Slant Six Forum
https://slantsix.org/forum/

1962 Valiant Station Wagon
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=67103		 Page 12 of 13
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Wed Jun 26, 2024 6:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
I doubt it.

Those maladies happened at different times.

Alternator was first, a few weeks ago.

It is possible the slipping and water pump are somehow related as they were on the same day.

Greg
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Wed Jun 26, 2024 2:29 pm ]
Post subject:  6/26/24
6/26/24

Today I continued with finishing the fiddly jobs -
The new accelerator pedal from the D100 Truck needed the existing throttle cable repositioned, due to this the outer cable sheath was about an inch too short, so I ordered a new one and got that alll solved and corrected.

Some wiring on the firewall both inside the passenger compartment and underhood needed rerouted.

I found an old 3 gauge mounting pod, cleaned it up, and mounted it along with the oil pressure gauge (it was taped to the dash before), and the O2 sensor and gauge were installed as well. The wire routing under dash and under hood were all cleaned up and sorted as well.



For now, I have only one fiddly job left to do: Fix or reroute the exhaust as it goes past/near the left-side rear shock absorber. It rubs a bit and eventually, it will break the rubber membrane on the air shock meaning it will not work. When I built the exhaust the pass around the shock was not a problem as the axle was hanging down, but when there is weight on the car it interferes.

Some pictures:
New front License plate position: lower so hopefully it allows more air to the radiator.
Image
Image

Compared to before:
Image

I installed one of the Dodge D100-D300 pedal brackets and fulcrums from say a 1972-1980 Truck / Ramchaarger before when I wanted to use a cable accelerator pedal on my '64 Dart. It bolted fine and required just drilling the firewall for the new studs.
It's a different story for the 1960-62 A body firewall. Much less space under there and fewer flat areas too!

So I had to do some fabbing and cutting/welding to make the new OE Style Pedal work with a throttle cable for the 4 barrel.
All of that was in an effoert to replace this Lokar billet hot rod pedal that looks great on a 33 ford street rod.
Image

With this:
Image
These tall / more forward OE '60-'66 Pedals make the heel-toe downshifting technique very easy too! FYI!!

First time I ever had to spend 4 hours to cut and modify an OE accelerator linkage.
Image
Image
Image

Added the vintage 3 Gauge pod. I need to fill that 3rd spot or get a block off plate to finish it out.
Image

O2 Sensor was installed to dial that carbby's PV and Jetting even better.
Image


Now I just need to get the car out to check my work and begin carb tuning.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:45 am ]
Post subject:  6/27/24
Got to the shop today,

O2 gauge said a bit rich, so I swapped for the next leaner Primary Jet.
Looks about perfect now, had to set the idle a skosh rich..12.7 or so to keep it alive at a stop sign. No dashpot on this carbby.

The helper was around today to kick off the jetting session:
Image

I also might experiment with going a jet size up on the the secondary circuit. It runs real well now, just sometimes it's 13.x on full throttle and I would perfer 12.x

Also I have to take a highway trip and see if my cooling issue is sorted.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Wed Jul 03, 2024 7:12 am ]
Post subject:  7/3/24
7/3/24:

I got my VE, VF, VG Fuel Spill tray installed. It is a reproduction, but it should do the job. It is not made specifically for the S series which this car is, but It does work and do the intended job with minimal modifications. There is no real room under the package floor area to do a fuel filler valve modification as I did with my '64 Dart.
Image
Image

We went to a local car show, and he helper was hawking her jewelry.
Image

I thought I was going to be able to get the Holley 390 tuned for all driving conditions but It seems that is not the case. No matter what configuration I tried with power valves it seemed to be very inconsistent.
I bought an Edelbrock Performer 500 to replace it. Updates on that later.

Last week was the first time out with the '62 Valiant Wagon towing the '62 ValianTrailer. It was a blast and got a lot of attention.
Image
Image
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Thu Jul 25, 2024 6:35 am ]
Post subject:  7/25/24
7/25/24:

It has been a while.
Over the last few weeks, I have put ~1000 Miles on the little wagon, and a lot of that was towing an ~800# tare weight trailer.
A few things I have been working on and sorting:

Cooling System - I thought I had this figured out, but It still needs flushing. I guess there is just a lot of crap in the head and block that causes sediment - as I have a ball valve on the coolant drain it's an easy affair to drain and fill on my angled driveway. Draining when hot after a drive, then flushing with a hose and refilling as needed to get the system clean. The ~650-mile drive to, from, and around the Carlisle, PA region helped dislodge a lot of sediment.

I have replaced the back half of the alternator with a core stator and back case, with good diodes. As my alternator was nicely detailed I left the front section alone and swapped the rear section. Since my Carlisle trip, I have replaced and tested everything in my original, detailed rear section. I have to swap the nice rear section back on and see if it Amperages and Voltges correctly.

Brakes - I had been chasing my tail with this one for a while. I could bleed and get a good pedal at the shop since I put the car back together in April / May 2024. But after driving, the pedal feel would never keep. I thought master cylinder, put a new one of those on.. nope.
Then I replaced the Proportioning valve, I bought a cheap eBay one a few years ago... It leaked on the Switch connection, so I weled up that port. I figured I had goofed up the function of it somehow by my welding of the steel cap where the switch contacts were removed from the valve. I bought a good new one from Dr. Diff. Replaced that on there.. Nope still wonky pedal feel. I knew it was not wheel cylinders or calipers, as I also rebuilt those and there were no leaks or anything.

I had used old used Rotors and pads for this build as I was trying to be somewhat budget-minded. I had the rotors turned by a local shop so I didn't think much to check them. Turns out they were way out of spec and had runout that you could see. I knew they were not true as I could feel it in the pedal too. With the fixed caliper design of the KH discs, the rotors were knocking the pads and pistons so far back in the bore it caused a pumping requirement on the brake pedal.

FINALLY! I solved my brake pedal feel problem my tossing on ned good rotors and while I was there I upgraded the pads To EBC Yellow stuff too.

Now the car stops very well with pedal confidence. Phew!

The trip to Carlisle went well. I showed the car and trailer, Picked up a set of 17"X8" Wheels with Advan A052's for the AutoX/Track Day vehicles, and had enough room to bring it all home.

Got an early start Thursday to go to Carlisle.
Image
Image

Arrived in the "green field and put down my tent and things. Started to work on my Carlisle Shopping list on Thursday. Got lots of small little swap meet stuff.
Image
Image

Later that evening, I met up with some slant 6 racing buddies Andrew, and Ryan. We went to Colonel Denning State Park for an awesome 2.2-mile hike that gave us ~1200 Feet of elevation gain and an expansive view of the Cumberland Valley area. Carlisle is somewhere out there on the left.
Image

By the end of Saturday, the little wagon won 2 awards:
2nd place in the class and Dennis Kohr picked my car for a celebrity pick.
Image
Image

I left for an uneventful Saturday Night drive home, It was still pretty hot, and with the gooky coolant and small radiator with no overdrive, I just took my time going home It did well in the heat pulling a semi-loaded trailer good for ~1200#
Image
Image

A normal Trip to Carlisle for me would be usually around 300-350 Miles, But I did some extra driving to go hiking with friends on Thursday, and to pick up the autoX tires and wheels up near Hershey, PA
Image


For the past week and a half, I have been using the Valiant to take the kid to daycare, the playground, and the bike trail.
Image
Image

I stopped by Dad's Shop yesterday too for a little visit. Sometimes Dad is a bit off as he is getting older, but he still knows some things. He will not remember that he saw me with this car last month and we talked about what engine it has in it etc.. But when I fired it up yesterday to leave, he asked "Does it have a cam in it" And I said yes it does. He can tell by the exhaust note.
Image

Upcoming: in the next installment:

Concours d'LeMons
-and-
the PVGP countryside tour.
Author:  Chuck [ Sat Jul 27, 2024 1:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
When I had my shop and we had a dirty radiator we would put unsweetened instant ice tea in the radiator and let it run for a while. The water would turn black and my understanding was that the tanic (?) acid in the tea would combine with the iron oxide and just leave you with water (H2O) and iron particles. That seemed to help flush things out. Since my chemist buddy passed I can't ask him about the soundness of the treatment.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Sun Jul 28, 2024 5:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
Quote:
When I had my shop and we had a dirty radiator we would put unsweetened instant ice tea in the radiator and let it run for a while. The water would turn black and my understanding was that the tanic (?) acid in the tea would combine with the iron oxide and just leave you with water (H2O) and iron particles. That seemed to help flush things out. Since my chemist buddy passed I can't ask him about the soundness of the treatment.

Thanks Chuck. I will consider that.
You mean the powered tea stuff? I guess I have never made Iced tea.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Sun Jul 28, 2024 6:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
7-27-24:

We went to the PVGP Historics at PittRace and participated in the Extremely Small Concours D'LeMons that was hosted at the event.

I brought along my '62 Valiant Wagon with ValiantTrailer, and we parked in the LeMons section on spectator hill. We had a nice vantage point of the racing action within a few steps of my Plymouth monstrosity. Seems that even towing at ~ 88°F on the interstate with the trailer it is running in the normal engine temperature section for now, Not ideal, but not overheating either. If I push speeds over 70 MPH it gets hotter, but at 65MPH it remains consistent.

We brought the grille and also had lunch and dinner under a shade tree before leaving.

Image

Image

The complete album for the day is Here if anyone is interested.

A few / favorite on track shots:
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Later this week the PVGP Countryside tour with the '62Valiant Wagon!
Author:  Dart270 [ Mon Jul 29, 2024 5:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
Super cool! I hope to join in next year.

Lou
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Thu Aug 01, 2024 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:  8/1/24
8/1/24:

I ran the car at the PVGP Countryside tour today.
Got up early as usual to clean the car, get fulled up etc...
Image

This year in our driving group, It was all British cars and the '62 Valiant. The group consisted of a '62 XKE, a MGB, and an Austin-Healey Sprite.
Image
Image
Image

We traveled about 200 miles of back roads, crossing over the mountain ridges a few times.
We found at the first stop that the Sprite had loose manifold nuts causing a vacuum leak, The MG Driver somehow had an extra fine thread nut and a washer, got things tightened, and then we were back on our way.

There is always an eclectic mix of cars at this event. Since we had a bit of a longer route than some of the other participants, we left earlier and I did not get a bunch of pictures this year.
Image
Image

After our tour was over I stopped by Eriie's house on the way home. He Bought a Mint Green '62 Valiant Wagon with a lancer Dash in it off of FB a few years back and flipped it on BaT. I bought some leftover trim bits off of him in February for my Wagon.

I told him that if I was back over on his side of the county, in the neighborhood, I would show him the car.
I kept my word - I met the dude for like ~10 Minutes in Feb of this year.
We drove past his house and sure enough, his garage door was open.
He checked out my wagon and we talked cars and Bikes for about an hour - He has some neat bikes that I have not really ever seen.... well ' 'cause I don't know bikes.
Image
Image

It was a good tour, and meet up with Ernie! The wagon ran great, with no problems, whilst beating on it hard for a good 100+ miles, and made it home with nothing imperative to fix on it this week!

It was a great day.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Sat Aug 24, 2024 7:17 am ]
Post subject:  8/23/24
8/23/24:

We went to a local car cruise last nite.

The Valiant Wagon was parked between a Rolls Royce and a very, very, very nice original Mustang Mach 1.

Our little Valiant got more looks and comments than the other more expensive and well-known popular muscle car on each side of us.

Image

Image

Image
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Sat Aug 24, 2024 7:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8/23/24
Quote:
Our little Valiant got more looks and comments than the other more expensive and well-known popular muscle car on each side of us.
Wull…yeah!

Of course the old Valiant got more attention and appreciation. Anyone can have a Rolls-Royce like that on demand; all it takes is enough money or credit. The drive and ride experience is pretty much the same as that of numerous other recent cars. It’s supposed to impress us because it’s more expensive than many other cars? Look, lookit this icon of how much moneyz I haz!! Mommy, you're not looking!

Yawwwwn…no, thanks; I’m a grownup.

Mustang Mach I: Okeh, sure, it's a nice original car. Very fine. But there are Mustangs all over the place; how many does one see before they all look alike? Ooooh, it's a one-of-[number] with [option package] and [paint code]! So? Maybe that'll impress an investor or an auction-goer, but it's still a Mustang, pretty much the same as all the numerous others. Oooooh, it accelerates rilly fast and it'll go like 120 miles an hour! Yeah? So does every Camry on the rental car lot. Same with Camaros and Corvettes; E-body Mopars, etc. Again: Yawn.

The Valiant, on the other hand, is a one-of-almost-none-on-the-planet 62-year-old time capsule with Googie styling. Almost nobody has one, and even someone with limitless money can’t necessarily have one this good today or tomorrow or next week or month or year. And its ride and drive experience is thoroughly unlike just about every other car not only on the road today, but in the experience of a large plurality if not a majority of today’s drivers.

It’s no versus; the Valiant wins with three wheels tied behind its back. In this case, we can adjust a tagline from 1960-'62 Valiant ads in the States: Nobody Beats Valiant for Va-va-va-VOOM!
(originally: Nobody Beats Valiant for Value!)
Author:  Dart270 [ Sun Aug 25, 2024 3:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1962 Valiant Station Wagon
Great stuff, Greg. Congrats on a sweet car and your thorough building and enjoyment of it.

Next year I predict you and I will meet up more to exercise our A-bodies together.

Dan: Love your comments and 100% agreed.

Slant on,
Lou
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Tue Sep 10, 2024 10:17 am ]
Post subject:  9/10/24
9/10/24

Thanks for the kind words, Uncle Dan and Lou.

Drove it to work today.

I had an Aurora Designs FM conversion done by Retro Radio Restoration in Elizabethtown,PA.

After I installed the radio, I had less than desirable results, and as usual, it was all my fault. I did not follow the wiring instructions and I tried to sum the Stereo connections together into one feed for my crappy repurposed by the previous owner 4" car speakers.
The radio worked but it was not right. It would wander and lose stations whilst driving. Of course that was not what I expected from a new Digital radio in a 1962 Box. So, I got a new speaker - I think It is a 4"x6" size and it fits the OE opening very nicely.
Image
Image

I also read the fine print in the Aurora Manual and it chooses mono/stereo automatically based on the speaker configuration and how it is wired to the unit. Since I had it wired incorrectly the unit was confused.

Now I have some tunes for the family if needed :D . This was, as many Valiants of the era seemed to be an original Non-Radio car. The Shop / previous owner added a radio, but it was a mess.
Author:  Greg Ondayko [ Sat Sep 14, 2024 5:02 am ]
Post subject:  9/14/24
9/14/24:

The box from Instrument Specialties arrived yesterday nite.
it had the Plastic bezel in it that I dropped off at Carlisle in July.

I took it to the car show and did the swap (2 knobs with release tangs and 4 Phillips head screws) right at the car show.

It makes a big difference in the detail from the inside driver's position. :D

Old to Restored:
Image
Image
Image
Image

Now, I just need to get the proper '62 Radio Bezel and knobs.
Page 12 of 13 All times are UTC-07:00
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited
https://www.phpbb.com/