1972coronet

Got my copy of this beauty today (along with a 'companion' 1970 Impala SS-454) and am loving it ! Great to see this one back in the mix !

That subsized 'generic' MoPar LA engine looks nice ! Heck , you even painted the exhaust manifolds engine colour , just as the factory did ! May I suggest a dark (black or cast iron grey) wash for the alternator ? That would really make it stand out nicer . This kit's origins date back to 1971 , when it was released as a 1971 Duster 340 'annual' by MPC . In mid-1971 , the kit was retooled to represent a 1971 Demon 340 . Here's the breakdown on this kit's history (which would also expalin its simplified casting and other incorrect-for-the-year-represented qualities ) : - 1971 Duster 340 - 1971 Demon 340 (mid-year) - 1972 Duster 340 - 1973 Duster 340 (the first year for the Pro Stock-style Hemi option , and the first year for custom wheels) - 1974 Duster 360 - 1975 Duster 360 - 1975 Dart Sport 360 - 1976 Dart Sport with 360 But , I divulge ... Keep up the nice work !

Thanks ! As I was drawing this I thought , This reminds me a bit of the Wheels of Fire (Cream) album cover (1968) .

I haven't tried it yet , but I don't wonder if the following would work : - Scrape or Dremel the inside of the washer reservoir (or radiator expansion tank / recovery tank for this matter) until it's thinned-down , then ; - Paint the inside of the reservoir with blue (washer) , green , orange , or red (expansion tank / coolant recovery tank) . Certainly , this would only work if : - The 'tank' is moulded in white - Is a sepearate piece - Can be accessed by removing it from its moulded-in-place location (think : 80's Monogram kits that are now moulded in white) I'll have to try this on the 1975 Dart Sport that I'm (very slowly) building , as its washer fluid tank is a sepearate piece , and is moulded in white .

Nice work ! Those look great ! Now , at the risk of knocking your exemplery work ; California didn't start using "month" stickers until calendar year 1976 ; two "year" stickers were used prior to that ( e.g. , "1973" and "1974" , placed one on the left placement , and the other on the right placement ). Again , not trying to bust your chops ; just an observation .

Thanks ! It was influenced by : - Psychedellic Pop Art - The Ramchargers' High & Mighty C/Gas Plymouth - The Stooges' Raw Power album

I first watched "Live at Pompeii" back in c.1975 on PBS (when it was on UHF !) . At age 5 , I was blown away !

Love those C-body police cars ! Is that one a legit DK41 or DL41 ?

Started on 20.12.2009 , and completed on 19.01.2010 . 100% free-hand , G2 Gel Pen .

Looks like my "rust-free-California-car-its-entire-life" 1972 Coronet !

My favourite version of A Saucerful of Secrets , from Live at Pompeii (1972 "Director's Cut") . Originating in c.1968 , and with a number of working titles ( "Rick's Rave-Up" ; "Massed Gadgets of Hercules" ; and finally its four parts , "Something Else" , "Syncopated Pandemonium" , "Storm Signal" , and "Celestial Voices" ) and eventually named "A Saucerful of Secrets" (from their 2nd album from 1968 A Saucerful of Secrets) . Without further ado :

70's AMT kits are notorious . I bought two factory-sealled Matador annuals (1975 and 1976) in 2004 , and each one had tyres burns on the windshield(s) and backlite(s) ! Those irritating two-piece tyres !! 80's MPC kits are bad , too . I bought a factory-sealled 1984 Corvette (the more-common gold version) and the (annoyingly-incorrect) BFG's chemically-fused them-selves with the hatch 'glass' (deep-inpression , too !) and the windshield (to a lesser extent) . I open kits upon receiving them ( mail order ) or when I get home (LHS purchase) . Since kits are packaged a lot nicer these days (i.e. , dissimilar materials are separated / bagged separately , and decals have a "wax-type" paper buffer on the printed-side) , I only look for what's not there (e.g. , missing parts , incomplete moulding , etc.) and damage .

RE : the 1982-tooling Monogram 1971 Hemi'Cuda : I've built innumerable amounts of this kit --in its various iterations-- since its release 33 years ago . My complaints about it , for the most part , aren't exclusive from others' complaints ; however , I've recognised other inaccuracies with it : - 4-speed with 8 3/4 differential combo (either needed a Dana 60 -or- a Torqueflite to be correct ) - I'll-fitting Shaker Hood bubble-to-hood ( exasperated on subsequent issues ; never had that problem with the original-issue ) - Amost-correct upholstery pattern (looks like an attempt at the optional leather upholstery pattern : ) - The facia needs to be modified for a correct appearance (the aforementioned valance panel ; outlined a few times on this forum) . - The chromed parking lamps and tail lamps are just lame - The complete lack of any door panel details (the convertible and its updated / upgraded interior addressed this problem in a *acceptable* manner) - Its ride-height is a tad too tall (mostly due to the tyres) - Moulded-on exhaust and tiny mufflers - Engine lacks an oil filtre , crankcase breather ; the AFB carbs are blobs The 1984-issue of the Street Machine version had an incorrect-for-1971-Hemi hood , but that was actually a nice thing to have for conversion purposes (340 , 383 , and 440+6) . The wheels are pretty gross , that's for certain ! Then there's the whole traction bars thing ; a no-no for torsion bar suspension . ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The 1975 Dart Sport is a welcomed reissue , IMO . Despite its inaccuracies ( 4-speed trans with automatic interior ; no console / 4-speed combos on A-bodies after 1969 ) it builds-up nicely . Add some underhood details (namely , a brake master cylinder !) , and maybe even pitch that undersized 318-340-360 . Hope to post some pics soon of the progress I've made with the one I'm building ...

... not to mention the brilliant idea of outsourcing the billing operation to India . That hasn't caused any problems with customers' accounts at all ! ( i hope that the college kid with manicured hands that thought up that scheme got a huge bonus ! )

Allegedly , the tooling was shipped to Chrysler de Mexico after the recall , where the tooling was upgraded ( a "D"-shape was employed for the lugs , thereby eliminating the lugnuts' tendency to back-off their studs) and used on some models in Mexico . From what I understand , Stockton Wheel (or some similar wheel bender) bought the tooling from Chrysler de Mexico , and is now producing the B-body version (the A-body wheels still being hen's teeth) .

Its best feature is its wheels : the notorious "Recall" wheels (14x6" with small lugs for the A-Body line ; 15x7" for the B-Body line).

French Connection 2 was 1975 (never seen it ; heard it was disappointing) . This is, again , from The Seven-Up's (1973) . Bill Hickman piloting the Pontiac Grandville .

The biggest , glaring "mistake" that I can see with the customised version is that the seal between the nose and the fenders was left unpainted ! Huge distraction ; negative space of a verticle black line ! Disrupts the ebb & flow of the psychedellic paint job . Any-one care to photoshop (or what-ever programme's around these days) the image and eliminate that verticle black line ?

So long as the master cylinder is the "Dixiecup" style (i.e. , the single-pot cylinder) , it's right att home on 1966 & earlier vehicles (except for Rambler / AMC ; those had "dual circuit" brakes going back to at least 1963) . The most-recognised master cylinder was mandated for the 1967 model year . Ever see a disc brake master cylinder for : - 1965-1966 Dart / Valiant / Barracuda - 1966 Satellite / Coronet - 1966 Imperial ???? Let me see if I can dig up a slightly off-subject link ... EDIT / ADDENDUM : Check out how the 1965-1966 disc brake m/c looks for Dodge / Plymouth / Chrysler ! http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/TSBs/1966/2-22-66_letter_page3.jpg

I remember reading about that specific Daytona back in the early 90's in Mopar Action ! The story goes that the car was modified from new with numerous then-popular upgrades ( M/T rocker covers , L-88 type hood scoop , etc. ) and wore a psychedellic paint job . After seeing how the car looked as a customised version , I really wish that it was left that way ; it was sweet !! Otis Chandler had this car as part of his collection back in the day .

Nice work so far , Peter ! One suggestion ; the transmission for this vehicle was cast iron . All V8 Torqueflite transmissions (and their lesser-known 2-speed PowerFlite predecessor) were cast iron prior to the 1962 model year. These were known as model numbers "466" ( PowerFlite) and "488" (Torqueflite) . Keep up the great work !

Much improved interior ! The only nit that I can pick is the doorpanels ; in particular , the chromed trim around the "wood" embellishment : woops ! I attached the wrong image originally . Here's the correct image : Here's a little-known option : bench seat ! (photos are courtesy of the Hamtramck Historical site) In-so-far-as your beautiful exhaust rehibilitation ; remember that the mufflers are black on the T/A and AAR models . They were painted black from the factory ; the only cars to have this treatment given to them . Keep up the great work !

That's a super nice Duster 340 , Andy ! Looks like it's painted GY3 ( Curious Yellow [ Plymouth ] ; Citron Yella [ Dodge ] ) . How did you bypass the A/C compressor ?

Not in the versions I have ( "USA Oldies" , and some c.2000 revised-reissue ) . Every one that I've built over the last 25+ years has had flat-faced caps with a semi-raised circle in the centre . I'm not sure if any kit ever had 1968 & earlier Plymouth hubcaps ; nor have I ever seen 1967-1968 Dart hubcaps (and , no , the 1968 Charger hubcaps aren't correct for the same year Dart).

Here's a fairly esoteric film vehicle for your guessing pleasures ...