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Fairmont drag car build - Hanging/hinging DS door 8/10/16


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I have googled this build and find and follow this build before i had joined this community because i think this build is going to be one of the best drag builds i have seen.

The realism in this build is so close to the real thing,so i must say that just looking at the building pictures,makes me feel good.

I´ll have two Fairmont Kits myself from you Scott,and your build is a huge inspiration for me.Thank you.

Question: Does any decal manufacturer produce any Fairmont Drag decals?

I have bought the slixx decal sheet fore "Glidden Pro Stock Omni" just to see if anything was useble for the Glidden Fairmont.??

Fred

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  • 4 weeks later...

Sorry for being so slow to reply, Fredrik. Thank you, so much, for your compliments. I'll keep trying to do my best on it. Chuck Naylor (ratnasty on MCM) sell Dyno Don Fairmont decals, so you might want to get in touch with him.

I've got a few small updates to share. I got back to doing a bit of cage work and got the X bars fitted that run to the top of the rear shock crossmember and also got the diagonal bar fitted to the main hoop and halo bar. I'm currently working on short diagonal bars that will intersect the main hoop/cross bar and angle down to the top of the four link mounts.

fairmontfuelcell9-inch001_zps50aa18c9.jp

I need to finish up the fuel cell, but it's getting there. I've got to add AN fittings for the fuel outlets and will also rig up something for the vent line.

fairmontfuelcell9-inch004_zpsb61660d9.jp

I pulled a doozy. I painted the rear end housing, then realized I hadn't added the upper wheelie bar mounting brackets so it is currently taking a bath in Wesley's pool. LOL You can see that purple is going to be one of the colors I'm using in this build...

fairmontfuelcell9-inch005_zps6e6ca829.jp

Comments always welcome...

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Hey Leonard! Thanks for looking in, brother... How are you getting along on your Camaro build? I don't recall seeing any updates recently!

Thanks for the encouragement, Tyrone... I've added some new PE details to my rear end housing packages. I've added axle housing end flanges, so I want to add those, too, to this before I repaint it, plus I'm going to wrap a strip of .010"x.040" styrene strip around the outer ends of the axle tubes to replicate the housing ends, where the bearings seat. It'll be another bit of detail that will add to the realism. I'm wanting to employ the comment I read a few years ago on the board about treating each subassembly as its own model. Wish I could remember who originally said that.

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  • 2 months later...

Seems like I go months between updates, and I don't like that, but I guess it's better than not making any headway at all. Anyway, here's another installment of bits and pieces of work I've gotten done in recent weeks. I'll start by providing a step-by-step buildup of the rear coil-over shocks. The coilover kit comes with springs, upper spring retainers, lower heim joints, simulated spring adjusters, spring centering discs and stainless piston rods. Here the main body has had the larger adjuster installed snugly against the step on the body.

newpartspics005_zps8b73ce17.jpg

Lower adjuster ring before sliding up and fastening.

newpartspics008_zps70e63f57.jpg

Coilover body with smaller OD adjuster attached with lower body collar shown.

newpartspics012_zpsa820bacc.jpg

Lower collar attached.

newpartspics013_zps535895a4.jpg

Heim joints were shortened and attached in both assembled bodies. I used a 1/16th bit and drilled out the extra material that protruded beyond the end of the collar.

newpartspics014_zpsd8994d84.jpg

More to come...

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Ha! That -17's probably going to be a retirement project... LOL

To assemble the way I've shown here, the retainer and centering disk both need to be drilled to .032" to snugly fit over the tubing.

54c6815a-e4f2-438b-b69b-31b51c93668f_zps

I allow approximately .050" of tubing to extend past the top of the retainer. If you have a piece of small OD tubing that can fit under the retainer (with retainer inverted) it should help to keep the retainer square to the tubing. I use a piece of 1/16th K&S tubing to side over the stainless tubing and press the spring centering disc tightly against the retainer, after applying a small amount of CA glue to the stainless tubing between the retainer and centering disk. This is what the finished assembly of the retainer and centering disk should look like after gluing. This particular set of pieces hasn't been glued together - thus the gap between the disk and retainer.

newpartspics017_zps23c6f8bf.jpg

With this set of coilovers, the stainless tubing is ~.410 length. This allows enough of the tubing to insert into the shock body that it makes it stable, laterally.

This is what the assembled shocks look like. When assembled the way I've shown, the shock is ~.565" from the top of the spring retainer to the bottom of the heim joint - not center of it.

newpartspics007_zpsa58285ca.jpg

I think I have an adult onset of attention deficit disorder, LOL. Skipping around - more pics. With my plan of cutting at least one door and having the front end removed, I've made a bit more progress toward getting locating pins and tabs attached.

Tabs at upper firewall for fender mounts:

newpartspics010_zps43611072.jpg

Pins installed

newpartspics011_zps264527d1.jpg

Fitment of above

newpartspics013_zps7a27a159.jpg

Tube gussets added to upper roll cage:

newpartspics012_zps295f2b4d.jpg

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Yep, Paul. I revised the PE pieces to include housing flanges. Sorry! LOL

On a totally separate note, I received a package in the mail a couple days ago that I've been chomping at the bit to get. I drew up the PE tin work for the nose. I finally got it from IMME. Though I won't know for a certainty until sometime in the future how well it will final fit, I'm really pleased with what it looks like, mocked up. I'll try to get pics posted soon. I'm going to a show tomorrow so it probably won't be until sometime later in the weekend.

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Thanks Dave. I've got a small update regarding the PE tin work. I'm really pleased with what they look like so far. I've got to find a larger container to put acetone in before I can soak the main nose piece. It's too large to fit in my jar I normally use to soak PE stuff in.

Close up of driver side splash shield:

tin_splashshield_zps2d8d2d4a.jpg

The main nose tin looks good and I was pleased that the "bead rolled" etching looks good, scale-wise. After the rubber is removed, the section that fits between the splash shield and nose tin will fold down and fill the gap in front of the forward strut support tubes.

nose_tinwork_cu_zpsddbd2ee7.jpg

I'm really toying with the idea of using Cragar DragStars on this build. I can't decide if I want to have them chromed or paint them the lower body color I'm planning to use.

78007b09-37bd-43b4-a01f-8950c999a2c6_zps

I also wanted to show off a new product I'm going to be offering. The pic doesn't do it justice. It is based off a 3D printed version of Goodyear's Frontrunner tire. Chief Joseph and I teamed up to do it. It is a direct replacement for R/M's kit tires and is designed to work with their wheels. Joseph figured out how to mold it so there are no blemishes or casting imperfections on it. A super part, in my view.

frontrunner_zps469fec18.jpg

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