'68 Valiant Island Ride

[puna_trav]

Hi from the big island of hawaii! This is my first post, but I've been lurking for some time to get some ideas. Not sure if mine fits in the "Rat" category, but it was definitely full of them when I first got it.
My cousin and I bought it 3 years ago out of a barn across the street. It had been sitting behind pallets of plywood since 1996 due to a frozen motor.
Dropped in a 10k mile rebuilt motor, new master, brakes and lines (9" drums all around), rebuilt carb, and a dakota radiator.
We get 140" of rain a year, so the car has surprisingly little rust... but it's definitely there, so she'll always be a bit ratty looking.
The title had issues until very recently, so now that it's resolved I'm really trying to get it on the road. I hope to use it as a DD by the end of September.
When we bought it:

Workin'.

Cleaning up:

I'm undecided on a color, but I got some good ideas floating around.

 

[skull]

sure

yep....

just do a lot of build pics and yer set

Later

 

[maverickmk]

Nice, I like it. Keep the pics coming.

 

[rex1927]

Nice ride

Hawaii-Cool!!!
Like your Valiant.[dr

 

[earthman]

I like how it looks right there. I always think fourdoors need tapper handles for door handles.

 

[puna_trav]

Thanks for the props! The guys at the scooter board don't seem to keen on a Valiant build, and it seemed like I found a good place for her.

At first I'm going to run it stripped from the front seat back with no rear handles until I finish the back seat area. We've had it for 3 years, and I've still never driven it! I want it on the road ASAP.

I am seriously considering doing a few pinstripes, bombing a few coats of satin clear to slow down the rust to a manageable level and calling it a day. Also considering a faded sky blue with a bare metal strip sanded off on the 'shoulder' of the fenders. I also want to do a VW style roof rack for it at some point... if anyone could provide me some clues on a universal version at a reasonable price. Otherwise, I'll make one.

Other pics from the build:

Fiberglassed:

Hint hint for the future:

 

[bob w]

Yes, get it on the road first then put that turbo on during the "rainy season".

 

[SugarRay8]

Looking great, keep us updated and send some of that 140” of rain to the Midwest WE NEED IT!

 

[ScaryVoodooGirl]

can't see any photos??? sounds killer though

 

[Shea Laking]

Hey, anybody with a chrome foot on his car is cool with me.

Love it, looks like you guys are having a blast. And that, sir, is the most important thing!

Keep us posted![P

Regards,
Shea

 

[puna_trav]

Hey, anybody with a chrome foot on his car is cool with me.

Cool part is, the PO put that on along with the shift knob... she was my 90 year old neighbor.

 

[puna_trav]

The valiant now has working brakes. Next: plumb the fuel cell and prep for paint.

 

[Shea Laking]

Cool part is, the PO put that on along with the shift knob... she was my 90 year old neighbor.

Man, that is just TOO funny!

Gotta admit, I'm seeing some sort of "Hawaiian shirt print" for a paint motif.... Don't puke, I think a little outside the box sometimes...

Regards,
Shea

 

[puna_trav]

Finished up and bled the brakes today. Also bombed the door jams flat black, and the underside of the trunk lid military green. Next step, plumb and possibly replace the fuel cell (got one for free, but it doesn't have a fuel sender). I'll probably use it to mock up though. Also want to put down some truck bed liner on the floor of the trunk before putting the glass back in.
Sorry for the pic quality... camera phone.

Got rid of the junk in the trunk, too

 

[Neverdone]

looks good but I do have one thing to say. Hate me if you must, but.........



There is no replacement for displacement.........

 

[puna_trav]

I agree, but I want her to be a DD when I'm done. Gas here has been around $4.20 a gallon for a long time and my commute is 50 miles a day, so I'm sticking with the slant six and a single barrel for quite some time. I may do a two barrel setup in the future, but that depends on me finding/making a new manifold.

The turbo is going to be for when the Valiant gets too rusty and the drivetrain needs to go into another frame/body [

For now, I'm just trying to get it moving under it's own power for the first time since 1996 [cl

 

[puna_trav]

So, finished plumbing the fuel cell this weekend. I laid down a few coats of truck bed liner, cut a recess for the bottom of the cell out of the bottom of the trunk, and ran the hard lines from the mechanical fuel pump to the cell. I may reenforce the floor of the trunk a little bit more later, but for now I can sit on the fuel cell without any flex from the sheet metal... so I figure 10 gallons of gas should be no problem. I just need to make the straps to hold everything down and it will move.

Just in time, too. The house where it's stored shares a garage with a crazy woman. She gets upset when my girlfriend and I talk while assembling the car. No power tools, very little noise, just talking. The garage is 30 yards from her house. She is threatening my aunt about calling the police for noise (which would never fly... we work middle of the day, and the garage isn't hers), but my aunt wants me to get the car out ASAP. I'm happy, gives me an excuse to trailer it home. [cl

 

[puna_trav]

Alright. Car runs and drives fairly normally, time for the fun stuff.

Started doing the peel and seal 'dynamat' on the floors, rear wheel arches and roof. The pic is when I had finished the first two rolls, and went back and did two more, so coverage is almost 100% on any flat surface from the firewall to the trunk.

Also drove it around a bit and adjusted the transmission kick down. I have a bit more of the peel and seal to do in the interior and I'm going to start prepping to do a little bit of paint. This is the first time in the 3 years my cousin and I have owned the car that I've gotten to drive it more than 20 feet. I'M HOOKED. This is the first piece of old iron I've ever owned, and I'm having a blast with it... although I do miss the metric system.

Next to the current DD. Surprising how small the Valiant actually is.