1974 Plymouth Valiant Scamp - Restoration is a strong word
As I'm getting closer to this thing being able to hit the road again, and after spending so much time in the cabin tracking down electrical issues, I decided it was time to make the environment nicer by wire brushing the rust and hitting it all with a rust converter. I then test fitted my new ACC molded carpet and watched a few videos to better prepare for installation. But watching the videos made me think doing some sound deadening would be a good idea. So I jumped on Amazon and bought a box of Siless 80 mil mats and a roller. That was a pretty easy job, except for the weird angles you need to get your body in under the dash, and the awkward kneeling on the floor. I threw the carpet in to test fit and let the AZ summer heat in my garage help it find its new home. Trimming the carpet is next, followed by cleaning the seats and trim pieces before installation.
I didn't get a good shot of this, but while treating the floor I found an extra hole a few inches away from one of the seat mounting holes on the passenger side. It looked like at some point in the last 50 years someone ran over a pipe or rebar or something and it kicked back up into the car leaving what looked almost like a 3/4" knockout on a metal electrical box. I was able to pry, bend and hammer it back mostly into shape the cover the hole, then applied some JB weld to seal it off. There were also a couple of areas toward the front of the floor where the surface rust graduated into real rust and I could see a pinhole of daylight. Those also got some JB weld. Will I properly address the few areas of rust on the car someday? Maybe. I figure as long as the car stays in the southwest, it'll be a long time before it's a real problem.
For fun, I wanted to hear the car run again, so I just turned the key and it immediately fired up and idled smoothly with no additional input. Then I doublechecked all the lights, since I had also just replaced that bad headlight, and everything works. Even the hazards! The other day, I found the dome light lamp inside the glove box. It looked like it had been submerged in rusty water for 10 years. I cleaned it up with a wire brush, cleaned the terminals, reinstalled the dome light, and popped in the lamp. It also works!
Still on my short list to be able to drive:
- bleed brakes
- install "new" power steering pump (the car came with 2 pumps. One installed with no pulley. The other in the trunk with a damaged pulley - looks like they tried to pry it off with a vice grips)
- wheels and tires. The car came with 5x4 steelies up front, 5x4.5 Cragar GTs on the rear. All tires dry rotted terribly.
As I'm getting closer to this thing being able to hit the road again, and after spending so much time in the cabin tracking down electrical issues, I decided it was time to make the environment nicer by wire brushing the rust and hitting it all with a rust converter. I then test fitted my new ACC molded carpet and watched a few videos to better prepare for installation. But watching the videos made me think doing some sound deadening would be a good idea. So I jumped on Amazon and bought a box of Siless 80 mil mats and a roller. That was a pretty easy job, except for the weird angles you need to get your body in under the dash, and the awkward kneeling on the floor. I threw the carpet in to test fit and let the AZ summer heat in my garage help it find its new home. Trimming the carpet is next, followed by cleaning the seats and trim pieces before installation.
I didn't get a good shot of this, but while treating the floor I found an extra hole a few inches away from one of the seat mounting holes on the passenger side. It looked like at some point in the last 50 years someone ran over a pipe or rebar or something and it kicked back up into the car leaving what looked almost like a 3/4" knockout on a metal electrical box. I was able to pry, bend and hammer it back mostly into shape the cover the hole, then applied some JB weld to seal it off. There were also a couple of areas toward the front of the floor where the surface rust graduated into real rust and I could see a pinhole of daylight. Those also got some JB weld. Will I properly address the few areas of rust on the car someday? Maybe. I figure as long as the car stays in the southwest, it'll be a long time before it's a real problem.
For fun, I wanted to hear the car run again, so I just turned the key and it immediately fired up and idled smoothly with no additional input. Then I doublechecked all the lights, since I had also just replaced that bad headlight, and everything works. Even the hazards! The other day, I found the dome light lamp inside the glove box. It looked like it had been submerged in rusty water for 10 years. I cleaned it up with a wire brush, cleaned the terminals, reinstalled the dome light, and popped in the lamp. It also works!
Still on my short list to be able to drive:
- bleed brakes
- install "new" power steering pump (the car came with 2 pumps. One installed with no pulley. The other in the trunk with a damaged pulley - looks like they tried to pry it off with a vice grips)
- wheels and tires. The car came with 5x4 steelies up front, 5x4.5 Cragar GTs on the rear. All tires dry rotted terribly.