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Posted

That's fabulous Bob!!

I found myself doing something similar for the gear indicator on the column of my '68 Coronet.

A little smaller, and I don't think a decal would be feasible, but I did it pretty much in the same fashion.

 

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I don't know about you Bob, but working out these sorts of issues are what really makes the hobby a lot of fun for me!

The danger of destroying a rare part in the process makes it even more exciting! :P

 

 

 

 

Steve

Posted

Hi Bob

This is fun and informative watching your progress here.

Glad your taking your time and making all the upgrades so nice and clean, and clear for us to understand ?.

Dave

Posted
3 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

That's fabulous Bob!!

I found myself doing something similar for the gear indicator on the column of my '68 Coronet.

A little smaller, and I don't think a decal would be feasible, but I did it pretty much in the same fashion.

 

spacer.png

 

 

 

I don't know about you Bob, but working out these sorts of issues are what really makes the hobby a lot of fun for me!

The danger of destroying a rare part in the process makes it even more exciting! :P

 

 

 

 

Steve

Thanks Steve !  When I saw your gear indicator I pretty much decided that I could make my speedometer since it's at least ten times the size !

Posted
12 hours ago, carbuilder1950 said:

Hi Bob

This is fun and informative watching your progress here.

Glad your taking your time and making all the upgrades so nice and clean, and clear for us to understand ?.

Dave

Thanks Dave , glad you like it !

Worked on a couple more small items for the interior . . . a pedal assembly that will be mounted to the front wall of the interior and the steering wheel . Brake and accelerator pedal are from a '58 Plymouth and the clear steering wheel is from a '62 Catalina .

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Oops I forgot the turn signal lever . . .

Posted
6 hours ago, John Goschke said:

Oh, those pedals are great!  More nice parts to rob from the '58 Plymouth!

I was going to make my own when I just happened to find these , they even have the correct pattern !

4 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

if I can make a suggestion, a shot of Testors clear enamel gives you the perfect yellowing affect on the transparent steering wheel.

Steve

I couldn't remember what you used and was going to ask , thanks !

Posted
34 minutes ago, TooOld said:

I was going to make my own when I just happened to find these , they even have the correct pattern !

I couldn't remember what you used and was going to ask , thanks !

Testors clear enamel isn’t much good for anything else, but it works great for this purpose. ?

 

 

 

Steve

Posted

Your attention to details and skills are amazing!

Not to mention degree of patience. 

Really enjoying your build.

Posted
On 7/26/2021 at 2:46 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

Testors clear enamel isn’t much good for anything else, but it works great for this purpose. ?

 

 

 

Steve

I had a bottle of Testors Clear Enamel but I tossed it a while ago because it was old and yellowed (sigh) . Pretty sure I can mix something using the Tamiya clear colors I have .

Posted
On 7/27/2021 at 7:45 AM, David G. said:

Tremendously impressive work on the speedometer and steering wheel!

David G.

 

15 hours ago, Mike F. said:

Your attention to details and skills are amazing!

Not to mention degree of patience. 

Really enjoying your build.

 

10 hours ago, slusher said:

Great looking steering wheel pedals, and Dash Bob..

Thanks very much guys !  I'm hoping when everything is painted the clear parts will really stand out !

Posted

I just went through this whole thread and you're doing some amazing work with this Dodge. Especially the door panels and seats are done very nicely. I will use the same method on some of my future projects as well. Excellent work so far.

Posted
On 7/28/2021 at 11:34 AM, oldscool said:

This one just keeps getting better.

Thanks !

12 hours ago, W-409 said:

I just went through this whole thread and you're doing some amazing work with this Dodge. Especially the door panels and seats are done very nicely. I will use the same method on some of my future projects as well. Excellent work so far.

Thanks much Niko , great to hear from you !

Posted

Over the weekend I finally started on the chassis , after doing the interior this should be a piece of cake !

For those that don't know 1960 was the first year for the Unibody but it still used the earlier front torsion bar suspension , I don't think the K-member front was used until 1962 or 63 . This is a drawing of the chassis layout , looking at photos on the web it's not exact but is pretty close .

5 - 1960 Dodge Chassis

Before doing anything I used the JoHan chassis to mark the axle centerlines on the wheel arches . I took some measurements but figured this was a good backup .

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Here's the AMT '64 Belvedere chassis and parts I'll use for the unibody .

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The rear axle from an AMT '58 Plymouth is more correct for the Dodge and it's the correct width . I just added some mounting posts to move the springs inboard .

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Here's the rear suspension set in place . In the background is the frame from the '58 Plymouth .

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I removed the front subframe and will add some .060" strips to each side so the chassis will fit snugly in the body .

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Those strips were glued in place and trimmed . I also added a filler plate to the rear of the chassis .

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Fits like a glove !

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The original plan was to make a new subframe using the AMT '57 Chrysler 300 but then I realized that the '58 Plymouth was more accurate for the Dodge .  In this photo you can see that the wheelbase has been stretched on the Chrysler frame . The Plymouth is also the correct wheelbase and I actually looked at using the floorboard and chopping up the frame to make it a unibody but there was too much interference with my interior .

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So I just cut the front off and made the new subframe .

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This is how it will look on the chassis .

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The JoHan tires in my kit are in good condition but I really like these Firestone Deluxe tires so they'll be swapped .

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Here's everything in place to check clearances .  Some of you will be disappointed that this will remain a curbside model .  Opening the hood and adding the engine compartment along with all of the miscellaneous goodies is something I'm just not up to right now . I will install an engine just for appearance sake so the chassis will look finished .

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And after three months my Dodge is finally up on all four ! :D  I had thought that the ride height would be too high and I'd have to make some changes to the suspension but it looks pretty good . That's a relief . . . something actually worked the first time !

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Posted

That stance looks absolutely right to me! But....it won't make it to the cruise-ins without an engine! LoL

Posted
20 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Man, is that looking nice! 
Sits just right! 

Sure would look nice with an engine under the hood. ?

 

 

 

Steve

Still think it could be a tad lower but I'm not used to building a factory stock .  I agree the engine would be nice but I'm fighting burn-out , now I'm motivated again with it on all fours and getting close to paint !

Posted
20 hours ago, Bucky said:

That stance looks absolutely right to me! But....it won't make it to the cruise-ins without an engine! LoL

Maybe you guys are right about the stance , thanks Keith !

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