My last AL model... 68 Dart

[Kmb0319]

I'm born and raised in St. Louis... lived my whole life there until November of 2007, when a job offer moved me to Birmingham, AL.  Two years later, I changed jobs, and was looking to go home, but the best offer was to stay here in Birmingham.  About three years ago, everything finally came together here... found a dream house, bought a boat and had a beautiful lake 30 minutes away out our back door, great schools for the kids.. Birmingham finally became home.  Last fall, our company did some reorganization, and I went from covering the Southeast to covering the Midwest.  I need to reside in the region I cover, so we're moving back to STL.  At the time we found our house in St. Louis, I had made a couple purchases and had 6 kits in my stash:  The 67 Shelby Mustang and 69 Nova have already been posted.  The 67 GTX just posted in the Under Glass section this morning.  I found an old AMT 69 Chevelle SS coupe that I've committed to being a long-term project, as it needs a lot of help.  The other two were favorite cars and kits I've always wanted to build.  The AMT 71 Charger RT and the Revell 68 Dodge Dart GTS. 

Looking at them now, I've made significant progress on the Dart... not much on the Charger outside of paint.  The movers come June 3rd.  I don't want to rush the Charger, so I think it will be my first build once we're moved back home.  This might be my last post for a while, but I hope to get the Dart under glass before we leave.  So, I'll put a pic or two up of this Dart WIP, but my real hope is to finish it in the next few weeks.

The Charger I'm really excited about, but it will wait until after the move:

This is my Dart, and the one I hope to finish before we leave for MO:

More to come... I hope.

[GMCMAN52]

nice progress on both Mopars... good luck with your move back home.  I know what a hassle it is as I moved six times already for my company. One thing good about your move now is the weather in May, our moves were always in the winter time. The last move is here in Sioux Falls

[Kmb0319]

nice progress on both Mopars... good luck with your move back home.  I know what a hassle it is as I moved six times already for my company. One thing good about your move now is the weather in May, our moves were always in the winter time. The last move is here in Sioux Falls

Oh my word!!! Hopefully your company gave you some kind of major award for moving that many times and to ND during anything other than summer.  I'm far enough along with the Dart that I should be able to complete it.  I keep wanting to make more progress on the Charger, but I don't want to rush it or mess anything up in the move, so I'll table it.  

[louie]

Hope you finish the Dart before you move and good luck with your move. One good thing about moving is at least you're familiar with St . Louis. I always like to hear a story with a build . Thanks for sharing this with us.      Jeff 

[Kmb0319]

Made a little more progress tonight on the Dart.... Painted lots of bolt heads, got the fan/alternator mounted.  I'm going to have to search the parts box... While de-chroming several parts, the carburetor went down the sink.  Tomorrow I will work on some interior details.  Here's my engine so far:

 

[Kmb0319]

Painted my door panels... I like the upper and lower body color panels... Nice touch for the Dart's interior 

Now my question is what wheels and tires?  I don't really like the kit tires.. Too plastic-looking and also too low-profile for a late 60s muscle car.  (Sidebar:  why can't Revell make any good tires?  They cast some nicely detailed kits and use the same 3 cruddy tires across all of them).  I have a set of the smaller Goodyear Polyglas tires, and some wheels from the AMT 70 Camaro that I painted to look like torq thrusts, and I like their look with this car.  But, those lower profile kit tires are also larger diameter wheels, and getting the wheel backs to hold in the flimsy, hollow Polyglas tires may be an issue.  Then I experimented a little: took the Cragars from my GTX kit that used the same tires and painted one to look like a torq thrust.  I still prefer the Polyglas tires but I'll have to figure out what will work.  Here they are side by side:

[slusher]

Both wheels look good Kevin. The Goodyears look good also. Nice work on the engine...

[Intmd8r]

Really like the color and the progress.  Keep up the good work.

[cook_dw]

Great work so far.  Personal opinion but the wheels on the left when the centers are painted gray remind me of the 2004 Bullitt Mustang wheels.  Maybe its the chrome lip.  I like the ones on the right as to me they look more like traditional TTd's.

[Kmb0319]

Great work so far.  Personal opinion but the wheels on the left when the centers are painted gray remind me of the 2004 Bullitt Mustang wheels.  Maybe its the chrome lip.  I like the ones on the right as to me they look more like traditional TTd's.

You're right... that bothered me, too, but I was just getting the "gist" for comparison.  I've shot the Cragars with Duplicolor chrome so they aren't so bright... then I'll look and decide if I want to leave them satin chrome or paint the gray back on, and then compare again. 

[Kmb0319]

OK... Two weeks left living here.  We go home for Memorial weekend, and really aren't coming back... I will come here on the night of the 2nd to be here for the movers the next morning.  Been traveling for work all week, but I'm getting close to done with this Dart. 

Made a little progress this morning... Compounded and waxed the body and laid the decals, finished the interior, and finished detail painting and used Fireball decals on the kit tires.  

Edited September 10, 2016 by Kmb0319

[thatz4u]

Made a little more progress tonight on the Dart.... Painted lots of bolt heads, got the fan/alternator mounted.  I'm going to have to search the parts box... While de-chroming several parts, the carburetor went down the sink.  Tomorrow I will work on some interior details.  Here's my engine so far:

 

FYI when I dechrome small parts I put the in a shot glass with rubbing alcohol, & then in another shot glass with water....saves a lot of small parts

[Kmb0319]

FYI when I dechrome small parts I put the in a shot glass with rubbing alcohol, & then in another shot glass with water....saves a lot of small parts

I didn't think of that. THANKS!  I had put them in a baggie, so I thought they were safe, but the carb stuck in the baggie.  Then when I went to pull it out, it slipped out of my hand and flew right down the drain.  I'll try your method.

[crazyrichard]

color looks great !! love it

[Roadrunner]

Good looking progress. (Another Kevin in St Louis can't be a bad thing.)

[Kmb0319]

Good to know that there is another one!!! Can't wait to finally be home again!!!

[charlie8575]

FYI when I dechrome small parts I put the in a shot glass with rubbing alcohol, & then in another shot glass with water....saves a lot of small parts

I put small parts in a small parts container (a screw-top Zip-Loc round container that's about 1-1/2 cups,) spray in some Easy-Off, and when stripped, fill it with water. I drain them into a stainless-steel mesh colander, and rinse in that. Works very nicely. 

Shot glasses are for the other kind of alcohol.:)

Charlie Larkin

Edited May 15, 2016 by charlie8575

[Rider]

I put small parts in a small parts container (a screw-top Zip-Loc round container that's about 1-1/2 cups,) spray in some Easy-Off, and when stripped, fill it with water. I drain them into a stainless-steel mesh colander, and rinse in that. Works very nicely. 

Shot glasses are for the other kind of alcohol.:)

Charlie Larkin

This is looking fantastic, really nice work on the tire lettering and the paint finish. 

For small parts I use those reusable K-cup coffee single serve cups. The parts go in there then get tossed into the Easy-Off. Once stripped it's just a simple rinse while still in the container.

[Kmb0319]

Thank you all for your suggestions... Suffice it to say all of them are far superior to my method, which is why I'm down a carburetor.  Although I must concur with Charlie... Shot glasses have a higher purpose. (My last build, posted here, was the "new Christine" 67 GTX... Named that because the kit was possessed by Satan... Took nearly a whole bottle of bourbon to make it through)

i was really trying to finish her up this weekend.  Came so close, but we really started packing up the house today, and now I'm off for a 3-day business trip.  It will be a little crazy from here, but I'm sure I'll fit it in.  What's left? Front and rear clips, radiator hose, door handles, rear view mirror.  Oh, and the horn... Which I totally forgot to paint.  Anyway, ready for final touches... Man this thing fits together perfectly.

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Kmb0319

[charlie8575]

Looking very good.

Next shot of bourbon can be to celebrate your completed build and move.

Charlie Larkin

[crazyrichard]

nice !!!

[GTJUNIOR]

Looking great.

[Rider]

Looks great!

[Roadrunner]

Good to know that there is another one!!! Can't wait to finally be home again!!!

I've been here all my life. Never really desired to go anywhere else.

[Kmb0319]

I've been here all my life. Never really desired to go anywhere else.

Neither did I.  It was a job offer that moved us to Birmingham 9 yrs ago, and didn't want to leave, but had to.  We were in the South Hampton neighborhood and loved it.  Now we get to come home, but will be residents of Ballwin in a couple weeks.  Never thought we'd be out in West County, but it's perfect for us... Can't wait.