AMT ‘69 Cougar Eliminator

[NOBLNG]

Got a start on the interior today. Added some armrest made from 0.08” quarter round and some new window cranks. Also trimmed the seat bottoms so they aren’t sitting right on the floor….one of my pet peeves.😜

[NOBLNG]

Working on the body too…I’ve scribed in the missing panel lines on the front and rear corners, filed away and replaced the crappy  drip molding on the passenger side. Thanks for looking!🤓

Edited October 6 by NOBLNG

[Mark W]

Excellent work on the engine! The plug wires are perfect.

I agree with you on positive mounts for the various components. When you super-detail, it requires many test fittings. 
 

Most enjoyable post!

[Can-Con]

Are you gonna do something with the inner front fenders, Greg?

[NOBLNG]

1 hour ago, Can-Con said:

Are you gonna do something with the inner front fenders, Greg?

Nope. It wouldn’t be too difficult I think, but one thing usually leads to another and I have everything fitting decently now.

[Ulf]

Wonderful thread with great pictures, like an advanced course in how to rationally and precisely build AMT/MPC kits that lack localization points. Very informative, MCF at its best, Thanks !

[NOBLNG]

13 hours ago, Mark W said:

Excellent work on the engine! The plug wires are perfect.

I agree with you on positive mounts for the various components. When you super-detail, it requires many test fittings. 
 

Most enjoyable post!

Thanks Mark. I bet that I’ve had that chassis in and out of the body shell at least 40-50 times so far.🥵

3 hours ago, Ulf said:

Wonderful thread with great pictures, like an advanced course in how to rationally and precisely build AMT/MPC kits that lack localization points. Very informative, MCF at its best, Thanks !

Thanks Ulf. One thing I didn’t show is this strip of Evergreen that I glued on edge under the cowl. The front of the interior tub sits up against it and prevents the whole interior/chassis from sliding too far forward.

[dino246gt]

Man this is a fun thread for me and others to follow!

I love building those old kits and making them better.

What you're teaching us applies to all older kits, so..........

Thank you for making such easy to follow lessons on how-to-have-fun building a less-than-stellar kit!

Edited October 7 by dino246gt

[mcs1056]

Really like those armrests and the raised seats. 

Does raising the seats create steering wheel interference? I see many kits with ridiculously close-to-seat wheels...without seat mods. 

[NOBLNG]

On 10/7/2025 at 9:19 AM, dino246gt said:

Man this is a fun thread for me and others to follow!

I love building those old kits and making them better.

What you're teaching us applies to all older kits, so..........

Thank you for making such easy to follow lessons on how-to-have-fun building a less-than-stellar kit!

Thanks Dennis. I am not a lifelong model builder or have any  experience with 1:1 customs or hot rods…so some of my methods are a little unorthodox or even downright crazy.🤪

On 10/7/2025 at 9:27 AM, mcs1056 said:

Really like those armrests and the raised seats. 

Does raising the seats create steering wheel interference? I see many kits with ridiculously close-to-seat wheels...without seat mods. 

Thanks Mike. I did not raise the seats at all. I filled the void on the underside with styrene so that I could pin them in place. Then I took a notch out of the two visible sides with a razor saw. I also took a small sliver out of the backside of passengers seat to recline it slightly by cutting almost through…stopping just short of cutting into the pleats.

 

Edited October 8 by NOBLNG
Change pic

[NOBLNG]

I installed the brake rotors on the wheels and got them aligned and glued in place with 5 minute epoxy.

Since there are no guage decals included, I detailed them with Molotow. I made a small dabber from eraser refills and just dabbed the Molotow lightly on the guage faces. I wasn’t going to bother since they really aren’t visible under the huge overhang of the dash, but I figured why not give it a try? I did the chrome trim on the steering wheel the same way.

I left the rocker switches in place on the dash since I didn’t know at the time, that they were stock on an XR-7 but not on an eliminator.😕

I shortened the shifter slightly, reversed the tilt of it and moved it rearward about 1/16”.

I got the engine and exhaust installed along with some aluminum tube exhaust tips. And the shocks are in place.

Edited October 8 by NOBLNG

[NOBLNG]

Well I’ve got some decisions to make regarding the bumpers on this thing.🥴 They  are both too wide.🤬 The front is a relatively easy fix by plugging the holes on the backside and sanding the outer corners down. Of coarse this means a complete re-chrome job.😡 I guess this is a good opportunity to try the new Fusion Firm chrome.

The rear one however has the backup lights molded in…so I’m not sure if I want to tackle fixing it or not?🤔

The front air dam is also way to narrow to fit properly, but once again a relatively easy fix.

Edited October 8 by NOBLNG

[NOBLNG]

Ok, I filed and sanded the backup lights down till they were flush with the outer side of the body. I went a little too far and had to add back some on the passenger side so that’s why the styrene is white.😬 One thing I do like about yellow plastic is that the carpet monster has a hard time digesting tiny parts.🙂

I cut a short chunk off of one of my Tamiya photo etch saw blades and used it as a corrugated scraper to get the definition lines back in…not perfect but better than smooth.

On the front end, I cut the top edge of the grill off and added it to the hood where it belongs, and am in the process of getting the grill and bumper to fit nicely. I also widened the front air dam. That’s all for now folks. 🙂

Edited Friday at 05:23 PM by NOBLNG

[sak]

You think its possible to cut the bumper right the middle, remove some material from both sides, and re-glue?

[Keef]

This is going great! I’m learning quite a bit from watching your build progress.

[NOBLNG]

3 hours ago, sak said:

You think its possible to cut the bumper right the middle, remove some material from both sides, and re-glue?

I don’t think it’s necessary. There is lots of material on both ends that can be sanded away. 

[dino246gt]

It's all coming along very nicely!

I love how detailed those gauges look without decals, that's pretty amazing!