Mpc 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger

[kustombuilder1]

Howdy!! Here's the MPC 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger. Painted with 2 coats Testors Sapphire Blue Metalflake, and the 1 coat of Testors "Colors by Boyd" True Blue Pearl. This kit has an amazing decal sheet in it, everything you see in the silver trim is decals, except for the bottom ground effects which is Duplicolor Honda Arctic Silver. After decals, it got Testors High gloss clear polished with the Novus system. If you want a decal adventure to rival any NASCAR kit, just get one of these. But be careful. The newest of these kits is 20 years old, so there's no telling how the decals will behave. Decal solvent and setting solution is a must!

The decals arent the only tricky part. I'll explain. When MPC first did this kit, it was around 1980, as the Omni 024. At the time, Chrysler's only engine option for the L-body platform was VW's reliable, but weak 1.7 adapted from the Rabbit. As the car ran through production, and was re-named Charger, it was offered with the 2.2 liter in both carb and turbo forms. MPC updated the body and interior, but never touched the drivetrain. Still has the 1.7 in the kit, with some creative turbo plumbing. The engine in this one is donated from AMT's current release Dodge Daytona kit, and is the 2.2 litre TurboII with intercooler. Anyone who has opened the hood on one of these knows it's a tight fit, and it was on the model as well.

It's wired and plumbed, the only thing missing in this picture is the upper radiator hose which I hadn't made yet, as the intercooler required moving and slightly shortening the radiator. The plug wires are made from the windings of an old electric motor.

Thanks for listening, and hope you enjoyed!!

Darrin

[ismaelg]

Very nice execution of a not so popular subject. Love the color. I didn't know the engine was VW. Did the 2.2 also evolved fom the VW 1.7?

Thanks,

[dub]

Very nice execution of a not so popular subject. Love the color. I didn't know the engine was VW. Did the 2.2 also evolved fom the VW 1.7?

Thanks,

The 2.2L was Chrysler's own. The engine in the kit, however, may not be accurate for the 2.2L, but it isn't the 1.7L either. The valve cover and intake is all wrong. If it's supposed to be the 1.7L it is an approximation.

HTH!

Oh, and good build! That was one of the few Omni variants that actually demand any respect.

[Abell82]

Great build, of a rarely seen subject!!

[MrObsessive]

Very nice and clean!

Back when that car was new, a lot of folks poo-poo'd them because it was basically a hopped up K-car variant. But I've seen those little devils smoke many a new Mustang GT and Camaro, and with a little tweaking run wheel to wheel with new 'Vettes of the day!

Remember the GLHS?? That one could be a real SCREAMER!

[dub]

Remember the GLHS?? That one could be a real SCREAMER!

I love the story behind how Chrysler came up with those letters. The people who name the cars were stuck so Carroll Shelby says: "Why don't you call it GLH for G oes L ike H ell?" The S is for special or sport, I can't remeber....

[MrObsessive]

IIRC............I read that the Carroll Shelby wanted the S to stand for "some more".

So it was Goes Like Hell Some more!

Here's a site of the GLHS with some engine pics.

[novadose71]

Looks good. I built one of those when I was 13 or 14, and it's probably the last time I had seen one built. I can't remember the reason, but mine didn't get the stripe, which is odd cause I really like it. A neighbor friend in high school had an Omni GLH, a fun little car, like driving a turbocharged rollerskate. With snow tires it went good in the snow too. Along with the Citation X-11 and Buick GN this is 1 of my favorite domestic 80's cars.

I believe the S stands for Shelby, I seem to remember reading that when they were new, but I've been wrong many times before. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you.

[bsoder]

Looks like it just rolled off the lot!!...very NICE

[Joe Handley]

WOW, very nice job!

IIRC one of the engineers on the 2.2 project (which is actually a /4 ) was also one of the engineers that brought us the /6! The L-Bodies didn't have much in common with the K-Chassis and it's variants other than drivetrain and rims though, but that doesn't keep people from thinking they're all undeserving of the Mopar name, even among Mopar enthusiasts (just ask Phil, we had to defend all the front drivers on another forum we're both on!)

[kustombuilder1]

Yeah, Joe's right the L-bodies were in production 3 years before the K-car hit the market, but the basic layout was pretty much the same. Just none of the parts will interchange.

Yeah, DUB it is the 1.7, but like I said, MPC didn't give a whole lot of thought to the powertrain when they tooled the kit. "Close approximation" is exactly the right term.

novadose71 is correct on the "S". They told us at Chrysler school when I worked for the dealership it officially stood for "Goes Like Hell- Shelby style".