mrmike

Thank you Jody! Christmas is rapidly approaching and time at the bench has been in short supply here. I was able to start detailing the dash. The interior side panels are awaiting assembly with the interior floor, dash, and firewall. The headliner has been painted. More to come.....

Thanks Harry! Sometimes I seem to get a better finish from a rattlecan than from an airbrush. I have said this before and I continue to say that painting, be it with an airbrush or spray can, is a hit or miss deal with me. I continue to experiment with techniques and practice on occasion before I actually paint a body. If my experiment doesn't work, I go back to the basics. I am really happy with the finish on my Daytona and the fact that there is no clear gloss on it!

Veerrry interesting, but....oh no, now you guys have me doing it! HOHOHO, HAHAHA!!!!!

Well now, it appears that George is headin' for the poor house now that he has to pay off Tommy! But then, I didn't see a handshake on the deal! I have come to the conclusion that the console is molded wrong. The chrome trim on the bottom edge of the console is too long as it extends too far back. Nothing I can do about it now since I have already flocked the carpet areas of the console and the interior floor pan. I do appreciate everyone's input on this project so far and look forward to reading more of your comments as I progress with my Daytona.

Bill, I am so sorry to hear about your loss! I have been there with my pets over the years. I have decided not to have any woodgrain on the dash and have repainted it semi-gloss black. The center console has been detailed with some BMF along the lower portions of the console. The interior side panels are being detailed. My thanks to my Mopar Information Officer for his help so far on this project! More to come.....

Thanks guys! Dave, I have the stock spindles in the K-member right now, but if the front end is too high, I'll try the race spindles. If I don't like either, I'll cut off the spindles and set my own height with a custom made spindle. Mike, I used the Tamiya paint right from the rattle can. Maybe someday, I'll try decanting.

Thank you Charlie! I got the Hemi lowered as much as possible. The exhaust manifolds are now sitting on the motor mounts so this is as low as I can go without modifying the manifolds. I modified the exhaust system and mounted it to the chassis. The body has been foiled including the dreaded wheel opening mouldings. My solution was to use 3 separate pieces of foil instead of trying to manipulate one long piece of foil around the curve. Interior detailing has begun, but the center console is in need of further work. The front suspension, rear axle, and firewall are ready for installation later. More to come.....

Thanks guys! That is kit # MPC703, the corrected and reissued AMT/MPC kit.

For the past week, it's been Trans Siberian Orchestra's Night Castle and The Lost Christmas Eve, Bob River Comedy Group's Twisted Christmas and Chipmunks Roasting On An Open Fire, and Taylor Swift's Fearless album.

Charlie, once again Mother Nature fools us! Thank you George! I finished the Hemi this evening. And the body has been polished and contains absolutely no clearcoat! More to come.....

Thank you everyone! This is the second of my Super Bees that I have built in the last 1 1/2 years. Here's a couple of pics of both Bees together.

Thanks guys! I should be able to get more done this afternoon and since I'm on vacation this week (Christmas shopping in the morning, model building in the afternoon), I should be able to get a lot done this week. Yes Charlie, New England will overrun the board! I only got about an inch of snow here (out of the 2 to 4 inches forecasted), so I'll be outside shortly scrapping the sidewalk and driveway. It's not official yet, but winter is here! Mark, the Revell kit is still available, but the Pro Modeler kit is getting really hard to find. Better get it on your list ASAP!

I did try the red Gelly Roll pens and the ink did not dry at all. They must use a different type of ink in the red pens. I have tried several different brand red pens with no luck what-so-ever. I did try an acylic red marker made by Elmers that worked pretty well, but the point on the marker was a little bit too broad to produce a thin red line. If anyone does find a suitable red pen/marker, please let us know!

After a rather tough week at work, I found some time to work on the Hemi this evening. I ran a fuel line from the fuel pump to the carbs and I wired up the distributor. I need to add a coil and coil wire and to insert the plug wires into the valve covers. More to come.....

I found an easy way to make whitewall tires. You will need to purchase the following.....a white Gelly Roll pen which is available at Michael's or AC Moore craft stores and a circle template also available from Michael's or AC Moore. Select the appropriate circle size for your tire and center the template over the tire. Using the Gelly Roll pen, draw the whitewall around the tire. Now set the tire aside and repeat with the other three tires. Allow the ink to dry completely and you are done.

Thanks Ben! Some progress today! The chassis has been fitted with fuel and brake lines. The recall mags are painted and the tires where trimmed in the center to fit the wheels. Various chromed parts took a bath in the purple pond and are in the process of being painted. The distributor will be drilled out for plug wires. More to come.....

Sometimes I paint the body first and sometimes I don't. It depends on what I need to do to the body as far as bodywork. For anyone else, it's your decision on where you want to start. Whatever and whereever you want.....it up to you. Whatever works for you. Just my 2 cents!

Thank you Charlie! I just added another coat of paint to the body and it deepened the color more. It looks fantastic! Keep watching!

I've been painting this afternoon while the wife was out Christmas shopping. The engine block is painted with Tamiya TS-31 Bright Orange. I usually use Model Master Hemi Orange, but I wanted a paint that was non-metallic. More to come.....

This my Hemi Super Bee painted with MCW B5 Blue Metallic with a matching interior.

Thanks Tony and Marshall! Tony, I'm thinking of having this car undercoated with Z-bart!

Thanks Bill and Peter! Bill, I'll make sure to use the wiper motor. At least this is not an AMT/Ertl kit calling for a horn to be used in that location! Peter, most of my paints are in numerical order, just don't look inside my spray can drawer! I can understand having to forage for stuff on the bench, hence the organization. I usually sit at the bench and just move things around, grab a jar of paint, a brush, apply a dab of paint somewhere, and then start moving things around again for no apparent reason. For a little two minute job, I can unintentionally make a half hour ordeal out of it!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! Bill, I looked through your Fotki album and your Daytona pics. I am in awe of the detail you have added to your Hemi! Excellent work and a beautiful model! Or is it real? I also noticed the steelies and hub caps on yours, I'll be using the Kelsey-Hayes recall mags from the AMT '69 Barracuda kit on mine. I don't know if there were any Daytonas built with the recall mags, but I think they will make mine a little more unique.

Thanks moparfan426! I have used this procedure on two '68 Chargers and the results are fantastic. Instead of a flat decal, you have a side marker that gives just that little bit of extra detail that makes a difference. When painting the pinheads, use a very small amount of paint so you can leave a little bit of the pinhead showing as a bezel. Here's a picture of the other '68 Charger that I built.

Being a new member here, I thought I would introduce myself with my new project, the Pro Modeler '69 Daytona. In order to build this car with the 426 Hemi motor, I had to find an air cleaner from a Revell '67 Coronet R/T and the exhaust manifolds from AMT/Ertl's '68 Road Runner kits. The paint is Tamiya TS-19 Metallic Blue with a white/blue interior. The body is in the early stages of clean up. I look forward to making some new friends here and I welcome your comments. More to come.....