SPA Modeler

Thanks Lyle!!! Yeah I've had a complete blast with this build. It's something out of the ordinary for me and I've actually got a couple more automotive kits lined up after my next Bf109 build.

Here's the outcome of the routing job with the ignition wires:





Then I started running a fuel line from the fuel pump up to the carburetors and installed a fuel filter. This was my first time doing the fuel filter fabrication and I used a cylindrical piece of resin stock I had and drilled a hole through it. Then I slid it into position on the fuel line to the correct location and glued it into place. I have since found out that the way to do this (and it's a helluva lot easier) is to buy an electrical resistor with electrical leads on both ends from Radio Shack and shape the lines into position.

Anyways, here goes:


This is all before I added the two additional fuel lines to the other two carburetors:


The other two lines shaped and beveled to merge into the main fuel line:


and fitted into place:

While the JB Weld was drying on the fuel line merge I broke out an updated two piece air cleaner from the late Revell 2 n 1 Challenger kit #85-4213 and went to work. This air cleaner was much better in the fact that the one piece air cleaner was way too big and did not show any air filter element detail like the two piece design does. Here's the comparison when finished with the updated air cleaner on the left:

I ended up painting the fuel lines a silver/ aluminum color and started to work on the engine oil dipstick tube and indicator. First I took a piece of copper wire:

Then I straightened it, put it in a vise and broke out the pin vise.............
and went to work


and ended up here;


Then I took a smaller piece of copper wire and hammered it flat and bent it around a micro sized drill bit to form the handle of the indicator stick:


Inserted it into the "tube" and come out with a dipstick tube and indicator assy:


Then painted it all up and drilled a hole in the engine to install it in to and installed it like so:

Here is with everything installed and the air cleaner test fitted:

Beautiful work!

Thanks Thomas! I still have a slew of posts to go before I catch up. This is just one area of emphasis. I still have the original instrument panel re work, the original interior refresh, tires and wheel upgrade, original body strip down and refinish, engine bay total rework, exhaust system replacement , window's replacement and a lot of other stuff to post before I'm where I'm at now with it. Stay tuned........

Ok fellas. With most of the engine work completed ( I still have the wiring for the voltage regulator, ballast resistor and the windshield wiper motor to install and route as well as a few other things), I shifted my attention to the engine bay. This thing had nothing but a master cylinder on the firewall from the box. This is where I used parts like the blower motor, windshield wiper motor and ballast resistor and the voltage regulator from the Revell kit #85-4213(which sucks totally but has some good parts to rob) here. Here's a shot of what I started with:



First off I drilled the holes for the blower motor and heater hoses:



and test fit the blower motor in place:



Then I started to work on graphing parts from the 85-4213 Challenger kit firewall to install on my original body's firewall:



I cut the firewall in the approximate area:



and went to work sanding it off of the firewall from the back:



and here we have the parts I needed to transfer to the original "blank" firewall:



Here's the wiper motor and ballast resistor section painted up and ready to apply onto the firewall:



Before I adhered the assy onto the firewall I had to paint the cowl and the tops of the fender aprons black in the areas shown here:


Here's with the wiper motor and ballast resistor section installed and the above mentioned areas painted black:



More coming...................

Well the washer bottle at the R/H front of the engine compartment wasn't getting it done for me as I couldn't paint it with it being molded in so....................... I cut it out!



and then, since I have a spare kit molded in white, I had the perfect replacement washer bottle so................I cut that one out!



and test fitted it into place....



Then I shot a mix of sky blue with blue to get the color of windshield washer fluid, masked the bottle, and shot the color. After this I shot a mixture of gloss clear with a drop or two of white mixed in to give the illusion of washer fluid the bottle.



Then I added a washer hose from the bottle to the makeshift molded in hose on the R/H fender, touched up the battery and added some decals from the spare newer kit that I had.

wow, that some excellent work!