Update and Corrected Text:1965 Belvedere A990 built to NHRA 1967 SS/A and 1969 SS/C specs

[tim boyd]

 A few years ago, I built this model from several of the Moebius and Model King 1965 Satellite/Belvedere kits.  I built it with mods to reflect the winning form at the 1969 Indy Nationals (not a duplicate of the actual car, just a duplicate of the major mods that represented that car). UPDATE: Ran across my original research file on this car, and got the above info wrong.  The model was inspired by two 1/1 scale A990's - the Miller and Guenther SS/A (Copper/Bronze) car that won the 1967 NHRA SS/A World Finals, and the 1969 A990 SS/C that - at Chrysler's request - was slammed together at the last minute and driven by Arlan Vanke in the summer of 1969 with the express purpose being to reset the SS/C national record (which he did, by 7/10ths of a second, no less) to spoil the debut of the new Camaro ZL-1 which was to run in the same NHRA Class.  (That was also accomplished later in the season when Sox and Martin would win the 1969 NHRA World Finals). 

Mods included the "Firestone 500" front and rear tires from the JoHan pro-stock kits, and a Dana rear axle, sourced from one of the Lindberg 1964 B-body kits.  The livery was my own creation.  An abbreviated buildup (which I was not happy about at all) appeared in the other model car mag.  (Later on, they did a sidebar on their website to fix some of the mistakes in how the build was presented).   

This was my first Moebius model build and, in direct opposition to much of the negative dialogue on this forum about that ktimaker, I was highly impressed with the kit.  It had a lot of clever engineering and was a blast to build.  Here are some pix....

Thanks for looking....TB

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by tim boyd

[oldscool]

Nice work!

[TransAmMike]

Very nice rendition of this car, but it's to be expected of your builds Tim!!

[moparfarmer]

Very nice and clean...

[Brutalform]

Ahhh one of my favorite builds, Tim. You did a beautiful job on it. I read all about your build in that write up. Actually, that article was the reason why I bought a few of these 65 Plymouth kits. I still have a few in my stash of the three drag cars, along with the max wedge car. I’ll eventually get around to building the Grumpy Jenkins car since I have the decals for it. I don’t think there is really any problems with these kits as they are, but I heard a few stories about their customer service. Not trying to open a can of worms. Other than that, I’ve had no problems. I have a whole bunch of Moebius kits, and am anticipating the release of the 65 Dodge AWB. 

[Brutalform]

Also I forgot to add, the 68 Hemi Dart kit has a 8 3/4 and a Dana rear in it. It’s nice when you don’t have to leave the Lindberg minus a rear, when you can steal one from the Revell Dart kit. 

[slusher]

Outstanding Plymouth, Sir!

[Scott8950]

Very nice

[espo]

Amazing looking finishes and livery. I just happen to have this very kit on the side of my desk waiting its turn. Thinking more of a street sleeper look. I like the white/blue paint combination and the base interior.  

[R. Thorne]

Beautiful!  The wagon holding the hood got me.  I carried a lot of water on one of those back in the day.  No driveshaft loop?

[ewetwo]

That is really nice.

 

[cobraman]

Great looking model.

[tim boyd]

4 hours ago, R. Thorne said:

Beautiful!  The wagon holding the hood got me.  I carried a lot of water on one of those back in the day.  No driveshaft loop?

Good Point, Ron.  I still want to do a second similar build of the kit, replicating the Revell sponsored car that ran NHRA Super Stock in early-mid 1970's.  Already have quite a reference file on that one, along with the necessary decals.  Will make sure to include the driveshaft loop on that one, for sure!  

Can't recall for sure, but I think that wagon came from the AMT-Ertl Orange Blossom Special kit.  Nice replica, too!  

Best....TIM 

[tim boyd]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  Looking forward to seeing several of your possible  builds of the kit when you get around to it, too!  TIM  

PS - excellent suggestion, Tom, on the alternative source for that Dana axle!  Thanks...

 

Edited August 26, 2022 by tim boyd

[bisc63]

Looks ready to launch! Very nice build, I really need to pick up one or two of these.

[Lobo2me]

Spotless! Nice job....one mean, clean, machine.

[tim boyd]

On 8/26/2022 at 12:08 PM, R. Thorne said:

 No driveshaft loop?

UPDATE:  Ron, going through my old notebook of reference materials on Door Slammer drag racing cars, today I ran across a message from Tom Carter, noted 1960's/70's stock class drag racer from the Grand Rapids, MI area, and probably better know to us as the owner/operator of the Hobby Heaven (and later) Spotlight Hobbies model car mail order and website/forums. 

Tom often advised modelers on various accuracy issues with Jr. Stock, Stock, and Super Stock class model replicas. 

In a post dated 21 Feb. 2013 on 1960's and early 1970's NHRA Classification Rules, he noted "no driveshaft loop needed until at least through 1975." 

Still, I plan to add 1 to my upcoming Revell-sponsored 1972-74 class warrior, and thanks again for bringing this detail to my awareness!   TIM 

[R. Thorne]

Thanks for the correction/update.  Just have to post a picture of that awesome car.  I am deep in the rabbit hole of 1964-1965 Chrysler hemi cars with 1 replica 1964 Plymouth a864 Savoy sedan of a gentleman I knew in the Sixties, 4 1964 Dodge hemi Lindberg kits for current rules in NHRA stock eliminator (AA/SA), and 3 Moebius 1965 Plymouth sedans for Stock eliminator also.  Before you say it, yes, I will be posting some pics in the in progress section in the next day or so, thanks, mostly, to your prompting to do so in the past.  Thanks again for all that you contribute to model building.

[drodg]

Very nice build.  

[Brutalform]

There are many regulations that weren’t even thought of back in the day. Many of those cars didn’t even require a roll bar. After injuries or deaths occurred, they would implement the new rule to make it less likely to happen again. But that’s the great thing with building models, as anyone can build it exactly the way they wish. Sometimes I like to build a period correct racer, and other times, I like to incorporate the modern safety features. They also add to the detail of the build too. One thing that comes to mind Tim, is the Lindberg 64 Mopar S/S kits have a safety loop included right in the kit. I usually steal that part as well for other builds. Maybe some race teams decided to use a loop for safety on their own? Kinda like the motorcycle helmet laws. I’m not required to wear one but I definitely would if I was riding one. 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Brutalform

[tim boyd]

4 hours ago, Brutalform said:

There are many regulations that weren’t even thought of back in the day. Many of those cars didn’t even require a roll bar. After injuries or deaths occurred, they would implement the new rule to make it less likely to happen again. But that’s the great thing with building models, as anyone can build it exactly the way they wish. Sometimes I like to build a period correct racer, and other times, I like to incorporate the modern safety features. They also add to the detail of the build too. One thing that comes to mind Tim, is the Lindberg 64 Mopar S/S kits have a safety loop included right in the kit. I usually steal that part as well for other builds. Maybe some race teams decided to use a loop for safety on their own? Kinda like the motorcycle helmet laws. I’m not required to wear one but I definitely would if I was riding one. 

Thx Tom for the thoughts and observations.

My understanding from back in the day when Lindberg first introduced the '64 B-Body Super Stock kits was that the kits were based on the 1990's era restorations or recreations (can't recall which) of the original 1960's drag properties, rather than the state of the original cars when they were first built.  As you and others correctly note, by the 1990's such equipment as a driveshaft loop would likely have been required even to get into the staging lanes, so it would have been included in the Lindberg kits if they were indeed back on the 1990's status of the real cars.  Having said that, I need to go back into my storage unit and dig out one or two of those parts for my aforementioned and planned circa 1972-74 era A990 project.   

Thx for taking the time to post and share thoughts...TIM 

[Brutalform]

And thank you,Tim, for the explanation. That makes sense to me. 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Brutalform

[PappyD340]

Beautifully done!

[tim boyd]

On 8/30/2022 at 7:34 PM, R. Thorne said:

Thanks for the correction/update.  Just have to post a picture of that awesome car.  I am deep in the rabbit hole of 1964-1965 Chrysler hemi cars with 1 replica 1964 Plymouth a864 Savoy sedan of a gentleman I knew in the Sixties, 4 1964 Dodge hemi Lindberg kits for current rules in NHRA stock eliminator (AA/SA), and 3 Moebius 1965 Plymouth sedans for Stock eliminator also.  Before you say it, yes, I will be posting some pics in the in progress section in the next day or so, thanks, mostly, to your prompting to do so in the past.  Thanks again for all that you contribute to model building.

Ron, that last profile view in your post is the best photo of this car I've ever run across.  Many of my file photos are clearly by the same photographer and taken in the same session, but in this image the car just glows, and it does a great job of documenting the stance too. This is very much what I was trying to achieve with my project.  Thanks!   TB 

[fireguy14]

Stunning build! Really like it.