landman Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Were the tires pre-lettered? If not you did a geat job on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Nice work, really like them wheels.Thanks Dan, I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Were the tires pre-lettered? If not you did a geat job on them.No, they're not pre-lettered, I painted them with white acrylic paint using a toothpick as a brush. Thanks for the compliment Pat. David G. Da Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) Time for another update... Â As is typical of model kits of this time period, the ride height is a bit too high and the wheel alignment is off. Â Since the spindle shafts were already epoxied in place, I lowered the front by re-drilling the wheel stubs. Â The rear was lowered by filing the springs shorter. Â This wasn't enough however. The shorter springs allowed differential housing to come into contact with a frame cross member. I ground that down to get the necessary clearance to tuck the axle in a little tighter. Â I'm not sure if the results are worth all the effort, But I think it looks a little better. Â Thanks for taking the time to look and as always, feel free to comment. David G. Edited April 13, 2021 by David G. Photo Update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTJUNIOR Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Definitely worth the effort. The stance is miles better. Not a big fan of the AMC cars but this is looking promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Definitely worth the effort. The stance is miles better. Not a big fan of the AMC cars but this is looking promising. Thank you Tony. Sometimes it's difficult to see what you're looking at while you're working on it- if you know what I mean.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I own a 1/1 scale 74 coupe.......looks good so far!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 I own a 1/1 scale 74 coupe.......looks good so far!!Thanks Dave. Feel free to post a photo if you wish.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Nice work David on lowering and wheel alignment on your Matador.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledsel Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Yes, the lowering was worth the effort for sure. Looking good, wish I had one of these kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 she looks rough but it's a classic old lady car 34K miles i'm 2nd owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I'm sure that'll buff right out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Tuttle Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Yeah, had an AMT Datsun 280ZX some years ago and I wondered how they really thought considering the ride height? It looked like a jacked up 4x4 before lowering....Very nice work, I especially like the exhaust manifolds, very realistic rust on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louie Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I've been following this build since the beginning (first post). Nice, nice, nice. I love the oddballs too so when I see a post talking about a matador I am all over it. I have a couple of these myself but just have not built one yet. I'm a builder not a collector so I will at some point in time. Just watching this gets me going. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing this with us. Â Â Â Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Nice work David on lowering and wheel alignment on your Matador..Yes, the lowering was worth the effort for sure. Looking good, wish I had one of these kits. Thanks guys, I'm glad to know it was worth the extra work- I'm glad you like it.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 she looks rough but it's a classic old lady car 34K miles i'm 2nd owner.   Looks like a fun project car. Is the roof painted or is it vinyl?  David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Yeah, had an AMT Datsun 280ZX some years ago and I wondered how they really thought considering the ride height? It looked like a jacked up 4x4 before lowering....Very nice work, I especially like the exhaust manifolds, very realistic rust on them.Yes, Mattias, most model kits come out a bit too high. It seems that I have to adjust (lower) most of the kits I build.The manifolds are painted first with Poly Scale flat acrylic rust then dry-brushed with Testors steel enamel. Thanks for the compliment, I like the way they turned out too.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 I've been following this build since the beginning (first post). Nice, nice, nice. I love the oddballs too so when I see a post talking about a matador I am all over it. I have a couple of these myself but just have not built one yet. I'm a builder not a collector so I will at some point in time. Just watching this gets me going. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing this with us. Â Â Â JeffThanks for your encouragement Jeff.I also have an MPC Pacer, but what I'd really like to find is a 77 Hornet hatchback.David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 painted white roof........or it would be really rusty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledsel Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 she looks rough but it's a classic old lady car 34K miles i'm 2nd owner. Love the "D" spoke wheels on it. With those wheel wells, you can go with 8" wide wheels and give it the stock car look. Little bit of paint, you could have a street version like this in Sweden... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumpyDan Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 That is cool, haven't seen one of them since I was a teenager Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagercr Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 So ugly they are cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Love the "D" spoke wheels on it. With those wheel wells, you can go with 8" wide wheels and give it the stock car look. Little bit of paint, you could have a street version like this in Sweden... I was gonna do the R/W/B paint.....but I may have changed my mind. Not 100% sure now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledsel Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I was gonna do the R/W/B paint.....but I may have changed my mind. Not 100% sure nowSolid color would be fine, but dropped with some wide wheels and tires would be sharp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Tuttle Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 It's norwegian plates on that car, not swedish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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