black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) I was invited here by another member, top.secret. It seems that Automotive Forums has pretty much died. I used to post over there regularly circa 2007 or so. I have been out of the Hobby for quite some time. I decided to get back to modelling last November after seeing a post from the model car club I used to be a member of promoting their Showdown in March. So, with that I dug out some old projects and this was the one that I decided I would make a push to finish up for the show. I used to be a huge NASCAR fan, pre 2001, so I have fun building these things. I spent a lot of time watching Dave Thibodeau and Clay Kemp build amazing NASCAR builds. From a competition stand point, you just can't beat a race car build for the wow factor. So, you may see a lot of stuff here that they do/did on builds because I use their builds as reference as well as "the bar" to reach. I started this build in late 2006, before I moved and all of my stuff went into storage for the better part of a decade. It was always my intention to enter this at the MCMA Showdown competition and that is where you will be able to find it, March 3rd in Dallas, TX. I chose a short track build because I felt it offers more area for detail. I chose the 2006 Spring Martinsville race as my reference car, as I wanted to use the black and green paint scheme. It was also to winning scheme at Pocono that year, however, I didn't want to attempt those body mods. The only part of the kit "cage" that was used were the door bars and interior tins. I re-built the front bars and bumper supports, as well as the greenhouse area. This is how it went into storage. Sitting there, waiting for me to come back and finish it! Edited February 9, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) Bare with me while I learn how this forum works! I haven't changed photo hosting accounts or paid for photobucket since they broke the internet so I am uploading everything through the board. So photos may end up out of sequence, I'll do my best to tell the story! Here is the body. Very minimal mods. I decided not to open the trunk and roof flaps primarily due to time constraints to get this thing finished. So, I guess this isn't a true super detailed NASCAR build! You will notice the hood pin holes on the primed body and the painted body are different. I originally drilled where the molded in pins were, only to realize this location was way too high on the hood, so those holes were filled and new holes drilled closer to the edge. Edited February 9, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Here is the engine in all of its glory. Again, I apologize, the pictures are out of order. I will give a run down of parts used in my final post for this update. The shocks shown with the headers were tossed in favor of a different design I will show when I post the chassis pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) Chassis work getting done. My primary regret with the chassis is that I did not clear it after painting it gray. There are some inconsistencies with the finish that a coat of urethane clear would have pretty much taken care of. Hopefully it doesn't cost me too much with the judges. this is almost how it sits now. Lots of details in there, and lots more to go. You can see the tin work for the radiator, that was fashioned from embossing metal. Coil springs, wedge bolts, sway bar end links, etc. Note that there is no head on the jack bolts. that was intentional, all of the reference I could find essentially showed a threaded rod with a relief in it to receive a socket wrench extension for adjustment. The extension would lock into the relief much like it was attaching to a socket. This was the beginning of chassis detail. The steering box was painted with a base coat of Tamiya titanium gold and finished with clear yellow trying to make sure everything fit. Hint: in the end it did not and had to be disassembled several times to sort out issues. close up of the tin work. upper radiator hose, radiator with e-fan and wiring harness. wedge bolt adjustment tubes for the rear suspension, still missing the panhard bar tube. Here is the new shock design, MUCH better. Edited February 9, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Rear suspension is ALMOST ready to go in. I had to fill the top of the rear end housing so that I had a place to attach lines. If you notice the front and rear brake calipers are different sizes, this was done intentionally. The rear brake calipers are resin pieces that I acquired with the machined aluminum rotors in an ebay parts lot in 06 or 07. The front calipers are cast metal and are significantly larger! Pro tech PE bolt heads were added for various detials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) Steering wheel and column are pretty much done. The wheel is a piece from an older kit. I added a .065 AN fitting from Pro Tech to the back side for the quick disconnect and a piece of styrene rod into one of the wheel spokes for a radio button. All it needs is some wire. The steering column is a piece of polished aluminum tube with a AN compression fitting on the end from RB motion. Finally it was topped off with a piece of detail wire for the male end of the quick disconnect. The end was painted with a base of Tamiya titanium gold and clear orange. I finally made it around to interior details, trying to put off finishing up the rear suspension so that I don't mes it up handling the chassis. I modified the dash a little bit. The ignition tray was removed and replaced with sheet stock so that I could add my own electronics. All it needs at the moment are ignition coils. Dzus fasteners and PE bolt heads were added to the area above the gauges for access panels. The gauge bezels were sanded off so that I could make my own. The gauge bezels are all from aluminum tubing. I polished it with some 1500 grit paper followed with polishing compound to give them a little shine. Slixx gauge faces were inserted from the back and then topped with testors window maker/clear glue. Looking back, I wish I had waited and purchased a better quality clear glue. The Testors stuff is yellowing just a bit. The shifter is the kit piece with a new center section. The center section is a piece from a Dirt Modeler sprint car set. Warning lights are .025 Pro Tech AN fittings filled with testors clear glue and painted with Tamiya clear orange and clear red. The battery disconnect is a couple of pieces of styrene stock glued together. The red circle is a window decal for jack bolt locations. Edited February 9, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) And finally, this is how it sits right now. BMF was added to the under side for heat shield. You can also see the spring cups, fuel and brake lines, and the upper shock mount for the rear shocks. Lots of detail going on inside. Oil tank is pretty much done from the top side. New cover made, supply and return lines are in, line for the breather tank that would be in the trunk is plumbed and dzus fasteners on top. The two black plates to the right of the oil tank are for the air duct lines to "pass through" to the under side. Roll bar padding is heat shrink tube with "zip ties" (sewing thread set with a little CA). Radio and camera transmitter boxes are in and wired, floor mat and driver door mat are installed along with the pipe for the fuel supply line. On the 1:1 car the package tray is black. Since I didn't catch this earlier, my only option now would be to brush it with flat black. I am undecided on that at this point. Finally, the engine bay in all of its glory. This area is ALMOST complete. I need to finish up the remote oil filter, get it mounted and lines run, carb linkage, and other small details. You can also see the upper radiator tin here. C&R racing decal added along with dzus fasteners for access. Edited February 9, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 There you have it! That is where I am at. Still a long way to go to get this thing finished up for the show on March 3, right at 3 full weeks! I'm hoping to get the body cleared today or tomorrow to seal the decals and give it plenty of time to harden before I polish it out and add all of the final details to it. I shoot advantage 545 clear which is marketed to body shops as a fast curing clear to help speed up production times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim N Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Wow, that is stellar workmanship! Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 45 minutes ago, Jim N said: Wow, that is stellar workmanship! Great job! Thanks Jim. Still a lot of little things to take care of. Looking at that pic of the engine sitting in its home, I realized there is a lot of touch up painting to do as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Amazing work. There is a lot going on here, looks great. Welcome back to the hobby and the forum, always glad to see another NASCAR fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Real impressive work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share Posted February 12, 2018 (edited) I made a lot of progress this weekend. Seat is done, detailed, amd installed. Fire suppression system is in, and I made a display stand. Edited February 12, 2018 by black2002ls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 Well, it is starting to look like something! Body is cleared, still a little polishing left to go. I had a couple of issues with the decals and my clear. This is the first problem I've had, nothing major though. I think I may have cleared too soon. The edge of the driver door decal lifted just a bit, and I got some "dry spots" in the clear. Interestingly though, this only happened over the white number decals. I know there is a line in the sand with clearing over the decals. I prefer burying them in clear for the long term protection! Tires are detailed, just waiting on wheels and a couple of grease pencil markings I also started on the air ducts in the interior of the car. They don't perfectly meet the windows. I will add a piece of aluminum tube to move them closer to the windows and mimic the "connector" that would attach to the window. This kit started as a pro-finish kit, so the windows are all pre-painted and have no openings. So, I will use NACA duct decals and some PE washers for the exterior of the hose connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 I had a couple of hours, uninterrupted last night, to work on this thing. I got some crush panels installed on the bottom, rear end is mounted, and the front steering has been re-worked. I was never happy with the junk I had scabbed in for the steering in the beginning. I finally figured out how I wanted to do it. The angles are a little funky, but it would be functional. Everything has been detailed with Pro Tech PE bolt heads/nut detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 I got quite a bit done over the weekend. The rear suspension is installed an complete. There may be some bolt head detail here or there that I need but I am calling it complete and will take care of that on my final detail. The air cleaner housing got coated in SMS 1/20th scale CF decal and cleared. As of this picture, it needs another coat or two of clear and then a little polishing. Once that is done, I'll ad a washer and nut and some tape. The short track grills are installed on the front, along with some tape. The tape may not be correct, however, it adds some dimension to the front end. I also added some bolt heads for the spoiler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Some really nice work you have going on there! I'm in the bury the decals under clear camp - it just eases my mind in terms of longevity; although I suppose if they car is in the display case, it probably doesn't matter as much. Anyway, nice build and great eye for details! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Jonathan said: Some really nice work you have going on there! I'm in the bury the decals under clear camp - it just eases my mind in terms of longevity; although I suppose if they car is in the display case, it probably doesn't matter as much. Anyway, nice build and great eye for details! Yeah, I prefer that deep gloss across the whole thing. I've only had one issue with clear over decals. I have a Joe Amato Top Fuel dragster that I started about the same time I started this that also went into storage. It was the Superman livery, I checked it about the time I picked this one back up, trying to decide which one I was going to finish for the competition and the decals appeared to have melted underneath the clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbeard Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 looking great nice clean build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 Thanks. I'm down to the finishing details! Dash is in for good, just waiting on a couple of ignition coils that should be here today to finish up the electronics tray. The only items left to build are the supports for the rear window braces, the center exhaust section, and the air ducts and boxes for the front brakes, everything else is just a matter of final details! I'm hoping this thing can be placed in the FINISHED column by Sunday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Finally getting down to the finishing details! I can mark wheels and tires off of the list! I finally bit the bullet and decided to use machined aluminum nuts for the lug nuts. I found some great pieces at a more than reasonable price. The tire tread was sanded down using the "drill method", Mounting the tire on a bolt and putting it in the drill and sanding the tread on 220 grit sand paper. This saves a ton of time. I wiped down the sidewalls with lacquer thinner to remove the kit markings and prep them for decals. Once the decals were on and dry, I hit the entire tire with Model Master dull coat lacquer to take the shine out of them. I added a few markings with a grease pencil, then mounted them on the wheels. The wheels were shot with Krylon Gloss black, which I had to top with Model Master ultra gloss lacquer due to a paint issue. More wet works decals for the weld logo and the alignment tape. The lug nuts are .031 machined aluminum nuts, I left them bare aluminum for some contrast and then painted the top edge with Fluorescent orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Well, this will be the last progress update. The next pictures I post will be completed. Still a lot of little finishing details to do and touch ups to do, but all of the main sub assemblies are primarily complete. Items remaining: Install hood, make hood struts, and connect hood tethers TV camera and radio antenna Carb linkage and throttle cable/rod Window braces Steering wheel and radio wire Lug studs Front brake ducts Finish hood pins Miscellaneous nut/bolt detail and decals I'm sure I've missed a thing or two on that list, either way, a few hours work and it is ready to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adhsdad Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I see that you're in Forney,TX. Will you be coming to either the Dallas show this weekend or the Houston HAMS show in July? Ep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black2002ls Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 23 hours ago, Adhsdad said: I see that you're in Forney,TX. Will you be coming to either the Dallas show this weekend or the Houston HAMS show in July? Ep I actually live in Greenville. I opened my account from my work computer, I work in Forney. I will be at the MCMA Showdown on Saturday. I will have this and a few other builds with me. Will you be there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbeard Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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