AMT 71 Dodge Demon Final Assy Problem

[Len Woodruff]

Has anyone successfully been able to get the chassis/interior to correctly seat in the body at the windshield?

I thinned the bottom of the windshield & sanded the front edge of the dash but it still won't seat.

Here are some pics.

 

[bigdrag1]

The last two of these dusters I`ve built, I `ve had to file the top edge of the Interior panels to get things to fit right. you may want to try that.

[Len Woodruff]

9 minutes ago, bigdrag1 said:

The last two of these dusters I`ve built, I `ve had to file the top edge of the Interior panels to get things to fit right. you may want to try that.

Thanks. I have done somee of that.

I also noticed that the interior panels are too wide at the dash board

[StevenGuthmiller]

This is where "mock up" becomes a fundamental step.

Test fitting everything before paint would have been extremely helpful to be certain that everything would fit properly in the final assembly stage.

 

That said, you'll just have to test fit now to determine where the fitment issue is, and try to remedy it.

 

If it should be the thickness of the windshield that's the issue, you could always replace it with thin, clear plastic sheet.

Thinner plastic makes for better looking glass anyway.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Len Woodruff]

4 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

This is where "mock up" becomes a fundamental step.

Test fitting everything before paint would have been extremely helpful to be certain that everything would fit properly in the final assembly stage.

 

That said, you'll just have to test fit now to determine where the fitment issue is, and try to remedy it.

 

If it should be the thickness of the windshield that's the issue, you could always replace it with thin, clear plastic sheet.

Thinner plastic makes for better looking glass anyway.

 

 

 

 

Steve

Steve this is not my build. I am just helping my buddy who has Parkisons do the final assembly. I have test fitted this several times but still can't find the issue.

Since I don't buiId Mopars I am just looking for people who have built this kit and resolved the issue.

This is one of the newer AMT kits. I would have thought they would have better fit than what I am experiancing. 

[Repstock]

As an aside, the Demon had the Dodge Dart style front wheel wells, not the Plymouth Duster style. The original Demon kit was wrong on this count.

Edited December 8, 2022 by Repstock

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Len Woodruff said:

Steve this is not my build. I am just helping my buddy who has Parkisons do the final assembly. I have test fitted this several times but still can't find the issue.

Since I don't buiId Mopars I am just looking for people who have built this kit and resolved the issue.

This is one of the newer AMT kits. I would have thought they would have better fit than what I am experiancing. 

Wait, I must be missing something.

Is this the newer AMT Duster, or the MPC Demon?

 

To my knowledge, the Demon has never been re-issued.

 

 

Steve

[Plowboy]

The fit issue is the width of the interior at the dash. Just keep shaving the top of the door panels down until it slides up into the body. 

[Len Woodruff]

7 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Wait, I must be missing something.

Is this the newer AMT Duster, or the MPC Demon?

 

To my knowledge, the Demon has never been re-issued.

 

 

Steve

My bad. It is the Duster 340. Sorry about that.

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Len Woodruff said:

My bad. It is the Duster 340. Sorry about that.

Ah!

Well that should make it easier.

I'm sure that there are plenty of people who have dealt with this kit, and know of it's short comings.

Not so much the Demon.

 

Roger seems to have dealt with this issue, and he's an exemplary builder.

I would start with his suggestion.

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

[Len Woodruff]

1 hour ago, Plowboy said:

The fit issue is the width of the interior at the dash. Just keep shaving the top of the door panels down until it slides up into the body. 

Thanks Roger. I will do more of that when I go back to my friends house next week.

[Plowboy]

You're welcome Len! I had the same experience a few years ago. IIRC, there's also an issue with the quarter window. You may need to make a notch for it on the interior panel. Some choose to leave it out. But, it's a fixed glass that pops out at the rear. It doesn’t roll up or down.

[Len Woodruff]

1 hour ago, Plowboy said:

You're welcome Len! I had the same experience a few years ago. IIRC, there's also an issue with the quarter window. You may need to make a notch for it on the interior panel. Some choose to leave it out. But, it's a fixed glass that pops out at the rear. It doesn’t roll up or down.

We gave up on the quater windowws. They are longer than the slot that is in the side panels and dn;t seat well.

[espo]

I have had similar interior fit problems with a few kits. Found that narrowing the dash width a little at the meeting point between the interior side panels and the dash have gone a long way toward eliminating the problem. Each kit will be different in this area, but these seems to help a lot regardless of the kit you're building. 

[Len Woodruff]

I am going to my buddy's house today to work on this car. I will post an update when I get back home with the progress.

[slusher]

with my Dusters it’s been the dash every time.

[Len Woodruff]

The dash was a problem. After narrowing the dash some it was stil 1.5 mm to wide. We used a powered sanding disk to do a chanfer on the side edge from the dash back to the quarter window grove.this narrowed the side panels to just leas than 60mm.

It then fit without a problem.

Thanks everyone for your help.