’72 Dodge Demon Drag Racer 1/25 scale

[Straightliner59]

Francis, my friend! That rear trunk panel is a thing of beauty! What size mill are you using, to get the corners so rectangular? Keep up the fantastic work!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

23 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Francis!

Now, you have me worried. Making your own tail lamps is nice, but be aware that here in Quebec, the DOT zealots are totally inflexible. You WILL have to scribe them with the "DOT Certified" markings, otherwise, you'll not be allowed to use the car. Take it from someone who's been there: they are watching...

Nice to follow your new project. Keep whittling at it!

CT 

Hi Claude!

Thanks for the info my friend,  we are well served by the rules and regulations of the SAAQ here in Quebec.  Our neighbors south of the border have a lot more freedom in terms of vehicle modifications and we can only envy them.  I am reassured, however, that "the professor" is watching me for any missteps I might (and will) make during this new project.

Your knowledge and experience never ceases to amaze me my friend and I take note! 😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

22 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

Another fantastique build in-the-works! Last of the production bore & stroke 426 hemi in P/S (IIRC) before the de-stroked 366 cube iteration (at least in No Hot Rods Allowed classes).

Lettuce hope that Round2 will come through with the highly valuable MPC 1971 Demon 340... mit der upgrades to the body (correct fenders, corrected grille, better interior...) .

Thanks for your kind words John!

Your knowledge on the subject always amazes me as I have read many of your interventions on other threads and you always have the answer, you impress me my friend!

Rest assured that this thing will have a HEMI under the hood and with 2 carburetors this time...  just to give a nod to the current price of gas, it doesn't cost much to dream!

I will try my best to correct the small defects of the body and I expect a good challenge with the front grille! 🤔

Thank you for your visit and come back anytime,

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

16 hours ago, Joe Nunes said:

Very nice construction going on here.  I will be following along to learn what I can. 

Joe

Thanks Joseph, this will be another long project, so you'll have several opportunities to come and take a look!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

9 hours ago, 1320 said:

Wonderful to see you rolling on the next project Francis! It's looking great so far.

Jim

Thanks Jimmy,  I have made some progress and I hope to upload some new pics soon.

Stay tuned,

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

6 hours ago, dragcarz said:

I love your thought process, a very analytical approach to the issues of this kit! My uncle was a collision repair tech ( Bodyman ) in the 60s and 70s, he used to get a cup of coffee and sit staring at the repair before starting, I questioned him what he was doing and he said he was repairing the car in his head, weighing the problems he might encounter and the order he wanted to proceed with, so he didn’t mess things up and create more work. I found this advice very sound and I have drank a lot of coffee in my decision making over the years. I can only imagine the cups of coffee you’ve consumed, or is it tea?

Thanks Roger!

This is exactly how it works in my brain... I construct (or deconstruct...) the part to be made in my head and I try to anticipate most of the problems related to my approach before starting.  My biggest weakness is not taking enough notes or sketches, which forces me to take more measurements when I try to make a similar part for another project.  As for my coffee consumption, I try to limit myself to one mojo at breakfast because it gives me palpitations... 😁

The rear trunk gutters are going well and I hope to post some pictures soon, I have many more details to make! 😉

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

6 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Francis, my friend! That rear trunk panel is a thing of beauty! What size mill are you using, to get the corners so rectangular? Keep up the fantastic work!

Thanks Daniel !

I used a .031" two-flute cutter, so the rounded corners are .015".   I had tried this first on a piece of scrap with a .050" cutter and the corners seemed too big.

I have to work with precision because there are others who are doing great work these days! 😉

Francis

[Street Rod]

Just now found this thread, glad to see you’re starting a new project and will be following the progress. You’re off to a good start and the taillight panel looks great! 
 

I really enjoyed watching the D100 come together so I know this one will be another beautiful Mopar!

[Straightliner59]

13 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thanks Daniel !

I used a .031" two-flute cutter, so the rounded corners are .015".   I had tried this first on a piece of scrap with a .050" cutter and the corners seemed too big.

I have to work with precision because there are others who are doing great work these days! 😉

Francis

Thank you, sir. I think most of the end mills I've bought are two-flute. I have been using the mill, more and more frequently, lately. Don't worry! I have a long, long way to go, before my skills will impose any threat, to yours!😄 There really are some excellent builders, around!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

10 hours ago, Street Rod said:

Just now found this thread, glad to see you’re starting a new project and will be following the progress. You’re off to a good start and the taillight panel looks great! 
 

I really enjoyed watching the D100 come together so I know this one will be another beautiful Mopar!

Thanks for your kind comments and to joining me in this new adventure Doyle!

The final assembly is not for tomorrow as you can see, even if I don't have to create the whole body like I did for the D100, a lot of parts will have to be made to bring this kit to the new millennium. 😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone!

After a few days off before returning to work, I was able to finish most of the trunk gutter detail.  As I pointed out on a previous post or reply, the Demon and Duster body does not have a metal extension between the trunk lid and the rear window, so the gutter construction commanded extra care to keep the body straight.   I was very apprehensive at first when I removed all the moldings and the trunk lid, but the more Styrene strips I added, the stronger the back of the body became.  Once again, I referred to a few photos to create the details and the result is quite satisfying, what do you think?  Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

The build will resume next week,

Francis

The rear panel is finally installed with the rear bumper mounting structure.

Part of the gutter between the rear window and the trunk opening.

I added a 0.010" Styrene strip around the opening, it is interrupted on the corners as I saw in the reference photos.

View from a different angle.

Overall view, I put the dime to get a more accurate picture because it is very difficult to get a good focus point.

One last one for now...

[foghorn62]

Francis, you know I’ve been trying to get you to try using more brass in your builds, but you get such amazing detail in your builds out of styrene, that ther is no need for metals.  I’m simply awestruck at what you do.

TCOTT

[Joe Nunes]

The model work is really coming along nicely. Thank you for the information and photos as you proceed on this build. 

Joe

[Tortuga Kustomz]

That's and awesome details Francis

[dragcarz]

That’s beautiful Francis, I just don’t have words, amazing talent!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/30/2022 at 12:16 PM, foghorn62 said:

Francis, you know I’ve been trying to get you to try using more brass in your builds, but you get such amazing detail in your builds out of styrene, that ther is no need for metals.  I’m simply awestruck at what you do.

TCOTT

Thanks Tim!  A bit of brass will certainly find its place somewhere in this build but I can't hide that I'm much more comfortable with Styrene for this kind of details.   It's also a little sad to hide brass work with paint as opposed to styrene which is made specifically for that not to mention I have a much larger inventory of the latter... 😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/30/2022 at 2:11 PM, Joe Nunes said:

The model work is really coming along nicely. Thank you for the information and photos as you proceed on this build. 

Joe

Thanks Joseph, It is always a great pleasure to share my experience and I am delighted if it can be useful to someone else.

Francis

14 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

That's and awesome details Francis

Thanks for the kind comment Marcos!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

9 hours ago, dragcarz said:

That’s beautiful Francis, I just don’t have words, amazing talent!

Thanks Roger!  I've been thinking about building a Dodge Demon for a while now and I feel inspired, many of the building techniques I've been thinking about for a while are working their way through.  My pickup took me 4 years to build and going back to a car is good for me I think... 😊

More progress next week.

Francis

[Ian McLaren]

Great progress on the body Francis, a detail you would not notice on the finished model, that would be glaringly obvious if it was not there. This is the stuff of great modeling.

[Steve H]

Francis!  Looks like we are all in for another amazing “road trip”, I’m going to pack my bag…

Your level of talent and craftsmanship is wayyyyy out of my reach, but it sure is inspiring watching and learning. Really looking forward to watching your progress. Oh… and  I see we have the Bluenose dime now😉. 
 

Cheers, Steve

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:31 PM, Steve H said:

Francis!  Looks like we are all in for another amazing “road trip”, I’m going to pack my bag…

Your level of talent and craftsmanship is wayyyyy out of my reach, but it sure is inspiring watching and learning. Really looking forward to watching your progress. Oh… and  I see we have the Bluenose dime now😉. 
 

Cheers, Steve

Hi Steve!

Thanks for joining me on my new adventure, my friend.  Yes, I decided to go with the Bluenose coin for this project but I think I'll try to find an older silver minted coin as this one is very shiny and the details are finer than the American version.  The use of the coin only serves to give a reference of size but it is sometimes difficult to make the focus when it produces reflections.

I am not yet at full speed on this project and I have yet to finalize the direction it will take but I hope to be able to produce updates on a weekly basis when I have more time available.

Francis

[Bainford]

Just found your new project, Francis. Looking forward to seeing this cool Mopar come together. I quite like the body work so far. 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone.

Time to put a little bit more meat on the bone...  Before moving on to the tail lights, I decided to focus on the Demon's trunk lid.  This part of the body (including the rear panel) was the most damaged, so everything was removed and thrown in the garbage.  I bought a new 71 Duster body on eBay as a donor for this project and put the saw in it without restraint.  The rear body of the recent Duster was a little wider than the Demon's, so I had more problems with fitting and sanding than expected, the fabrication took me longer than expected.  The Duster trunk lid was also very thick (0.100"), so I decided to etch the reinforcements directly onto the inside of the lid instead of adding the shapes to the part I should have thinned.  The rest of the shapes (contour) are Evergreen styrene strips glued with liquid cement and shaped with a small file and sanding sticks.  I have provided the entry points for the hinges but I could instead use pins at the four corners as is sometimes the case with drag racing cars.  I'll probably make the tail lights before moving on to making the front end, I intend to make all the body parts before moving on to machining the aluminum or brass parts.

Francis

The donor for a good cause...😁

I traced the desired shapes on a piece of thin cardboard and used it as a guide to transfer those shapes to the thick panel of the Duster.

This is the first time I've done the engraving directly on the plastic part, I started by making the rounded junctions.  I glued the piece to a plate mounted on the rotary table, so I could rotate the piece to engrave in a straight line and join the circles.

The higher contour is made of Evergreen styrene strips filed and sanded to shape.

It took a lot of adjusting and sanding, but it fits pretty well, I think. Sorry for the blurry picture... again...

View from inside.

Decidedly... sold this morning at a good price, I couldn't help myself, it's a lot of money...

[iBorg]

Your work makes me feel like a slacker when I'm thinking of using a resin body. When you glued the trunk lid to the plate to use on the rotary table, what kind of glue did you use? Was the plate a part of the rotary table or is it a separate piece? What is it made of?

I'll admit you're making me realize there's so much more I can do with my milling machine.

 

[Scott8950]

Impressive.