'69 AMC AMX Drag On Lady

[W-409]

This is one of my favourite cars. It's Jo-Han kit and when i opened the box, i realized that this isn't an easy project. Rear axle was moulded to chassis and seats were moulded to interior... So i took the dremel and removed ugly seats and rear axles. I found new seats and new front and rear axle systems. I made new backside of the seat.

Chassis and interior before:

And after, only some sanding:

The seats needs some bondo:

Original engine blocks. Oil filter is originally next to water pump. So on the side of the block there is additional oil filter bracket. I must remve it and fill those metal axle's holes.

More pics on next post...

Edited June 29, 2011 by W-409

[W-409]

Work continues. Jo-Han kit's manifold is quite good, there is only a big groove on the center. I have to make a new front axle system from scratch. It's hard to find colour wich is close Amc's engine torquise. Then i finished sanding the chassis.

After that i finished the engine blocks. First i removed all additional plastic. Then some styrene and bondo... Sanding and it was ready. Then i test fitted block sides and there is next place for bondo. I found a good paint to engine, it's acryl paint but i have no others...

I painted the engine and it needed a bit clear. I painted wheel text and headers. I painted manifold but i forgotten it from the pic.

Then i realized that Jo-Han's front wheel wells are very bad ones! I have two choices: Make them from scratch or start big modifications from '64 Dodge's wheelwells. Best ones are Jo-Han '69 Rambler American's wheel wells but they are moulded to the body and it's quite rare and expensive kit so scratch is the better choice.

Continues on the next post...

[W-409]

Then under construction is front end of the frame. I had to remove original wheel wells and i must build front frame again because i had to remove original frame rail too.

And after few hours of work i finished the front frame. I didn't have thin enough bar so i used too thik one. I made it thin enough with dremel. First i used sanding wheel wich is on the left side and then the other one. Finished whit sandpaper. Glued wit superglue. I made an edge from cardboard. It took about ten minutes.

Then i made plug wires to the engine and it looks now more finished because of valve covers, manifold, carburetors and intake funnels (?). Carburetors i painted mix of Revell's 91 silver and 94 gold. Manifold i painted mix of Revell's 56 gun metal and 53 steel.

[MrObsessive]

Wow! I LOVE this car!

I once had a 1:1 '69 AMX 390 4spd...........what a had snapper she was! Your project is coming along great and I'm glad you got rid of the molded in rear axle. That's one aspect of that kit I've always hated (along with the molded exhaust), and I've got several of them.

One suggestion for the inner fenders............if you haven't gotten too far, you might want to consider the inner fenders out of AMT's '67 Mustang kit. They're quite similar, and with some tweaking could be made to fit.

Here are a few pics of the AMX under resto before the engine's in........................

Hope this helps and keep up the great work!

[W-409]

Exellent pics! Thank you a lot! I had some pics already, but these are very welcome. Are those '67 Mustang inner fenders moulded to body? Are them looking like these?: http://www.ve3sy.com/pony/images/2003-08-18-inner-fender.jpg

Edited May 16, 2010 by W-409

[MrObsessive]

Yes, they are molded to the body. You can take the back edge of an Exacto blade to cut them free from the outer fenders if you'd like.

The pic you linked is very much like what the kit has. As I mentioned, you'll have to do some reshaping and tweaking to get them to look more like the AMX's inner fenders----------but it sure beats making them from scratch.

Also, take a look at that kit's front suspension. The lower suspension arms on the Mustang are very much like the AMX's for '69. Up until '69, AMC was still using a trunion setup for the front suspension. 1970 and later they finally switched to ball joints. This would save you some work as well for scratching a front suspension.

I know about those trunions units because I had to replace 'em on my AMX as the handling got very iffy for a time!

[MrObsessive]

Niko, I rounded up a few pics to demonstrate the similarities between the Mustang and the AMX's front suspensions....................

The AMX's........................

The Mustang's..................

Hope these help!

[Custom Mike]

Great work so far, I love anything Javelin/AMX related, so I'll be watching this beauty come together!

[W-409]

Thanks again for the pics. I have to buy that Mustang kit and take some parts from it. That means... One tube frame Mustang is coming! Have only one problem, no money .

[W-409]

I made version 1 from the frame crossmember from styrene. But it wasn't so easy and it looked too unwieldy(?) I must build an other one, that comes from metal because i think, it's much easier to work with metal than styrene. I continued the seats. Lots of bondo to the backside and much sandpaper... Quite good. I painted seats with Revell Semigloss black but i have to sand a bit more before a new glossblack and then matt clear, maybe... Have to buy that AMT '67 Mustang to get those critical parts, now i have money. Yeah, i had to ask, is it this kit? If it's not post one picture, please. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517V9AKQ2DL.jpg

[MrObsessive]

Niko, that's the kit you want! Should be pretty close to the suspension pieces you need with some tweaking.

[W-409]

Yeah, Matador would be good kit. But I think that the engine from Jo-Han is good as enough to me. I did a few modifications to it and I don't need AMC 390 engine with my other projects... A good front suspension parts would be very good ones but how about the front wheel wells...? If them are good ones, think very seriously buying that kit. Othervise I still need the Mustang and I have two incomplete kits... That Matador is a bit harder to get from Finland, but I'll found one if I wont one, that's for sure!

On the Finnish Car Modelers Association forum, the local AMC expert was found a '69 AMX. It was made by ERTL, I mean not AMT/ERTL but ERTL. It's very old and rare kit but it has quite good front suspension and inner wheel wells. Rear suspension was like Revell's and I would be built this lots of easier than from this Jo-Han ''high quality'' kit... But it wasn't Drag On Lady or even a Super Stock version but very much better kit... If someone want's to buy this kind of AMX, you all, buy that ERTL kit if you don't wan't to do very big modifications!!! This is just my luck, when I start something with very big work or modifications, something much better founds somewhere! Oh and there's the link for ERTL AMX: http://www.amhost.com/scooter/orangeamxpage2.html

sorry my bad enghlish...

[MrObsessive]

That orange AMX shown on your link is actually a 1:18 scale as I have one (somewhere). Yes, it's a very nice piece for the money, but to my knowledge-------no one's ever done a proper 1968-'70 AMX in 1/25 scale except for Johan.

Now imagine if Revell or someone did an up to date modern kit of a 2 seat AMX! I'd think they'd sell more than a few of them. Throw in the Drag-On-Lady race options and it would be a definite winner!

[W-409]

All you say is true, I didn't know, that AMX is 1:18 scale but I was amazed when I saw those pics. I'm a great American Motors Corporation fan and there are no 1:24/1:25 scale kits from AMX exept Jo-Han. But if I'm not wrong, Jo-Han has made a civil version from AMX too? But I bought AMC Javelin for next project (of course Jo-Han) maybe have to do all the same modifications to it...? Yes, it's the Pro Stock kit but I want to build it Super Stock because in early 70's Super Stock and Pro Stock classes were really close to each others, so it's easy to make it Super Stock...

[MrObsessive]

Yes, Johan made regular street versions of the '69 AMX. I have two '69's----one built and one never touched, as well as a '70 that needs a good resto.

The Johan Javelin's (all years) will need pretty much the same mods as you're doing to the AMX. The inner structures were pretty much the same until the end of the line in 1974.

As I mentioned earlier, the front suspensions on the '70 models and later would be a bit different as AMC switched to regular ball joints by then, instead of the hoary trunion setup.

[W-409]

As I supposed! Well those modifications are not impossiple ones and the car is very nice and one of my favourites, so a bit of work for it isn't a bad thing I think... When these two (this AMX and Javelin) are finally complete, I have a big family of Super Stock American Motors bacause I have one '69 Rambler American, this AMX and the Javelin! But making these two ready will take long long time and Javelin isn't still here. Maybe I'll start building it immediately. I don't won't just put the box to the stand. That Rambler was an ok kit.

[W-409]

Well, project continues, I bought the Mustang, not a new one and the hole front axle system is missing so I must buy all the parts to front axle system... That doesn't matter, this wasn't expensive and I get the inner fenders. First I removed them from Mustang body and test fit tells that I must make them longer, higher and I must to make them look like AMC's. I test fit slicks for mustang and it looked pretty good... Also I found a few place for more bondo to seats...

[mannyclub]

Cool project Niko! I like the mods your doing to it, specialy the fill in the engine, removed the seats etc.

Manny

[W-409]

Thanks! That fill in the engine is thing, what needs to be done in many model kits... Like AMT's engines have sometimes ''great looking'' hole for metal axle. But I'm happy that seats are rarely moulded to the interior, now when I'm working on the inner fenders, I can't take interior off from the body... But next step after I finish those inner fenders is interior, seats I painted and they are lookin' very good.

[W-409]

Steering wheel was far from perfect... It's not perfect after work either, but I think, it's better anyway. I drilled the holes and I painted it looking like wood, on the picture it looks like black and very very bad... It's much better in live version...

That Mustang will be Twin Turbo drag racer...

[crazyjim]

Nice work you're doping on the AMX, Niko. I recently built the pro-street version kit. I should have cut out the rear suspension and seats like you did. Would have made a better build.

[W-409]

Yes, these kits just needs some modifications if you want, they look like the real car... I'm not sure about the door panels, if someone got a good picture from '69 AMX, please post it! Have one picture from '68 but I'm not sure is it right looking...

[W-409]

I thaught that model, where I have built lots of modifications, needs Shirley Shahan to sit on the front fender. One female figure from the box and it can be the basis... That figure is driving a car so I did some modifications to it. It's not ready yet, but here it starts. First I saw the arm in two pieces. Then with styrene, I glued pieces back together and now the angle between shoulder and fingers is bigger than original... Then some putty and now it looks good. Head, or hair needed some modifications also. I shortened that hair and added one piece of cardboard on the hair. More putty to there and it's looking good now...

Here it is, original figure in pieces...

Now it looks better.

Test fit. It's quite good, I think.

Original head:

Feel free for comments...

[rustybill1960]

i am really digging on your work dude!

very nice!

i have wanted one of those kits for a long time, now i will know what to expect "when" i get it!

thank you Nikko!

later

russ

[W-409]

Thanks Rustybill. Today Shirley got some paint. I'll post some pictures when I have something to show you.