My Dads 1968 Dodge Dart "270" NEW Progress 1-15-2017

[Deleted]

Yes guys, I know, ONE MORE Model in Limbo! (However I have done a little work to this one in the past few months!)

My Dad had a real car like this, that I remember seeing, NOT, it got traded off, (A whole OTHER story), but I got a picture of the real car and thought I'd model it, just because, well it was my Dad's, and its a Mopar....

The real car, however had a 318 in it. With that, I went the route to use the small block that came with the Little Red Wagon as that is a 273, and the 318 was built off the same block and so, used it, BUT I'm rethinking it, as the 273, really, had a look all of its own, even tho, the block was the same except for inside bore. So I thought why not? Sadly, I found out "why not"? It looks really nothing like a "318" on the outside so....

Anyway, I got the frame ready for the motor (thought I had the motor done) but thats all gonna change!

BUT, heres some pictures of the start:





This ----^

Is the model of the 273, I was going to use as a "318" but have since, changed my mind....I "souped" it up a bit by adding a 2X4 intake to have 2, four barrels on it. BUT that too, was never done EVEN THO I had found the intake at my Dads shop so....(Needless to say, he spoke of it, but it never got done and he had traded off the car anyway....My guess was that if he kept the car, he would have added that to it, BUT, it never happened, partially because the intake may have been in a place he wasn't able to either find it quickly, or simply didn't know where it was! (I've found these same intakes are a bit pricey too!) Specially for the Mopar "LA" 318!



This green is a 2 part coating, I used a Testors Flat Beret Green base/primer to allow it to dry, wet sanded lightly, to then add a color coat of Testors Model Masters Gloss Bristish Green Metallic, This color was wet sanded as well, and between each coat it was wet sanded to equal 3 coats the last coat looks GREAT!

I think so far, it turned out pretty well! NOW, I need to figure out the engine and get that sorted as the frame is just about done and ready for the engine!

More to come as I progress!

As always, Comments Welcome! ENJOY!

[Deleted]

Well guys, a bit of a "typed" update.....
I spoke of the engine, thats seen here. its a Mopar "LA" 273, V-8, the "LA" means "Light A", meaning the "A" engines were heavy, and they were they were known as Poly-Head, which is the Hemi with a twist in the combustion chamber, but anyway thats a story for another time! The A engines came first, and they were heavy due to their design, the LA followed small block followed to replace the heavy small blocks, and to that the 273 was thee smallest "LA" engine made, The block however was the base to Mopar's famous "318" BUT it had slightly bigger heads and completely different valve covers. So the "look" of the engines were in fact different! The 273 however, was expensive to get performance parts for it, SO a lot of times was pulled out and a 318 went in place, as they were pretty much the same size on the outside just designed differently on the inside! But it would have been much easier to get a 4 barrel intake for the 318 and a bunch less costly then to do the same for the 273....So, with that all said, My Dad's '68 Dart, being what it was, had a Mopar "LA" 318 in it. WHEN I bought the model ALL I had to use for the 318 is whats seen in my above postings, which came from the Lindberg A100 kit thats to be the Little Red WEagon model, NOW on other hand, I got a few molds made and casting my own details for engines and complete engines, so, with that said, have a look and compare...

This ---^
Thats a Mopar "LA" 273....
THEN:

That ---^
Is a true Mopar "LA" 318!!!! This Blue one however, is my own casting! Which can also be used for not only the blue Mopar "LA" 318, BUT the older version that was red, as the 273....Which dates the blue one to be 1970 to the present 1980-81. The red motors were prior to 1970.....SO a 1968 318, would have been Chrysler Engine Red! Or "Mopar Red".... This Blue one is to another model I'm building. NOT this '68 Dart, I pictured it so that the 2 engines the original one I used being a Mopar LA 273, and a Mopar LA 318 could be seen for the differences between the 2.
Now me being my Dads son, and knowing him quite well, I would say that if he added the dual 4 barrel carburetor intake to the 318, he would have also added his "signature" CHROME valve covers, and air cleaner as a "dress up" to the engine.
So that being said, I will take another set of my castings and rebuild a red 318 to replace the 273, and have the chrome as my Dad would have seen it to be done on his car, BUT as I said, the intake I found the real one, and I know there were numerous 318 valve covers around his shop including aluminum ones as well as chrome plated ones.....
And now a bit more info on the "Mopar Blue" engine seen above.....
This motor, as seen could be used as the 273, with the heads and valve covers changed to those seen on the red engine, the blocks would have been the same! Then as you know now, the 318, with the blue engines heads and valve covers, As well as the Mopar "LA" 340, and the Mopar "LA" 360......They ALL looked alike on the outside....SO that one casting, can be used 3 ways and all 3 ways can be customized, with chrome parts, and such to accent the "look" from one build to the other...
So with that said, this model is being built as a replica to the car my Dad actually had, and why I'm so adamant on making it look as it should to the real car. I have a picture of the car, BUT its a Polaroid picture, so its not online or on the computer... and really, its not all that great of a pic, its been folded once, and has a rip in the picture in almost the center of it so.....Just above the car.
MORE to come as I get the new engine made to take the place of the red one seen here!

[Deleted]

OK a bit of an update...... I got my '57 300 DONE so now its time to pull out ALL those models I "was" one time working on! So this one is the latest.... I had the parts out for a small block Mopar LA engine, so with that, I got to assembling one to make it a "318" as it should be......As really, the 273 I used from the Little Red Wagon "Stock" motor just did NOT look like a 318.....I really am a sucker for details so, if it doesn't look "just-so" to me, yepper, I yank it and start over.....
So without further waiting, here is whats happening on this one!

Motor on the right WAS the one I made for it originally......
Motero n the left, is the NEW Mopar LA 318 that will go in its place under the hood!
Notice, the left hand motor has a single plane intake... thats how the real car was after talking with my Step-Mom, and finding out Dad did have a dual carburetor intake, BUT it never made it onto the engine of this car.....He kept the intake as about the time of this car, he owned 4 Mopar vehicles, ALL having the Mopar "LA" small Block 318 in them! (Was said he was going to use it on his truck that had a 318 in it.....

another shot. showing that the valve covers are in fact, missing....... they were replaced as the originals were Mopar Engine Red, and my Dad, being my Dad did actually change them, to chrome the same day he bought the car! SO, they are setting waiting to be "chromed"....

Final shot for now, showing the original engine was going ot have "Headers" ANOTHER thing my Dad spoke of and did not see done so, with that the 318 that is to replace the one I built originally, will have exhaust manifolds, NOT headers......
Thats all for now folks.....More to follow as things happen, I'm re-setting the frame to except the new engine so..... The mounts need a slight tweaking in order to make it fit and set properly in the car......

[Deleted]

So with this going and was setting like it was neglected for so long.....I thought while I was at it, I'd continue on with the "new" engine.....
SO, I began "detailing" that poor ole Mopar 318, it looked naked for a bit.....
I took and got the Mechanical Fuel Pump in place (was a missing detail on the molded engine of mine) SO got that did, and continued to add details, you'll see its got a Carter AFB Carburetor, and the supply line to it with a filter.

In this picture you can also see peaking around the corner is the carburetor return spring and some linkage that I done!

Other side, you look closely you can see the carb linkage I did as well as this engine got its correct exhaust manifolds as well! BOTH sides!
In the very front of the engine, notice that little section of black hose? THIS was on ALL Mopar small blocks! The "LA" series engines, meaning the 273, 318, 340, and the 360! This little hose, connects the water pump with the intake to have a thermostat under the radiator hose! ONE of some such details I have yet to see any one company make on there models even if its a "cast-in" detail! Me being me, and a stickler for details, well I just HAD to have it on the engine! This particular detail of mine was made with a short section of 1/16th inch "leather" necklace jewelry craft cord from Micheal's Craft Stores......Looks GREAT as a "hose", and its cheap! Like $2 for about 10 feet or 15 feet of the stuff! I use it for ALL my "small" diameter hose details!

NOW the engine is starting to take shape! My own small block Mopar castings on the valve covers that I myself "chromed" with Alclad chrome......You look and see that little black hose again, coming from the center of the valve cover? That is the PCV valve hose it leads to the back of the carburetor to try and use ALL "blow-by" that gets past the piston rings to aid a better emission rating! This detail is that same necklace leather cord I mentioned above!
Also you can see the wire looms that are mounted to the valve covers. They are like this in real life as well!

GREAT side shot, showing the exhaust manifold and all the detail on this side of the engine currently.

Same thing opposite side. Notice that the 2 exhaust manifolds are different? They are such as they had to get the exhaust pipe down away from the head, but not to close the starter, and if the car going in it, had power steering this made the exhaust a bit difficult to run....SO, they made the manifold reflect that issue! This Dart WILL have power steering!

NICE bright shot......Who said Alclad couldn't be made to look like an actual "plating" I think it looks GREAT on my Resin castings personally!
And for the record, this WHOLE engine, to date is MY CASTING! The block, transmission, both heads, intake, both valve covers, oil pan, timing chain cover and water pump, and the carburetor, the only parts NOT my work are the exhaust manifolds.....They are some difficult to make a mold for that casts correctly every time!
Well thats all for now folks, more to be posted when more happens! ENJOY!

[Deleted]

So, a little more for an update on this one......Coming along nicely I must say!

The frame, showing some details added, fuel lines supply and return, single exhaust, and rear brake line as well as rear and front suspension and detailed up nicely!

A better rear of frame shot....showing a bit more details! The exhaust you see, is all made by me and used factory muffler, the pipe is custom bent per the models parts. BUT because this car my Dad owned was powered by a Mopar 318, and had single exhaust, I had to make and still have to make the pipe to be under the car as its all done custom per how the real car was!

Close up of the fuel tank, piping to it. Rearend, and brake line detail as well as a close shot of the exhaust pipe work I done.....
More to come as I'm able, I'm trying to get the engine in the frame so I can finish up the frame on this car as its REAL CLOSE to being done!

[Deleted]

-Sadly, a short update, this model has been put on hold..... it some how managed to get on the floor and one of 2 people stepped on the shell with the hood "setting" in place so..... only the body tho and hood as the frame and all were in the kits box and safe. So, I'm now on a hunt for a shell to do all over again!
So till one is gotten, this kit is on hold!

[Deleted]

Boy has it been awhile since I laid fingers on this model! I had thought I had everything ready to go for assembly, but turns out, I had sit the whole kit aside, after the first body got destroyed, and I know its been over a year since I even laid eyes on this kit never mind touched the thing! SO, while other kits parts were drying, I was left a sitting duck! What was I gonna work on? WELL, I had thought I'd do some chrome work on the grille to this kit, (adding the flat back to the grill to get the effect that it can be seen through. WELL upon opening the box to it, I noticed the whole interior had yet to be worked on never mind any thing else! Not even painted! SO, going through the parts, seeing what was there for parts to the interior, I thought I'd go on to getting some paint on them, the car itself, in real life (as I have mentioned, my Dad owned one, and thought, why not model it? Even tho it was a car he did not have very long! But that too, a year or so, of owning it, and the whole family in an uproar the day he sold it, well its worth modeling!
I know of this car, I never rode in it..... BUT, I have but one picture of the actual car that was taken some time ago.....
From that single picture, I can see that the interior was Dodge's standard "tan" interior....... As I can see the top of the seats! This is all I know of this car, and what it needs for detailing the kit. So off I went to my trusty ole Air Brush, mix up some paint and let 'er rip, and get some color on those unpainted plastic parts!!!!


I had removed the parts to the seats to glue them together file the seam where they went together and then held them with "alligator clips" on sticks to paint them..... All in a couple light coats of Testors "Sand Tan".. that will get a dull over coat of "Matte" to flatten the shine!

I even went a head and painted the "Console" part on the floor pan tunnel.... I left the floor boards mostly bare, as I have a carpet trick I need to pull off, NOT requiring the use of my Air Brush to make it happen!

Door panels look GREAT! LOTS of visual details that need some enhancing outside of the base color!

Front seats look great!!!! Again, a little detail might be added to them, the lever that lowers the back on each "outside" rear corner, (the seats themselves have recesses in them for detailing! STOCK right out of the box! SO, I may have to see how far I can get detailing the seats as thats one detail you hardly ever see, never mind someone doing it! (I'm just this side of crazy to attempt it!) LOL All depends on how much space is from the seats edge to the door panel if I do add it! We'll see on that one!
All of that tan "shine" will disappear before long, as soon as I am able to hit it with some clear Matte finish! THEN detailing things will begin!
I know its been a L-O-N-G time since I've worked on this kit, Nice to see things "happening" on it once again! Thanks for looking, Comments welcome, ENJOY!

[Deleted]

So after the nice tan paint I sprayed dried, over-night, I went right on to pull off a Carpet Trick.... BUT before I could do that, I had some taping to do to make it all work out!

The tape, was needed as you'll see! I added it alone each side, to keep paint OFF the edge where the door panels will be glued into place, as well as paint OFF the driver-s side floor mat, as well as any "other" paint off the center console, and the front, base of the back seat!

From the back looking to the front, to show that ALL of these surfaces to be protected were taped off.....

From the passenger side front, looking at this tape work, it almost looks to perfect (I'm good with that!)
I also added some seat mounts to the floor boards, to slightly "raise" the seats up off the floor to look as tho they have seat mounts, (like a real car, where you find all that loose change!) LOL -Theres a REASON I done this! Besides the detail factor!
Then.........
Once all this was taped off, I had to take the same color I Air Brushed onto the rear seat and the center console, and rear window shelf, and BRUSHED it on, on the floor boards, HEAVILY.... What I'm doing here, you do NOT want to spare the paint, lay it on THICK, as you'll see why!

INSTANT "Carpet"!!!!

NICE clean lines..... To bad my Truck doesn't have carpet this clean LOL

Notice the Driver's side floor mat is unpainted, and has NO carpet on it? I plan to paint that Semi-Gloss Black once this is all dry!

This all looks GREAT! Will look even better all said and done (I never said I was "good" at interiors, and really, I don't think I am. but this is showing me, that I can do them pretty good! I'm pleased with the colors and how they come together!
NOW, the carpet? Thats Embossing Powder, thats NOT heated to stick, the paint I laid on thick and heavy is the glue! It gives the Embossing Powder a colored base, and adheres it to the model, you literally DUMP the Embossing Powder on top of the wet paint, lightly press down on top of the pile everywhere you can, and simply shake off the loose onto a sheet of paper.... Then fold the paper and pour it back into the container which you took it from!
A lot of guys use Ken's Fuzzy Fur, but to me "stock" OEM carpet isn't "fuzzy"..... Others like using "Flocking", which if you want "fuzzy" furry texture, thats how to get it, but as I said, I don't think stock OEM carpet looked anywhere near or felt "fuzzy". The Embossing Powder looks the best for this sort of thing!
NOW the funny part of this? The interior of this car, is scented! LOL The Embossing Powder I used was a clearance item a while ago at Micheal's, and it scented. even when used as its originally supposed to be, smells like "Root Beer" which is kinda funny, that was my Dad's favorite soda!
Thats it for now, on this one, Back to my other "current" build, only working on this one right now to pass time and get a little done on it!
As always comments welcome, ENJOY!

[Deleted]

So a little more on this build. I got to looking closely at the picture of the car, and turns out, (What I didn't notice on Dad's Car before!) It has a completely FLAT hood! SO looking through the kits parts, it came with 2 hoods which is GREAT! Because one hood, has the "Power Bulges" in it. And the other was made for the BIG Hemi Hood Scoop! WELL, having said that, the "Power Bulge" hood I WILL be making it to match the car! (just to give the single one car, 2 slightly different looks, BUT, the way Dad's Dart was, with a flat hood, I took the Hemi Hood, and made a flat plate to sit firmly into the area in which the Hood Scoop was to mount! -This, gave me the hood in which the car is rightfully to have! I got the "top" of the hood, all nice and smooth....

Looks great in primer and smooth as tho the "hole" for the scoop wasn't even there!

Not EVEN a "line" for where the plastic sheet I cut to fit is! Unless you had looked underneath of the hood, you could not even tell there was a hole there! AND to top it all off, this primer I used? Isn't "High-Build" filler primer! Its random Wal-Mart "Color Place" gray primer! -I'd say the body work here was done PERFECTLY for this!
Here:

You see the beginning of removal of the "lip" that the hood scoop was to glue too! I took my Dremel, and cut off with a cutter bit, to remove the lip, and then used Super Glue and Baking Soda to fill in any lines that were there..


These 2 pics show a little "depth" and some more needed work to flatten out, and smooth out the joints in the hoods plastic to the sheet styrene I used to fill in the hole! As of this last update to the build this side of the hood sits with its 3rd coat of that same "Color Place" primer! I'll wet sand this out once able (when dry) and see where its at as far as "finish" goes....
Once this is all done, I'll begin the painting of its first coat of Dark Green Metallic..... BUT that is a little while away before that begins!
This is it for now, MORE will follow as things happen! As always comments welcome!~ ~Enjoy!

[Deleted]

So in my last update, I was working the plastic on the flat hood, and speaking of use on the Power Bulge hood.... WELL, with my last coat of primer, the hood looked really good for the under-side of it! SO, I went on to hit it with Duplicolor Dark Green Metallic....

Not to bad! I see a little in the way of lines on the under-side that did not show in the primer, BUT thats OK, I can "live" with a little discrepancy on it.... Its not going to be perfect as the real car wasn't perfect so. As long as the top-side looks as smooth as glass, I'm OK with that!
I then carried on to do the same to the under-side of the "Power Bulge" hood....

Sprayed both under-sides VIA rattle can right from Duplicolor, and it looks GREAT! I have clear coated both of these right now drying as I type this. Once both are dry, I'll work on what little needs done to the top-side of the flat hood, and get it ready for Dark Green Metallic paint and then the under-side of the Power Bulge hood, will get the treatment of the hood insulation, once I'm happy with the clear coat on it. THEN, it will be off to the top-side of that hood!
Thanks for looking, More to follow!

[Deleted]

So to keep going, I sat the hoods aside to cure before making any sort og judgement on them and where to go next with them till they were fully dry & cure. SO, I picked up the interior and got to looking after painting the Sand Tan for the base color to all the interior parts, and the first part that needed MORE was the dash! Looking at pictures of a '68 & a '69 dash of the same color they closely look similar, and it turns out, the dash with the kit? resembles the '69 dash WAY more then the '68 dash in the picture I had! So, I followed the '69 dash or what was listed as the '69 dash as it looks darn near identical to the models, kit-supplied part!
Seeing how things were, I went on to paint that center section semi-gloss black. Let to dry, and looked at the door panels to the kits interior, to see what was in-store for me there.... From what I can see, from pictures online, and what the parts actually look like There wasn't much for "other" differing colors then that of the base color in the more basic Darts of the 1968 model year, UNLESS you ordered special, OR got a "loaded" optioned car! My Dad's car for what I know of it, from other family members said it wasn't heavily optioned that they know of, SO, I'm going with the more basic look of things interior-wise. SO, having said that, besides the black area in the dash, the door panels were pretty simply! A chrome strip that lead from doors edge, all the way to the back seat in the car! Simple enough BMF it! Chrome window winders, and chrome ash tray lids as well as chrome door latch (inside), and chrome door lock pins.
So with that, I got to looking to see what I may have had left-over BMF from past builds to try and use up as much of it as I could. (I try to use existing materials cause I'm CHEAP) Nahhhh it simply is difficult for me to get so..... LOL
Anyway, I got to working on the dash after the semi-gloss black was dry:


Yeah I laid it right on there! This is un-trimmed BMF! I took what I had in strips, and simply cut, with scissors down the length and then applied. I wasn't sure how it was going to lay out on the dash, and how much of that trim was going to show, nor how even wide it was going to need to be! BUT, it used up scraps of it that I had and not a whole lot of waist, a little BUT used up just about ALL of what scraps of BMF I had between the dash and door panels!


That same BMF trim all trimmed out and looks GREAT even tho it is in fact pieces I spliced together and then burnished down with a broken paint brush handle that has a soft taper on its end, no to "rip or tear the thin aluminum foil tape! Then once burnished down, lightly polished with a 100% cotton Q-Tip, for the shine! -I have yet to add the gauges and such which happen to be a decal on this build! They will be the next things I add to the dash! I will then do a little painting detail, on the dash, knobs etc..... The glove box will get the chrome head of a straight pin to look the part!
Then with those same BMF strips left-overs, I went right to adding that horizontal trim to the door panels!


Again, same thing! The BMF is spliced together as I went down the length.... Turns out, the way I originally cut the strips, was PERFECT to fit both the dash and the door panels! Very little trimming was needed on the door panels, The dash trim was a bit more narrow! But thats OK, was all scraps from at least 2 previous builds!
Thanks for looking more to come right after these short MOPAR messages...... Thanks for looking!

[Deleted]

So once the dash and door panels had been sit aside I went right to seeing what the interior tub needed. The console top was needing finished, as far as if it got the wood grain effect, OR painted to match the dash, I choose to paint it to match the dash. As that would have been a basic part of the interior, unlike the wood grain "looks" I think was offered as an option, OR part of one, and in the more luxurious models of the same car. Dad's car however was pretty much a "Plain-Jane" in that way! I painted the wood grain area semi-gloss black, and left the chrome shine! Once painted, in-place it went, and glued to stay! I have yet to add the gear shift to the console, as was said to be a Automatic, on the floor (I'm not 100% sure of that) BUT, I went with it. As the car did not have a real kit-option to make auto on the tree, with the center console missing! -Which when I'm at that point, I'll be adding the gear shift to the enter console!

The front seats in-place as well!


I look at the pics and see a paint issue, the color! The front bucket seats are the exact same color as the center console as well as the rear bench seat. in the pic one time the rear seats look darker then the other, and then in another pic, the front seats look darker in that pic.... I think lighting and positioning are playing games as in-person, it all looks the same!
-Notice the seats sit just a skoosh higher then stock kit assembly? Those blocks I added raised them, just a little to look as tho they have seat mounts under then, WHICH adds yet another detailing possibility! I MAY add something as tho it slide out from under the seat, what that might be, I have yet to choose to what it be! LOL Who knows with me!
Thats it for the interior till more is done! Thanks for looking Comments welcome ~ENJOY!

[Deleted]

Sat the interior aside, to dry, and to keep from things moving on me while glue dries.... I picked up the engine, and WOW, did it need some attention! Transmission needed painted, as well as the trany pan, and some details totally skipped over... For instance, starter wires and Alternator wiring.... These WILL be added! BUT I thought while I had the detailing painting going on, I may as well get 'er did!

Passenger-side view....

Drivers-side view....


Rear view....
Whole engine, block, oil pan, heads, valve covers, intake, timing chain cover, water pump, are of my casting! The transmission as well is my casting too! Thee only parts NOT my resin work, is BOTH exhaust manifolds, belts & pulleys, alternator, power steering pump, fan, & carburetor, are all glue bomb parts I had when I was building the engine to replace that 273 lookin' 318 in the beginning! The block was painted correctly for a LA 318 of the '68 model year, the transmission is painted with a mixture of paint I custom mix to look like raw Cast Iron, with a "steel" trany pan, thats Testors Steel. The valve covers? Testors Gloss black over-coated with Alclad 107 Chrome, and lightly polished, Carburetor is painted Testors Aluminum, and left alone!
All looks pretty good! The engine sits and awaits the mounting of its air cleaner.... that is painted painted gloss black as well!
This is it for now! Enjoy! More will follow as things get completed or while being completed! As always, Comments welcome!

[Deleted]

With my last update, I was working on thinking things out on the engine, that I failed to add in the very beginning! This happens as that was one of my first when I came back into the hobby! SO, to keep on keepin' on, I sat it aside, all in the while thinking how I was now going to achieve this or that in the detail additions that the engine was lacking, at the same time, picking up on the interior, and getting somewhere besides in thought....
As you all that are following along have read, I had lastly added the chrome trim BMF to the door panels, BUT had much more to go! So, grabbing that parts sprue, and looking to see what my next task was going to be, WELL it needed painted! BUT I wanted to add some details to it before-hand. Meaning, I had some holes to drill..... The holes that a "chrome-like" straight pin was to slip through! These holes would be drilled in the cast-on detail of the door panel for the window winder knobs! The head of the straight pin to act as that "knob".... So, got them drilled rather quickly, and then went right to painting! Got all the window winders painted Testors "Chrome", as well as the door latch handles, and the ash tray lids! While the chrome paint was open, I went to painting the lever for the turn signal on the steering column, as well as the details on the dash! Knobs, and such. I had drilled a hole for the glove box door as well to insert a slightly smaller straight pin into to look as that "bulge in the door itself, to not have to paint it.... Sat the dash aside for a short time, and got pics of the door panels!


Looks dang good to me!
Then while that all sat a little, to dry more, I got out the Sand Tan again, and did a little brush painting, starting with the steering wheel! Got it did, and then right on to the chrome silver again, to the metal part inner "rim" of it, and then finished it off with semi-gloss black around the "handle" part of the steering wheel, and then got the horn also painted as well as the knob on the end of the turn signal lever.

Not to shabby over-all!

To show a little depth to the work I did....
Then was able to do a bit more to the dash at that time, to leave that door panel sprue set awhile to dry, I went right ahead and began adding the decal to the dash for the instrument cluster.....


Not bad! not bad at all! I'm pretty pleased with the dash as-is, I may go back in a day (to allow the decals to dry and cure) and add some clear epoxy to "seal" the decal to the dash.... and look like a glass type covering to it!
Once that was all done, I was able to move right into getting the interior door panels in-place. Passenger side first!

Noticed something taking that picture! I didn't paint the gear shift knob! Semi-Gloss Black as everything else as "trim" color, BESIDES "Chrome".... -Also noticed I have not got the automatic P, N, R, D, 1, 2 decal on the console while I was painting the shift knob, so got that taken care of too!


All in all that interior succeeds what my expectations were of it! I'm VERY happy with its out come as well as surprising myself and what I can do when I think it through just a little on what I want to achieve, (I never thought I was "all that" on doing interior work, I guess, I'm proving to myself something different as this looks GREAT!)
Thats in for now more to come as I get things done, comments welcome, ENJOY!

[Deleted]

A short & sweet update on this build, as you all have read, I been working on the under-side of 2 hoods, and well, got one done for the under-side of it, and it got clear coated, and is drying. The other one, needed the same, clear coat, BUT because of its nature and what detail the under-side entails, it need some more paint work to show details. The stock "Power Bulge" hood that is, it needed the hood insulation painted in those areas.... I chose a dark color gray insulation this time....

It looks like crap right now..... As thats the first coating of the color, it will get a 2nd coat, and then allowed to dry good, and then taped off, and just that color will be dullcoated to unify its appearance. -Then it be off to the top-side of the hood and get some nice Dark Green Metallic on it!
I then took the firewall down and had a look at the detail it had on it, cast-in, and what needed painted to show up a tad better, and then seen the nice bright chrome wiper motor, got it dullcoated to look like aluminum, and painted the electric motor to it semi-gloss black. I also painted the heater blower motor flat black, and touched a little silver to the electrical contacts under the wiper motor....

Doesn't look to bad! I WILL be however adding some more to it, then whats seen here, I have yet to add the brakes Master Cylinder, and possibly a booster, (We'll see) as well as other things that you'll see in all my builds....
Thats all for now! More to come as more is done or being done! Comments always welcome! ENJOY

[Deleted]

So with all going well, I got right to adding all the parts to the interior after being painted and coated with Semi-Gloss Clear. The dash is looking really good! I like how all of this so far has come out!

Dash looks great, steering wheel came out nicely painted, lets just say I'm surprised at myself! I never claimed to be "good" at interiors, and well, this one shows that I'm my own worst judge....

Nicely done! Even the back looks GREAT!

From back to front... Looks really good! That console looks great as I did it.

Showing the back seat detail on the sides, that all looks great!


Some extra's....
The only part left to add to this interior is the fuel pedal and the brake pedal as well as the emergency brake pedal, and this interior will be completed! Then its off to working on finishing up the frame! (I have a little yet to do to it), adding the engine and some more detail to the engine before it goes in so I'm a little ways off yet, but the end is coming!
Thanks for looking, and following along, comments welcome, ENJOY!

[Deleted]

So a little has been done to this build, I got the pedals added to the interior, as well as making them the part they should be (stock kit-ox model gave 3 pedals to be accelerator, brake and clutch pedals.... Dad's Dart, was an automatic, so I made the pedal line to suit, accelerator, brake and a emergency brake pedals.... All spaced accordingly....
Then while that sat to dry, (was a bit to make it all work out to look the part) I picked up the engine to see what all it was needing to bring its detail up to par with the rest of my builds as this was one of the first builds I began back into model car building in 2013! SO.... Off to that we go!

Black & Red starter wires in-place.... Looking pretty good! -I do however see some touch ups that it needs, the oil pan for starters that red needs some touch up, and the transmission pan needs a little touch up too, but thats OK right before it goes into the frame to stay it'll get those touch ups!

Then right to the heater hoses after the starter wires were cured, & in-place to stay! A little red touch up here is also required ad that will happen a bit more sooner-then-later, as the detail is gonna stack up quickly as time passes so touch up as much as possible per detail addition!

I also see some paint work, I'm gonna change too, the power steering pulley, it should be a cast iron color (the same color as the transmission) as it was never the same color as the engine color! AND that cap to the power steering pump! Thats got to be made flat black as that bright white plastic is a bit to much! -Everything else however looks pretty good!

Notice the Alternator is missing? I removed the one I had originally used that came off the Lindberg make-shift "318" that looked way more like a 273 then a 318, because the older 318's did resemble the 273 quite a bit, but not that much in '68! SO....... That Alternator was a really "early" one, from the early '60's so.. I needed something more mid to late '60's and thats what you'll see in up coming updates to this build. I took that original one off, and put it in with my stash of parts, and then, took out one that was more date specific to this build to put in-place of it. BUT before it goes onto the pulley, it needs some added details, copper wire painting in the casing, and then the chrome needs to be dullcoated to look like unpolished aluminum, and the wires added to it.
So far the whole adding of detail is pretty good, I'm pleased with it so far....
As always, thanks for looking, comments welcome, ENJOY!

[Deleted]

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!

[Deleted]

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!

[BUCKY]

This is great!! I had a 1969 Dart GT with a 318 2 bbl., automatic. It had a console with floor shifter, bucket seats. My Dart was just about this same exact green, and it had a green interior. It also had a flat hood.
(Wish I still had that car!)