1968 Mr. Norm's Dodge Dart GSS (was The Engine Room)

[Skypower]

There's some motivation for you, we are all now expecting updates, so now quit looking at this site and get back to building. lol

Your doing great, I'm a new builder so things like wiring and PE scare the heck out of me but then I figure what the heck how bad can I screw it up and jump right in sort of, haven't tried the PE yet, I bought seat belts and haven't tried them yet but maybe on the build I'm doing now.

Just jump in and have fun.

Bob

[fantacmet]

Clipping and trimming is the worst part about PE, don't let it intimidate you, the rest of it's easy as pie. Just use a hard surface, and a good sharp hobby blade to remove the parts, but have them inside a plastic bag or on some sticky tape to prevent the parts from flying. Instead of putting straight down which distorts the part a little bit sometimes, I literally edge the blade right up to the part and slice through the connecting point for the parts tree. Then a fine sanding stick to knock down what's left of the nub if anything and voila. Just don't use model cement to put them on. I also recommend against thin CA glue, you tend to attach PE parts to your fingers for a few weeks that way. Ask me how I know. It's odd trying to explain to people who don't build why you have spent 30 bucks on some thin bits of metal and then superglued them to your body.

[ApexSpeed]

I guess I should revise this topic and do a little back-fill on this build as it went almost 10 years ago. I am actually making (slow) progress on the engine, and have made inroads on the interior, so it's moving forward. I just get small chunks of time to build, so I take what I can get and work in tiny sections.

Here's the build progress as it started from 2004 (originally posted in scaleautomag.com):

Wow, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be. After being away from building for a LONG time, this is my first venture back into modeling. So far, it has been a very gratifying and relaxing experience, but there is plenty of time to screw this up still.

Instead of jumping back into the game with a top fuel car or something overwhelming, I decided a muscle car for the Factory Original Group Build would be a good start. I have always loved old Mopars, so this was a simple choice.

I have been taking my time with this so far and doing a little bit every night for the past to weeks. My (im)patience has been tempered by the fact that just about every other day, I'm making a trip to the local hobby shop or craft store for some tool, supply, paint or thing-a-ma-bob. My toolbox didn't stand the test of time, but it's getting back into fighting shape again. []

So here's the first stages of my 440 build-up. I'm working out the plug wiring this weekend, using .024" black plug wire and stripped .036" black wire as boots, slipped over the ends of each wire. So far, it seems to be going well. The coil wire shown is done that way, and fed into a .038" drilled hole, built up with CA (wire not yet attached to distributor). I'd really like to do carb lines and a dipstick, but I'm still spending time researching the actual 1:1 engine layouts. I'm worried I'll bite off more than I'm ready to chew if I start some of that extra detail work right now (I still need to find one of those magnifying lenses).

The car is planned to be Dodge Light Metallic Green with black interior and black stripes, with a black vinyl roof. I have no attention span, though, so that could change at any given time. I'll post more photos as I progress through.

Feel free to leave your comments here, good and bad. The only way I can learn and get better is to hear what I should have done, and what I can do to make the model more accurate. I'm interested in any and all critiques.


-doug

6.2.04 Update:

The engine is completely wired now, and in the correct firing order (like that matters), and the distributor is in the correct location. Paint has been touched up where my grubby little fingers gripped it, and the plug boots have been glued in place. Coil is wired as is the vacuum advance, and I am still contemplating a hard fuel line as well as a dipstick.





The chassis has been primed and the first coat of color was shot last night. I used MCW lacquers for the first time, and they are awesome. Sprayed easy and dried quickly. Nice product.

Man, I can't tell you guys enough who haven't yet bought a magnifying lens/lamp how much it has changed this whole thing for me. Not only can I see what I'm doing, but I find my hands are even steadier and more accurate. An absolute MUST-HAVE. I bought a simple lamp (5X) with a circular fluorescent bulb at a local hobby shop for $35 early this week and there is no way I could have wired that little thing without it.

More soon,


doug

There are always things that seem to get in the way of my hobbies... work, for one. I got the body ready for final paint work, last week, but just got around this weekend to test fitting everything to make sure it all fits properly. Looks pretty good, too.

Tonight, I'm going to be shooting the interior and maybe if I'm really ambitious, the exterior color coats, too. We'll see how everything progresses.

Here's some photos to keep the thread fresh...

Paint code FF1, Dodge 1968 Light Green Metallic (MCW paint #6859 Mist Green Metallic), black vinyl roof with black vinyl interior. You can see the chassis already shot in the body color if you look close. [] I painted the interior base to get ready for flocking sometime this week (my first time with flocking), and the inside of the body is painted, and ready to shoot exterior color and clear. I'm excited for my first real paint job...


Here is the real Dart (though a '69 GTS) that the model is loosely based on...

[ApexSpeed]

Update: 6.21.04

Quick update of the body progress... Bare Metal Foil is a beeotch. Man, this stuff is hard to work with. I need a LOT more practice, because this stuff is worse than Saran Wrap. Wow.

Anyway, here's some quick detail shots of some of the decal and BMF work and a test-fit of the engine and chassis:

Update 7.12.04

It's been a while since I pasted an update, as my time has been consumed lately with the new house and the effor of painting things that don't require magnifying glasses like the master bedroom.

Anyway, some headway has been made on a few things like the chassis and wheel details. Some quick pics to keep the project moving forward...

Dart wheel covers & redline tires; stripped and re-chromed with Alclad, centers painted semi-gloss black, and valve stem inserted:


Basic chassis details:

[ApexSpeed]

Now to live updates... progress! I finished the plug wires this evening, and repaired a few of the things I broke on it from Tuesday night where everything I touched made a mess. I modified the fan to be a little more realistic and sit further away from the engine, and wound up making it too far and had clearance issues. In removing it, I broke the fan. And the fan belt/pulley. And the distributor.

So I got the distro back on, repainted it, and then I took all three pulleys down to round and made a new belt out of 6 layers of electrical tape. Actually looks better. While I did that, I also decided to make a dipstick and then hard fuel lines from the fuel pump to the carb. No idea why I decided to go so far on it, but I couldn't stop.

Interior is all painted now, and I don't think I have the same motivation to go into great detail in the interior. A few BMF details, chrome the center console and I won't go too far with it. Famous last words, eh?

Sorry for the oddly mottled photos—bad lighting plus cell phone camera zoomed in, and here's the results. I think I'm in a good place heading into the weekend.

[ApexSpeed]

I did some detail work today and painted some interior pieces. I got impatient and really wanted to see the fit and assembly of the interior, boy and drivetrain, so I did a test fit. Everything is looking pretty good and aligned, with the exception of my fan blade which got knocked off (again). Everything looks really good, and I'm really happy so far. Tonight, some foil work, which will be the firt time I have worked with foil since I did half of the outer trim 10 years ago. LOL.

Feeling good about where it's at right now...

[IMPALA SS 427]

Very Sharp looking build, I Love the vinyl top.

[jaydar]

Great build. I applaud your effort to correct issues as they arise. Mom always said if you are going to take the time to do it, do it the best you can...

Joe.

[Randytheroadrunner]

Give that alternator a black wash.

[ApexSpeed]

Give that alternator a black wash.

Oh, already one step ahead. I still don't have the touch I would like with the black washes on engines--sometimes it just makes it look dirty, sometimes, it looks like I haven't done anything to it at all. It has gotten final touch-ups and a better wash on it. The interior is on the plate for tonight, if I ever actually get home and don't have 3' of snow to shovel. Might have to wait for another day...

[OldTimer50707]

Welcome to Iowa

[slusher]

Engine and body looks great on this project...