mygasser
Well-Known Member
if you have the clutch pedal to match i'd say yes there's a market for them.
neil.
'65 Valiant Convertible: Mostly ignored for over 20 years
- Thread starter Kern Dog
- Start date
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neil.
The previous owner had a hack of a bodyman replace the power quarters.
I tuned this up early in 2016 then epoxy primed it all. It has sat outside since then.
I ground off the primer, tuned up the welds a bit, filled the pinholes then spread body filler over it all. Lucky for me, all the patched areas are low enough that they won't peek through the filler.
If this car was a keeper, I'd have looked for a donor quarter panel. This was some ugly stuff.
Still more to do but it is taking shape.
Funny how when body filler starts to harden, it does it QUICK. It would be nice if the stuff had a longer delay. I've tried using less catalyst but I've found that the hardening process still acts the same, only later. I wish that the point from gel-like to hard took longer. Sometimes it starts setting up before I have spread it all.
I tuned this up early in 2016 then epoxy primed it all. It has sat outside since then.
I ground off the primer, tuned up the welds a bit, filled the pinholes then spread body filler over it all. Lucky for me, all the patched areas are low enough that they won't peek through the filler.
If this car was a keeper, I'd have looked for a donor quarter panel. This was some ugly stuff.
Still more to do but it is taking shape.
Funny how when body filler starts to harden, it does it QUICK. It would be nice if the stuff had a longer delay. I've tried using less catalyst but I've found that the hardening process still acts the same, only later. I wish that the point from gel-like to hard took longer. Sometimes it starts setting up before I have spread it all.
I did the left side in 2016.
Last week I sanded off some of the primer, dresses up a few welds and smeared some filler. This side was so much easier. The other was a total mess.
Last week I sanded off some of the primer, dresses up a few welds and smeared some filler. This side was so much easier. The other was a total mess.
The area around the base of the convertible top had about three times the amount of holes that was needed to secure the trim pieces. I took the trim and laid it on the car, then marked all the holes to leave, then welded up the unneeded ones.
Funny thing....The Dutchman panel has lead seams where it meets each quarter. Have you ever tried to weld to lead ?
Funny thing....The Dutchman panel has lead seams where it meets each quarter. Have you ever tried to weld to lead ?
I have 2 convertible top frames for this car. The one IN the car is the worst of the 2 but I decided to repair it anyway.
Just a matter of cutting back until I found solid metal, then making a patch to fill the hole.
This area is hidden under the convertible top. I am going to prep, prime and paint it though, just to reduce the risk of future corrosion.
Just a matter of cutting back until I found solid metal, then making a patch to fill the hole.
This area is hidden under the convertible top. I am going to prep, prime and paint it though, just to reduce the risk of future corrosion.
I also welded over several holes in the firewall including the weird slant six throttle hole.
Sometimes the light just shines right on you.
Last Summer, I saw a '66 Valiant in a Pick-N-Pull yard. Column shift, automatic with power steering. I had planned on building this car that way so I grabbed the wheel, column and linkage. 1966 is the only early A body with mechanical rod and lever shift linkage and a slip yoke transmission.
I brought down the column and was surprised to see that the one in the car already had that lever on the column on the engine side. Sometime in the past, the prior owner had already put in a '66 column.
The new owner wanted manual steering. This other column is for power steering. I'll probably give him the column in case he decides later that he wants to convert to power steering.
Last Summer, I saw a '66 Valiant in a Pick-N-Pull yard. Column shift, automatic with power steering. I had planned on building this car that way so I grabbed the wheel, column and linkage. 1966 is the only early A body with mechanical rod and lever shift linkage and a slip yoke transmission.
I brought down the column and was surprised to see that the one in the car already had that lever on the column on the engine side. Sometime in the past, the prior owner had already put in a '66 column.
The new owner wanted manual steering. This other column is for power steering. I'll probably give him the column in case he decides later that he wants to convert to power steering.
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