Winter Project '64 Valiant Convertible
My convertible doesn't get much use in winter, so I decided to make a few interior mods to go along with the new paint job and drivetrain rebuild.
I wanted a sound system that could play music from an ipod, so I had to give up my old Mopar AM-FM-CD radio in favor of a new Sony. I tried to make the installation look like something that might have come from the factory, if modern parts had been available in 1964.
While I was at it, I did some major rewiring by adding several new circuits and combining my two fuse boxes into one.
I also didn't like the looks of the Vintage Air control panel, since it looked like something made for a street rod, not a classic cruiser. I disassembled the Vintage Air panel and built it in so it also looks somewhat like a Mopar designed panel. The trim panel is made from bits and pieces of a '64 dash, a piece of plastic to mount everything to, and then it was covered with a simulated pattern printed on adhesive label material.
Then I improved the old custom gauge panel on the console by adding a power receptacle and storage bin for my cell phone. The existing gauges got an upgrade, too. I cut the gauge trim rings from an old instrument panel, routed the backs to fit over the gauges, then sent them to Mr. G's to have them chromed.
My convertible doesn't get much use in winter, so I decided to make a few interior mods to go along with the new paint job and drivetrain rebuild.
I wanted a sound system that could play music from an ipod, so I had to give up my old Mopar AM-FM-CD radio in favor of a new Sony. I tried to make the installation look like something that might have come from the factory, if modern parts had been available in 1964.
While I was at it, I did some major rewiring by adding several new circuits and combining my two fuse boxes into one.
I also didn't like the looks of the Vintage Air control panel, since it looked like something made for a street rod, not a classic cruiser. I disassembled the Vintage Air panel and built it in so it also looks somewhat like a Mopar designed panel. The trim panel is made from bits and pieces of a '64 dash, a piece of plastic to mount everything to, and then it was covered with a simulated pattern printed on adhesive label material.
Then I improved the old custom gauge panel on the console by adding a power receptacle and storage bin for my cell phone. The existing gauges got an upgrade, too. I cut the gauge trim rings from an old instrument panel, routed the backs to fit over the gauges, then sent them to Mr. G's to have them chromed.
