Lowlife ! !

Thanks Mike, yes i will go back to the other one when this is finished ! Finished the front cage work, happy with it this time ! There are two holes for the hood pins that match up with the hood, need to add the other two. And it fits better than the last one i tried, tighter to the bumper... First coat of primer, needs a clean up and i`ll re-coat it ! Looking for a lighter shade of grey for the top coat, any suggestions or paint codes ?

Great work Jason, clever how you altered the interior i think your roll cage is perfect ! as for the paint, wow that's stunning ..

Hi Guys... ! Some of you will know I did start my first Nascar project a while back, but as things went on i realised how many bits Id got wrong ! I was never happy with the paint, the front scratchbuilt chassis was supposed to line up with the hoodpins and didnt etc, so after more research there were lots of little bits i just thought I could do better ! As id already bought 2 kits Ive decided to start again, Ill be keeping bits like the old seat which im happy with. But a new start on the rest, this time hopefully more detailed too ! Considering Ive been on this a couple of weeks theres only a handful of parts glued together so far, but Im happy ! In the pic you can see the bits Ive cut out to remake. Front end will be scratchbuilt again too. So far the window net was cut out and scratchbuilt tube used to make the new bar around the drivers window. The bar under the dashboard is scratchbuilt and connects correctly to the front chassis rails. Rear interior panels were removed, to be replaced with ally. Rear wheel inner arches were extended slightly to fit the body better. Front firewall is 3 pieces as standard, so Ive removed all the joins this time ! Roll cage has been filled so theres no gaps. Oh and theres new hood support brackets ! Not decided on the decals yet, Ive got the Kodak No5 set but they are a bit old so see how that goes.. Just taking my time with this, fancy going to town and building something as good as i can possibly do ! Wish me luck, more soon....

Hi Guys... Sorry progress has been a bit slow, but this thing is going backwards every step of the way ! I had to stop and think which order to put this all together, forget the instructions, so i started at the front and worked it out as i went... After carefully measuring each piece and trying to keep the chops clean and precise, I failed to notice how warped the parts are, especially the chassis ! Its not till the rear half was added I noticed how bad it is, the panel behind the cab i scratched together, and its miles out now ! ! Also notice the open door ? When i added the very first part, the cab floor, i glued it on upside down ! ! So this was ripped out and redone... Heres a few pics, look above the cab roof, the white plastic strip, and your see how bad it is. Ive pulled it apart somewhat and hopefully Ill be back with a straight body soon ! Shame as im really happy with the look, its pretty cool for a citroen ! ! Sometimes makes me wish i could just build a model straight out the box...

Wow, I've seen many of your beautiful hot rods and customs but had no idea you build these exotic super cars ! I'm b!own away with your dedication to accuracy, I'd go crazy building this straight out the box ! Very interesting thread, amazing car, and a true testament to your model building talent !

Great job TJ ! I'd love to find one of these again, the last one (from years ago) I mounted on a pro Stock chassis, they fit great ! Then there were so many spares left over to use on other projects ! Yeah there are hundreds of pieces , but I think it's one of the best detailed kits available. You're looks terrific, great job so far ?

Damn these are one of the best cars to lower, they look fantastic slammed ! Good job so far, Ive got no regular painting technique either, each one i do is an experiment !

Thankyou guys, glad you approve ! Definately want to keep it that low, all the suspension is coming from the spares box, so i need the basic body together to work out where the suspension goes... So im looking at the engine last, maybe even a straight 4 or 6 with a turbo ? Oh and better add hydraulics / airbags too ! Bit more chopping done, i wanted the cab roof more level with the rear roof, so the cab is 2/3 mm lower while the rear sides are chopped 7mm ! Ill get it as clean as i can with sandpaper before a coat of primer.. This shows the difference in height..

Looks like your fans want you back on this Andy, time to dig it out maybe ? ?

Hi guys... Theres a few of these kits by Heller, thought it was time i tried one ! There quite detailed, but very thin and fragile, and has a multi piece body, at least you get opening doors ! Going to Hot rod it, usual small block, chopped and lowered suspension... Ive fiited plastic around the cab to get it to fit straight, cut off the hinges and chopped it 2mm, Crager 5 spokes fit the bill, suspensions going to need some work ! Thanks for looking, more soon...

Thanks for the reply Anton, im afraid i cant help regards the engine size, ive not built any other Nascars before ! Once the engine is in place, i hope your see from the pictures i post ! Talking of engines, I`ve started mine ! I dechromed the valve covers as these should be black, bit more p/e on the pulleys and started on those hose ends ! They are a pain but look cool so im happy so far.. Aftermarket distributor, cos im fed up drilling these things out ! And still need to tidy the wires up yet.. Also been trying out various metaliser paints, you can polish the exhaust and they get shinier ! The headers came out looking rusty, in real life there a bit more subtle ! Loads more to go yet but thought id show you whats happening on the bench !

Finally the interior is finished, cage was a real pain as i had to extend a couple of bars as it didnt fit together ! Electrical boxes and wiring was fun, and dash was fitted. I gave up with transfers so hand painted the dials, still need to gloss these ! Added the steering wheel button (its teeny) and wiring, rest of the cage, window supports, rear shelf, then there was those cooling tubes.. Didnt like the kit parts, but by chance i found a girls hair band and had an idea ! Added a brass tube inside it and i think it looks better than the kit part anyway ! On to suspension next ! Thanks for looking !

Hi guys ! Bit more done, still waiting for some p/e parts from China to arrive so slow going at the moment ! Scratchbuilt floor mat has been screwed down, fire extinquisher with hold down straps and a couple more bars added to the cage. Also started the fuel cell, more p/e bolts and Im trying to recreate the panels each side, which are chrome card then detail added with a toothpick ! Might redo these as there a bit too shiny ? More soon and thanks for looking...

Great build so far Mark, the bodywork looks very convincing ! I enjoy builds like this, lots of hints and tips ! Sure you know this tip, but for straight line masking i use bare metal foil. I doesn't tend to let paint leak underneath like masking tape , works well for me anyway ! Good luck I'll be following along !

Looks good so far David, be interested to see how the vinyl decals go ! Congratulations on your first Nascar, I've just started my first one recently they are enjoyable to build, something totally different for me !

Thanks Rusty, and Mike.. Think there seems to be quite a bit of debate regarding Dales interior, now Im not trying to prove anyone right or wrong here but heres the pic i found online that i based the colour off. Yes my interior looks more brown almost, in the pic above, but i figured its closer than a strong red colour ! Thanks anyway, as I`ve said Im not building an exact replica so this is close enough for me !

Finally got the chassis in paint, but not entirely happy as its a bit too orangey ! I was after MCW Poppy red, which i believe is the correct shade, but could only order it from abroad... which is getting expensive ! So i had a guess at a shade of orange i had already, i think its better being more orange than red anyway, as some pics of the real car look closer to this. Ive seen a terrific build by Clay Kemp so im trying to copy a few details from that. Nearly ready for the seat to go in, then theres fire extinguishers etc and the rest of the cage next. Thanks for looking, more soon...

Great work on this Pierre, thought the way you flared the arches out was very clever !

Great looking Impala, lots of nice details on this one !

Thanks Andy, Been trying a new primer and it takes ages to dry ... So i thought Id build the seat ! Again copying reference pictures Ive cut out openings in the seat for belts, added an extra panel for the head support and one where your feet go. Seat belts are made from ribbon with p/e buckles, padding is sandpaper and theres a few p/e nuts n bolts to finish it off. Its more of a typical Race seat I guess, as Earnhardts real seat seemed pretty plain in comparison ? More soon, thanks for looking..

I like the look of your drawing, the original slated side windows are unusual ! Look forward to seeing what you do with it...

Thanks Anton ! And thanks for the reply Kevin, Ive decided to put the car up on jacks with the wheels off, crafty way of avoiding getting the stance wrong ! But also because I obtained a very nice set of p/e discs and caliper`s to use. I would have liked to have read that article, but SAE is hard to find here, and Ive imported half the kit from America so far ! Thanks for the tailgate information, I`ll have a trial and see which looks best !

Apologies for the question I asked Lee, I didn`t mean to pick flaws with your build I was just curious... Ive just started my first nascar build , and Im still unfamiliar with a lot of things Nascar related.. It really is a nice build, and I hope I didn`t offend you !

Really interesting story Alan, can't imagine building something like this at home at my bench let alone building it on the road ! Your trip sounded amazing, you have a very understanding wife by the sound of it ! Great little model, looks dangerous as hell to ride but a great reminder of your trip for sure !

Thanks Rusty ! Hoping you guys can help with a few questions along the way, theres still a lot about these cars i dont understand.. Im not aiming for a exact replica of Dales car, more like a typical representation of a Nascar ! First is this, ive built up a bonnet frame , and i think it looks correct. But what about the tailgate ? Some pics of models i can make out a frame, others look like it has the standard Chevrolet reinforcing ?