’72 Dodge Demon Drag Racer 1/25 scale

[Straightliner59]

19 minutes ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

The words of a wise man! ?

Thank you, Francis. I have always felt that anyone can to this to a very high level. The key is the "want to"; the drive to do it, and a willingness to do it over, when you're not right, with it.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

Now that the main elements of the floor pan are done, I tackled over the weekend the opening of the doors.  I proceeded very carefully because I didn't want to scratch the body (at least, as little as possible...) and I noticed that these old bodies were as thick as the new ones.  I've done this several times to open trunk panels but this is only the second time I've opened doors, the D100 pickup being my first effort.  For this project, I want the doors to work like on a real car, with the door entering towards the body (behind the front fenders), so I'll have to make more elaborate hinges.  The body panels are very thick, as I mentioned earlier, so I had to thin out the edges of the fenders so the doors could work as I intended.  This is the first part of the operation I'm showing you today, nothing fancy but the process is underway!

See you later with more updates,

Francis

After hundreds of passes with the back of a thinned #11 X-Acto blade.

You can notice that I added a reinforcement, which will be part of the rocker panel and will also ensure the desired position of the floor pan in the body.

This thing is thick, my fingers hurt.

My caliper shows the proof.

I thinned the edge of the front fenders to allow the doors to enter the body.  I will adjust or refine more if needed.

I made the front fenders reinforcements to hide the thickness of the rest of the fenders, I couldn't thin the fenders from end to end! ?

From a different angle, it looks like it will be more work than expected... as usual... ?

[Tortuga Kustomz]

awesome job Francis, that the only thing i really don't like of opening doors, they are to thick, but the end result is just amazing

[Scott8950]

Nice work Francis. 

[charlie libby]

Looking great francis.i have never cut open doors. Cant wait to see your hinges.

[Butter 1]

Hi Frances.

I have opened a few doors over the years.  It looks like you are doing everything correctly so far.  (No surprise, everything you do is about the best I have ever seen.) I like the reinforcement you built in to the fender to hide the thickness of the rest of the fender. I am curious to see what you come up with for hinges for a door that opens to the inside of the fender.

[Straightliner59]

That looks excellent, my friend! Indeed, thinning the panels is necessary. I have seen different articles of the different methods of hanging doors, so that they operate properly (swing out, vs. tuck into the fenders). I am looking forward to seeing your hinges. I know they'll be superb!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 3/14/2023 at 11:46 PM, Tortuga Kustomz said:

awesome job Francis, that the only thing i really don't like of opening doors, they are to thick, but the end result is just amazing

Thanks Marcos, as they say, you don't have anything for nothing, you have to know how to take risks and get out of your comfort zone, it's just a piece of styrene and it will always be possible to glue the doors back in place if it doesn't work!

On 3/17/2023 at 10:02 AM, Scott8950 said:

Nice work Francis. 

Thanks Scott!

On 3/17/2023 at 6:22 PM, charlie libby said:

Looking great francis.i have never cut open doors. Cant wait to see your hinges.

Thanks Charlie, I have a plan (in my head as usual...) but all the elements will have to be perfectly aligned for it to be functional.

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:00 PM, Butter 1 said:

Hi Frances.

I have opened a few doors over the years.  It looks like you are doing everything correctly so far.  (No surprise, everything you do is about the best I have ever seen.) I like the reinforcement you built in to the fender to hide the thickness of the rest of the fender. I am curious to see what you come up with for hinges for a door that opens to the inside of the fender.

Thanks Ron!  It seems that I like to complicate my life, yet I'm more of a couch potato, it seems that this hobby compensates for my rather conservative side! ?

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 3/18/2023 at 2:46 AM, Straightliner59 said:

That looks excellent, my friend! Indeed, thinning the panels is necessary. I have seen different articles of the different methods of hanging doors, so that they operate properly (swing out, vs. tuck into the fenders). I am looking forward to seeing your hinges. I know they'll be superb!

Thanks Daniel!

I have also seen several articles on the subject in specialized publications or on websites, but it is difficult to find a "universal" solution that works in all cases.  I thought of making the door pillars and integrating them into the body so that the doors would be part of the body, this way, the fit obtained during the building stage will remain the same at the final assembly.  At least, that's what I hope! ?

More in the next few days, Francis

[Straightliner59]

16 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thanks Daniel!

I have also seen several articles on the subject in specialized publications or on websites, but it is difficult to find a "universal" solution that works in all cases.  I thought of making the door pillars and integrating them into the body so that the doors would be part of the body, this way, the fit obtained during the building stage will remain the same at the final assembly.  At least, that's what I hope! ?

More in the next few days, Francis

Your best bet will be to duplicate the prototype--at least as much as possible. I know you'll figure it out, and we will all be amazed with the results!?

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

I finally made the door pillars.  I tried to respect as much as possible the aspect of the real parts on the car, but mine will be separated from the sides of the firewall, this way I will be able to engage 2 of the mounting bolts from the inside and the 3rd one from the outside as it is the case on the real car.  I made sure to note the holes spacing and will drill at the same positions on the hinge.  The base of the pillars rests on the rocker panel reinforcement I made and is glued under the cowl vent panel, this also helps to reinforce this weakened part of the fenders that I thinned during my last update.  Thereafter, I will continue the fabrication of the frame of the doors starting from the base of these same pillars.  It will be clearer with pictures I think... ?   Comments are welcome as usual.

Francis

The target, the real one of course.

My personal version at the beginning of the machining, yes, machined in styrene, it is less hard on the tools!

The two bases of the pillars are made, they are mirrored to simplify things... ?

I added some details to make them look more like the real thing.

They are glued in place, this will allow me to engrave the front fender parting line without the risk of it coming off the body.

There is still some work to do but I'm quite happy with this, I've been racking my brains to figure out how to start this section without separating the front fenders from the rest of the body.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice work. A joy to watching this come together.

[Tortuga Kustomz]

Great start, can't wait to see this parts come together

[Butter 1]

Very nicely done. Too bad they will be mostly covered up when the door is in place.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 3/21/2023 at 8:45 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

Nice work. A joy to watching this come together.

Thanks for your comment and your patience Bob!  Sorry I can't go any faster, I feel like I'm putting you through a weekly TV show... ?

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

12 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

Great start, can't wait to see this parts come together

Thanks Marcos, I plan to finish doing the majority of the door frame fabrication and then I'll get into machining the hinges.  It's a time-consuming process and I understand why many modelers don't want to go down that road.

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

4 hours ago, Butter 1 said:

Very nicely done. Too bad they will be mostly covered up when the door is in place.

Thanks Ron!  The details will still be visible with the doors open and those who like this kind of details always find an angle to see them.  I always display my models on mirrored bases, it helps a lot to see more subtle details.

Francis

[Tortuga Kustomz]

11 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thanks Marcos, I plan to finish doing the majority of the door frame fabrication and then I'll get into machining the hinges.  It's a time-consuming process and I understand why many modelers don't want to go down that road.

Francis

Well, i understand many people don't want to do that, but i was mentioned you the other day to a friend of mine about doing your own stuff, he is like those who like to do custom cars but don't add many details to the project, i'm the opposite i like to do a lot of details make by me but i still working on getting better custom work

[AmericanMuscleFan]

12 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

Well, i understand many people don't want to do that, but i was mentioned you the other day to a friend of mine about doing your own stuff, he is like those who like to do custom cars but don't add many details to the project, i'm the opposite i like to do a lot of details make by me but i still working on getting better custom work

Everyone takes the hobby to their own level, the rule is that there are no rules and that's fine.  I am older than you and in my case, racking my brains can only delay the relentless effects of aging and keep my brain healthy, my ideas clear and my hands precise.  I think it's not bad for a simple hobby! ?

Francis

[Codi]

As always, sooo much goodness contained in your thread Francis.  I'm learning some useful tips along the way and will be anxious to give your ideas a try.   Lovely build and as always, thanks for taking the time to share the details/methods as you make headway.

Cheers, tim

[AmericanMuscleFan]

8 hours ago, Codi said:

As always, sooo much goodness contained in your thread Francis.  I'm learning some useful tips along the way and will be anxious to give your ideas a try.   Lovely build and as always, thanks for taking the time to share the details/methods as you make headway.

Cheers, tim

Thanks Tim!  It's always a pleasure to see you stop on my thread and leave your comments and appreciations on my construction methods.  I can't wait to move on to machining mechanical parts, your prowess in this aspect gives me a lot of energy and I myself am greatly inspired by your own creations.  Glad to see you back in the neighborhood my friend!

[Tortuga Kustomz]

On 3/24/2023 at 4:18 PM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Everyone takes the hobby to their own level, the rule is that there are no rules and that's fine.  I am older than you and in my case, racking my brains can only delay the relentless effects of aging and keep my brain healthy, my ideas clear and my hands precise.  I think it's not bad for a simple hobby! ?

Francis

You're right my friend

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

I spent the time available to me at the workbench these last few days to make the door frames.  As planned, I used the reinforcement I made for the rocker panel as a base to build the door sills.  I tried to replicate as much as possible the details of the door jamb lock pillar and I am very pleased with the results considering all the work that went into it.  I now realize that making functional doors is more than just cutting the panels, it's probably one of the hardest parts of building so far and I hope I don't regret committing to this process.  However, I am sure that the visual effect on the finished product will be worth the effort.  I still have the hinges and door details to make, I have a lot of work ahead of me!  Comments are welcome and appreciated.

Francis

I started by closing the inside of the rear fender.

I added the first details according to the references found on the internet.

I made the door sills by connecting the front door pillars and the jamb.

Another shot, I used the dime to try to have a better focus but it's a waste of time...

The completed door jamb, I surprised myself

[cobraman]

Great work on the doors. I cant even make doors open on a kit with opening doors !