426-Hemi

That Jeep FC looks cool as snot! It has SEVERAL influences by its looks an for those seen here it does have that "Power Wagon" feel in its looks, BUT has that Forward Control of the A100, BUT then to add in a BIGGER one a little of the Dodge L-600/700 trucks too. (which favor the A100) NICE work on the conversion model, a bit wide, BUT......... looks GREAT!

NICE catch and find and figure out on that Sedan! INTERESTING conversion too! Looks to be almost to simple to work out as good as it is!

Thanks Geetee66! Much appreciated! Yeah I have put a lot into this one and its got even more to go before its done! LOL The kudo's are very appreciated! Thanks!

-WOW!!!!! NICE color choice man! Thats GORGEOUS!!!!

Dann yeah I'm interested..... Send me a PM on them! -MUCH appreciated!

Missed this posting Dann! I'll have to give that a look for as I would not mind a set of those tires!!! -Thanks for letting me know!

Its ok Dave! I knew what that strip was for..... I have seen cars however that had the rubber strip on the brace, in some cases, and then on other cars the brace was there, but not rubber seal in-place so..... it could be done both ways!

Thanks Dann! Much appreciated! I'm getting good feedback on that grille work! (I ALWAYS second-guess myself on black shadowing the grilles of any model..... So thats inspiration all in itself!

Thanks! BUT remember my car doesn't have the 426 Hemi in, its a '68 which would have not had the A12 440-6 Barrel that yours shows to have! Only the 383 4 Barrel "383 Roadrunner".... PLUS that hood on the '68 the "Power Bulges" were NOT "operational". Plymouth didn't make them operational till '69!, 1970 had the "Air Grabber" in the center of the hood that opened by vacuum off the engine and a switch on the lower edge of the dash, nearest the passenger's side of the car! NOW My model you see here, is a "Semi-Basic" of the offering in '68. Basic engine being the standard "Roadrunner Engine" as the 383 4 barrel. -Just to be different, as the Hemi in models is WAY over used I think, when Mopar AKA "Chrysler" made MANY other really good engines! Not that I have anything against the Hemi, I LOVE the engine, but model-wise, just to make something "different" is nice too! Then trim-wide The actual model does NOT come with that trim level, I opted to go "basic" without the chrome trim as the model had as that detail I just don't have so. I went with what I did have and again, I went "basic" "PLYMOUTH" & the "bird" with "Roadrunner" on a painted body color trunk lid. I believe the B pillars on my model will be body color! As I opted for a low trim level! Thanks tho for the pics! Those your real car? That B5 Blue for the body color? and with that, a '68 or '69? As there are some confusing seen things from one year to the other! -Whats the grille look like?

Thanks Dave! See, I know of that part, and on some Mopars thats just a metal strip, and on others I've seen them have a rubber strip on them! So I think it depends on the car as in some cases that "seal" actually is a seal... and from what I know, its "seals" across the Core Support and no bend the hood from down-ward pressure from the hood being closed. Flat black huh? I painted it red, will update that seal probably flat black, OR a "rubber" color, we'll see as I'll look to see what the actual part is on the my Roadrunner as I have a friend with a real one! -As its been so long ago that I've worked on a '68 Roadrunner (A real one) never mind any Roadrunner for that matter (pushing 15 years maybe longer!)

NICE work on the back of the 'Rod man! Not much, BUT its all in the details man, you know it!

Yeah, I too only like certain ones too!

-I'd appreciate a contact for them too by PM if ya would! I wanna see what all they got!!!

Good Lord............. I agree with him -----^ That Mopar valve cover insignia is greatly needed as well as a selection of Mopar "Pie-Tin" decals for on stock air cleaners, and for GOD's sake some one PLEASE print the '70 Mopar "426 Hemi" air cleaner decal that goes on the Fresh-Air "Ramcharger" air cleaner that FITS the AMT-Ertl/MPC air cleaner thats so common! (I've found those made/printed fit only the Jo-Hans air cleaner of the same!) Nothing fits the AMT/MPC ones at all! The length of the decal is to long end-to-end! ALSO that "Ramcharger" decal that goes on the duct work under the hood be nice too! -Even "Shaker" for those hoods and all.....

Its all good! I tell to eah of us builders we all go about the same issues in a different way! I'm gonna "raise the body on mine, to then have a higher side fender well on each side and begin gluing the body there, and then work my way to the back of the car..... This frame to body mounting on this model is gonna be a lesson learned I tell ya, as it does not fit at all! So....... I'm gonna make up mounts as I go!

Ya very welcome Frank! That same technique would work really on ANY chrome grille! (DO NOT do that same trick tho on Alclad Chrome), it will remove that chrome as well as the black "shadowing" too! Not sure how Alclad might react to using Acrylic Flat Black tho. it might work, I haven't tried it yet!

YES I am interested! I'm gonna be doing a '72 Dodge Power Wagon W300 with Crew-Cab, and a 10 foot Utility Bed, that has an area built into it for the welder and a really old type "Auto-Crane Lift on the opposite side of the bed in the rear as the Welder will be placed as such, on the drivers side, and nearest the cab. Then as you go towards the rear of the bed, next to the welder standing vertical will be the touch set.... And LOTS of "doors" on the way to rear of it. -A lot of work, BUT I'm planning what I wanna make it look like to those trucks I recall seeing where I grew up and then making it the "old" local Railroad too..... -Back in the days of Chessie System, before they replaced/repainted all the Hi-Rail trucks in the "new" then, Chessie paint scheme! A LOT of scratch building and scratch-bashing on this one! BUT I'm "gathering" parts for it now as I have yet to start it!

-I have a very similar project to think of and pondering how I'm gonna go about it, I plan to do a Railroad truck "Hi-Rail" truck, that also have a welder on it, BUT mine will be on a early '70's Dodge Power Wagon W300 set-up..... Any idea what the "era" of this welder is? And also what might it take to set 2 sets of those Lincoln Arc Welder decals???? -PM me on if ya would!

Lookin' GREAT John! With a little practice it will get easier as you go! BUT that "Matte" black work on those seats (without the silver) looked GREAT as they were! NICELY done! I think you'll be OK on the black when you go around that silver! (That will look good!) As for the Redline tires, I have yet to "try" those on ANY of my builds, I may have to change that as they're beginning to grow on me!

NICE build David!!!! The fender wells I see, your doing those another way of getting the same end result I am.... (they fit TERRIBLE!) BUT looks great! Nice job on the engine too!

Thanks Frank! Much appreciated! Ande sure, I don't mind, it was actually pretty dang simple really. even tho I second guess that task on all my builds, I've done it the same way so far on every single build I had to add the grille shadowing to them! Good ole Testors, flat black..... OK? Half empty bottle 1/4 ounce, and thinned with Mineral Spirits, till its not exactly "spray-able" but really thin.... BUT still has a strong black pigment in it? Make sense? Not watery, by any means but it can literally "drip" off a brush dipped into it... Then with a laden really fine paint brush lightly added till all that show is blacked out..... allowed to dry, GOOD (over-night I find it to be best) then do it AGAIN, a second coat of that thinned out Testors flat black......... again, allowed to dry overnight, then the next day, check for ANY light spots, add if needed, if fully covered in flat black, then with Mineral Spirits take a Q-tip, lightly dampen it with water to make any stray fibers lay flat or go into the "bulb of cotton, and then lightly dip into the Mineral Spirits, and tamp that the Q-Tip into a paper towel to remove "extra" so its NOT "soaked" but damp, and lightly wipe, VERY little pressure going across the grille in any direction and keep doing this till all the "edges" of the raised edges reveal that Chrome below.... You WILL need to use SEVERAL Q-tips to make this happen BOTH ends of them!

NIICELY Done man! That looks really good! -I like the black body, white door effect on the old Cop Cars!!!!!

Thanks Dave! Yeah as I mentioned I thought that part of this build was thee hairiest part so far, (I'm ALWAYS second guessing myself on the grille shadowing), so.... Thought I'd make light of it on this build. as I am that way on EVERY build I do! -Much appreciated!

David, Thanks man....... Much appreciated! As you can see, I enjoy that detailing aspect of all my builds so. no matter how good or how bad a kit is, I try to go above and beyond. and with this kit, lets just say, that was not to difficult to do! LOL As for my topic? heck no man, they manufactured way more then just one of these kits, feel free! I take no offense! I appreciate the asking, but you didn't have too! The more, the merrier! And to that other get to see the same model built by 2 different people in their own sorta way, maybe to inspire them to build one too! So by all means, keep it going on your build, I'll be having a look in a bit myself and expect comments too! LOL I enjoy 'em on my builds, and others should too! Thats how ya build a strong forum!

So I sat the Firewall aside, to then check on the paint work done to the suspension and all. ALL dry! SO then, off to checking the engine to see if it needed anything "more" added BEFORE it went into place in the frame! I had to drill the holes in the power Steering pump to add that pipe work and hoses, as well as re-adjust the mounting as it was slightly to far "forward" and would not allow the radiator to fit properly!!!! I got that addressed, and taken care of, and right to mounting the engine in-place between the frame rails where it belongs!!!!! That looks really good sitting in-place to STAY! Other side.... Its sure coming together! -A LOT of wire details hanging everywhere it seems! LOL Just like a real one! PERFECT front view to show the area needed for the Radiator, Core Support to "fit"! All seems GREAT from underneath too! I'm so glad this fits in-place so well. could have been a lot of work! Remember, this kit? Was to have a 426 Hemi in it, OR a 440 Magnum in it! My Dad's car, had a little ole LA 318 in it! So I used one of my own resin castings to make this engine happen and make the car look good with all the details of the wire I've added! NOT as much going on as some of my normal builds, but enough!!!! I had sit this all aside to dry and cure so that the engine was in-place to stay, and worked on some other areas of this model, so that things could get done to it and be ready to put in-place when I need them! BUT you'll see that work in a bit! Once that work was done and needed to dry (paint work) I went right back to fitting the engine with a drive shaft! I took the stock one, cut it in half, and then chucked it up in the Unimat lathe, to turn the "barrel" down to fit inside of a Aluminum tube, to have some "true round" drive shaft. The real ones, had a slight joint for the suspension to work and I turned the drive shaft to reflect this! One end, has the U-Joint, right to the drive shaft barrel, and the other end has a smaller barrel to look like that slip-joint in front of the U-Joint before it connects to the rear differential! This is what that looks like unpainted: It WILL be painted, in-place! The U-Joints are NOT glued on either end! That will allow me to "spin" it in-place while painting it. I once done being painted will glue BOTH ends! Now, to show what I was working on, just prior to adding the engine and the drive shaft.... I was kinda being "chicken" on whats to come.... REALLY I was afraid I'd ruin it, but As you'll all see, I think I done well! Adding the "Black Shadowing" to the grille! There sure is A LOT going on in just the details on that part, OMG.... Yeah it was sort of hairy to do.... BUT, I think it turned out well, you guys tell me what ya think: Thats it with my camera's flash..... Thats it without my camera's flash.... What you all think? Yeah it was hairy part to do, but I think its done well..... Took a couple hours to get exactly what you see! Thats it for now on this one! More to come as things happen and are done! As always comments welcome, ENJOY!