Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
The thread....
65 Dart Wagon Conversion to a Sedan Delivery
- Thread starter 65 Dartman
- Start date
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JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Who's on 1st?
Just kidding Rani....Don's 47 Dodge thread is on page 5 of this section of the forum.
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Don, it looks great! Soon........
Like minds think alike - I added one to a 65 Coronet ‘vert that i had at least 20 years ago as well to the 65 Dart ‘vert I had about the same time frame. Very handy little device!
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ah I misunderstood - pretty dumb of me lol! It’s Post 232 In the 47’s resto thread
I started working on the passenger side this afternoon. I knew that the pillar between the right rear door and right rear quarter window had rust issues on the outer skin
and as I found out so did the pillars inner skin after removing the inside plastic molding (which was also damaged -cracked and a big piece missing).
On the driver’s side I only removed what was necessary on that pillar to leave some support in that area. I decided to remove the whole passenger pillar and fabricate a new support later.
and as I found out so did the pillars inner skin after removing the inside plastic molding (which was also damaged -cracked and a big piece missing).
On the driver’s side I only removed what was necessary on that pillar to leave some support in that area. I decided to remove the whole passenger pillar and fabricate a new support later.
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Good job as ususal Don! How was your D-pillars? Your work looks great as usual.
Hi Don. Plenty of work, but worth it. Your S.D. in moving along well....progress looks great. sgrip65
Hi Ulf - the D pillars are in great shape. I have a NOS set of wind deflectors that I will add to the D pillars. It seems the passenger side C pillars are the ones that have rust issues. My passenger inside of the A pillar was rotted but not nearly as bad as my C pillar.
I seem to recall on a wagon you had, one (or both) C pillar(s) were rotted like on this one. You cut and removed the C and D pillars to fabricate a Ute. Whatever happened to that project?
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Correct Don! My buddy Johan bought the project and after the 1965 Dart 270 4 dr sedan he will turn into the project. He has gotten some sheet metal for as well as a nice restored 318. I think his going to make a 4 speed out of it.
I imported a 65 270 wagon from Oregon. I drove it almost two years as a daily driver but more and more noices from the body needed some attention. But the C and D pillars was almost gone. So I parted out that one. It was a rare wagon, 273, aut, P/S, 4-speed, A/C, P/TG, wind deflectors, and roof racket! White roof and medium blue body. HAd a set oc 14x5,5 ralley wheels on it. Man I miss it!
If both C and D pillars were gone on this one, I would have turned it into a Ute. As it was, there was more rust than I expected for a CA car - 3 of the 4 floor pans, lower cowl, etc and once I got into it (both time and money-wise), it was too late to stop. I can start to see a little dot of light at the end of the tunnel, so I guess it’ll turn out OK!
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I'm pretty sure on that Don! You have great skills.
Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
Mega guts to cut
Ah, not really after all the slicing and dicing I’ve done on this project - AC firewall for the non-AC firewall, complete cowl replacement, driver’s side conversion to the sedan delivery. Lots of planning then it’s a matter of doing it. As one member said, “It’s just sheet metal!”
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Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
Do you have the non a/c firewall you took out, or did it tear up on the way out??
I am looking for a non a/c firewall to do pretty much what you did but in reverse. I never use a/c lol
Hi Rainy - unfortunately, that non AC firewall is long gone. At the junkyard where I got the sedan B pillars and doors, there’s several 65’s with non-AC firewalls. A friend and I pulled an AC firewall out for a friend and FABO member for his 65 Valiant
Yesterday I fabricated the flanges that meet with the original rear side window flanges and got them welded in place. Today I started on that big side panel. I first cut a small test panel to confirm the height I needed between the flanges - just about 14 and 7/8 inches and as a pattern at the B pillar. The panel was pretty much the same height as the old side window until it started to curve back to the D pillar. On the lower flange it started to raise up about a foot or so from the D pillars flange. Then it was fit and trim at least 8-10 times to get a tight fit. What’s interesting at the area by the D pillar besides curving horizontally at the bottom, it also curves vertically ever so slightly going to the top flange - it all had to be hand formed! I will get it spot welded after I get another tank of welding gas!
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Don! What kind of brackets do you use on the inside to prevent the sheet metal to get noicy?
I will turn out great. We just saw the first Crocodile Dundee when she arrived to Australia. I was surprised that I had never recognized it befo that they picked her up in a 1965 Valiant Ute! All of a sudden i watch the film in another perspective.
I couldn't help thinking about your car in delivery style compaing it with a Ute.
I don't think I ever seen one. We had a 65 Dart wagon that was built as a 4-door delivery but they junked it several years ago.
to answer your first question, when I added the B pillar on the driver’s side, I had to remove the roof cross brace since it was connected to the wagon’s original B pillar. I used part of the roof brace as one of the panel side braces. I did not need to cut the driver’s C pillar too much so I used it as the other brace. On the passenger side I will need to fabricate 2 side braces. I will use my sheet metal brake to bend as needed the braces.
I saw that Valiant Ute also in Crocodile Dundee. Funny thing, I went to Darwin Australia for a week each 2 times in 1981 and 1982 and never did saw any old Valiants or Utes!
It looks like when they constructed the Utes, they kept the wagon’s smaller front doors; IMHO they would have looked better with the 2 door sedan doors except they didn’t make 2 door sedans in Australia either. That’s why I went to the sedan B pillars and doors
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Don. I will have to watch the C Dundee movies again. Surprisingly, if one keeps the eyes peeled, there are quite a few Early A-Body cars in these old flicks. Fun to spot them. The old Rockford Files series has a few of these beauties from time to time. Keep up the great work. sgrip65
This is comin right along. You just keep going and going. Like the Energizer bunny. lol
Thanks - this ol’ Energizer bunny moves pretty slow now-a-days! I can see a bit more light at the end of the tunnel every day, at least as far as the fabrication is concerned!
I think the 2 door doors would have been better too! Wonder if they did any utes in South America? Like Argentina, Brasil or Venezuela.
i think the Utes were strictly a product of Australia; I have never heard of any from Siuth Africa or South America.
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