AmericanMuscleFan

Thanks Charles! Sorry for my lack of generosity when it comes to updates, but despite my love for the hobby, it's the daily chores that win out this time of year! ? Francis

Thanks Trevor, it's not easy working with a curved surface but I think it was the best way to hide some scars... ? Francis

It's amazing how much time you can devote to wiring and plumbing when you want to do things precisely! Decidedly, there is a lot of talent and know-how on this forum! ?

What we have here is a great demonstration of talent and a good lesson in mechanics (with contributions from experts who know what they're talking about), the best of both worlds! ?

Thanks Ian, I miss the action and can't wait to be back on the bench to join you and our other friends with your fantastic builds! It's a different story with today's cars, whose engines are smaller than the air-conditioning motors of the cars of the time... ? Thanks Roger, your comments are very appreciated and reinforces my decision to add this kind of detail. Your knowledge of the subject is obvious, as your builds are always very realistic, you know what you're talking about, as we say around here. It's a bit the same for me, I follow your projects even if I don't comment every time. You're always welcome on my thread my friend, my crazy excesses are there for those who like this kind of detail and would like to take the plunge! Francis

Great work Roger! Your perseverance has paid off, because the Hornet is simply superb, and you've managed to overcome a lot of setbacks. Another success in the making!!!

It's been so long since I visited the forum that Claude is now building Tamiya kits. ? There's nothing wrong with that, they're such high quality kits that we could only dream of having for our Detroit subjects. Whatever the canvas, the genius and good taste of the guy behind the airbrush is obvious, and this little Peugeot won't go unnoticed. As Forest Gump would have said, "it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". and that's just as well, delicious in any flavor!!! ?

Hello everyone, After spending a few hours on the forum this morning to catch up on some projects, I decided to take a few minutes to update my thread with the latest details I completed a few weeks ago. Sorry to have so little to offer, summer doesn't allow me much free time but I'll try to get back to it as soon as I get the chance, there are some great things happening on this forum! My last job on the Demon was to fabricate certain elements of the interior roof structure. I didn't want to do too much, but just enough to simulate the look of a drag car with some elements removed to make the car lighter. It's probably not allowed in some class, but I'm not making a tribute car, just one that could have competed at a local drag strip on a nice Saturday afternoon. Thank you for your patience, I'll be back as soon as possible with more meat on the bone. ? Francis. Some of the roof structure made using thin Styrene strips. It won't be very visible on the finished product, but I wanted to add this detail from the start.

That's cool Daniel, the album was great and so was the car on the cover, a Dodge Omni with a big Hemi that represents all the excess of that NHRA era! ?

WOW Daniel, you didn't sleep while I was gone my friend... You hold the fort and your good ideas are another great source of motivation, I've just finished looking at Ian's Camaro and I'm impressed by your respective prowess. I'll have to get back to it soon, but in the meantime, I've got a lot to get my teeth into! ?

I've had a lot of catching up to do with your superb project Ian, I'm very impressed with the quality of your work. It's a great motivation for me to take on my own project, your dedication and knowledge on the subject is a real lesson on the subject and I'm taking notes! ? I've had very little free time for my hobby lately, but I'm stocking up on your great ideas for the next building season! ?

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say I'm sorry for my long and unusual absence of activity on the forum lately. I have no more free time for the hobby but rest assured that the Demon build is still alive. The dust has started to cover my workbench but I'll get back to it as soon as possible, hopefully next fall with new updates. I've never had so much to do in such a short period of time, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel... I had done some extra fabrication before I put the project to sleep, so I'll try to post the photos when I have time. Thanks to those who were concerned about my absence and to those who continue to visit my thread, I'll try to make up for it with more interesting work, the best is yet to come. For those who prefer aluminum and brass, the parts to be made with these materials will be more and more present as much of the bodywork is nearing completion. There are a lot of projects I need to check out for updates on the forum and I'll go comment as soon as I can, I've got some catching up to do! Time to pack my lunch box and get back to work! ? Francis

The digital dashboard is awesome Daniel !

That's what I call being determined to succeed and I hope it's the right one!

Nice job on the wheel tubes Ian! This is exactly how I go about getting the desired radius using a slightly smaller template knowing that the shape will tend to be slightly larger. An assortment of sockets is very useful for this as each bolt size requires a slightly larger socket than the previous one, so there are many sizes to choose from. The wheels are great, at 34 bolts per wheel it will cost you a small fortune but it takes what it takes when you get there! ?

Thank you for your kind words Brian ! Don't apologize for only recently finding my thread, it's not your usual build subject but I really appreciate your visit and comments. One of these days I may do a "Diesel Swap" on a car as it's very trendy these days and I'll definitely need your knowledge on the subject if I'm going to go for it. ? Come back whenever you want ! Francis

Thanks Charlie! I don't know if you need my patience, but my shipping box would be "consigned" and you should send it back to me with some of your ingenuity, because you obviously have a lot of it my friend. I really like what you're doing on your side and I'm taking notes! ? Francis

Thanks Daniel ! I think it gives a bit of a vintage look, I had done the "M" in the new Mopar logo for my D100 pickup but I wanted to keep a touch of «nostalgia» for this project. ? Francis

Thanks Ian ! I hope it won't make the build too "Mopar Maniac" but I always liked this kind of detail in real drag cars. ? Francis Thanks a lot Mike ! I'm not an English teacher, but I think you should try "aluminum", at least I don't see a red line below the word when it's written that way. ? As for cutting the aluminum, I simply use my X-Acto to create a line for straight cuts and break off the part to be removed by bending it in both directions. Curves are filed manually, you can drill a hole in the aluminum sheet to remove some of the material and finish the job with the file. I only use "Diamond Pattern" files by the way, It makes more beautiful finishes. Francis

It's always exciting to have a new toy in our arsenal for making custom parts and a 3D printer will certainly add a lot of possibilities. Despite my experience in computer graphics and my knowledge of vector software, I have not yet made the leap into the world of 3D but I salivate in imagining all that it can bring to this hobby. I'm still old school and will try to continue making my parts the old fashioned way as long as I'm able, but I'm sure the 3D world could add many years to my favorite hobby when my hands start to shake. I hope you get better and are back to full health soon my friend, the chutes and brakes are top quality! ?

WOW, that's a quick build considering all the modifications you made to it. You have talent Ron and good taste for sure!!! ?

Hello everyone, I again come to a time of year when there is a lot of work to be done around the house with the spring slowly setting in. My time available for the hobby is decreasing week by week but I will try to keep moving forward when possible. Over the weekend, I made the panel that closes the opening between the passenger compartment and the trunk. I had already made one for my '70 Plymouth GTX and chose to do a bit of the same for the Demon, it's quite common for drag cars. I used thin aluminum sheet and rubbed it with a Scotch Brite pad to remove most of the shine and create a more realistic scale effect. To avoid wasting material, I made a cardboard template like the professional modified car makers do (I may have watched too many TV series on the subject...), it saves time and makes it easier to get the desired result. Another piece of aluminum in this ocean of white plastic doesn't hurt either! ? See you soon I hope, Francis I saved you the filing and sanding steps, here is the panel once cut. After minor adjustments, the panel fits pretty well in its intended place. Seen from a different angle, I will make openings for the roll bars later in the build. I decided to add the Pentastar logo to it. It would have taken a long time to make an embossing die, so I cut out the shape and glued them to the panel with 2 part epoxy. You can see the cardboard template I made to cut out the panel. I made angles on each side of the triangles to simulate the embossing effect. I like the effect produced and the general fit of the panel. The finished panel (almost) after a little rubbing with a Scotch Brite pad to reduce the gloss of the raw material.

Thanks Ron! Obviously the post needs to be thinner, it is currently as thick as the rail of a frame.? I'm thinking of making the post out of thin aluminum and gluing it to the side window with two-part epoxy. Thank you for your suggestion, there are several ways to do it and it is good to know how others would choose to proceed with this type of surgery. I'll come back to this a little later, I have a lot of other structural stuff to make before that. Francis

It's crazy sometimes how many hours you can spend on such a small piece but for me it's just a proof of total dedication to a project and obviously there is no lack of it here. Well done Daniel, the transformer is a great replica of the real thing! ?

Thanks Bob! I am currently working on what I call the "necessary but not exciting" components. I hope to be able to offer you more interesting fabrications in the near future so I appreciate you still being along for the ride! Francis