1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aero coupe - Dale Earnhardt's Wrangler-Jeans color scheme

[gami8630]

I built the Wrangler Jeans-colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aero Coupe that Dale Earnhardt drove during the 1986/87 season.

While Dale Earnhardt's Chevrolet body color is typically represented by black and silver, symbolizing one of his nicknames, “the Man in Black,” I prefer the blue and yellow body color from his earlier days when Wrangler Jeans sponsored him. That's why I built this model in that color scheme.

The base kit is the 1986 season Monte Carlo from Junior Johnson Racing, released by Salvinos Jr. Models in 2020.

The decals are Power Slide's #142 “85-87 WRANGLER JEANS MONTE CARLO”.

The following is an overview of this build:

●Body

Rear end of front wheel arch and air dam area reshaped, vent hose outlet pipe added to left rear body panel, hood pin position modified, 3D-printed radiator grille installed, left headlight cover modified, Installation of a homemade rear spoiler made from plastic sheet, embedding 3D-printed rivet parts into the front air dam and rear spoiler

●Chassis

Replaced part of the roll cage with a bar featuring safety pads, added and extended the front hoop, added an oil cooler mounting bracket

●Engine & Drivetrain

Converted the rear section of the exhaust pipe to dual outlets, replaced with 3mm diameter plastic tubing, added spark plug wires,
Added a differential cooler drive pulley to the differential

● Suspension:

Changed from twin shock to single shock specification

● Cockpit

Replaced bucket seat with a modified, wider AMT GEN4 NASCAR kit part, added a 3D-printed ignition box, reshaped the kit's window net after detaching it

● Body Painting

Body was sprayed with Tamiya Super Surfacer (Gray) and Fine Surfacer (White), then coated with TS-16 Yellow and TS-93 Pure Blue. Finished with a TS-13 Clear coat before applying decals.

While the cockpit and engine compartment are not exact replicas of the vehicle Dale Earnhardt actually drove, I believe I've reasonably recreated those of a NASCAR race car from that era. Therefore, I consider the build of this kit complete at this point.

2025/09/17

The image has been replaced.

 

Edited Wednesday at 01:48 PM by gami8630

[Bbo1974]

Great looking build!  I dont see this car being built very often, its a classic! 

[Volzfan59]

Great work @gami8630! All of your kits turn out amazing. Thanks for posting.

[Horrorshow]

Great build…really like the paint and decal work.

[Matt T.]

Great build! All of your additions really add to it. I especially like the front wheel arch and grille mods. 

[bbowser]

Well done,  An icon of the sport.

[Khils]

On 9/16/2025 at 7:04 AM, gami8630 said:

“the Man in Black”

Very Nice build!!   All the right upgrades!

 Some cheered, some boo'd...but everyone noticed.

(..... there will never be another!)

Edited Wednesday at 10:40 PM by Khils

[Bainford]

Good looking stock car. The Wranglers colours sure do pop. Nice tidy work.

[gami8630]

Thank you all for your replies.
I worked hard to build it while looking at many images online.

[PappyD340]

Very nice!

[Shark]

Noticed some pictures have the window net up, and in others it isn't visible. Did you make it where it folds down somehow?

[gami8630]

12 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Very nice!

I'm always happy to receive your replies.

[gami8630]

4 hours ago, Shark said:

Noticed some pictures have the window net up, and in others it isn't visible. Did you make it where it folds down somehow?

 

There's nothing special about the setup.

I just attach it to the roll cage by sticking thin strips of double-sided tape to the top and bottom of the window net.

Since it's easy to attach and remove, I've been using this method all the time lately.