4 replies to this topic

[jjsipes]

When did Nascar teams stop using factory chassis' and started with a full racing chassis? I recently won a MPC Petty Charger on evilbay and would like to do something with the chassis but not sure if the chassis is correct or whether one from a AMT 71 Charger would be more correct.

 

I plan on doing this with the Petty Roadrunners that I have gotten but not sure about the Chargers after seeing the 1/16 scale ones. Should I just use the one in the kit or use a more stock appearing chassis with rollcage built on top of it? I know the "K" members in front need to be scratch built to race spec and not stock.

[Rob Hall]

Mid to late sixties I would think, when NASCAR started racing cars that were silhouettes of street cars that were unibody...like the '66-67 Fairlane.

[mikemopar70]

Actually, to be 100 perent accurate, you should bring the 1971 Charger chassis,  since at this time the cars were stock cars as the name says.

They only reinforce the chassis with a roll cage, and got more powerful drivetrain to the car and widened the bodies for wheel clearance..

 

Race on sunday, sell on monday was the word at this time!!

 

The race cars must be available as street version with the same powerplant as the street cars.

 

If the Charger weren't available with a 426 Hemi, so you couldn't race it with a 426 Hemi!!

 

They change some rules on mid '70s or so when large displacement engines were not available on street cars anymore. or very few!!

The same happened with the chassis!

 

But the chassis of this kit, if i don't mistaken myself is a leaf spring unit wich is pretty much accurate for a Mopar this year, i would keep it. 

Good luck with your project!

[Edsel-Dan]

MPC's chassis in their early 70's series was very Generic. It was used under

Chevy, Mercury, Plymouth, Dodge, GTO, etc, so does not accurately portray

what was under a specific car at the time.

The Entire rolling chassis, roll bar assembly, Engine were all identical.

Only a few accessories were different between kits.

The Petty Plymouth, and Dodges did include head extensions to fit the Hemi

Valve cover, and torsion bars fro the front suspension. Even though the Coil springs were still used

 

The Chassis plate was in 2 parts and could be assembled to 3 different lengths, though only 1 kit,

the Clear body David Pearson GTO Sportsman car used the Shortest setting. ALL others used the middle setting.

Even in th e70's teams took a Factory STOCK car and converted it to race car.

[MAGNUM4342]

^{If we are talking about the 1/16th Petty Charger, It's chassis is entirely correct (Except for the K member). The HEMI was available until 1973 when NASCAR mandated a smaller engine size due to the first oncoming gasoline shortage. Petty began making shop built K members for reinforcement around 64 when they first started racing the HEMI engine. Thay K member was the only change ade to the MOPAR OR Ford chassis. The same unibody style chassis was used in the Roadrunners and Chargers all the way up to the 1978 MAGNUM. Full chassis manufacturing started in the Petty camp the same year (1978) after the purchase of a Banjo Monte Carlo and chassis. At least I think it was Banjo Matthews, i'm a little fuzzy on pain meds right now and may be way off. I know i'm correct about the petty's tho.}

 

^{Obviuosly the AMT Charger chassis won't fit the 1/16th kit but I use it for all my Roadrunner and Charger builds in 1/25th - 24th. Hope this helps.}

Edited by MAGNUM4342, 22 February 2013 - 03:13 PM.