1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z

[Joe Handley]

Just getting this Daytona started. The headlight doors, nose piece, and sunroof filler will be glued in, with the latter being smoothed into the roof so it looks like a normal coupe.

Now I'm probably going to tuck that back bumper in a bit, even though that shelf like appearance is about right, it would look better if it was less "Dorkfish" like.

There are some sink marks in corners of the spoiler, any suggestions on the best way to fill that would be appreciated.

Now here's the chrome tree, not sure if I'm going to use the Turbo 1 valve cover on this tree, or use the unplated Turbo 2 valve cover (no script on it). No matter what, the T1 cover and the wheel faces will be dechromed and finished more like stock for the T2 covers and the wheels may have the centers painted body color with the lips painted in either silver, aluminum, or with a Moltow pen.....not sure yet since I still would swap them for a more period correct aftermarket wheel and tire of some sort.

[Joe Handley]

Ok, couldn't sleep and ended up doing more work on the Daytona.

To start, I got the front bumper assembly put together and cemented into place, as was the firewall and sunroof panel.

Also tucked the rear bumper some, looks better now that it isn't sticking as far out as it had been.

I also moved onto assembling the front seats and then getting into what would be the greasy bits...especially now that the 1/1 cars would be 30 years old and likely "unloved". I partially assembled the engine and transaxle and removed the A/C since there was no bracket for it on the head or on the trees.

Finally, I'm putting a rather simple little handling trick for the K-Cars and their offshoots on it that has been know by the Shelby Dodge community for a couple decades now.

The stock axles on all of the K-Cars (the L-Body Omni-rizon and Charger/Duster don't count here) use a u channel axle  that is welded to a pair of swing arm like  arms under the back seats then located with a track bar then dampened with normal tube shocks (which apparently can be used on a pre Tri-5 Chevy when the coils have been cut to drop the front ends?!)

For the trick, if you clamp or weld steel strip or L-Channel over the channel in the rear axle, it changes the roll stiffness like a rear sway bar would and you can tune the effect by how it's welded or how many u-bolts you are holding these parts together with. More welds and/or u-bolts used stiffens the U-channel and tightens up the cornering.

[Tom Geiger]

Cool!   This was a pretty detailed kit with a lot of very nice parts.  I'll be watching your build.  I have a few versions of this kit in my hoard.  

[Joe Handley]

5 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Cool!   This was a pretty detailed kit with a lot of very nice parts.  I'll be watching your build.  I have a few versions of this kit in my hoard.  

Thanks Tom!  The only real complain I've had about it is the lack of suspension represented since the rear coils would look more like inflated airbags than coils and there is no strut assembly to speak of up front what so ever, the 4 lug "custom" wheels that stuck around long after Chrysler changed the Daytona to a 5 lug pattern (5×100mm or 5×4", like the 1960-mid 70's A-Bodies) with any engine, suspension, and wheel/tire combo offered, then finally the optional "V-8 Swap" that would make it truely a "No Go Show Boat" since it had no real, useable transmission (basically a PTO drirectly off the bellbousing) and then the driveshafts from a Non Turbo car that would steer the car into what ever happened to be to it's right if you could get it moving without stalling in the first place!

[Stef]

9 hours ago, Joe Handley said:

Now I'm probably going to tuck that back bumper in a bit, even though that shelf like appearance is about right, it would look better if it was less "Dorkfish" like

 

Hello Joe

I loved this kit growing up, and I agree, that rear bumper does stick out a lot.

Last year, I tucked in the rear bumper flush; here's what it looks like.

I bashed my 88 with the ex-MPC 69 Charger Daytona's Hemi, wheels, shortened chassis/exhaust, super-modified wing, interior bits, and Round2 redlines .

You're off to a great start; can't wait to see where you take this beauty.

[Joe Handley]

3 hours ago, Stef said:

Hello Joe

I loved this kit growing up, and I agree, that rear bumper does stick out a lot.

Last year, I tucked in the rear bumper flush; here's what it looks like.

I bashed my 88 with the ex-MPC 69 Charger Daytona's Hemi, wheels, shortened chassis/exhaust, super-modified wing, interior bits, and Round2 redlines .

You're off to a great start; can't wait to see where you take this beauty.

Thanks Stef, I did more research now and found that it looks like the back bumper did stick too far out, also just to happened to have the president of the local Shelby Dodge Automobile Club and owner of a 10 second SRT 4 swapped '88 Shelby Z look at it on my Instagram noticed it with the box stock rear bumper too this morning.  I'm probably going to replace most of the exhaust with larger diameter rod as well, I'll probably recycle the muffler and maybe the cat....or turn the resonator that I don't remember my Lebaron GTS or Shadow ES Turbo 1 cars having into an aftermarket high flow cat.

[Joe Handley]

Just ordered a set of these Narrow Minilights, minus the tires, off eBay for this model, should be seeing them next week!

[1972coronet]

It's too bad that MPC's kits prior to '89 or '90 never got proper , correct tyres in them --- they cornered the market with those friggin'  B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A that were in 98% of their kits !

I have the 1987 annual kit in "The Stack" to be built some day . I built so many of the 1984 annuals that I can still see 'em in me sleep ! 

[Joe Handley]

9 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

It's too bad that MPC's kits prior to '89 or '90 never got proper , correct tyres in them --- they cornered the market with those friggin'  B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A that were in 98% of their kits !

I have the 1987 annual kit in "The Stack" to be built some day . I built so many of the 1984 annuals that I can still see 'em in me sleep ! 

I know, I'm going to dig through my stash of old AMT/ERTL kits that should have the smaller versions of the Goodyear Gatorbacks in them to go with those Minilights on this car.  I know those Radial T/A tires has been popular on a lot of 1/1 stuff, but being S-Rated (112mph), I wouldn't run them on my Lebaron or Shadow since those were spec'd for H (130mph) and V (149mph) tires and didn't drive right with lesser tires. Even on the 200 I now own, the T-Rated (118mph) 0.E.M. rubber just wasn't enough for that car and I've only run V or Z (149mph+) on it since those wore out, also bumped those up to 235mm wide from the factory 225mm while I was at it

I've bought a couple '84 kits, the '87 and '88 share lots of parts from the original '84 issue, even still has the '84-'86 tail lights in it too

Edited July 8, 2019 by Joe Handley

[1972coronet]

Oddly , I've never perused the tail lamps on the 1987-1988 Daytona annuals ! I knew about the (typical-for-MPC) "edict" of "If it isn't broke , don't fix it . " as that pertains to changes in engine / trans / etc. , etc.

IIRC , the 1989 Corvette was the first MPC kit to get "pretty-darned-close" Gatorbacks (in the then-huge 17" or 18" Z-Rated style) . I say , "close" because the lettering was  raised rather than recessed --- still a huge improvement over those ad nauseam B.F.G.'s !

I wonder if any Tamiya (or other Japanese companies) produced "off-scale" ( +/- 1/28 scale ) kits with Gatorbacks ?

Those Mini-Lites are going to look sweet on that G-Bod !  

[Joe Handley]

What as left in the kits after the updates was interesting for sure, has most of the parts to build an "early Turbo 1" as well as woudn't take much to make it a "late Turbo 1" either as well as still has all the parts to build one with an automatic!

The BFG's aren't bad, probably would look right for some of the A-Body kits if you want to represent a restified car that doesn't have enough tire for anything more than a 2bbl 318.

Other than the early SN95 Mustang convertible kits they made, I'm not sure if they ever made a tire that would be right for what we we would get, although what they would have would be decent aftermarket replacement tires on a "Day 2" type build.

Agreed on the Minilights on a G-Body, think they would look right on the P-Body Shadow/Sundance/Duster (2 and 4 dr) as well as the H-Body Lancer/Lebaron GTS sedans too.

Not sure how it's taken me this long to notice this, but I wonder if the "Crab" wheels like my Shadow had (I think those are in the '86 or '87 Daytona kits too) were inspired by the Minilight wheels, both have 8 similarly shaped spokes with a center "disk" like area.

[Joe Handley]

Found these in a random box of parts I had aquired in the last couple years, no clue where they came from, but I think the 90's issue of the '41 Plymouth may have been the source.

[1972coronet]

Nifty ! Those are the exact tyres I was referring to ;  the c.1989 MPC Gatorbacks ( called 'Eagle VR50' here ) . Nice find ! Hopefully those MiniLites fit !

[Joe Handley]

I was happy to find them with almost no digging, these look like they'll be perfect for the factory wheels, kinda hoping those MiniLights will fit too.  I think these would be about what Chrysler would have put on them from the factory too!

[1972coronet]

According to what I've read , the Gatorback tyres were introduced for 1986 : " 225/50VR15 Goodyear Eagle Gatorback tires" . I was under the impression that those didn't appear until the 1987 model year ( just as likely , I didn't pay a terrible amount of attention to the G-bodies as they were everywhere ! I was more focused on the Buick Grand National and the up-coming 1987 GN-X at that time ) . 

[bisc63]

Always liked the proportions of these cars, but never owned one; they had potential to look really good. Following this build with much interest.

[Joe Handley]

1 hour ago, 1972coronet said:

According to what I've read , the Gatorback tyres were introduced for 1986 : " 225/50VR15 Goodyear Eagle Gatorback tires" . I was under the impression that those didn't appear until the 1987 model year ( just as likely , I didn't pay a terrible amount of attention to the G-bodies as they were everywhere ! I was more focused on the Buick Grand National and the up-coming 1987 GN-X at that time ) . 

'86 sounds about right to me, turns out those VR50 tires when mounted up on the kit supplied Sawtooth/Eggshell wheels look dead on for those 225/50VR15 Gatorbacks too! Here's how they look in comparison to the kit supplied Radial T/A tires.

The other tires might work out to be more like the 205/60R15 like my Lebaron GTS ran, but just under rated for that car was way too willing to do

 

1 hour ago, bisc63 said:

Always liked the proportions of these cars, but never owned one; they had potential to look really good. Following this build with much interest.

Thanks, I'm aiming for a "sinister" and "wouldn't want to meet it on a dark backroad" sort of look for the car. Think I'm going to paint it just plain, basic Black with Dark Bronze colored MiniLights and a "Blood Red" interior

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Joe Handley

[Joe Handley]

Got a chance to mess with the Shelby Z tonight, started puttying the seam for the sunroof, cleaning up the glue seams on the seats and engine/trans, and then started working on the stance, justusing the OEM Eggshell wheels until I get the Minilights later on this week.

Oh, also pulled the '69 Charger Convertible project out and shot the two together. Forgot how much bigger the B-Body Chargers were in comparison to the G-Body Daytonas, or any of the K-Car offshoots

Also popped that crunched Recall Wheel onto the left front, just out of curiousity........

I may have to try the other set of Recalls I bought on one of the other Daytona kits I've bought over the years

[Joe Handley]

And the Minilights arrived today

Fits the look I'm going for too

[Can-Con]

Hey Joe, you might know this already but, those AMT/MPC gatorbacks came in 3 sizes.

Looks like you have the smallest there. I'd have to check my tire stash to be sure but they definitely look right on that Daytona.

[Joe Handley]

3 hours ago, Can-Con said:

Hey Joe, you might know this already but, those AMT/MPC gatorbacks came in 3 sizes.

Looks like you have the smallest there. I'd have to check my tire stash to be sure but they definitely look right on that Daytona.

I was wondering about that, these seemed smaller than I remembered!

[bisc63]

Lookin' good!

[Jonathan]

Wow, nice work on this old nugget!

[Joe Handley]

6 hours ago, bisc63 said:

Lookin' good!

 

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

Wow, nice work on this old nugget!

Thanks guys!

[Dominik]

nice work! i like those "unpopular" cars.

good choice for the wheels. they look much better.