278 replies to this topic

[Custom Mike]

The next headache on the road to completion, the 383 Sam sent, of course was not the engine designed for this chassis. So when I tried to slide it into place with the exhaust installed, I found the oil pan was hitting the inside of the K-member. A quick couple of passes with the X-Acto knife solved this one...

[Custom Mike]

Now onto more of the exhaust system. I got it all together nicely if you recall, added a bit of Mr Hobby White putty, but it just wouldn't fill the cuts properly.

Here's the glued exhaust, the gap has gotta go...


A bit of Mr Hobby White putty, a bit of sanding....


After hitting it with some Metalizer Stainless Steel, it just didn't look good enough...


At this point, the pipe going up to the driver's side had snapped off at the joint. Now I had to strengthen the joint, a small piece of strip styrene was added to the back side, A bit of shaping to hide it on the sides...


And a quick test-fit on the chassis, this is where the inspiration hit me, I had a way to hide the joint!

 

Here's the fix, and a way to attach the exhaust to the chassis all in one! I grabbed some more .010 strips styrene, and glued a piece to the underside of the exhaust...


A second piece was glued to the flat side and pushed down with a piece of sprue right against the exhaust, causing it to go vertical...


Once the glue had set, some more glue was applied to the exhaust itself, and the strip was held down until the glue set, then the first step was repeated until I had a clamp/hanger assembly...


A bit of trimming of the new hanger, two holes drilled, then mocked up on the chassis. Once I had the exhaust where I wanted it, I marked where I wanted to cut the pipes to join with the engine and drilled a hole in each to accept the beading wire in the exhaust manifolds...

[Custom Mike]

Now we show one of the biggest headaches so far, the exhaust manifolds for the 383(496). Once again, I used some beading wire at the ends of the pipes to secure the exhaust to them, but I also added some on the engine side to make sure the stay put. This is where the nightmare started. Here's what they looked like when they were installed, all nice and pretty!

Beading wire installed on the pipes, I added some to the head sides too, look at how straight those pipes are....




I did a quick test fit in the chassis, and the pipes were nowhere near where they needed to be, and the driver's side was hitting the tie rod. So I broke out a lighter, and spent the next two hours carefully applying heat and bending the pipes (Four bends on one side, five on the other) while they were attached to the engine..

[Custom Mike]

Sam, I need to tell everyone, I know now why you never attempted this one, you must have known it was gonna be a nightmare!

Another test fitting once it was all done (I think I test-fit this engine a good twenty times throughout this process) shows the pipes are finally where they needed to be!



Now onto the next engine-related headache, the radiator. The Duster, as far as I know, was never available with a big block, so I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. I got the engine in place, and tried to put the radiator where it belongs...


Guess what's in the way? If you said the fan, give yourself half a cookie, because the entire belt assembly was also in the way. I hacked the fan off, this baby will never run....


This is how much I had to remove from the fan shroud to get it to fit, even with the fan gone...


The heavily modified radiator shroud, smoothed out and repainted. At this point, I also discovered that the lower radiator hose inlet on the engine is non-existent, and no way to drill for one, so another reason this is a Trailer Queen!

[Custom Mike]

Now onto a couple of things that went right. I got the fuel line connected to the fuel pump with ease, and made a new upper radiator hose from 18 Gauge wire and got it installed!







I also got the grille made up and installed in the nose!

[Custom Mike]

Here's another headache, this one's related to the engine too, the exhaust manifolds are just way too wide for the inner fenderwells of this kit, so I had to do some serious work to get the engine in place without damaging the body or paint.

I started by cutting out the sections of the fenderwells that were the biggest part blocking the exhausts...


That still wasn't enough, so I sanded on the remaining part that was in the way, thinning it by half it's original width. The left side is where I stopped, then I matched the right side to it...


A shot from above, now the right side is the one to match, I sanded it down until I got to the dimple for the shock mount...


A quick test-fitting shows I still have some more to remove....


And here's where I stopped on it last night, it fits with just a slight gap around the exhaust.

[Custom Mike]

And the last update for tonight, I promise you can have the thread back now guys. At this point I still haven't tried fitting the firewall in place, so that may cause more issues, we'll see what happens when I get there, hopefully it goes smoothly. I had to abandon the steering shaft and box, they just won't fit around the exhaust either. But it wasn't all bad, I got started on the glass, redoing the window foil, and did a quick mock-up again to see how it all looked, so far it's looking good as long as you don't dig around in the engine compartment!

The side windows had some small holes drilled in them, and a pair of straight pins installed to simulate the window opening latch, then a bit of foil was applied.


And the mock-up, I like the way she sits now!

[plowboy]

Nice progress Mike! But, manifolds on a pro street?   That engine is begging for a set of headers!

[Custom Mike]

Roger, this is being built to it's owners specs, he sent all the parts I was allowed to use, and no exceptions were made except for the front tires and valve covers. I did the bodywork on this back in 2007, sent it off to him, and he never got around to building it, he just gathered the parts and boxed it up. I considered it the best bodywork I had ever done, and bugged Sam until he sent it back to me to build. I wanted headers and straight exhaust, a modified wing, and a few other things, Sam wanted this, so this is what Sam gets!

[tubbs]

Roger, this is being built to it's owners specs, he sent all the parts I was allowed to use, and no exceptions were made except for the front tires and valve covers. I did the bodywork on this back in 2007, sent it off to him, and he never got around to building it, he just gathered the parts and boxed it up. I considered it the best bodywork I had ever done, and bugged Sam until he sent it back to me to build. I wanted headers and straight exhaust, a modified wing, and a few other things, Sam wanted this, so this is what Sam gets!

 

whatever the client want, the client gets!! glad you got it back.

[tubbs]

has anyone heard from Wayne? we have 2 more people who want to get it and i have not seen any response. he signed in yesterday? did i miss a post soomewhere?

[Custom Hearse]

Dang Mike! That is looking awesome! Did Sam want a wing on it? If so, what kind of wing?

 

Wayne sent me a PM about lowering a funny car, but no mention about being able to join this CBP... He's been pretty busy this week from what I've gathered.

[tubbs]

Dang Mike! That is looking awesome! Did Sam want a wing on it? If so, what kind of wing?

 

Wayne sent me a PM about lowering a funny car, but no mention about being able to join this CBP... He's been pretty busy this week from what I've gathered.

thanks. that man is always busy. i guess thats a good thing.

[Custom Mike]

Dang Mike! That is looking awesome! Did Sam want a wing on it? If so, what kind of wing?

 

Marshall, it'll have the full-size Superbird wing on it, which I don't agree with myself. The Duster trunk in angled downward, and the Road Runner the Superbirds were based on had a flat trunk, so it leans backwards, and sticks way up over the roof. But it's what Sam wants, so I did it his way. I'm doing a second one for another buddy over on Scale Avenue, with the stipulation that I could do it the way I wanted, which includes getting the wing to look right on the Duster body. I'll post a WIP on it when I get started so you can see how the body work is done, hopefully I can get to it sometime this spring or early summer, we'll see!

[Lunajammer]

Does anybody else think Norelco?  Never mind.

 

Attached Files

•  SuperDusterNorelco.jpg   17.54K   9 downloads

[tubbs]

Does anybody else think Norelco?  Never mind.

 

hehe ........ now that you mention it...

[tubbs]

 

Marshall, it'll have the full-size Superbird wing on it, which I don't agree with myself. The Duster trunk in angled downward, and the Road Runner the Superbirds were based on had a flat trunk, so it leans backwards, and sticks way up over the roof. But it's what Sam wants, so I did it his way. I'm doing a second one for another buddy over on Scale Avenue, with the stipulation that I could do it the way I wanted, which includes getting the wing to look right on the Duster body. I'll post a WIP on it when I get started so you can see how the body work is done, hopefully I can get to it sometime this spring or early summer, we'll see!

puttiing the superbird/daytona wings on cars is something i have never done...... but done right, it looks really cool!!! would like to see the other duster you dont mind.....

[Custom Mike]

Does anybody else think Norelco?  Never mind.

 

 

Yeah, it does look like the foil from a electric razor, doesn't it?

 

I'll be right back, gotta get a quick shave with my SuperDuster!

[tubbs]

well, just a verbal update, no pictures yet. took the pontiac to the club meeting and really gave it a going over..... man, i can really put some crappy models together!! sand marks in the bodu, pits all over, chassis not matching up, terrible paint, just a bad build, i no longer think "light" is over-rated !!

 

so i sat with a few guys and brainstormed on it. they know what i do when i build and they led me down the nice and simple path. they saidto use a GTO 389 with a single plain 4 bbl manifold and headers from the firebird kit. i am not much of a pontiac guy, but they said that the 400 manifold will work fine on the 389..... will it? i was rethinking it this morning and i am  pretty much going to redo the entire chassis. i PLAN on this being a nice street car, but tend to go overboard on things. i am afraid of overdoing the chassis with bracing just for a 389. so i was thinking on maybe using one of the motors from the pro mod kits,the one with the pontiac valve covers,  removing the lenco and doing a more streetable trans? go for more of the outlaw type car with full tube chassis, big motor, parachutes and wings but still maintain streetability?

 

i know most of you will say "build it the way you want!" well as i stated, building it the way i want never happens. the monster in me takes over and it takes on a form only the mad man in the model room knows where it will go. i need a good solid direction and stay on that path.......

 

signed,

"where is the point of no return"

[tubbs]

 

Yeah, it does look like the foil from a electric razor, doesn't it?

 

I'll be right back, gotta get a quick shave with my SuperDuster!

you know what, just a question, why did you use the DODGE daytona front instead of the PLYMOUTH superbird nose.... just curious.