mrmike

Yes they are, but it's what I have and anything in my parts box are simply too big or too wide. If I start playing around with ID and OD, I'll end up with a hole I just can't fill on the outside!

The Story 1976- It is late March and the Dart is not done. McNally is working his afterschool job at Piccolo's Hardware when a young women approaches him. "McNally, my name is Teresa, I'm John's girlfriend. Can I talk to you?" "Yeah, let's go outside." Teresa tells him that she feels like she is the cause of the tension between McNally and Johnny and how she would like to try and ease that tension and get the boys back together. McNally explains that the tension has caused him to reconsider his goals and when he graduates from high school in a few months, he'll be enlisting into the Army. "My Dad is a cop and I want to follow in his footsteps and become one myself someday. You are not the cause of the tension between Johnny and myself. I think it was just bound to happen." The Build Another hurdle done! I have foiled the body this afternoon. Considering my economic situation, I have developed a way to foil using less BMF by being much more precise with my measurements. As a result of being more precise, I have reduced the amount of waste of BMF by 75%. That should leave more foil for more projects down the road! I even did the side markers. All that is needed here is a tiny drop of clear red or clear orange paint. McNally will return...

Frank, the hood has been repaired. I can't see any trace of the burnt score lines! Another thing I don't like about this kit is the wobbly wheels. My solution worked in two ways for me. 1. By adding some styrene to the wheel retainers, I eliminated the wobble. 2. Due to the depth of the SEL steel wheels I used, this helped push the wheel and tire out into the fender well for a better stance. A mockup to check the stance. I like it!! More to come.....

I have nearly destroyed the hub caps for this build! When I got them from Scale Equipment Limited, they were mounted to a plastic "X" for plating and I really struggled to get them removed and down to the correct thickness for mounting to the wheels. A couple shots of the completed chassis. More to come.....

The Story 1975- Armed with a variety of motor mounts and pads, the boys get the Hemi into it's new home and start to assemble the front clip onto the body. But, Johnny's mind is on his new girlfriend and it is bothering McNally since it is more of a distraction and it is causing them to fall behind the schedule they had set for themselves. It has gotten to the point that McNally will take the Dart off Johnny's hands if he looses interest in the car altogether and will finish it himself. "John, I will not interfere with your relationship with Teresa, who I think is a really nice person, but we had set a goal and we have way fallen behind. Let's finish the car before the beginning of fall or it'll never get done," he says. Johnny gets mad at his friend and says, "You're just jealous cause you don't have a girlfriend," yells Johnny and he storms out of the garage leaving McNally alone...again. The Build I started removing the inner lip on the mags and sanding the backs smooth. The wheel backs were painted gloss black and with Alclad II Chrome paint. The completed wheels and tires with Shabo tire graphics. McNally will return...

The Story 2011- McNally's cell phone rings while he is talking to Vic. It's Teresa telling him that someone is trying to break into the house and the garage. "Call the Police! I'm on my way," he says. McNally and Vic arrive seconds after the Police and identify themselves. The Police go to the house while McNally and Vic cover the garage. McNally goes in through the partially open garage door as Vic goes to the side door. Vic flicks on the lights and a teenager tries to escape through the side window only to be captured by McNally. The cops cuff the teen and place him in the cruiser for the ride to the station. The Build The Hemi is finished and ready to be installed into the chassis. The wheels and tires on the right are ready for some Shabo lettering. The wheelbacks on the left are leftovers from a Landy Dart I built a few years ago. They will be painted gloss black and painted with Alclad II Chrome paint. The Cragars in the center will be trimmed on the inside to narrow the wheel. McNally will return...

These are some really great responses! I agree that for a 100% factory stock look, black or gray wires are the way to go. For anything else, the sky's the limit! It just bugs me sometimes when someone questions me on my color choice of plug wires. The majority of my builds are a stock appearing muscle car, but I like to put my own twist on it by changing something. To me, the plug wire color is not a big deal, especially when the model is going to sit on my shelf with the hood closed.

Thanks Niko! The interior is complete and ready to be installed into the body. More to come.....

The is something that has been bugging me for a while and I would like to hear opinions from others about this. I have been using blue and red wrapping wire from Radio Shack for my plug wires for years and lately it seems that I have committed some sort of crime by using this wrapping wire. I have heard this on this forum and several others that I belong to. Well, here's the deal- I find that purchasing plug wire in 3-foot lengths to be overly expensive.I am not about to start stripping telephone cable or old electronics for black wire.The majority of my builds are not "Factory Stock".Coloring wire is a pain, but I do it if I really, really need to.I just don't care! If the color of the wire appeals to me for a particular build, I'll use it. I have seen other builders use wire that is the scale size of radiator hose, and no one tells tell them it's wrong. So why question me about the wire color? I didn't post this because I am upset with some one's comment. It is because I have heard these comments off and on for a couple of years. I recently saw a model detailed with sewing thread for plug wires and no one said anything about it to the builder. IMHO, the model looked great overall and I was easily able to look past the sewing thread plug wires. I am in no way calling out anyone nor would I ever do that. I just want to hear some opinions from other builders. Does plug wire color really matter?

Thanks Randy and Clay! I'm still sorting out some details that I want to add. I'm so happy with the hood right now, I could scream for joy!

Sharp color, Clay! Looking forward to more!

Thanks Cesar!

The engine compartment is almost there. Another detail or two and it'll be done. The bottom of the chassis is done. I won't add the wheels and tires until the chassis, interior, and body are together then I can space the wheels and tires correctly in the wheel wells. The interior is coming along. Just a few more details to add. More to come.....

Thanks for finding it Eric, but that distributor goes to my '68 Hemi Dart.

Thanks Patrick and George! George, if I told you why, then it would ruin the story for the others. You'll just have to wait until the conclusion. Sorry! The Story 2011- After a day of walking around, asking questions, and avoiding stepping on the Police's toes, McNally returns home tired, hungry, and thirsty. He sits at the kitchen table drinking a beer and sorting his notes on his PDA when he hears the porch door open. He pulls his Smith & Wesson and aims it at the back door as Vic Arronski walks in. "Whoa, I'm one of the good guys" he says! "Sorry Vic, I'm a little edgy right now." Vic offers his assistance if McNally needs it and he accepts and starts to tell Vic want he has and the people he needs to see. "I talked to about 30 people today and I feel like I have missed somebody." The Build Chassis concstruction is underway. I am going to leave off the rear suspension for now and install it laterwhen the chassis, interior, and body are together. Then I can check the stance. I started on the interior by installing the roll bar from the Revell '71 'Cuda Street Machine. The engine is nearly done. I just need to route the plug wires and add a ignition coil. McNally will return...

Then I guess my hard work paid off! I just looked at it again and I can't see the damaged areas at all! To quote Col. Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

I recently painted my Hemi Dart with Model Master Hemi Orange Lacquer #28107 and noticed a lot of flake in the paint. But, most of it disappeared after I applied a couple coats of clear.

After seeing your other Lotus 7, I want to see what you willn do with this one.

DW, since I have been using the Mopar engine paints I have not experienced and problems with melting plastic at all. And, I don't us primer on the engine! Go figure! This morning, I spent some time working on the Road Runner. I worked on the seats and interior side panels a bit. I also did some sanding and prep for the flat black Performance Hood Treatment. I let the paint dry for a few minutes and removed the masking tape. The hood looks pretty good! I added the suspension, engine, and dog house. More to come.....

Thanks Erik! I will prevail! Nelson, Welcome to the MCM forum and to the hobby! I bought my Tamiya Work/Painting Stands from my local hobby shop, but you can also order them from MicroMark. http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=tamiya+spray-work+painting+stand+set The Mopar Street Hemi Orange Engine Enamel paint is available from Summit Racing. BTW, this is actual Mopar engine paint. http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=Mopar%20Hemi%20Orange%20Engine%20Enamel&dds=1

Brandon, the kit instructions show no indication of having to do any drilling for the exhaust. So, if one was to go by the instructions, you would just glue the mounting pins to the chassis. My plan is to drill two holes into the chassis and glue the pins into the holes. That will happen when the suspension, engine, and transmission are in the chassis and then I can set the exhaust where I need it to be.

The Story 1975- Uncle Earl stops by garage to see the progress on the Dart and he also brings a gift...seats and side panels from a '68 Dart GTS! But, when he walks into the garage, all he sees is McNally working on the Dart...alone! "Where's John?" "He had a date, some girl he met the other day." Earl takes McNally over to his old truck and shows him the interior that he salvaged from a wreck that was bound for the crusher. "My gift to you guys!" "Thanks Earl!" The Build I was looking at the exhaust for the Hemi Dart and I noticed that the exhaust is turned sideways. All of the short exhaust I have seen turns down, not to the side. I drilled a hole 90 degrees for the mount molded on the exhaust. I inserted a short piece of styrene round stock into the holes. Now the exhaust will point down when it is mounted to the chassis. While that was drying, I went and painted the chassis and the interior floor with overspray. McNally will return...

Charlie, I have had quite a few discussions with a modeling friend of mine who use to work for Chrysler Corporation many years ago. He thinks I am becoming burnt out and I think I am not. For all the kits I have successfully built over the years, there will always be those kits that just refuse to go together and this is one of them. I can't place 100% of the blame on the kit itself, so I think it's 50/50, which means that I am part of the problem. But, this how I learn from my own mistakes. I messed it up somewhere along the line and i can correct it to the best of my abilities. I have accepted that I am part of the problem. I thought I had the hood problem taken care of, but I was wrong. Well, no more! I am pushing forward with this model whether this kit likes it or not. It will be finished to my satisfaction!

Clay, those wheels look great and will fill in the wheel wells nicely! I'm looking forward to more! BTW, pick a color!

Now you've got me wondering. What did you do?