Revell 1968 Hemi Dart - They're Finished

[Jeff Sauber]

Again, a thousand apologies. My now-vaporized comments were offered in the surprised sense of "wow, these guys are really doing a lot of work to build this" rather than meant as an attack on the kit. And I applaud all that effort, since it made clear what does, and doesn't come in the box.

Mark, no need to apologize 1,000 times...I read your comment that was deleted and thought it was fine....I didn't see anything at all that went out of bounds or was belligerant or obnoxious..

Part of building up any kit is also addressing the flaws that may come with the territory..If that was discussed in another thread so be it, but I thought it was helpful after reading it here as well.

I mean after all, THIS THREAD is where the model is being constructed, so I don't see the harm in re-discussing some of those issues.

If someone here is so offended by your post,that they need a 1000 apologies, maybe they shouldn't be hanging out on the Net in the first place.

[Jeff Sauber]

Not so much a matter of being offended, as again one of focus. Bill & Len have done a fine job in describing many of the flaws & shortcomings in this kit, as well as addressing ways of correcting several of them in these buildups of both versions. Dave mentioned another flaw, but also described & showed ways of correcting that. That's where the focus comes into play, for such posts don't merely list or mention the flaws, but show how to overcome them, & that's what this thread is all about.

True, but mentioning certain flaws without an instant fix isn't all that bad either...It gives us a chance to sit and ponder a solution for a day or two..Sometimes I like to hear about certain issues/flaws during the buildup clinics, and then go have some thinking time to research and review a possible solution with the posted images.

Not every solution or suggestion will work for every builder. Sometimes there may be another way or a different approaches to correcting things, so re-discussing/posting flaws isn't necessarily a cardinal sin.

Re-Posting kit flaws during the buildup process can be a good way to corroborate with other builders and problem solvers at the time of construction.

Just my 2 cents, but what do I know...

Edited July 27, 2010 by J. Sauber

[Len Carsner]

Time for a little update as to what I'm up to with my build, and let's clear up a few points while we're at it.

I never got to read the now "vaporized" comment and by now it doesn't matter. Bill and I have asked for no special treatment during these builds and expect none. Constructive critique and discussion of solutions is welcome and is really what we want with these early review and build articles. What's not wanted is an endless litany of "They really blew it" or "I can't believe they screwed this up" with nothing else to offer.

Criticize, prove it, and offer a solution. That's what forums like this do best and should be our objective. To do otherwise is counter productive and unwelcome.

That being said, what's in the past is over and done, now let's move forward.

During our discussion of the firewall it was brought up that you will need to separate the master cylinder from the power booster for the Hemi version of the Dart, This is true and as Dave Zinn pointed out the master cylinder should be mounted on a plate to offset it for engine clearance. I found this picture that clearly illustrates this:

But when it comes to the firewall, I have to disagree that there was a special firewall for the Hemi Dart.

This original L023 Hemi Dart is in the process of restoration at Mopars by Mosher (www.moparsbymosher.com). This car is going through a complete rotisserie restoration.

Here is a picture taken after media blasting. You can clearly see holes for the heater hoses and motor. This makes it look like a dedicated firewall for the Hemi cars was not the case.

Here we see the firewalls of two restored cars. Both cars are using plastic plugs to cover the heater hose holes and block off plates for the heater motor. While you might think this is not what would have been done orignally, consider this image:

This picture from 1968 of The Hustlin' Hemi clearly shows the plastic plugs in the heater hose holes and a plate over the heater motor opening.

Seeing these, I have to respectfully disagree when it comes to Dodge making a specific Hemi Dart firewall. That does not appear to be the case. And I'd have to say that the firewall Revell included for the Hemi Dart is, other than the lack of an opening for the steering shaft, correct.

Here's the Hemi Dart firewall from the Kit. What I've done is clip the end of the heater motor off with sprue cutters, the sanded the remainder down until it closely resembles the block off plate used on many of these cars. I'm not sure yet if I will make the offset plate for the master cylinder. Normally I build these kits straight from the box while Bill will add extra details and aftermarket parts. I'll decide that once I get to the point where I'm finishing the firewall for painting.

Continued....

Edited August 1, 2010 by Len Carsner

[Len Carsner]

We've talked about the seats in this kit before. The kit comes with stock Dart seats. Many have suggested we use the seats from the Little Red Wagon kit as a suitable substitute. ANother suggestion was the seats from the Revell Thunderbolt kit, as the actual cars used seats that were manufactured by the same company (Bostrom). Here we see the seats from the LRL on the right and the T-bolt on the left. Bill will be using the resin copies of the LRL pieces while I'll be using the T-bolt seats. But while Bill made the special seat brackets used on the Hemi Dart I won't be as once the seats are mounted you won't be able to see them anyway.

While I was robbing the Thunderbolt kit for its seats, I grabbed the steel wheels too. Here we see them in the tires from the Dart kit. THey may not be exact, but they look close enough for me. And by using Revell pieces we're keeping it in the family.

Using the flexible sanding pads and files I removed the fender emblems and front marker lights. I used a little spot putty to fill in a gouge in the fender caused by a slip of the knife (I have a matching gouge in my thumb to prove it).

Don't forget to remove the Pentastar emblem on the lower right hand fender. SInce my car will replicate the as-delivered cars with the black fenders I added a cut line at the rocker panel to mark the rear edge of the fender.

I still need to finesse the rear wheel openings and a lot of sanding and cleanup before I can paint but I couldn't resist mocking things up to get a feel for what it's going to look like. Kinda looks like a Hemi Dart, doesn't it?

That's all for now. We'll have updates on Tuesday and Friday this week. Bill has the chassis, drivetrain, and interior together on his car and we're sure you'll want to see this.

Thanks for your interest and comments,

Bill and Len

[dwc43]

Here's a site with the restoration piece to move the master cylinder over with, if you want to make one, you now have a good pic of it.

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/19hemor440ab.html

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/chucker54_2113_140314237

Edited August 2, 2010 by dwc43

[Brett Barrow]

Now that's starting to look like something!!!

I'd like to see a front tire with a little more sidewall, it's got a lot of rubber rake happening right now. A lot of the 1:1's ran the Jere Stahl tires, those things were pretty tall.

[MikeMc]

Goose Bumps all over!!!!!!

[Len Carsner]

Now that's starting to look like something!!!

I'd like to see a front tire with a little more sidewall, it's got a lot of rubber rake happening right now. A lot of the 1:1's ran the Jere Stahl tires, those things were pretty tall.

In that last picture I don't have any suspension under the car - I just stuck the wheels on it, so once it has all of the suspension bits in place it should have the proper attitude.

Len C.

[Len Carsner]

Here's a site with the restoration piece to move the master cylinder over with if you want to make one you know have a good pic of it.

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/19hemor440ab.html

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/chucker54_2113_140314237

Great piece of info - Thanks!

Len C.

[Len Carsner]

Goose Bumps all over!!!!!!

You want goosebumps? Wait until you see it painted! Bill sent me a picture of his painted car on the finished chassis. This is gonna be good!

Len C.

[Jeff Sauber]

Nice work so far, especially with the attention to cleaning a few extra things up, making some adjustments and tweeks, but I do have a question...

Is this model being built strictly for the Forum tutorial process and general walk-through of the buildup? Or do you plan on displaying this model at contests and shows and such, with serious intent?

Overall, I really like what I'm seeing here, but have noticed a few things I feel I should point out for a model that seems to be getting this extra attention and work done to it...

I'll wait to hear your response to my first question, before I go any further...

Regards, Jeff

[Len Carsner]

Nice work so far, especially with the attention to cleaning a few extra things up, making some adjustments and tweeks, but I do have a question...

Is this model being built strictly for the Forum tutorial process and general walk-through of the buildup? Or do you plan on displaying this model at contests and shows and such, with serious intent?

Overall, I really like what I'm seeing here, but have noticed a few things I feel I should point out for a model that seems to be getting this extra attention and work done to it...

I'll wait to hear your response to my first question, before I go any further...

Regards, Jeff

Bill and I do take them to shows for display, not competition. The first show where these will be displayed will be the Toledo NNL in October. We also display at shows in Indy and Cincinnati, plus some local club gatherings. But no, we do not compete with these cars.

We do this to give modelers who might be interested in these kits a preview of what to expect when they open the box and start building. We want to give you a thorough review, along with step by step pictorial instructions, to generate some excitement before the kits hit the shelves.

Thanks for the comments and I look forward to your points of interest or concern. That's what I like about these forum building projects - we always look forward to involvement from the people of the forum and we get some interesting discussions going on.

Thanks,

Len C.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Len Carsner

[Len Woodruff]

Keep the updates coming Len & Bill.

[dwc43]

Great piece of info - Thanks!

Len C.

Welcome,anytime. Nice build so far. I got the chance to judge a real car like this at a local show one year. You may have seen the same car in Hot Rod and Car Craft.

[Jeff Sauber]

Bill and I do take them to shows for display, not competition. The first show where these will be displayed will be the Toledo NNL in October. We also display at shows in Indy and Cincinnati, plus some local club gatherings. But no, we do not compete with these cars.

We do this to give modelers who might be interested in these kits a preview of what to expect when they open the box and start building. We want to give you a thorough review, along with step by step pictorial instructions, to generate some excitement before the kits hit the shelves.

Thanks for the comments and I look forward to your points of interest or concern. That's what I like about these forum building projects - we always look forward to involvement from the people of the forum and we get some interesting discussions going on.

Thanks,

Len C.

Thanks for getting back to me Len, I appreciate it.

You're doing a fine job here and the project is coming along beautifully. I'm certainly enjoying following along with the buildup and tutorial.

One of things I wanted to point out was some of the seams and parting lines left on the exahaust system, shocks, rear axle housing etc had not been taken care of.

With so much work and prep going into this one, I though it was a little odd that some of basics were overlooked. I did ponder that perhaps this project could have been a "test sample" sort of buildup to help show us what the kit presents and how things go together and assemble, rather than a serious contest model that would have been judged, and that overlooking those basics could have come back to haunt you during competition.

Either way, I though I'd better ask first, before I went any further.

In any case, I thought this was a good time to bring up those observations, so that they could have been corrected before the model was completed.

Thanks for explaining the finished model's future. I was hesitant to bring this subject up, since so many times alot of folks read into things the wrong way and freak out when possible oversights and flaws are mentioned..

Keep up the great tutorial and updates coming...We're all learning alot here as you guide us through his kit and the assembly process....And yes, I'll certainly be picking a copy of this myself........Jeff

Edited August 2, 2010 by J. Sauber

[Len Carsner]

Thanks for getting back to me Len, I appreciate it.

One of things I wanted to point out was some of the seams and parting lines left on the exahaust system, shocks, rear axle housing etc had not been taken care of.

With so much work and prep going into this one, I though it was a little odd that some of basics were overlooked. I did ponder that perhaps this project could have been a "test sample" sort of buildup to help show us what the kit presents and how things go together and assemble, rather than a serious contest model that would have been judged, and that overlooking those basics could have come back to haunt you during competition.

Thanks for explaining the finished model's future. I was hesitant to bring this subject up, since so many times alot of folks read into things the wrong way and freak out when possible oversights and flaws are mentioned..

No problem and no freak outs here. When done these cars hit a couple of shows for display. They rarely get turned over or have the hoods opened. They then go home to sit on the shelf. If I was trying to do a competitive piece I'd take a lot longer than the time frame we have to get these done. We normally get 4-6 weeks to get these built, working on them between full time jobs. Sometimes we get down to crunch time before we'd like to!

Back when I was using 35mm film photography you could hide a lot of "sins" but digital photography isn't as forgiving.

Thansk for the comments,

Len C.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Len Carsner

[Len Carsner]

Another week, another update. This time Bill works on the suspension and the engine compartment.

To get the 8-3/4 in rear axle I needed for the automatic equipped Hustlin’ Hemi and to gain the reduced width afforded by the kit’s Dana rear end, I did some splicing and dicing as it were. First I measured the width of the Dana’s gear housing and then on center, transferred that dimension to the 8-3/4 in axle housing. Then both were carefully cut apart, swapped out and rejoined with super glue. The Dana axle diameter is a bit larger the 8-/34 which necessitated some careful filing and sanding. The results are shown here.

From this angle you can see the rear shocks a bit better. Note that in the foreground one unused shock is painted black and one is not. Somewhere along the way I got them mixed up and after assembling things realized one shock was shorter than the other side. This is just a reminder why it’s important to keep track of the part numbers.

Here the first complete test-fit of the chassis, front and rear suspensions and driveline are taking place. I must note here that a new drive shaft was made using a length of tubing and the universal joint ends from the kit piece. Matching up the automatic transmission and the 8-3/4 in rear axle required lengthening the drive shaft anyway. I chose slightly larger diameter tubing for the mail part of the shaft. It gives the whole thing a beefier appearance.

Looking closer at the revised rear suspension and driveline, matte black, various metallic paint shades were used along with a couple different Metalizer colors to give this assembly some definition.

Likewise the same treatment was given to the lower front suspension parts and some detailing on the front subframe. One thing about digital photography, it shows up every little shortcoming. But it’s good to be able to see exactly what needs attention.

If you’ve decided by chance to build the GTS 440 street version of this new kit, you’ll need to put some effort into the dual exhaust tips. There are a couple of three ways of doing things but wrapping the tips in BareMetal foil, trimming things closely and adding just a touch of flat black to the opening is a quick and efficient way of doing it.

Paul Richardson says a four-point roll bar was optional according to the NHRA rulebook originally. In later seasons as the Hemi Dart and Cudas were naturally running faster quarter mile times, a roll bar was a requirement. The new Revell kit features one as shown here. It also includes an attached fire extinguisher.

The Hustlin’ Hemi won’t include a roll bar but we will detach the fire extinguisher and utilize it in finishing off the Dart’s interior.

The left door panel is laid aside in this instance so interior details are more visible. Dashboard detailing included a speedometer decal, BareMetal Chrome trim and some small hand-painted details. Both door panels were trimmed out with BMF. Note steering wheel detail painting, the column-mounted tachometer and the turn signal stalk. A small rectangular piece of .010 in sheet plastic was cut out and painted gunmetal. Then it was glued into place as a visible radio delete cover plate. Also, the kit bucket seats were attached to the interior floor with carpet tape. The reasoning is that at a late time if so desired they’ll be easy to remove if the decision is made to use other seats.

continued...

[Len Carsner]

As promised, the roll bar fire extinguisher was detail painted and once thoroughly dry attached to the interior driveshaft tunnel between the bucket seats as shown here. Other additions include Model Car World resin Dodge A-100 bucket seats and The Model Car Garage photo-etch safety belts as can be seen in these two views of the finished interior.

Here the heater motor is being shaved down to resemble the blank-out plate as used on the race car. Note that masking tape has been placed in certain areas to protect those raised surfaces as the hobby knife is being carefully pressed into service.

Two of these items will be seen again while one will disappear. This will be the last time we see the battery. All the Hemi Darts and Cudas carried a huge and heavy battery in the right rear corner of the trunk to improve weight transfer and traction.

In the background, on the left is the core support, radiator with shroud attached in place and the horn, all painted, assembled and ready for installation.

On the right is the Hemi Dart firewall. In place is the modified and painted dual master cylinder for the brakes, the windshield wiper motor and the heater motor has been trimmed down to resemble the blank-out plate as used on the race car as was mentioned earlier.

That's all for now. Check back on Friday when the engines go together and the chassis gets its wheels.

Thanks for your interest,

Bill and Len

[Janne Herajärvi]

Looks great so far. Keep up good work

[slugnasty]

First post from yours truly but I won't bore with introductions. Just wanted to say this thread is what made me decide to post. This project is really inspiring to me being that I'm getting back into scale models after giving them up when I was a teenager. The attention to detail you've put into this car is amazing. Thanks for posting, can't wait to see your next update. I think this Dart will be my next project (currently working on a '57 Chevy, at risk of being cliche. )

[Len Carsner]

Another update, this time the engine and drive train are completed, and along with the interior they meet the body for a trial fitting.

Moving back to concentrate on the body, hood and scoop requires special attention where the engraving was removed on both front fenders and the deck lid. There are a variety of ways of dealing with this pesky problem. One would be to stick to milder primers and paints designed specifically for soft styrene plastics.

These small areas where engraving was removed was carefully wet-sanded with 600 grit automotive sand paper. After close inspection under a bright light to determine how smooth those areas were, many very light coats of automotive primer were applied in intervals. Occasionally, the 600 grit paper was used between coats to make sure no signs of raised engraving or ghosting to be determined.

One very good reason for keeping at least a few of the small fidgety parts attached to their respective sprue is addressed here. The coils from both engines, 440 and Hemi, aren’t easily distinguishable once removed from the tree with the kit numbering system. Note here that both coils are quickly identified while being detail painted by referring to their assembly number clearly seen here on the sprue.

Understandably, the 440 wedge big block engine has its own set of unique parts and accessories as shown here. The unassembled parts for each engine are being kept in separate zip-lock bags during the building process. In the case, the 440 tranny was spray painted with Testors Metalizer and then masked off so the block etc. could be painted the appropriate color of orange.

As the 440 engine assembly is progressing, doing occasional touch up with a fine brush is likely necessary.

Once all the accessory parts and pieces have been treated to their proper paint colors, final assembly can begin.

Here the final touches have been applied to the 68 GTS version’s 440 four-barrel big block V-8 engine. Instruction for proper paint colors are included in the kit instructions and there are numerous internet, book and magazine sources available for such things as well.

Here the 426 Hemi Super Stock engine is entering the final stages of detail painting and assembly. Metalizers were again used on such items as the transmission, headers and the alternator shell. The Detailer black wash was used to bring out the surface details seen here. This is another case for leaving at least certain parts on their respective sprue. There are two engines and of course with four radiator hoses. Without being able to reference the assembly numbers on the trees, identity is a chore.

For some additional detail, the exit end of the header collectors were bored out. First a small diameter hole was drilled in the center of each piece. That was followed by a larger diameter bit. The last step was to further ream out the opening with a round grinding bit as shown here in the foreground.

Here the finished 426 Hemi Super Stock engine is displayed in all its glory. The colors used came pretty much from the kit instruction sheet with an exception or two. The color was painted light blue and the oil filter was painted gold based on available references.

continued...

Edited August 7, 2010 by Len Carsner

[Brett Barrow]

I can't wait to get this kit just to smush-cast those tasty '68-only porthole marker lights for my one-of-these-days '68 Charger. I might even make some extras and make them available to MCM members I really regret never having picked up any of the previous issues of the Dart.

[Len Carsner]

Not sure what happened - I had this as two posts but must have done something wrong. Thanks for the helping hand Mark!

This should be the rest of the post:

Here are two views of the built Hemi 426 engine installed in it’s proper location in the chassis. It’s always a good idea to do some test fitting along the way to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises when you’re getting down to the final stages of a build like this one.

Two views of the new Revell 68 Hemi Dart and GTS 1/25th scale engines. Whether from the front of from the rear, either or both of these engines build into eye-catching versions of these legendary power plants and will look good even if you’re building style is out-of-the-box.

The chassis, suspension and running gear for the Hustlin’ Hemi are nearly finished and ready for final assembly. Don’t forget to use some coarse sandpaper on the tread areas of both front and rear tires as shown here. This is no trailer queen show car. This one can really smoke them hides!

Here the finished interior, chassis, engine, firewall, core support and radiator are prepared for final assembly. And yes that is the steering assembly deleted from the Hemi Dart version of this fine kit. If there’s anyway to squeeze part or all of this piece into this model we’ll give it a try.

At this point, the interior and chassis have been temporarily installed into the kit body to give us some idea what this beast will look like when everything has been painted, decaled and assembled. So far, there appear to be no fit problems, misalignment issues or things that just won’t go together.

Here the hood/scoop are in place for a test fit before further primer and paintwork. This fit well. No unexplained gaps or oversized seams. The stance is right by our eye. Anticipation is growing as we move toward completion of the Hustlin’ Hemi 68 Hemi Dart.

Check back for the next update around Wednesday. Should be interesting!

Thanks,

Bill and Len

[RodneyBad]

I'm no AR Expert but I know what looks good.

It looks Great and looks just right.

And you are doing an Excellent job on this.

Thank you..

Now this I will buy more than one for sure.

Just gotta find a more Affordable HS.

[Zebra3]

Len,

May a noob like me ask a rather odd question?

Can you tell me where you got that engine

display stand you are using in this pic?

Thanks...for helping and especially for posting this

step-by-step. I know that doing so takes much more

effort than just building the model without detailing

the steps in photos and narrative.

True teachers are very rare.

David