1968 Plymouth Roadrunner COMPLETE 2-19-2017

[Roadrunner]

Stay tuned!

I shall, on that you can count.

[426-Hemi]

Thanks Kevin, its coming down the pipe....... I've been able to paint small things with the air brush so time is comin'...... I just got to get more red paint for me to start!!!!

[Roadrunner]

Thanks Kevin, its coming down the pipe....... I've been able to paint small things with the air brush so time is comin'...... I just got to get more red paint for me to start!!!!

I hear ya', I'm waiting on more parts and paints to finish a few of mine too.

[426-Hemi]

See thats my issue..... Locally, I'm very limited with supplies, I have a couple places, to get models, Micheal's, Hobby Lobby, and one hobby shop. BUT there are a few other places I can get other then big box store paints..... AND one that will order whatever type and color I want, without a hefty shipping/order charge and the nice part, they don't charge me for the entire order up front. I pay when the item(s) are in....... SO, having said that, I got one HUGE paint supply, believe me 3,000 bottles, cans, jars, pints, even quarts of some colors as I do other larger projects that can use the same paint for a lot of the same sort of work only at times in bigger quantities.... But having said that, my Roadrunner as you seen it, is in fact going to be Testors "red" #1103 right from the little 1/4th ounce bottle. I got 2 bottles one full and one partly full, that will be thinned out to spray which will match the '68 Plymouth "PP-1" Matador Red as you see what I'm doing on my car! So... Right now, I'm merely waiting, AND the kit itself is sort of packed away out of harms way right now as I was doing some hefty shop remodeling on the walls and even work benches so.... I have to dig it out when I'm ready to start the body paint!

BUT I a lot of times have things (or try too anyway) in place for when I start a build, IF I can.... Doesn't always work that way, BUT then again, this is why I have a lot of kits sitting on the back burner in the shadows.... -Keeps me going, ya know?

So your model Roadrunner, you going with the box stock 426 Hemi, or you gonna go the route I did and take the first Roadrunner and use the "standard" motor it? The "Roadrunner 383"????

[Roadrunner]

 So your model Roadrunner, you going with the box stock 426 Hemi, or you gonna go the route I did and take the first    Roadrunner and use the "standard" motor it? The "Roadrunner 383"????

Whenever I get around to doing a Roadrunner (I don't even have a kit at the moment), it'll be curbside, so no engine at all.

[426-Hemi]

I'm sorry, I musta mistaken you for doing one! LOL there are a few of them being built so I was thinkin' you were doing one of them LOL sorry about that!

[Roadrunner]

I'm sorry, I musta mistaken you for doing one! LOL there are a few of them being built so I was thinkin' you were doing one of them LOL sorry about that!

No problem at all. I'll be churning out one eventually, I just have no idea when. Right now I'm thinking my next car will be the Monogram '71 GTX. I just popped you a PM too.

[426-Hemi]

It was your GTX that I had confused as a Roadrunner!!!! GO figure! I replied to the PM!

[426-Hemi]

So this one has been awhile huh guys? 

WELL some (little) more has been done!

WELL, I got this model to where you see it here, and had to sit it aside as I had to go and get my hands to the point that I could run my air brush correctly. So, it sat, for over 2 months maybe 3 (I can't remember) BUT it has been in the box for a bit!
Anyway, at one point, I got out my spray can of Primer, and did a wet sanding on BARE plastic, to get any mold lines gone and smooth the whole thing to take primer nicely, which it did! So, heres that!

One side, then the other:

In the last picture it got wet sanded one more time with 1500 grit wet/dry, and then I got that last picture, it had to then sit and dry for further inspection.
Short update, BUT more to follow! Thanks for looking.... ENJOY

[426-Hemi]

Well I waited for the body to dry from wet sanding with 1500 grit, I got to try to see if I was able to run my air brush with no issues. And yeah by God, I was able.... (Been trying to run it on and off over the span of time since I began building, again, from the accident) so..... This means, all those models I have "sitting, waiting for body paint, can NOW be painted, or well, started to get them ready for paint!!!!!
Having said that, What did I have sitting there, waiting? OHHHH yeah, my '68 Roadrunner. so out came the paint, Lacquer thinner and some stirring sticks to mix/thin the paint for spraying through my Air Brush! Heres the 1st coat of color....

Let it dry for 48 hours.... then gave it another wet sanding with 1500 grit paper.....
2nd coat of color:

Let it set again for 48 hours, and gave it a final wet sanding of 1500 grit..... Let it dry, and gave it a 3rd coat of color:

Painted just like a real car would be. Each coat is VERY THIN, and VERY light, to not cover up any detail, BUT build up the paint to be "worked" and smoothed out. 
At this point, I think one more nice "wet" coat of paint, and a light wet sanding with 1800 to 2000 grit will be great, and then I can move on to the first coat of clear coat. 
More to come as time allows! Thanks for looking! ENJOY!

[426-Hemi]

Well it has sure been a long time since I've worked on this one!!!!! I would LIKE to get this one dine before 2017.... BUT, in order to do that, I have to "work" on it, its not gonna finish itself! LOL
There really isn't much left ot do on this one, but me being me, I was stuck on a decal needed for the hoods edge, as well as the trunks edge! And I refused to go on without those decals! NOW however, I got those needed decals! So onto finishing this one we go.....
All this model needs to be completed, is the decals (as I mentioned) and clear coated over them and then the BMF added to the windows, and then final assembly! I also have some grille work to do (blackening) so.... BUT that shouldn't be too bad to do! SO, to get moving to the finish line, I got the "black" over the hood, as planned!




That looks KILLER! The red is polished right down ready for gloss clear coat!!!! The black was sprayed on "flat" and will be gloss coated with the rest of the hood! I think this is gonna look KILLER when done!


The underside.... I have to add the hood insulation, and then I THINK that line in the front of the hood that goes all the way across, is to be a rubber "seal-like" thing that makes contact with the real cars radiator core support..... (I for the life of me, can not remember what thats called!) BUT that needs painted black... as its a rubber-like stripe! I'm not going to worry about the line for cutting a hole in the hood on this one, As I'm gonna be adding some other details in here that are for "fresh-air" duct-work.... Should cover most, if not all of that recess.....
A little work but not impossible to do by the years end! (I'll be working on this one New Years Eve if I have too!)
Enjoy, more will come as I get things done! Thanks for looking, Comments always welcome ~Enjoy

[426-Hemi]

Well its December 31, 2016.... AND I'm working on this model (I KNOW its not going to be "Completed" today), BUT I can say once I have the decals for it, it won't be long as I'm putting things together for that time so that its completion happens easily.
So with that, I revamped the Wiper motor, with a new "found" part within the kit, and then added the "Beep, Beep" horn, painted correctly & wired in, so I'm getting there! I also painted and got the decal on the air cleaner as well, (Waiting for that to dry to add another coat of decal set to that to make the decal "lay out flat"...

Shows no "Beep, Beep" horn in-place.... 

NEW chrome part found within kit, for the Wiper Motor.... Installed, NOT "wired" in yet!

Wiper Motor installed, chrome is dullcoated to look like Aluminum, motor in the housing painted Gloss Black, and wired in with the little blue wire that went to the last one!

I also added in a steering shaft that goes from the firewall to the location of a rack & pinion box....

A little better detail shots of the Wiper Motor details....


"Beep, Beep" Horn in-place, and wired in.... Looking really good!!!!! -I'm pretty pleased with how the under-hood details has turned out on this model! I'm actually excited to get this one done, as it will be the first Plymouth I've finished in decades!!!! LITERALLY!
And then last but not least for now:

The grille has all is black shadowing, and lens. I did the normal with the black shadowing work, and the lens, I made from Testors clear glass glue that doesn't "smear" just dropped into place and left to "pool" up and look like a lens right over the locations on the grille, (MIGHT get a second "Coat", not sure yet!)
Thats it for now everyone, thanks for following along and looking, as always comments welcome and enjoyed! -HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Edited January 1, 2017 by 426-Hemi
Added content

[espo]

The detailing on this build is just outstanding. Especially with the issues with your hands. Hope in 2017 everything gets better for you.

[426-Hemi]

Thanks David,

Its not to bad right now, it was trying in the beginning, (Especially on this model) but I'm back pretty strong at it now....) BUT that too, I am facing yet one more surgery.... BUT then it will be all better after that.....

[72 Charger]

Fantastic work John . I hope your surgery goes well Happy new year buddy

[vintagercr]

John, great work so far!

[Ron Hamilton]

I'm glad to see that everything is working out better for you. The work on the model so far is outstanding. I wish nothing but the best for you.

[426-Hemi]

Thanks Guys!!!! Much appreciated!!!! Sadly, I have to "Side-Line"  this build for a bit, I'm to dang hard headed to continue, I need the word "PLYMOUTH" to go on the edge of the hood and the same for the trunk, in really SMALL lettering, and I can't seem to locate anything (at this point, I'd almost settle for the same wording in black!) BUT I'd rather have it silver-chrome to go with all the other lettering to go onto the car....... thats ALL thats holding up the completion of this model believe it or not, I have everything painted, and ready to go onto the body once I can get those decals in-place..... I mean not to much time to go in finishing it, but I want the decals to go on......

GRRRR

Does anyone have anything? I know they were made aftermarket, and I can't seem to find anyone to have a "spare" set of just those 2 words! 

[72 Charger]

John that strip across the inside of the hood looks the same as my  1/1 Charger . I think it should be painted matt black as it is on my 1/1. There is no rubber across there . If im wrong I'm sure someone will chime in

[426-Hemi]

Thanks Dave! See, I know of that part, and on some Mopars thats just a metal strip, and on others I've seen them have a rubber strip on them! So I think it depends on the car as in some cases that "seal" actually is a seal... and from what I know, its "seals" across the Core Support and no bend the hood from down-ward pressure from the hood being closed. Flat black huh? I painted it red, will update that seal probably flat black, OR a "rubber" color, we'll see as I'll look to see what the actual part is on the my Roadrunner as I have a friend with a real one! -As its been so long ago that I've worked on a '68 Roadrunner (A real one) never mind any Roadrunner for that matter (pushing 15 years maybe longer!)

[Quicksilver]

Having a great interest and owning MoPar muscle, and being new here read back thru this thread, 1st off hope you hands are doing well. The detail you are doing is incredible and inspiring! Thought I would drop a couple pics here so other may have an idea at what you are looking for...on 68's RR there were 2 different trims on the body, 1 optional called the "decor" group which consisted of the B pillars having a Chrome trim over what was normally body color, also the deck lid had a chrome trim panel with a Colored Reflective running bird, and also had chrome exhaust tips. On the standard bird the B pillar vertical centers were body color, and the deck lid was body color with a black and white reflective standing bird and the "PLYMOUTH" letters(same identical emblem for the hood) you are looking for and a small chrome medallion with "road runner" below it. The rubber seal on the hood is on all 68 69 and 70 B Bodies except on A12 cars and is used to "seal' the hood against the top of the core support forcing more air flow thru the radiator. There is also a small thin seal across the rear of the hood that seals to the top of the firewall. The under hood pic is from a 70 Hemi bee and both seals can bee seen(same on 68 69 70)

Edited January 20, 2017 by Quicksilver

[Dann Tier]

LOVIN all the details in that engine bay!!!!! -The grille looks Excellent too!!!!

[72 Charger]

I stand corrected again  Nice RR BTW

[426-Hemi]

Having a great interest and owning MoPar muscle, and being new here read back thru this thread, 1st off hope you hands are doing well. The detail you are doing is incredible and inspiring! Thought I would drop a couple pics here so other may have an idea at what you are looking for...on 68's RR there were 2 different trims on the body, 1 optional called the "decor" group which consisted of the B pillars having a Chrome trim over what was normally body color, also the deck lid had a chrome trim panel with a Colored Reflective running bird, and also had chrome exhaust tips. On the standard bird the B pillar vertical centers were body color, and the deck lid was body color with a black and white reflective standing bird and the "PLYMOUTH" letters(same identical emblem for the hood) you are looking for and a small chrome medallion with "road runner" below it. The rubber seal on the hood is on all 68 69 and 70 B Bodies except on A12 cars and is used to "seal' the hood against the top of the core support forcing more air flow thru the radiator. There is also a small thin seal across the rear of the hood that seals to the top of the firewall. The under hood pic is from a 70 Hemi bee and both seals can bee seen(same on 68 69 70)

Thanks! BUT remember my car doesn't have the 426 Hemi in, its a '68 which would have not had the A12 440-6 Barrel that yours shows to have! Only the 383 4 Barrel "383 Roadrunner".... PLUS that hood on the '68 the "Power Bulges" were NOT "operational". Plymouth didn't make them operational till '69!, 1970 had the "Air Grabber" in the center of the hood that opened by vacuum off the engine and a switch on the lower edge of the dash, nearest the passenger's side of the car!

NOW My model you see here, is a "Semi-Basic" of the offering in '68. Basic engine being the standard "Roadrunner Engine" as the 383 4 barrel. -Just to be different, as the Hemi in models is WAY over used I think, when Mopar AKA "Chrysler" made MANY other really good engines! Not that I have anything against the Hemi, I LOVE the engine, but model-wise, just to make something "different" is nice too!

Then trim-wide The actual model does NOT come with that trim level, I opted to go "basic" without the chrome trim as the model had as that detail I just don't have so. I went with what I did have and again, I went "basic" "PLYMOUTH" & the "bird" with "Roadrunner" on a painted body color trunk lid.

I believe the B pillars on my model will be body color! As I opted for a low trim level!

Thanks tho for the pics! Those your real car? That B5 Blue for the body color? and with that, a '68 or '69? As there are some confusing seen things from one year to the other! -Whats the grille look like?

[426-Hemi]

LOVIN all the details in that engine bay!!!!! -The grille looks Excellent too!!!!

Thanks Dann! Much appreciated! I'm getting good feedback on that grille work! (I ALWAYS second-guess myself on black shadowing the grilles of any model..... So thats inspiration all in itself!