My Dads 1968 Dodge Dart NEW Progress 2-19-2017

Hi John,
I always appreciate all your work on the engines. Detailing the work is super clean and gives a very real effect. Again, congratulations and strongly following assembly.

Thanks Fred!!! Much appreciated, been going as much as I can. been re-doing my last casting session due to finding I had some resin not molding right, (was old) so. the whole lot I did last was junk and had to replace the resin with new material.

This is the problem with old materials, that's why it's best to buy in small packages, sure the price is more expensive but it avoids that kind of worries. Don't worry it will go!

-Thats just it, I had the smallest packages I could in fear of that BUT it was only thee last pour I did and now, its all gone! I simply didn't use it up fast enough, so.... BUT thats OK I didn't loose much MAYBE 30 pieces..... Set me back in time a little but thats it, I really didn't loose all that much, MAYBE 2 ounces worth, (while still liquid) so....

I haven't got a lot on this build to update, but some.... I been cleaning up out around the house and all plus getting ready for a upcoming model car show I want to attend, and have some fun at so. The "cleaning" up a bit around the house paid off, literally, I made some extra cash by turning in some scrap metal I had collected up so been busy a bit doing that to have it for the show!
So anyway, what I got done on this build was those engine detail issues I pointed out that it needed. The Alternator replaced with one that looked much more like a "Mopar" looking one, all done up, was chrome and then I added the "copper" wiring and then let to dry, and dullcoated the whole sha-bang to look the part like cast aluminum. Once that was dry, I added the red & blue wires to it, and let that glue cure (this step takes a little for the glue to cure real good as once its in-place on the engine, it will be difficult to add the wires, one, and two, if they fall off once in-place, is difficult to then add them! SO I leave it alone at least over night before any handling! SO, with that, that part is now on the engine!

Looking at the engine over-all it looks real good. I also touched up the Mopar Engine red on the front nearest the water pump where the heater hoses go into the water pump, because I had to drill where they were AFTER the engine had already been painted! BUT turned out good too! I also repainted the pulley that goes to the power steering pump too (I had originally painted it red (was gonna make it match the engine) so. just thought that making it "right" was necessary!

I also went on to paint that bare plastic power steering pump fill cap! Thing was just an eye sore! SO, I went on to paint it flat black as the pump itself, was made gloss black, just like the real ones! I ALSO, "drilled" the power steering pump for adding the power steering lines from the pump to the gear box, that will be on the frame! -Ya all know me, gotta stuff in as much detail as I can!

Then once all was in-place, and the touch up paint was dry, I began getting the wiring fished to where it belongs, thats on or to the engine or components of the engine, seen here, that blue wire coming off the Alternator going past the coil to look as tho its a "feed", then will continue into the firewall once the engine is in-place in the frame! Wire, however left "long" to be trimmed and then used elsewhere on the model in the engine compartment! -MAY wind up a horn wire to "wire in" the horn, not sure yet as there is a little wire work needing done on just the firewall as it sits!
Thats it for now everyone, thanks for following along! Stay tuned more to come as things get done! As always comments always welcome, ENJOY!

Great job on engine ! !top class

jolie ton moteur

 Gigi, c'est quand que tu nous présente ta miura? elle est belle

Thanks guys! I tell ya, it wasn't easy to get this engine up to par with the rest of my engines details..... As this model was started before I got so deep into the details of them so... I had a lot of it right, I just had to add all the wire to it, after it was built, not adding the wire while being built makes a severe difference in difficulty of assembly! BUT, I got it there.... with a little work!

A very short Update on this build of mine..... I've been really concentrating on another build, currently. So.... With that, between times, I been doing a little on whatever is sitting around to keep busy!
Getting the underside of the hood "right" with the hood insulation, was something that needed attention and work sop I got all of that done!

Gray insulation it is! I had to go and dullcoat it to make the color flat so that it looked like of insulation! Looks pretty good altho the raised edges look unpainted from the flash of the clear coat that is making the edge shine so.... BUT outside of that looks pretty good! I will be next adding the final coat of Clear coat to the top side of the hood!
Like I said, not much of an update, but still moving forward.... Thanks for following along, ENJOY!

A little bit of an update on this model (I had pics I didn't post, and had totally forgotten on another Camera SD card!) Anyway, since my last update, I'm getting things together as far as detail for the engine compartment, and well, the firewall is in REAL need to bring, or continue bringing it up to par with the rest of my model builds for the level of detail I cram into them! SO, with that said, I got to looking, and one thing I have yet to do is get the triple valve ready on the frame, to put the brake lines to it from the Master Cylinder.... SO, I went on to make the brake lines and fittings from the master cylinder....

Made of copper wire, as you can see, but will be painted aluminum silver by Testors to look like unpolished aluminum pipe! The green parts? Those are my fittings, they will be painted Testors "brass" when I get the silver on the pipes, first!
I sat this aside, to cure, and got to finishing up the "Power Bulge" hood! It needed a finish coat of gloss clear....

Looks pretty good! I tell you guys getting pics that are "good" with metal flake in the paint is VERY difficult! It looks like dust specs on the hood and there may be a little, but not nearly as much as it shows!

Looks really good! Then, once the clear coat was dry to be handled I got right to adding the Power Bulge chrome parts (I'm unsure what those are even called!)

NICE!!!! Those were a tad interesting to get in-place, but I managed to do it without anything going badly wrong!

That looks really good! I have a little detail to the hood yet to add, but thats coming, I have that chrome hood edge to put onto the hood, and then the hood hinge parts.... (That I have yet to paint!) And it'll be complete and ready to go onto the car! -This hood however, isn't the hood that will be seen with the car a lot, that stock "flat hood" is what Dad's Dart had, so thats the builds true (hood) BUT, I did the Power Bulge hood, just to do a different look, on the same car, for the car to be ever-so-slightly changed without a lot of trouble doing so.......
Thats it for now! Stay tuned MORE will come for those who are following along on this build! Thanks for looking, as always Comments welcome ENJOY!

nice job on the master cylinder and the hood

Thanks Fred! I had those pics floating around and well, just found them and thought I'd get them posted..... This model has sit awhile so.....

BTW, I love your Avatar, thats too funny!

So its been a couple months since I last "visited" this model. Its sadly been sitting and waiting for work to be done to make it closer to being finished. So with that, while waiting on other parts to dry & cure on another build, this one was "out" and I thought, I'd proceed on getting more done to it! So, where to begin? WELL.... -Last thing I did to this model was get the Power Bulge hood almost done! (I had yet to add that chrome strip, that goes on the lower edge of that hood, that fills in on the grille when the hood is closed, I got that added (Have yet to get pics of this done!) But the frame? The engine? There was a little to be done to this area..... Motor was NOT in the frame, the frame needed some added paint work, and some minor details added, BEFORE the engine could go in-place!
So with that, I got to painting some of the frame details....

That looks GREAT! (I may yet, add some dullcoat to the cast-iron color to make it not so shiny!) We'll see.....

Up-side-down sort of.... I painted all the suspension and steering parts, as well as the front stabilizer bar, and even the front torsion bars.... (I liked how that looked on another model I did it too and I think that part might become a regular practice on my models now!!!! It looks GREAT! I sat that aside, and seen that the firewall had not a lot done to it other then the parts you all seen last, some of those details needed painted in-place, as well as some of the wiring started to be put in-place as well!

Got right to it! I added the wire from the blower motor to the side of the heater hose entrance. (seen that in an online pic, as well as added the wiper motor wire too! Painted the fittings on the brake lines off the Master Cylinder and now, I have to see what else needs added as I have also drilled a bunch of holes in that electrical connection right under the wiper motor!
Stay tuned, more to follow after these short messages for our sponsors!

So I sat the Firewall aside, to then check on the paint work done to the suspension and all. ALL dry! SO then, off to checking the engine to see if it needed anything "more" added BEFORE it went into place in the frame! I had to drill the holes in the power Steering pump to add that pipe work and hoses, as well as re-adjust the mounting as it was slightly to far "forward" and would not allow the radiator to fit properly!!!! I got that addressed, and taken care of, and right to mounting the engine in-place between the frame rails where it belongs!!!!!

That looks really good sitting in-place to STAY!

Other side.... Its sure coming together! -A LOT of wire details hanging everywhere it seems! LOL Just like a real one!

PERFECT front view to show the area needed for the Radiator, Core Support to "fit"!

All seems GREAT from underneath too! I'm so glad this fits in-place so well. could have been a lot of work! Remember, this kit? Was to have a 426 Hemi in it, OR a 440 Magnum in it! My Dad's car, had a little ole LA 318 in it! So I used one of my own resin castings to make this engine happen and make the car look good with all the details of the wire I've added! NOT as much going on as some of my normal builds, but enough!!!!
I had sit this all aside to dry and cure so that the engine was in-place to stay, and worked on some other areas of this model, so that things could get done to it and be ready to put in-place when I need them! BUT you'll see that work in a bit! Once that work was done and needed to dry (paint work) I went right back to fitting the engine with a drive shaft! I took the stock one, cut it in half, and then chucked it up in the Unimat lathe, to turn the "barrel" down to fit inside of a Aluminum tube, to have some "true round" drive shaft. The real ones, had a slight joint for the suspension to work and I turned the drive shaft to reflect this! One end, has the U-Joint, right to the drive shaft barrel, and the other end has a smaller barrel to look like that slip-joint in front of the U-Joint before it connects to the rear differential! This is what that looks like unpainted:

It WILL be painted, in-place! The U-Joints are NOT glued on either end! That will allow me to "spin" it in-place while painting it. I once done being painted will glue BOTH ends!
Now, to show what I was working on, just prior to adding the engine and the drive shaft.... I was kinda being "chicken" on whats to come.... REALLY I was afraid I'd ruin it, but As you'll all see, I think I done well! Adding the "Black Shadowing" to the grille! There sure is A LOT going on in just the details on that part, OMG.... Yeah it was sort of hairy to do.... BUT, I think it turned out well, you guys tell me what ya think:

Thats it with my camera's flash.....

Thats it without my camera's flash....
What you all think? Yeah it was hairy part to do, but I think its done well..... Took a couple hours to get exactly what you see!
Thats it for now on this one! More to come as things happen and are done! As always comments welcome, ENJOY!