’72 Dodge Demon Drag Racer 1/25 scale

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

Now that most of the major interior components are made (except the seats and roll bar), I'll move on to making the front frame.  I also want to work on the engine bay, so I need the frame rails in position to create the radiator support and parts to mount the grille as well as making the front valance.

This is the first part of this update to show you the fabrication of the basic elements, the other structural parts are still in work in progress at the moment.

I found some photos on the web of a very cool kit that several guys used on A-Body's and I will try to reproduce it as closely as possible based on the images since I was unable to find the dimensions of the elements that compose it.  I think the name of the kit is "Chris Alston 3x2" and it's exactly the kind of racing upgrade I was looking for for my project.  Comments are welcome as usual.

See you soon, Francis

The target

.

I made the frame rails using the lamination technique because it is stronger and gives rigidity to the whole thing.  I was afraid that the joints could fail by joining 0.080" x 0.125" strips at an angle.

The frame rails after some curing time and minor sanding.

Frame rails glued to their final position on the floor pan. I will only have to adjust the length when the radiator support is at the fabrication stage.

I added the typical round reinforcement tubes as seen in the target image.

[Keef]

Your work and attention to detail never ceases to amaze me! I am loving this build so far! I’ll definitely keep following this project and drooling over it! 

[Scott8950]

Glad to see you back on this build. Nice job on the front frame. 

[Straightliner59]

That Alston setup is a popular one. Definitely a good choice! Your fabrication is, as always, excellent! 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

14 hours ago, Keef said:

Your work and attention to detail never ceases to amaze me! I am loving this build so far! I’ll definitely keep following this project and drooling over it! 

Thanks Keith! I love this Mopar body style so much, rest assured I will do my best to take this old MPC kit to the next level.

Francis

14 hours ago, Scott8950 said:

Glad to see you back on this build. Nice job on the front frame. 

Thanks Scott!  Nothing really impressive done on the front frame so far but this Alston kit will be really fun and challenging to build I think, stay tuned!

Francis

6 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

That Alston setup is a popular one. Definitely a good choice! Your fabrication is, as always, excellent! 

Thanks Daniel!  I would have loved to make the entire front frame in brass but the connection with the styrene floor pan would perhaps have become a fragile point where the choice of adhesive is limited to 2-part epoxy.  The whole thing will be painted in the end anyway, so styrene I think was the way to go (It's also easier this way, I think I'm getting a little lazy). 😁

Francis

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice work on the chassis.

How did you overcome the layers showing when you laminated then together?

[AmericanMuscleFan]

21 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Nice work on the chassis.

How did you overcome the layers showing when you laminated then together?

Thanks Bob!   I used liquid cement like Bondene or Tenax so it's easy to align the pieces (strips) before gluing them, the liquid melts the plastic by capillary action.  I only had to sand the sides but there are still a few barely visible joints that the primer and paint should hide.

I've made progress on the other parts of the front frame but have to get back to work for the next three nights, I'll post the photos of what I made in the next few days.

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

I made some progress on the front frame components while making the rest of the elements from Chris Alston's upgrade kit.  I have tried to reproduce as best I can using the few photos I found on the Internet as a reference since I do not have precise dimensions other than the size of the frame members which are 3 x 2 inches.  I think it's very acceptable but you can judge for yourself, the target image is the first photo from my previous update (last week). I still need to make the attachment points for the upper A-arms and the shock mounts (on the frame), so those will be the next parts I work on.  Comments and questions are welcome.

See you soon with more progress,

Francis

One of the lower control arm on the wise, the holes for the pivots are 0.020"

I made an opening on each piece before closing one of the sides with a thin strip of styrene.

I carefully aligned the four pieces in the vise and made an angled groove for mounting to the frame rails.

To make sure the parts are properly aligned I inserted a 0.020" drill bit into the pre-drilled holes, the mounting arms should be perfectly parallel and aligned.

View from a different angle.

I then added the round tubes which create the K-member.

View from below.

View from a different angle.

[Straightliner59]

That looks great, Francis! That's exactly how I like to align components, as well. Excellent work, my friend.

[dragcarz]

Francis, you make me want a lathe !

[AmericanMuscleFan]

17 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

That looks great, Francis! That's exactly how I like to align components, as well. Excellent work, my friend.

Thank you Daniel, as you know too well, effective direction starts with straight and parallel elements! 😉

[AmericanMuscleFan]

9 hours ago, dragcarz said:

Francis, you make me want a lathe !

Hi Roger, this doesn't help speed up a project but it certainly helps get nice, straight parts.

You have the advantage of living in the USA so you pay at least 40% less (exchange rate) than us in Canada.  You shouldn't deprive yourself of the essentials but if your budget allows it, treat yourself and what's more you support an excellent product made in the USA! 🇺🇸

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Francis!

Great work, as usual! I'm always amazed at your ability to TIG weld at this scale. I mean, it's TIG, isn't it? 

CT

[Straightliner59]

7 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thank you Daniel, as you know too well, effective direction starts with straight and parallel elements! 😉

I am about to employ it, when I re-solder the tab for the tie rod. I pulled one of them off, when I was shortening the tie-rod. I'll use aluminum tubing, since the solder won't stick to it! I'll have to touchup the paint, as well. C'est la vie!

[afx]

I always enjoy seeing a street car get converted to a race car,  whether its Trans-Am, Rally, NASCAR or Pro-Stock.  Even more enjoyable watching a master do the conversion.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/21/2023 at 8:47 PM, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Francis!

Great work, as usual! I'm always amazed at your ability to TIG weld at this scale. I mean, it's TIG, isn't it? 

CT

Thanks Claude!

Yes, it's TIG, I managed to invent a unit that uses styrene rods to weld styrene parts together.  I cannot share photos of this invention at the moment because I am waiting for the patent to be approved and the process is very long as you know. 😂

Did you manage to make just one trip to bring your trophies when you returned from the exhibition in the Eastern Township or were you forced to return there to make a second trip? 😉

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/22/2023 at 3:44 AM, Straightliner59 said:

I am about to employ it, when I re-solder the tab for the tie rod. I pulled one of them off, when I was shortening the tie-rod. I'll use aluminum tubing, since the solder won't stick to it! I'll have to touchup the paint, as well. C'est la vie!

Aluminum is a very handy material for holding brass parts in place when soldering as you mentioned, I have tried it before and it is very effective.  It's almost impossible not to have repairs to make when you are in a very complex build like the one you are currently in, it's part of the game and it just tests our determination. 😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/24/2023 at 8:10 AM, afx said:

I always enjoy seeing a street car get converted to a race car,  whether its Trans-Am, Rally, NASCAR or Pro-Stock.  Even more enjoyable watching a master do the conversion.

Thanks JC !   I feel the same way about race car conversions, but I think most prefer to see replicas of the original versions. The purpose of this hobby is to do what we love and it feels good when our project receives appreciation from our peers.  I'm only at the beginning, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to come back whenever you want.

Francis

[Claude Thibodeau]

5 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thanks Claude!

Yes, it's TIG, I managed to invent a unit that uses styrene rods to weld styrene parts together.  I cannot share photos of this invention at the moment because I am waiting for the patent to be approved and the process is very long as you know. 😂

Did you manage to make just one trip to bring your trophies when you returned from the exhibition in the Eastern Township or were you forced to return there to make a second trip? 😉

Hi Francis!

Rest assured that I had more than enough space for three trophies. All were by "popular vote".

We missed you, and I think you would have made a killing, both in the Muscle car and competition vehicle category... It was a fairly small show, about 240 models total, with at least 30% in the mititary/aviation/diorama categories. The "usual suspects" were there, mostly with models that had been shown before over the last few months.

Next year maybe? In the meantime, we'll plan our trip for the RAM in Drummondville in april. I'll get back to you in due time.

And good luck with your patent application for the micro-TIG welder! LOL.

CT 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

18 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Francis!

Rest assured that I had more than enough space for three trophies. All were by "popular vote".

We missed you, and I think you would have made a killing, both in the Muscle car and competition vehicle category... It was a fairly small show, about 240 models total, with at least 30% in the mititary/aviation/diorama categories. The "usual suspects" were there, mostly with models that had been shown before over the last few months.

Next year maybe? In the meantime, we'll plan our trip for the RAM in Drummondville in april. I'll get back to you in due time.

And good luck with your patent application for the micro-TIG welder! LOL.

CT 

Hi Claude, It's nice to have left some for the others but anyway, with inflation and interest rates, it would be expensive to extend your house to store all the trophies you have and those to come!

As for the patent, it might be a waste of time because I must admit that super glue and liquid cement are just as effective. 🤫

Francis

[Straightliner59]

On 11/25/2023 at 3:01 PM, Claude Thibodeau said:

The "usual suspects" were there, mostly with models that had been shown before over the last few months.

Congratulations on your well-deserved success, Claude!

I will enter models in multiple contests, but, never twice in the same contest, in different years. My Nostalgia Fueler may be an exception, as I entered it in one show as a WIP, and ended up winning Best In Show. I may enter it in that show again, since it will be completed, then.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Straightliner59

[Claude Thibodeau]

4 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Congratulations on your well-deserved success, Claude!

I will enter models in multiple contests, but, never twice in the same contest, in different years. My Nostalgia Fueler may be an exception, as I entered it in one show as a WIP, and ended up winning Best In Show. I may enter it in that show again, since it will be completed, then.

Hi Daniel!

I share your point of view.

Neither do I enter a model a second time at the same contest, much less so if I had the chance to win with it in previous editions of the same contest.

However, I build about 8-10 new models every year, and I show them in the four contest that are held in our neck of the wood. So do many fellow modelers, and that's what I meant by "the usual suspects".

Be as it may, who may complain of "overseeing" a terrific model, anyways...LOL

CT

[Straightliner59]

8 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

However, I build about 8-10 new models every year, and I show them in the four contest that are held in our neck of the wood. So do many fellow modelers, and that's what I meant by "the usual suspects".

As you may be aware, I am not a prolific builder! 🙂 I know exactly the people you're talking about! My guess is that they are pretty much everywhere, since, virtually any place I've been to a contest in multiple years, you'll see some guy with the same old models, time after time! Isn't it more fun to actually build new ones?😀

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

Now that the basic fabrication of the front frame is satisfactory to me, I wanted to complete this part of the project before focusing on the rest of the bodywork under the hood.   I won't be making the upper A-arms and lower control arms right away because I need to machine the wheels first to be able to estimate the measurements. On the other hand, I made the attachment points for the upper A-arms and the coil over shock brackets.  Instead of styrene, I used aluminum because it will be stronger and it's high time to add some metal to this build. 😁   I will still have to graft them to the frame and I will do that next before continuing on other aspects of the project as mentioned earlier.  Comments and questions are welcome.

For aluminum lovers (I am one of them 😊). Francis

Upper A-arms attachment in the rotary table (Sorry if I didn't take a photo of each step to get there).  One down three more to go! 

Coil over shock bracket at early stage of machining.

At later stage.

It's starting to look more like a bracket.

The final product.

From another angle.

I drilled two holes to add brass bolts, they will help secure the bracket to the styrene frame.  I don't completely trust adhesives, I try as much as possible to add reinforcement when it comes to gluing dissimilar materials.

[Ian McLaren]

Hi Francis, I'm very glad you are back on the bench, I just got caught up on your project and it's obvious the the lay off did not affect your skills.The dash and front clip are spot on and very appropriate for your premise of the kind of car this will be, I know the decision for the dash has been made, but yes to the aluminum.  I do have some distressing news regarding you "Plastic TIG" I think you have been beaten to the punch on this one.

Edited November 28, 2023 by Ian McLaren