AMT 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible

[karbuildr]

This is a very nice kit, no major issues, some minor difficulty getting the hood to close properly, mostly because a lot of these Mopars with shaker scoops seem to ride a bit high once installed in the engine compartment. The paint is Plum Crazy, with a clear coat from a now out of business company that was called Rainbow Colors. A shame they closed up some years ago because their lacquer paint was really nice, correct factory colors and airbrushed beautifully. I still have 12 or so bottles I haven't used yet. One other minor glitch is the exhaust system didn't quite line up with the headers. You can see the epoxy I used on the joint if you look closely. Other than what's mentioned I would recommend this kit.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by karbuildr

[Yeah Nah]

Nice work David! 

Timely post this; I have this kit in my stash that I was planning to build soon (though not as a convertible) and thanks to you I know what likely problems to deal with.

[michelle]

nice work looks great though this is a 70 challenger not a 71 which had different grille and taillights then the 70 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Nice job. Cool looking little Mopar.

[charger74]

It looks very good 

[Hard_2_Handle_454]

Nice 70.  If you do want to make  a 71, there's a few trans kits out there.  I did one a few years ago using a Hart's Parts grill and some decals I got off eBay.  It looks alright, but doesn't have the correct tail lights.

 

SAM_0602 by Eric Lucas, on Flickr

Edited September 7, 2023 by Hard_2_Handle_454

[Mittagskind]

Great looking car, well done.

[louis Carabott]

Lovely pasint job David (y)

[Classicgas]

Very nice.

[XYHARRY]

Nice 70 Challenger there David. I get what you mean with the hood fitment on these mopar kits with the shakers. I had the same problems with my Revell 71 Plymouth cuda. Anyhow, well done.

Cheers,

David. ??

[happy grumpy]

Very nice Challenger. Great color choice. 

[Jim B]

Great looking Charger. Well done. 

[mrmike]

I had the same problem with the hood on my Challenger.  I swapped hoods from a previously built Challenger and used it on this one and it was off on the driver's side.  This kit is all wrong for a Challenger R/T.  A 3-speed stick for a 440 6 Pack engine?  The boot cover is way too thick?  And, my favorite, it looks like someone dragged the chrome parts through sand before plating.  I used old parts from a previously stripped Challenger.

[karbuildr]

22 hours ago, Yeah Nah said:

Nice work David! 

Timely post this; I have this kit in my stash that I was planning to build soon (though not as a convertible) and thanks to you I know what likely problems to deal with.

Hey Garry, glad my info. helped. Thanks for the compliment. It's actually a pretty good kit except for what I mentioned, and those aren't difficult to overcome. I discovered the shaker scoop minor fit issue on final assembly. Once the engine, hoses and wiring was installed, there was no way I was removing the engine to try to correct the height issue.

[karbuildr]

21 hours ago, michelle said:

nice work looks great though this is a 70 challenger not a 71 which had different grille and taillights then the 70 

You're absolutely right Michelle. Thanks for the correction. Sometimes, the fingers don't work in coordination with the brain. Happens when you get old. ? I corrected the header.

[karbuildr]

Michelle, Donato, Eric and Eric, Hanjo, louis, Lee, David, Mario, James, Michael thanks for the compliments on my build, and for the polite corrections on the year. Sometimes the brain and the fingers don't always cooperate. Happens when you get old. ? I enjoyed seeing other's builds as well.

[slusher]

Very nice clean build..

[ewetwo]

It looks fantastic. 

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[karbuildr]

Carl, David and Chris, thank you.

[Dragonhawk1066]

Nice looking Challenger!

[karbuildr]

On 9/8/2023 at 5:54 PM, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Nice looking Challenger!

Thanks Craig.

[Roadrunner]

I love that color!

One thing that I discovered, and will correct on my kit when I get to it, is that AMT molded the hood pins in the wrong place. Fortunately, Model Cellar makes a P.E. set that includes them.

[Street Rod]

Great job! Plum crazy looks so good with a white interior.

[Bills72sj]

Yours turned out much nicer than mine. I went too long and too heavy with the Plum Crazy rattle can. Yours is beautiful.

A little trick I learned with the Shakers is to use Silly Putty instead of glue between the air scoop and the carb.

It stays put, permits perfect allignment and is still removable if needed.