dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 53 minutes ago, Nitro330 said: Coming along nicely Roger. Great job on the engine plate! Thanks Terry, at this point I’ve made several of them. They get easier every time I make one, of course it’s mostly speculation on what the real BTK looked like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Nice clean work. Coming alongbnicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 On 1/14/2024 at 11:05 AM, BuilderX said: What does 1920s gangsters have to do with the wild west Billy the Kid?? lol Billy Stepp was from Dayton, Ohio. He had an interesting reputation. According to an article in the Dayton Daily News upon his passing, "William Elias "Bill" Stepp was the most famous mobster, gangster and notorious hoodlum the Miami Valley has known." See https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/26339861/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moparman18064 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Looking great Roger. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get the door handles off like that? Are they still usable? I want to use aluminum sheet for my Demon panels, but my car still used the original door handles. I would like to get them off without killing them. Also, do you plan on using the resin bumper on the grille, or the one from kit? I noticed that the resin one I have is a terrible fit, and the bumper in my new Demon kit looks so much crisper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 8 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said: Nice clean work. Coming alongbnicely. Thanks Bob! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 8 hours ago, iBorg said: Billy Stepp was from Dayton, Ohio. He had an interesting reputation. According to an article in the Dayton Daily News upon his passing, "William Elias "Bill" Stepp was the most famous mobster, gangster and notorious hoodlum the Miami Valley has known." See https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/26339861/ Drag Racing in the early years was full of characters, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one funding his racing through illegal means. I’m not trying to idolize him with this build, I just thought it made a cool looking race car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 8 hours ago, iBorg said: Billy Stepp was from Dayton, Ohio. He had an interesting reputation. According to an article in the Dayton Daily News upon his passing, "William Elias "Bill" Stepp was the most famous mobster, gangster and notorious hoodlum the Miami Valley has known." See https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/26339861/ Drag Racing in the early years was full of characters, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one funding his racing through illegal means. I’m not trying to idolize him with this build, I just thought it made a cool looking race car. 7 hours ago, Moparman18064 said: Looking great Roger. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get the door handles off like that? Are they still usable? I want to use aluminum sheet for my Demon panels, but my car still used the original door handles. I would like to get them off without killing them. Also, do you plan on using the resin bumper on the grille, or the one from kit? I noticed that the resin one I have is a terrible fit, and the bumper in my new Demon kit looks so much crisper. Hey Rich, thank you! I shaved th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 Just now, dragcarz said: Drag Racing in the early years was full of characters, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one funding his racing through illegal means. I’m not trying to idolize him with this build, I just thought it made a cool looking race car. Hey Rich, thank you! I shaved th Sorry about that, my IPad glitched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 7 hours ago, Moparman18064 said: Looking great Roger. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get the door handles off like that? Are they still usable? I want to use aluminum sheet for my Demon panels, but my car still used the original door handles. I would like to get them off without killing them. Also, do you plan on using the resin bumper on the grille, or the one from kit? I noticed that the resin one I have is a terrible fit, and the bumper in my new Demon kit looks so much crisper. I used a sharp X-Acto #11 blade and just shaved them off, I could have reused them as the AMT plastic is soft and cut easily. You could also try their chisel blade as I use them a lot also. I like plastic, so I would like to use only the grille, but mounting the bumper will become an issue as there isn’t much gluing surface, so I will probably use the resin as it’s a pretty clean casting. I was surprised at the difference in the rear bumpers. The original 1972 is smaller and rounded more than the Duster bumper. I need to do some research here. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 7 hours ago, Moparman18064 said: Looking great Roger. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get the door handles off like that? Are they still usable? I want to use aluminum sheet for my Demon panels, but my car still used the original door handles. I would like to get them off without killing them. Also, do you plan on using the resin bumper on the grille, or the one from kit? I noticed that the resin one I have is a terrible fit, and the bumper in my new Demon kit looks so much crisper. I used a sharp X-Acto #11 blade and just shaved them off, I could have reused them as the AMT plastic is soft and cut easily. You could also try their chisel blade as I use them a lot also. I like plastic, so I would like to use only the grille, but mounting the bumper will become an issue as there isn’t much gluing surface, so I will probably use the resin as it’s a pretty clean casting. I was surprised at the difference in the rear bumpers. The original 1972 is smaller and rounded more than the Duster bumper. I need to do some research here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 A good call on the engine swap, this one has nice detail. David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 Just now, David G. said: A good call on the engine swap, this one has nice detail. David G. Thanks David, it’s nice to have a parts stash…. If I could just remember where I saw it last…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 4 hours ago, dragcarz said: I was surprised at the difference in the rear bumpers. The original 1972 is smaller and rounded more than the Duster bumper. I need to do some research here. It seems to me that the one marked 1971 in your photo is more precise and looks more like the real one, this is the one I would use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 This build is really looking the business. It's coming along very nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 15 hours ago, dragcarz said: Drag Racing in the early years was full of characters, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one funding his racing through illegal means. I’m not trying to idolize him with this build, I just thought it made a cool looking race car. Please don't think I was criticizing your build or suggesting you're idolizing Stepp's non racing activities. Stepp and Freddy DeName both had a bit of fun with their reputations. I think I saw this car run. His Challenger is one of my favorite drag cars that I'd love to find decals for. If we were to start a list of drag racing characters, there were several that spent time with the government for drug running. You're building a great model to celebrate a great race car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 20 hours ago, dragcarz said: Drag Racing in the early years was full of characters, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one funding his racing through illegal means. I’m not trying to idolize him with this build, I just thought it made a cool looking race car. I think it was much more interesting, back then. Some great stories came out of those shady dealings. Crooked promoters--Jet Car Bob Smith backing the car up to a tower at a track the promoter was trying not to pay him, and asking, "So, are you gonna' pay me, or am I gonna' light this match?" Pyramid schemes funded Soapy Sales, among others. Broadway Freddie DeName, Gordon Tatum (I think-the guy who bought the Surfers II car), there's a long list of ne'er do wells in drag racing history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 On 2/11/2024 at 10:37 AM, AmericanMuscleFan said: It seems to me that the one marked 1971 in your photo is more precise and looks more like the real one, this is the one I would use. After looking at photos of the rear bumper on 1/1 vehicles, I’m inclined to agree with you Francis, AMTs Duster bumper is a little too sharp on the ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 On 2/11/2024 at 10:06 PM, iBorg said: Please don't think I was criticizing your build or suggesting you're idolizing Stepp's non racing activities. Stepp and Freddy DeName both had a bit of fun with their reputations. I think I saw this car run. His Challenger is one of my favorite drag cars that I'd love to find decals for. If we were to start a list of drag racing characters, there were several that spent time with the government for drug running. You're building a great model to celebrate a great race car. No criticism intended, I’m a victim of an over sensitive society and I’m trying not to offend anyone. I probably need to relax a little more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 On 2/11/2024 at 8:27 PM, Bainford said: This build is really looking the business. It's coming along very nicely. Thanks Trevor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 Gonna be away from the bench for a few days, I did get the rear floor pan covered and the chassis primed to see what I’ve missed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 It looks good to me! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 1 hour ago, dragcarz said: Gonna be away from the bench for a few days, I did get the rear floor pan covered and the chassis primed to see what I’ve missed. That's lookiing Super Roger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Great looking build Roger, count me as another one that will be sure to follow along. Your work is very "crisp" in every way. cheers, tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragcarz Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 I got some bench time and set about the roll cage. There’s no photos of the interior so a lot of this is my best guess from looking from the outside in. I used .080 round Plastruct Rod. I spent a lot of time bending and re-bending tubes to get as close as match as I could. I also fit it over and over to make sure it was tight against the roof and close to the dash without interference. I worked to get the Hemi as far back as possible as in the photos the hood scoop overlaps the cowl. In 1972, the rules allowed the furthest forward spark plug even with the front spindle, to allow the non V8 cars an engine reference point. Mines not close but it should work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moparman18064 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 Looking nice there, Roger, moving right along. Which dash did you end up using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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