1968 Mustang Cobra Jet

[El Caballo]

My factory drag car in progress.

Edited October 8, 2018 by El Caballo

[fiatboy]

 I'll be watching this build.  Have always loved the '68 Cobra Jet factory drag car.

[Deuces]

Yep! Me 2.... ?

[vamach1]

Question for anyone.  When I get ready to prime a body I always glue the front and rear parts to the body of it's not a one piece so I can paint everything as one.  I am afraid that if I don't the fit may not be what I expected and the paint finish may not be consistent and it seems a lot easier to put the complete body on a coat hanger stand for one step painting.  Anyone have a reason for doing the parts separate?  The only thing I can thing of is the chassis may not fit if the body is glued together first.

[Rider]

I have found it really depends on how the kit assembly process has been designed/engineered and how the shell is matted to the chassis. In some cases it may require many fittings and adjustments of both the chassis, interior tub and shell in order to get shell on as one unit after it is painted so as not to cause an damage to all sub assemblies.   

I am sure builders on here with decades of building experience will have more to offer. 

[Snake45]

13 hours ago, vamach1 said:

Question for anyone.  When I get ready to prime a body I always glue the front and rear parts to the body of it's not a one piece so I can paint everything as one.  I am afraid that if I don't the fit may not be what I expected and the paint finish may not be consistent and it seems a lot easier to put the complete body on a coat hanger stand for one step painting.  Anyone have a reason for doing the parts separate?  The only thing I can thing of is the chassis may not fit if the body is glued together first.

This is the best way to do it, if you can get away with it. Some kits can't be assembled this way though, at least not without major surgery to the chassis. 

[El Caballo]

17 hours ago, vamach1 said:

 The only thing I can thing of is the chassis may not fit if the body is glued together first.

Pretty much why I am doing it the way I am, once bit twice shy.

[Dentz]

I just did this kit. you definitely want to get that front and rear on first. the fit is kinda crappy and you can tweak it to fit right this way. body fits on just fine as its based on the die cast version. this is the fit after pre assembly and sanding. the front seemed like it came from another kit it fit so poorly and the rear was about 1/16th wider than the body. this has always been the case as far as I've ever seen on several mustang kits over the years