodge much anymore. I've put 14,000 miles on the Scamp since I bought it last summer, including long commutes and a trip to Florida. As this story goes to print, That Little Scamp is out there braving the New England winter. Boy we can't wait for spring.

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