[Boatanchors] Front panel for Viking Valiant needed

[John King]

Well, I have a Viking Valiant 1 that has a butchered front panel. The 
meter was replaced with a larger panel meter. Someone took a nibble tool
 and some other tool to it and made a terrible looking hole where the 
original  plate meter was. I now have a replacement stock Valiant meter 
to put in it but the NASTY hole is too large and ugly.

In 
addition they drilled a hole between the tuning dial and the meter and 
installed a wide spaced small Johnson variable cap and wired it between 
the plate of the 6146s and top of the grid coil supposedly a 
neutralizing capacitor that is accessible from the front panel via a 
shaft (insulated) that was drilled in the front panel.

What a GOOF!!!!!

I
 suppose I can put a plate behind the panel and bondo the area in the 
panel and arrive at a proper size and shaped hole with the filler being 
sanded and
 repainted. I can also fill the hole made for the shaft going through 
the panel to the "neutralizing capacitor".

It would be simpler if
 I could find a decent used panel with the "proper" holes in it. 
Electrically, it looks good and I have recapped it. It still doesn't 
have the 18K 10 watt dropping resistor modification placed under the 
chassis. it still has the mercury vapor rectifiers in it but I have some
 solid plug in replacements for them.

The top of the VFO has the 
screws out of it so I suppose the voltage dropping resistor for the 
regulated VFO voltage opened up and the owner didn't know about the 
modification. I will make the mod. The transmitter is definitely  worth 
refurbishing.

If anyone knows where I can find an orphan front 
panel for a Johnson Viking Valiant 1, please let me know . Hopefully 
someone has a parts unit that has one.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and 73, John,
 K5PGW