AmericanMuscleFan

It's a feast for the eyes Charlie, everything comes together beautifully and with impeccable quality. ?

Hello everyone, I took two pictures of the front grille about where it will be mounted between the fenders. I had to hold the body at an angle because the lenses wouldn't stay in place but it gives you a good idea of the product. I'll be back in a few days with more progress, I'm moving slowly and I'm choosing my next steps more according to the inspiration of the moment than strategically because everything is to be made. It's strange but it looks like one of my previous build...? Francis

Thanks John, I like both versions (71 and 72) but I always thought the '72 had a more aggressive look. Also, I've seen a lot more photos of drag racing with '72 Demons than with '71s. Who knows, maybe it has something to do with the beginning of the Pro Stock class? Francis Thanks Daniel, I really appreciate your kind words. I have to admit that I surprised myself, there is not much margin for error with this kind of details, the grille will really be in the foreground! Francis

Thanks for the nice comment EMRE, however I did make a '64 Dodge D100 and unfortunately destroyed an old '62 FORD unibody as a donor for the build. I'm not saying no to fixing my sacrilege in another project but I've already got my hands full with my current subject! However this FORD F100 is a pure beauty! ? Francis

Hello everyone, I'm almost done with the grille and I must admit that I'm very proud of the final result. The vast majority of the work consisted of sanding and filing so I didn't take a picture of that because I had both my hands busy and didn't see it as relevant to do so. As far as making a styrene part from scratch, I think this is one of the most difficult but most successful of what I've done so far but I'll let you be the judge. I still have some small details to do but the main thing is done, I think that once painted and detailed it will be quite convincing. Your comments or questions are welcome. Francis If you refer to the last photo in my last post you will notice that the small section between the headlights and the end of the grill was not present so I made them. Basically, I drilled a hole the same size as the headlights and made two grooves to insert styrene strips and finished the rounded shape with a small file. I made two openings to insert the pieces I made, you can see I also wrapped a thin strip of styrene around the shape to create the detail. The insert are finally installed. Different angle. I made two rectangular shapes to add to the turn signals at the back of the grille, it will be visible with the hood open. The holes for the wiring are already made. Parts glued in place and for the good cause, I made the opening for the hood release lever even if there won't be one... View from different angle. The final part on the side that will be most visible... I just realized I forgot to put the turn signal lenses on for the photo... ? I'll get back to you on that!

Thanks Joe! I will have more in store for you my friend, there are many details to create but I lack the time to materialize them, the winter we have this year keeps me busier than expected.... ? Francis

Thanks Dave, I have high expectations for this build and hope to bring some new things to show. I am progressing slowly, as usual, but my goal is to improve and learn from the invaluable source of information that everyone brings with their comments and knowledge on the subject. It's just a scale model but why not do it right when you can? See you soon with more progress on the grille among others... ? Francis

Thank you Daniel, I really appreciate your kindness and your way of thinking, besides I notice since my arrival on the forum that we work a lot in the same way. It's a great hobby, so why not make the most of it? The bonus is the great people we meet here and at the shows! Francis

Those heads are looking good Daniel and your valley cover too! ?

Welcome aboard Devin, I'm glad to see young people join this beautiful hobby and demonstrate their talent with the other enthusiasts on this forum. ?

Welcome to the forum Martin, your creations are impressive and seem to me to be perfectly assembled. You have good taste and I look forward to seeing more of your excellent work. ?

Thanks Daniel, For now, the grille doesn't look like the Demon's, but the next steps will turn it into something more representative. I've been thinking about it for a while (even when I was working on my pickup) and now it's time to make it happen, I really like doing this kind of piece. I almost chose to make the '72 Demon before I lost my idea, I am not disciplined enough to make plans on paper, I often work spontaneously. Francis

Thanks Bob, I didn't take pictures of every step of the process, that would have given me at least 50 pictures so far but I'll show the basics. More to come soon! Francis

Glad to hear that Daniel, I remember seeing someone soak the brass parts in vinegar to clean them and prepare them for priming and/or painting. It should not smell good but vinegar is a mild acid and it should not attack the brass too much.

Hello everyone, I've made some progress on the front grille of the Demon, so I'll show you the second slice of this piece. As I mentioned in my last post, modifying the original '71 kit grille to be converted to a '72 seemed like too much work so I decided to start from scratch. I only used the original front grille as a guide for the headlight position and overall proportions. I really wanted it to be open so I put into action the idea that had been on my mind for a long time. You'll obviously notice it doesn't look like it should but I still have a lot of sanding and filing to do but the base is there. The smaller holes next to the headlight openings are for the turn signal I made last week, I'm going to turn the plastic rod behind the rectangular shape to fit them into those holes. I'm pretty happy with this base and I'm going to follow my starting plan and I should be able to finish it in the next few days. I progress slowly because it's rather fragile and I don't want to start over, I do as the teachers say: measure twice and cut once ! Comments are welcome. See you soon, Francis I stacked all the thin strips of styrene and used my thinnest saw to make the openings. To get a difference in depth, I put a strip of 0.015'' between the wooden board and the styrene strips. I had drawn pencil lines for the spacings and inserted the vertical stripes after each cut so that there was no shifting. It's one of the most difficult part to make and I was forced to work slowly. The thicker bands (the outer two horizontally and the two in the center) are now 0.015" stand out more than the thinner ones that form the gridded background of the grille. The base of the grille outline at its very beginning. Holes for the headlights and turn signals done. I did used a ball nose end mill to create the inside contour. I switched to a standard end mill to remove the rest of the excess material. You can also see that I made grooves the same thickness as the thicker styrene strips in the grille. I started the opening to insert the grill I made previously. Opening complete, I will then need to slowly sand down the opening until the grille fits snugly without forcing it. Grill finally inserted and glued in place using liquid cement. I also inserted styrene strips in the small grooves that I had made previously, they make the continuity of the large strips of the grille. Still work to do but I follow my plan until the end. To be continued...

Thanks Jeremy, I still have a lot of detail to do, so check back from time to time! Francis

Purple lake always does the trick to remove paint on plastic but I've never tried it on anything else, does it attack the brass surface?

Everything looks great so far Marcos and it seems that the front wheels will be perfectly aligned in the wheel openings. ?

Very good progress Ian, the rear suspension is always a good challenge but it's always spectacular when done right. I'm not worried about that, you've already shown us what you can do! ?

Thanks for sharing this Bill, I really like these guys, they are masters and very knowledgeable in the field (Mopar). All this information is very useful to me because structural details are hard to find and that is what I prefer to build in my models.

It would be hard not to say that you have no imagination John, but there is one thing for sure, your talent to materialize your vision is in a class by itself. Probably the best way not to go unnoticed during a Sunday afternoon stroll, I love it! ?

Everything is so beautiful and well done Charlie, I love every update and you keep us (me... ?) fully motivated! I too prefer black wall tires but it is your build so your choice will be the right one.

Hi Ron, thanks for your comments and kind words my friend ! The trunk lid appears to be rather thin in the photo but the Duster's plastic is less opaque than Evergreen styrene. I'm not worried about warping, a good coat of primer should provide good protection and even though it looks thin in some places, the plastic is still about 0.020 inches thick at its thinnest. Francis

You never cease to amaze me Charlie, everything you make is impressive and of great quality, another masterpiece in the making. My current project is not from the same era but I will be back to see your prowess and your custom tools inspire me my friend. I like what I see! ?

Hello everyone, Now that much of the rear body detailing has been done or is well underway, it's time to move on to making the front grille. I've been thinking about building this car for a while, but resin grille offers for the 72 are rare and their details unsatisfactory to my taste. I have a good plan and some ideas to build it, my first intention was to modify the grille of the 71 to convert it into that of the 72 but after much reflection, I decided to build it from scratch because they are too different. The grille of the 71 will only serve as a guide for the position and size of the headlights and the proportion of the turn signals. Speaking of turn signals, this is the first part I tackled and here is what I made, I hope you'll like it but I have to say I'm pretty happy with the result. It will be a lot of work but I hope to have something more substantial to show you in the next few days. One thing is for sure, it will be a bit more difficult to make than the simplistic grille of my D100 pickup but as much distinctive so please be patient as I have a lot of expectations, towards myself and I will proceed with a lot of precautions. Comments are welcome. See you soon, Francis A good picture I found on the internet. I started with a round styrene rod. With a little more refinement... I drilled a small hole for two reasons, stay tuned... After a little sanding and filing. I machined the lenses from clear acrylic like for the back-up lights. I wanted to do the cross lines with aluminum but it's very, very small so I decided to paint them with a Molotow pen. The central elements are made of aluminum. Both sides are made. A little test, I think it should do the trick. I will probably have more adjustments to make when they are inserted into the grille.