Billy the Kid Demon Pro Stock

[Moparman18064]

Roger,

Truly sorry about the news of your mother in law. If you have the 71 Charger kit, they might work, the difference is not as radical. They look similar besides that from what I remember when I did my 72

Edited April 23, 2024 by Moparman18064

[AmericanMuscleFan]

My deepest condolences on the loss of your mother-in-law Roger, this is definitely not the birthday present you were expecting, it's a very sad turn of events.

I'm very happy to see you back on your BTK, it will certainly do you good and take your mind off things despite the little setback with the stance of the front.  Maybe you could make a rounded opening in the fender apron (like a nest for the tire) where the front wheel touches a bit like those who make super-lowered cars?

[dragcarz]

9 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

Roger,

Truly sorry about the news of your mother in law. If you have the 71 Charger kit, they might work, the difference is not as radical. They look similar besides that from what I remember when I did my 72

Thank you Rich, can you give me a little mote detail on what you did on your 72?

[dragcarz]

8 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

My deepest condolences on the loss of your mother-in-law Roger, this is definitely not the birthday present you were expecting, it's a very sad turn of events.

I'm very happy to see you back on your BTK, it will certainly do you good and take your mind off things despite the little setback with the stance of the front.  Maybe you could make a rounded opening in the fender apron (like a nest for the tire) where the front wheel touches a bit like those who make super-lowered cars?

Thank you Francis, I’m looking forward to getting back to normal life.

Raising the aprons doesn’t bother me too much, I could adjust the attachment point of the wheel making it off center, but you can’t do that on a real car, so I hate to do that on my build. Scratch building new spindles is a thought…..

[Moparman18064]

2 hours ago, dragcarz said:

Thank you Rich, can you give me a little mote detail on what you did on your 72?

Roger, on my 72 Charger kit bash, the problem was moving the wheel back to fit better in wheel well. I tried flipping side to side and turning upside down, very little difference, as pin for wheel attachment was much closer to centered on spindle. I ended up cutting .020 flat stock, butting it up against the flat pad where existing pin was, then cut a groove behind it in spindle to brace it with a slightly larger piece of .020 behind it for strength. I then cut off existing wheel attachment pin and made a new pin of same size(.080 I believe) and installed in new position.( I drilled and pinned it through the flat stock) I then smoothed everything out so it would only be noticed by pointing it out and wheel would clear properly.

It may sound complicated, but it was easier than rebuilding upper and lower control arms or cutting a piece out of chassis. Since you are only looking for a ride height issue, this is why I suggest using the spindles from Charger kit if they will fit between the control arms properly. The difference in height by flipping control arm is not as much as the A body spindle in kit, you might get lucky, not having to go through what I did or remaking completely new spindles.

Edited April 23, 2024 by Moparman18064

[Zippi]

Sorry to hear that your mother in-law has passed.  Nice to see you back at the bench Roger.  You'll get it figured out.  

[Tony Coomer]

Everything looks great. The dash is greatly detailed. I try to stay away from such details by building Altereds and such where that kinda detail is needed…

[dragcarz]

Where do I start? To get the front end low enough the K member sits on the ground and the front tires hit the fender aprons. So the spindles need to be raised, the K member needs to be trimmed to fit closer to the frame rails, and the aprons need to be replaced, so I disassembled most of the work I’ve already done. I trimmed the aprons off and re-sanded the attachment points. I grabbed another K member from my parts kit and trimmed the mounting points to raise closer up. The kits design has the K member doubled up so it’s rather thick, I’m only using the lower K member now. The space between control arms is now too narrow and I’ll probably have to scratch build the spindles. I’m a little concerned about the radiator support being to low now, but I will have to test fit everything to see where it’s at. During all the test fits I have now tore the rear wheel tub. I seriously think Einstein’s theory of relativity was easier than re-engineering this kit.

 

[Moparman18064]

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having with this one Roger. When I look up all the shots I could find on the car, the only one that you could see any of the front end is in the fire burnout one, where it looks like the k frame or whatever he had under there looks like it was 1-2” off the ground. Even when the front wheels are in the air, it doesn’t look like the wheels drop much, if any. It is hard to tell if he was running 14 or 15 inch wheels on the front when they were not Centerlines. It does appear that the fronts were tucked up really close to aprons. One of the underhood shots I found, he had aluminum panels hiding all the apron and radiator support areas. Maybe he did raise them on the horizontal surfaces. There is a guy on FB that replicated the car, with info from Stepp’s daughter. He might have a clue. I wish I had answers.

[dragcarz]

2 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having with this one Roger. When I look up all the shots I could find on the car, the only one that you could see any of the front end is in the fire burnout one, where it looks like the k frame or whatever he had under there looks like it was 1-2” off the ground. Even when the front wheels are in the air, it doesn’t look like the wheels drop much, if any. It is hard to tell if he was running 14 or 15 inch wheels on the front when they were not Centerlines. It does appear that the fronts were tucked up really close to aprons. One of the underhood shots I found, he had aluminum panels hiding all the apron and radiator support areas. Maybe he did raise them on the horizontal surfaces. There is a guy on FB that replicated the car, with info from Stepp’s daughter. He might have a clue. I wish I had answers.

Thanks. I’ll try and find that info on FB, I follow her.

[Straightliner59]

10 hours ago, dragcarz said:

looks like it was 1-2” off the ground.

By rule, it has to be 3" minimum, to 40" (I think) from the front of the car (bumper).

[AmericanMuscleFan]

I also noted that the front suspension didn't seem to have much travel in the photos when the car had the front wheels in the air.  You will find a solution I am sure!

[dragcarz]

Here’s a small update on a large problem. It took a lot of thought ( for me anyway), but I raised everything up to get the stance correct. I removed the inner fenders, I sanded the cowl to lower it, and I shortened the K member. I scratch built new spindles. I’m happy with how the front sets now. 

[dragcarz]

About a week ago I was on EBay and came across this 3 D printed Grille for the 72 Demon. I ordered 2, as I have a tendency to have to do things more than once. They arrived very quickly and I was very pleased with the quality and fit. So much better than the resin grille I was going to use. I highly recommend this product it’s available through Few Spurs Loose LLC.

[Zippi]

That is a nice fit.  Looking good.

[Moparman18064]

Thanks Roger, I will be getting one for my build also! Front end solution looks really good, glad it worked out.

Edited May 26, 2024 by Moparman18064

[dragcarz]

Thanks Bob, it’s good to get back to this build. I was really impressed with this Grille,  also ordered grilles for the 70 And 71-72 Duster, and their amazing also. 

[dragcarz]

You won’t be disappointed Rich, I would suggest you order soon as I have a feeling they will be really popular.  Spell check corrected, it should read Few Spru’s Loose LLC.

[Nitro330]

Great progress Roger!  I knew you'd figure out that issue and get it back on track.  That grille is really really nice. 

[dragcarz]

Thanks Terry, now on to the rear suspension. 

[iBorg]

Take a look at this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201381939898655/user/100030766621493

 

[iBorg]

I salute you're efforts to get the front down. Most pro stock models set way too high.

[Scott8950]

Didn't they cut and alter the fenders? Seems like i read an article once that said they actually would narrow the grill and bumpers. You can see in the pictures below the front ends appear to be altered. 

[Force]

Could it be that they used the B-body K-members, they are slightly wider than the A-body.
I know they use them on the SS/H and SS/HA cars to get the wheels further outwards.

[catpack68]

The stance is perfect Roger? I got that same 3D printed 72 Demon grille in the mail today.Im really looking forward to seeing how you tackle the rear end.

Edited June 4, 2024 by catpack68