1963 Valiant Wagon "Candy girl"
So this is the offical start to making up my mind on a plan and doing something about it.
So as each year passes and we all get older, if you pay attention, you might learn something about yourself each year. I have learned I can't make and stick to a plan so easy.
I have had this car a few years now and ive been all over the board with what I should do with it.
I was on the fence several times on going V8 or going with a slant six and what kind of slant.
It's been a never ending seesaw on deciding on a color.
Uncle Tony of uncle Tony's garage made a statement that is really sticking with me and hit me like a baseball bat. "Every project should have an end purpose" "what do you want the car to do for you."
That's when I really thought about it and made up my mind.
The purpose of this car is to capture the ever fading early 60s.
The early 60s seem to be overlooked by car historians and in a lot aspects in history. Car history tends to talk 50s and all the poodle skirt glory and then just jumps to the mid 60s when the mustang debuted and the GTO came to be which many believe started the muscle era. In the meantime what happened to the transition era when we stepped away from fins and engineering worked to find our new 60s identity as a country, and automotive industry.
So back to the car. After I bought it I was looking at the fenders and hood and they were junk, full of bondo. Around that time a fabo member was parting a 65 valiant and I had the thought of making a 65 valiant wagon mainly because i was listening to other people say they don't like the look of the 63 front end.
So for awhile now ive had a 63 valiant with a 65 front end, I had planned to install early A bucket seats and use the 65 valiant dash because it's the same dash as the 65 barracuda. I had the novel idea to make what could be called a psuedo barracuda wagon.
Then my excitement just dropped off. It seemed nothing I could of think of doing would make the car not seem so cobbled up and just all a crazy idea after awhile.
So one day I'm cruising Fabo and I start going thorugh the entire thread of the lancersaurus @Hyper_pak and i ran into the valiant wagon thread by Shimos. It hit me, you know what those cars have that my contraption doesn't? ...... they truly capture an era, a lesser thought of point in time that barely exists in today's world.
So on Tuesday afternoon, the "candy girl" 63 valiant came In the shop and onwards with the journey, get a snickers bar, this is going to take awhile.
The plan to make this car do what it is here for is:
I located a 63 front end that is much better shape than the original parts so a 63 front end is going back on.
Bench seat interior with the very plain V100 dash complete with radio block off plate.
Slant six with an era correct hyper pak. I have an original intake and also a Clifford. I decided to use the Clifford for several reasons including its new and never been on an engine before. The transmission is a 4 speed which makes the transmission the only deviation from pure 63 because these cars we 3 speed heavy those days.
The car is to be painted the brightest but most basic white possible with steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps......a true frigidaire on wheels.
The exterior is to capture the the little old lady librarian of 1963.
So here we go.....
Bringing it in the shop
So this is the offical start to making up my mind on a plan and doing something about it.
So as each year passes and we all get older, if you pay attention, you might learn something about yourself each year. I have learned I can't make and stick to a plan so easy.
I have had this car a few years now and ive been all over the board with what I should do with it.
I was on the fence several times on going V8 or going with a slant six and what kind of slant.
It's been a never ending seesaw on deciding on a color.
Uncle Tony of uncle Tony's garage made a statement that is really sticking with me and hit me like a baseball bat. "Every project should have an end purpose" "what do you want the car to do for you."
That's when I really thought about it and made up my mind.
The purpose of this car is to capture the ever fading early 60s.
The early 60s seem to be overlooked by car historians and in a lot aspects in history. Car history tends to talk 50s and all the poodle skirt glory and then just jumps to the mid 60s when the mustang debuted and the GTO came to be which many believe started the muscle era. In the meantime what happened to the transition era when we stepped away from fins and engineering worked to find our new 60s identity as a country, and automotive industry.
So back to the car. After I bought it I was looking at the fenders and hood and they were junk, full of bondo. Around that time a fabo member was parting a 65 valiant and I had the thought of making a 65 valiant wagon mainly because i was listening to other people say they don't like the look of the 63 front end.
So for awhile now ive had a 63 valiant with a 65 front end, I had planned to install early A bucket seats and use the 65 valiant dash because it's the same dash as the 65 barracuda. I had the novel idea to make what could be called a psuedo barracuda wagon.
Then my excitement just dropped off. It seemed nothing I could of think of doing would make the car not seem so cobbled up and just all a crazy idea after awhile.
So one day I'm cruising Fabo and I start going thorugh the entire thread of the lancersaurus @Hyper_pak and i ran into the valiant wagon thread by Shimos. It hit me, you know what those cars have that my contraption doesn't? ...... they truly capture an era, a lesser thought of point in time that barely exists in today's world.
So on Tuesday afternoon, the "candy girl" 63 valiant came In the shop and onwards with the journey, get a snickers bar, this is going to take awhile.
The plan to make this car do what it is here for is:
I located a 63 front end that is much better shape than the original parts so a 63 front end is going back on.
Bench seat interior with the very plain V100 dash complete with radio block off plate.
Slant six with an era correct hyper pak. I have an original intake and also a Clifford. I decided to use the Clifford for several reasons including its new and never been on an engine before. The transmission is a 4 speed which makes the transmission the only deviation from pure 63 because these cars we 3 speed heavy those days.
The car is to be painted the brightest but most basic white possible with steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps......a true frigidaire on wheels.
The exterior is to capture the the little old lady librarian of 1963.
So here we go.....
Bringing it in the shop