stewart

A few details left but it is basically finished. The rest of the pics are in Under Glass Stewart

Ok, it's been awhile. I have been really busy this summer with work, as in 65 hours or so a week, so I haven't had time at the bench . However, since school started, I have a more relaxed schedule so I picked up this jeep again. It is almost complete. Just needs some final assembly and paint and it will be done. I have the chassis all setup and the engine mostly done. Still have to hook up brake lines and a few other odds and ends.

Thanks for the input Jordan. I guess since I already have this one mostly done, I will stick with what I've got. The portal axle does seem a bit extreme but I wanted to try making one because I want to use them on upcoming builds. Also, I know that old-school leaf springs work well but I like the 4-link suspensions better. I guess its probably because Iike building them. More pictures of this build tonight. STewart

Yeah I thought of that. It does seem kind of strange to do a portal axle and then IFS. I figured for a trail rig, IFS for the front would be good. I was looking at Baja rigs and a lot of them have IFS, and I thought that independent suspensions were better for trailblazing while solid axles were more for extreme offroading and rock-crawling. I would be interested in hearing more thoughts on this. Should I make it a solid axle? Your input is very much appreciated. STewart

I have been working on this but I was out a camera for a few weeks. Progress is a little slow because I have a lot of other stuff going on right now. STewart

I have been working on this on and off. I have the suspension mostly completed. The body work is mostly done but I need to finish the interior and drive train. STewart

That is a large rig. Sweet truck. STewart

This is an amazing build. The engine detail is incredible. One note, it looks like the tires on the drive axles are two different sizes. I have standard-size italeri tires if you need more. I would be happy to trade if you want moreI don't have super singles though. Stewart

I worked some more on the suspension. I had to pull apart the front suspension and rebuild it with the frame that protects the front differential. I worked some more on the rear portal axle and added braces to it. I also made rear shock mounts and the front half-shafts. Computer not cooperating now. Will post pictures soon. STewart

This is going to be cool. I'm watching. STewart

I love your project Justin. I decided to do a more tame build because I didn't want to mess with a lot of bodywork on this one. Haven't done a whole lot in the last few days. It has been spring cleaning time for me . I am planning a complete workbench redo. However, I hope to keep this one going as i am doing that. Thanks for the comments. STewart

I know this is a matter of viewpoint but I would completely disagree that all cars look the same. True, some cars look similar but each era has its own look and unless you are interested in the era, all the cars look the same. For instance, I'm not really into anything before the 60's. Therefore, the cars tend to all look the same. However, I do agree that it is rather sad how entangled each of the car companies are with each other and that there are few distinct automotive companies. STewart

As I said before, the wheels, aoshima watanabes, are 4-lug wheels and that really is not quite adequate for off-roading. I would have made them six lugs but the would not have been very easy so I took some styrene hex rod I had and sliced it into small chunks and glued them on. Though not perfect, the detail is fairly small so perfection is not necessary. I also added hubs to the two wheels which did not have them. I glued the intake and carbs onto the engine. I just need to paint and wire the distributor and pulleys. The front suspension is coming along nicely as well. I built the a-arms and modified a few of the pieces from the blazer kit to fit in. I also made some progress on the rear axle. It is supposed to be a portal axle. The scratchbuilding isn't the greatest but it works. STewart

The engine is painted but still needs some assembly. It is a small-block 340 from the Revell AAR Cuda but I am converting it to EFI. I started on the independent front suspension for the front. I took the a-arms from an AMT Blazer kit. I will probably scratchbuild the top arms. I reinforced the frame with a couple of extra braces which will also hold the a-arm mounts. The wheels I am using are aoshimas but they are only four-lugs so I am going to have to redo the lug pattern. I will probably just make them 8-lugs because that is the easiest thing. STewart

No, MPC just reissued it. This looks like a great project. I want to build one of these some time soon. STewart

Wow. That is an amazing-looking truck. Great Job. STewart

That is one very nice splice of the challenger front to the Magnum body. Where did the wheels come from, they look great? STewart

Waiting to post pics until I have enough to post. I'll probably post some later on tonight. STewart

I like the look of this project. Personally, I like the look of the front of the 57 C-300s but not the back. When I build mine, I plan on changing the look of the back. I will be watching this one closely. STewart

I am starting with the Revell 77 Jeep I plan on making it into a trail rig with only a mild lift but some wide, aggressively-treaded tires. I don't have pics yet. The front suspension will be independent and I am making a portal axle for the rear. The engine will be a small block 340 Six-Pack with EFI. STewart

Sure. You can have them. Just PM me your address. I think this project is as done as it is going to get. I will post some pictures in under glass later on. STewart

I cleaned it with easy-off oven cleaner. I figured that would take car of any release agents. STewart

Paint jobs are definitely not my strong point and this one was decent but last night as I was working on it some more, I spilled CA accelerator on it and ruined the roof and part of the side. I tried repainting it but I had to mix up a new batch of paint which didn't quite match. It was too glossy. I sanded it down and now it looks ok but still a very mediocre paint job. I also tried tackling the carbon fiber decals. This is the first time I have tried cutting my own decals for a complex surface and the wheel flares did not turn out as well as I had hoped but pretty good for a first time. I still have the front two to do. I was just getting too frustrated with them to try any more. Have to do those another day. Last thing that went wrong was the resin hood would not let my black paint dry. I primered it first so maybe the primer and paint didn't like each other. Shouldn't be though cause I used an automotive primer and lacquer paints. Oh well, I guess I'll just use the original hood. I finished up the exhaust system which was almost the last thing except for painting the hood and gluing on the front clip. STewart

That is amazing. Don't sell yourself short. Do you have any pics of the engine? STewart