Tom Geiger Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) I believe I posted my '63 Valiant stock car on this board when I finished it. The roof on the blue Valiant body was totaled. So why not steal a roof off a near pristine '64 Valiant body to aid the near trash '63? Simple modeler's logic! Which got me thinking about that '64 Valiant that sacrificed it's roof. So I pulled it out. And it was in the box, just the body and a convertible roof section that I had cut off a surplus '66 Hemi Under Glass Barracuda. That got me fitting and gluing the windshield section to the body. And that just fueled this whole thing... Back in the day I owned this '64 Valiant convertible. I drove it around one summer and then stored it in my garage for a number of years. It wasn't a great car, I've always described it as the original owner lived in two feet of salt water. Yea, rusty and not worth a full resto, so I passed it on to someone else. Got two grand for it, have no idea whatever happened past that! So we will build this Valiant. Bad old film photo but the car was light blue with a white top. The interior in it was '73 Monte Carlo with the bench seat, just because a buddy of mine had it available for free. We'll skip that part, and put in a stock Valiant interior. Edited June 6, 2019 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimaxion Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 34 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said: I believe I posted my '63 Valiant stock car on this board when I finished it. The roof on the blue Valiant body was totaled. So why not steal a roof off a near pristine '64 Valiant body to aid the near trash '63? Simple modeler's logic! Which got me thinking about that '64 Valiant that sacrificed it's roof. So I pulled it out. And it was in the box, just the body and a convertible roof section that I had cut off a surplus '66 Hemi Under Glass Barracuda. That got me fitting and gluing the windshield section to the body. And that just fueled this whole thing... Back in the day I owned this '64 Valiant convertible. I drove it around one summer and then stored it in my garage for a number of years. It wasn't a great car, I've always described it as the original owner lived in two feet of salt water. Yea, rusty and not worth a full resto, so I passed it on to someone else. Got two grand for it, have no idea whatever happened past that! So we will build this Valiant. Bad old film photo but the car was light blue with a white top. The interior in it was '73 Monte Carlo with the bench seat, just because a buddy of mine had it available for free. We'll skip that part, and put in a stock Valiant interior. Yes , I would like a '64 MY valiant Ragtop . Will you cast these soon ? Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Good idea, Tom. Now I gotta drag my '64 wip out of mothballs Since mine's a canadian car, it's going to be an amt '64 front with '66 resin dart quarters. Also picked up a polar lights coronet ragtop for the rear seat dogleg panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 These two photos were to be included with the original post, but I kept getting 404 errors. Then the board disappeared entirely. So I walked away. Trying again.. As we sit right now.. I pulled out one of my donor '71 Duster kits and started carving. Same conversion I did on the '63 Valiant stock car. That's the Duster's engine bay carved from the body and transplanted into the Valiant. And we shortened the Duster chassis about 6 scale inches. And it's a fit! I've already carved the back seat out of the Valiant interior bucket to narrow it for the top iron side pockets. Next step is to pull a slant six from the hoard! And this is how easily I get distracted from the projects currently on my bench! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 2 hours ago, mk11 said: Good idea, Tom. Now I gotta drag my '64 wip out of mothballs Since mine's a canadian car, it's going to be an amt '64 front with '66 resin dart quarters. Also picked up a polar lights coronet ragtop for the rear seat dogleg panels. Cool! I'd love to have a Canadian Signet too! Back when I was in my teens in the late 1970s, there was a Valiant / Dart hybrid in a local New Jersey junkyard. Someone remarked that someone must've swapped that Valiant nose onto the Dart and then went to the trouble of putting Valiant emblems on the rest of the car. We didn't have a clue that it probably was a Canadian car! Today I'd be dragging it home. 6 hours ago, dimaxion said: Yes , I would like a '64 MY valiant Ragtop . Will you cast these soon ? Thanx Sorry I'm not a caster, just a mere mortal model builder. I know that Jeff Ballard from Missing Link has a '63 Valiant for sale. He has opened the hood and includes the Duster pieces as well. He also has done a '63 Valiant wagon, I'm waiting for mine right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 With slightly skinnier tyres and a four door B pillar that Valiant stock car could have raced at any number of Australian speedways in the early seventies. Nice work Tom! Cheers Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Great rescue so far Tom! I wonder how close a match that Duster chassis would be for a ‘62 Dodge Lancer? I’ve got a very restorable builtup of one of those and your WIP has given me an idea. Looks like they were all the same basic unibody floor stampings back then. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zakdoggi Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Super work Tom. Go for it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Looks like a great project Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, MrObsessive said: Great rescue so far Tom! I wonder how close a match that Duster chassis would be for a ‘62 Dodge Lancer? I’ve got a very restorable builtup of one of those and your WIP has given me an idea. Looks like they were all the same basic unibody floor stampings back then. ? Pretty much correct. The same basic stamping from 1963 onward, not sure of that first gen 1960-62. The V8 was introduced in 1964. The base was modified in 1967 to allow for big blocks. There are small differences under the hood, enough that you would probably want to fix 'em, but I've decided just to go with it and nobody would notice. Here's how shortening the chassis worked for me... note these pix were of my original experiment with a junker chassis. If you cut straight and true, there is very little clean up. and on the top side there is a trough which is the indent from the rear unibody. I used brass rod to join those together with press fit. Edited June 7, 2019 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 3 hours ago, afx said: Looks like a great project Tom. Indeed it does, and a very cool one too. Drive on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Go get em Tom. I rebuilt a 64 hardtop several years ago using the same technique. I have a 65 Barracuda to restore, and I may slip a Duster Chassis under it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Ron Hamilton said: Go get em Tom. I rebuilt a 64 hardtop several years ago using the same technique. I have a 65 Barracuda to restore, and I may slip a Duster Chassis under it. Thanks Ron! Sorry we didn't get more of a chance to chat at the show last month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldmopars Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 As a big time fan of the 60's A body cars, I am loving this. During our early marriage my wife had a 64, I had a 63, 60, and a 63/65 Dart Wagon. Her brother had a 65 Signet and I later had a few 70's Valiants and Darts. I always wanted a Convertible, but never found one in decent shape for a decent price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 Hi Scott- My first car was a 1966 Valiant V100 2 door sedan, slant six car. We then added a '66 Signet 2 door hardtop with V8. Next came my '65 Barracuda, the '64 convertible and a '67 2 door sedan. I also drove a '73 Scamp and a '73 Barracuda. I've had numerous parts cars as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 Last night I start accessing the interior. The Valiant kit interior bucket has all the seats molded in and light door panel detail. I started to check out the donor Duster interior. That kit builds up off the floor. The nicely detailed door panels have been whittled to fit, now it's a matter of modifying the upholstery. I'll still use the Valiant seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disabled modeler Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 Nice work Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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