mrmike Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) A new project for me and a new case for McNally, Boston PI. The story is only to show what is driving the build of this kit. The story is a complete work of fiction and anyone described in it is not related to anyone living or deceased. The Build I am using the Monogram 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner kit #85-0892. My plan for this build is to replace the engine with the 440 from the Monogram '71 Plymouth Satellite as a 383 with a TorqueFlite A727 automatic transmission, column shift, and no hood or side stripes. I will use the slotted police wheels and white lettered tires. The engine from the '71 Satellite and my paint, Tamiya TS-54 Light Metallic Blue. The Story McNally arrives at his friends' dealership to inspect the newest acquisition, a vintage 1930's Lincoln. When his friend is called away for an important phone call, McNally wanders around the lot looking the different types of cars. Sports cars, muscle cars, antiques, and a few trucks. He stops a looks at a '70 Plymouth Roadrunner parked near the body shop with nearly flat tires and faded paint. The body looked to be in decent condition with very little rust on it. His friend comes out of the showroom and hands him an envelope with a check in it from the sale of the Hemi Dart that McNally and his late childhood friend Johnny Hallis had built many years ago. McNally asks about the Roadrunner which his friend tells him was part of a package deal for the Lincoln. The car doesn't run, but the engine wasn't seized which is a good thing. McNally makes an offer for the car which his friend accepts since he doesn't want the car anyway. Several days later, the Roadrunner is in McNally's garage and he is removing the old carpet to inspect the floors. He lifts the back seat bottom and finds it wasn't locked down and discovers a cardboard box under it.. He opens the box and finds about $5000 in cash and a wood case with a Colt Model 1911 .45 Cal. hand gun and silencer inside. McNally will return... Edited September 23, 2014 by mrmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynoMight Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Uh-oh! Cool subject, hope to see more soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Another great McNally story and build. Looking forward to see what happens next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrecker388 Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Can't wait for the next update! You should consider writing books to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Another great build subject Mike... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Pssst.... it's Road Runner, not Roadrunner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) Thanks guys! Riley, you are not the first one to suggest that and you'll probably won't be the last. I have a friend who has written a detective novel at around 90,000 words and he has not been able to sell it anywhere in several years and it hasn't stopped him from writing more stories. I would expect about the same if I tried writing a novel myself. Besides, I am strictly an amatuer at writing and my stories are lacking in details. I keep them short for a reason, they're just to illustrate what is driving my build of a model and to provide a little entertainment along the way. Pssst...Harry, I've seen it both ways, but I corrected it just for you Buddy! Thanks! The Story McNally gets out his fingerprint kit and starts disassembling the Colt. He finds a few partial prints on the barrel and several complete fingerprints on the empty magazine in the gun. He removes the prints with 2" wide clear tape and then he calls his friend Lt. Det. Adam Troy of the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit. Adam tells him that he'll be right over to get the fingerprint samples and he'll run them through Forensics. The Build First order of business here is to strip the chrome plating from the wheels, valve covers, and carb. I am trying bleach this time to remove the chrome and I am very impressed with how well it works. There is a large sink hole on the transmission pan and I filled it with Bondo Spot and Glazing Putty. I scraped the seams and will putty them later. Since this Road Runner has a standard 383, I glued in the flat hood panel and covered it with Bondo. McNally will return... Edited July 13, 2014 by mrmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Great start Michael, cant wait for your next update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 What putty do you use on the engine seams Mike?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 Thanks Jim! Carl, I use Bondo Glazing And Spot Putty. I'll probably putty those seams this weekend. The Story Lt. Det. Troy and Det. Darvell arrive at McNally's home to pick up the fingerprint samples that were found on the Colt. Adam is happy to see his friend, while Darvell has his usual look of disgust on his face. McNally shows them the box and the gun and money that was inside. Adam will take all the evidence downtown to Forensics to see if they can find more prints and to test fire the gun for ballistics. The Build The wheels, valve covers, and carb have been dechromed and cleaned and are ready for paint. I drilled plug holes in the heads of the 383 CI engine. I have a picture on my desktop of a '70 Road Runner without wheel opening moldings. I really like that picture and so my Dremel came out and removed the moldings from the Road Runner body. I need to do more sanding to smooth out the fenders. The hood is ready for primer after I puttied the air scoop cover as I want a smooth hood. McNally will return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Moparman Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Great progress so far Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Looks good Mike. Did the bleach clean those wheels that clean?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Good progress Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Thanks guys! Looks good Mike. Did the bleach clean those wheels that clean?? Yes, it did! But, it doesn't remove the lacquer undercoat which is fine with me since I plan on using primer on the wheels before paint. The Story McNally receives a phone call from his friend Wayne, the dealership owner. Wayne tells him that the nephew of the owner of the Lincoln wants the belongings he had in the Road Runner back ASAP. McNally tells Wayne to give him his business card and to have him call to set up a meet. Wayne asks about the belongings and McNally tells him that he won't tell him anything the belongings for his own protection. The less he knows, the better off he'll be. Wayne says he understands and he will give the nephew McNally's business card. The following morning finds McNally entering the Detectives Squad Room at BPD Headquarters. Det. Darvell is attempting to fill out a report on his computer using the "chicken-pecking" method. Lt. Det. Troy is in his office reviewing reports and he sees McNally and waves him into his office. He tells McNally about the "mess" that he handed to him. The gun was used in several murders in southwestern Mass. northern Connecticut, and New York state. The Build I am struggling a bit with the hood cover. The gap towards the front of the hood keeps showing after filling with putty, but I'll keep at it. The floor pan is ready for embossing powder after sanding and filling the shifter hole. I separated the exhaust from the rear axle.. Then I sanded a beveled edge on the exhaust tips. The tips will be painted gloss black and Aclad II Chrome paint. I drilled a hole in the steering column for a column shift lever. The distributor has been drilled out for plug wires and the carb has been painted with Model Master Aluminium Metalizer. I was anxious to see some color, so I went and painted the wheels and wheel backs. I like the color! The 383 CI engine was primered and then given a coat of Mopar Street Hemi Orange Engine Enamel. McNally will return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Nice progress Mike on the road runner and the story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Nice color Mike and work so far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Nice start, i am doing the exact same kit at the moment too, but complete different direction to yours. Nice column shift detail too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 NICE start Mike, got one of those in the stash myself to start sometime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'll be following this, Mike; at the very least, to see how your color choice looks! I have the same in mind for my '68. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathgoblin Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 One of these is going to be my next project, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Thanks guys! John, I know the color will be great as I have used this Tamiya TS-54 in the past. The Story McNally tells Lt. Det. Troy that the dealer who sold him the car called him to say that the nephew wants the belongings in the car back and that he is waiting for him to call. He'll set a meet and hopefully take him down as the assassin wanted by the Feds and the Mass. State Police. McNally now has the unpleasant task of arranging a capture of the assassin known as Peter Danka with State Police Capt. Ferrow, who will try to stop him from capturing Danka on his own. The Build I am becoming increasingly frustrated with this hood! The lines of the cover still show through the Bondo even with very light sanding. I think part of the problem is that the cover is only glued on two sides of the hood and not on all four and the cover flexes as I sand it. I cleaned out as much putty from the inside of the cover as I could and filled the space with glue and then inserted two thin strips of styrene and pushed them into the space and let it dry. My pushing the styrene into the space below has push Bondo up through the top of the hood and I'll sand this down. A coat of primer will show if the line still exists. If it does, I'll probably try the same procedure on top of the hood. I mocked up the engine and chassis and found the the trans mount is too high and I notch it to lower the trans and make additional clearance for it with the interior floor in place. McNally will return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFchronos Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Awesome progress, the story is equally entertaining as well. Hope McNally survives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Thanks Jonathan! The Story McNally arrives at the Mass. State Police Barracks in Springfield, Mass. and prepares himself for the confrontation with Capt. Ferrow. Capt. Ferrow doesn't like McNally because of a prior case involving a kidnapped daughter of a local businessman and his wife, a local attorney. McNally had saved the little girl's life, got the money back, and captured the kidnapper, much to Ferrow's chagrin. Ferrow threatens to have McNally arrested for obstruction of justice if he doesn't tell him where to find the assassin, McNally counters with pulling out his cellphone and calling his attorney Charlotte "Charlie" Rothmann and letting the Captain deal with her. Ferrow reluctantly agrees to help the Boston PI. The Build I have installed the plug wires into the distributor and mounted it on the engine. I found two different size Goodyear tires in my partsbox. I applied Shabo Tire Graphics to the sidewalls and assembled the wheels. A mockup to check the rake of the chassis...I like it!!! McNally will return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 bad55 stan Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Neat so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 That's looking nice, Mike. Great tire and wheel setup and a nice bit of rake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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