1961 Valiant Wagon
Been onto the Heater and headlights lately. The inside of the wagon heater section wasn't to bad. But I still put 2 NOS Actuators and a NOS motor into it. The 2 speed motor tested perfect. The under the dash fiberglass housing was pretty nice as well. It has a really nice fleck though it. I got the metal parts zinc plated. And I dug out 2 heater hoses that seemed to escaped any damage. With the heater box that goes in the engine bay.. It looks like someone painted it at some stage. Plus they tightened the screws up a little too much on a couple of the holes and cracked it. So I have been taking off the paint to make it go back to the nice looking flecked pattern. Then I will fix the couple of cracked screw holes. It was hard to tell how the metal plate that holds the heater tap in place was finished originally... I think it might have been uncoated steel pressed with a light coat of something to protect it until it was driven out of the dealership. Any hints if anyone knows would be great. But in the meantime I sent it off to the plater to get black zinc plated.
The headlight buckets were caked with 60 year worth of dust.. It took a while to clean them as I wanted that galvanised finished look on then. All the crap came off and its clean but it has left a stain in some parts. I can live with that as they are hidden behind the headlight covers. I found ages ago a set of the Tung-sol headlights (Both high and low beams) as used on the late 50s and early 60 Chrysler cars. I think in my research some Valiant came with Tung-sol and other with General Electric headlights. But they would have been both with the centre dot in the headlight. The light beams are nothing on todays headlights that you can get... But I am trying to go with that look from as if I bought the wagon in November 1960 when the wagon was made.
Been onto the Heater and headlights lately. The inside of the wagon heater section wasn't to bad. But I still put 2 NOS Actuators and a NOS motor into it. The 2 speed motor tested perfect. The under the dash fiberglass housing was pretty nice as well. It has a really nice fleck though it. I got the metal parts zinc plated. And I dug out 2 heater hoses that seemed to escaped any damage. With the heater box that goes in the engine bay.. It looks like someone painted it at some stage. Plus they tightened the screws up a little too much on a couple of the holes and cracked it. So I have been taking off the paint to make it go back to the nice looking flecked pattern. Then I will fix the couple of cracked screw holes. It was hard to tell how the metal plate that holds the heater tap in place was finished originally... I think it might have been uncoated steel pressed with a light coat of something to protect it until it was driven out of the dealership. Any hints if anyone knows would be great. But in the meantime I sent it off to the plater to get black zinc plated.
The headlight buckets were caked with 60 year worth of dust.. It took a while to clean them as I wanted that galvanised finished look on then. All the crap came off and its clean but it has left a stain in some parts. I can live with that as they are hidden behind the headlight covers. I found ages ago a set of the Tung-sol headlights (Both high and low beams) as used on the late 50s and early 60 Chrysler cars. I think in my research some Valiant came with Tung-sol and other with General Electric headlights. But they would have been both with the centre dot in the headlight. The light beams are nothing on todays headlights that you can get... But I am trying to go with that look from as if I bought the wagon in November 1960 when the wagon was made.
