Rear valance panel

Unsure of what the correct name for the part is but after some searching "rear valance panel" seems to be correct. On the donor car this part was removed as a hole. My guess is it was in a decent shape when the car came to the scrapyard and has therefore been thoroughly removed. 

Rear valance panel welded in place

Before

Decided to go for a easy design not trying to make a stock looking panel as it will probably be unnoticed by most on the ready product. The initial shape was created with a brake. The radius became to small so some adjustments where needed.

Determining the shape.

Radius adjustment tool kit = big hammer and 2 by 4! 

"Back" side of panel was painted before welding in place.

Welded in place.

To stiffen up the rear valance panel a strengthening piece was made with holes in it for decoration even if no one will ever see it.

Used a flare die for added character.

 

Welded in place.

Bumper mocked up to see what it will look like when ready.

More and hopefully final rust repairs.

There are a few weak and crusty spots that need attention. Some of these repairs where done already during the winter and some are made now. Didn't take pictures of all the patches.

Left quarter panel. 

There is also a patch on the inside.

Some patches here and there...

 

There is still some welding to be done that I will revert to in some coming post but I consider the actual rust repairs to be done now.

Corners redone!

When I made the frame for the backrest I messed up the corners! As I wanted to proceed with the build I decided to make a temporary solution.

Before!

 Now I finally got around to remake those corners. 

Still not pretty but better than the original version.

 

Finished of with some epoxy primer.

 

Status update / spinnoff project no 3.

The previous year has been slow on the couch project. One cause was motorizing the bead roller with the help of an ATV winch motor. As the project was extensive I decided to make an own blog for it. The bead roller motorization project is now ready and from the link below you can  see what modifications were made to the roller.

https://mybeadroller.blogspot.com/

 

Before:

After (Sorry about the messy picture):

Bead roller is operated by a foot switch and powered by 12Volt battery

So what about progress on the couch?

When the bead roller was ready I made panels to cover the back side of the sofa. 

The big piece I made alone which would not have been possible with the hand crank version, also I dare to claim result is better than anything similar made before the motorization.

Bead design for back side of backrest. Supposed to imitate the beads on the back side of the backrest of a 1965 Dart STW. 

First beads made! 

'

Mock up!

A new "sand plate" has been made with a brake but I got the radius too small so some adjustments will be needed before being able to weld in place! The piece is much simpler than the original car part but I hope it wont show to much on the ready product.

 

In bondo we trust...

Mix it...

Apply it...

Sand it...

Mix it...

Apply it...

Sand it...

Mix it...

Apply it...

Sand it...

Mix it...

Apply it...

Sand it...

To be continued...

Semi gloss black.

Only some small progress lately. The sofa has been painted semi gloss black underneath with rattle can spray. Also the wheels and adjustable feet where reassembled.

First mock up

Was finally able to find rear lights and a bumper for the sofa. They are from a 1965 Dart. As the parts where quite far from where I live I had them shipped to me. Pictures I received from seller indicated that parts where not in mint condition. Unfortunately the bumper was even worse than I expected, it is dented, rusty, and worst of all not straight.

Mock up with lights, trim and bumper in place.

 As the lights were very dirty and one them had a loose part I dismantled the rear light bezels for cleaning and repairs. 

I had to make new bolt holes for the rear lights. I don't know if this has to do with  that the car is from 1966 and the rear lights are from a 1965 car or if it is due to the fact that the light bezels I got hold of are actually from the trunk lid and not the car.

 I also had to cut away material from the lower part to make enough room fort the light bezel. This is surely due to the fact that the bezels are installed up side down as the part was for trunk lid originally.

The bumper fits poorly. It hits the body on one side and the gaps between left and right side are not he same.

 

Spring has not been all about building the sofa. The Dart GT has been taken to some local events for example the local vintage car club arranged a swap meet where I got the chance to park next to another Mopar A-Body. 

And as we are in 2021 even the interior "decoration" of car is affected.