1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible

[ModelcarJR]

This is an old kit and I have built it once before. At the last contest, one of the vendors had this box for sale with two kits in it for $10. Since I assumed that parts for both kits might be be missing, I offered him $5 and he took it. So the only parts missing so far are one set of tailpipes and the steering column for both models. But that's OK because I am only going to build one and I want to change the steering wheel anyway with one that has a column attached that looks better than the horn ring steering wheel included in the kit. 

The first thing to do was to improve the body a bit by eliminating the small too faint Challenger script on the front fender, puttying the front fascia in place since that panel line doesn't belong there, and pinning the mirrors so they will attach cleanly. Once that was accomplished, I painted the body Dupli-Color Ebony Black and the interior white and black. Here are the progress photos from the first few steps.  Thanks for looking! 

[slusher]

Looking really nice John, I do like black and white interior..

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Carl! I appreciate your comment! 

I've been rubbing out the body today but i haven't exposed any edges yet so I guess I'm not done! ? Its a slow process but coming along. Thanks for looking!

[kelson]

You're a brave man to paint it black!,the one color i always try to avoid!,looks great so far.

[KWT]

This is looking great already

[bisc63]

Cool project, and what a steal! Got a soft spot for these kits, they're among my first model cars built as a kid. Watching your good work with high expectations. ( No pressure!! )

[ncbuckeye67]

Loving how this looks! I just happened to run across mine yesterday, looking for something else. It was in a box with a '71 Cuda I picked up in a trade. 

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Curtis, Jeremy, Rusty and Jeff! I appreciate your comments! ?

[ModelcarJR]

Finished rubbing out the body and added a coat of Meguiars Gold Class wax. Ready for foil! Thanks for looking! 

[slusher]

Nice shine on the Black paint John,

[Spottedlaurel]

Good progress so far, with the clean paintwork and tidy interior you've got the bits with most impact out of the way.

Is it similar to this later issue I have in my stash?

if so you've given me some useful tips for when I do mine.

Has to be said I prefer the box art on yours, almost worth $5 alone!

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Carl and Nigel! I appreciate your comments!

Nigel, I am not sure if your kit is the same as mine. The story I have heard, which I cannot vouch for, is that AMT took a Diecast mold for the convertible and converted it to a plastic kit. I don't know that that is true or whether they had a hardtop Diecast or modified the convertible. Judging from the script on you body on the side, which is very difficult to remove cleanly by the way, it could be a modification of the one I have.  You might also check for mirrors in your kit. Judging from the box art on your kit it may not have either exterior or interior mirrors. My exterior mirrors were chrome but I dechromed and painted them.  I also have an interior mirror. AMT often excluded both interior and exterior mirrors for some reason, a pet peeve of mine, since it is impossible to drive a car safely without mirrors and not a good representation of the 1:1 car. I can't remember if I have ever built the AMT hardtop, as I much prefer the Revell kits both the RT and T/A versions which I have built many times. 

But the modifications that I made would seem to apply your kit as well. the front fascia still need to be puttied in and the mirrors, if you have them, would be better pinned than just glued onto the paint. If you don't glue them on cleanly it will leave an ugly glue joint on final assembly. I always do the mirrors last so I don't knock them off while trying to complete some other part of the assembly, like fitting the body over the chassis. If you don't want to remove the Challenger script on the side, you could foil the lettering BEFORE painting and then once the paint has dried and before applying the clear you could remove the paint with thinner and a small Tamiya cotton swab on the chrome lettering. Good luck with your build! 

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

8 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

You might also check for mirrors in your kit. Judging from the box art on your kit it may not have either exterior or interior mirrors. My exterior mirrors were chrome but I dechromed and painted them.  I also have an interior mirror.

Thanks for the info John. Just had a look at mine, it has a pair of exterior mirrors plus the interior mirror, all on the chrome sprue.

I also do the mirrors last, but it's only on my latest build that I pinned them and I will certainly do that in the future.

I was actually meant to build it last year as an entrant in the Cannonball group build on here, but for whatever reason I never got onto it. Plan then was to fit a Viper V10 engine, still is....

[Can-Con]

10 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

Thanks, Carl and Nigel! I appreciate your comments!

Nigel, I am not sure if your kit is the same as mine. The story I have heard, which I cannot vouch for, is that AMT took a Diecast mold for the convertible and converted it to a plastic kit. I don't know that that is true or whether they had a hardtop Diecast or modified the convertible. Judging from the script on you body on the side, which is very difficult to remove cleanly by the way, it could be a modification of the one I have.  You might also check for mirrors in your kit. Judging from the box art on your kit it may not have either exterior or interior mirrors. My exterior mirrors were chrome but I dechromed and painted them.  I also have an interior mirror. AMT often excluded both interior and exterior mirrors for some reason, a pet peeve of mine, since it is impossible to drive a car safely without mirrors and not a good representation of the 1:1 car. I can't remember if I have ever built the AMT hardtop, as I much prefer the Revell kits both the RT and T/A versions which I have built many times. 

But the modifications that I made would seem to apply your kit as well. the front fascia still need to be puttied in and the mirrors, if you have them, would be better pinned than just glued onto the paint. If you don't glue them on cleanly it will leave an ugly glue joint on final assembly. I always do the mirrors last so I don't knock them off while trying to complete some other part of the assembly, like fitting the body over the chassis. If you don't want to remove the Challenger script on the side, you could foil the lettering BEFORE painting and then once the paint has dried and before applying the clear you could remove the paint with thinner and a small Tamiya cotton swab on the chrome lettering. Good luck with your build! 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Good progress so far, with the clean paintwork and tidy interior you've got the bits with most impact out of the way.

Is it similar to this later issue I have in my stash?

if so you've given me some useful tips for when I do mine.

Has to be said I prefer the box art on yours, almost worth $5 alone!

That kit first came out in '80 or '81 as the "Yankee Challenge'" when Lesney [Matchbox] owned AMT. and it was never a diecast, that was the Revell R/T.

All the AMT '70 Challengers are the same kit with a separate hardtop piece.  Not a bad kit really except for that separate top with the awful side window shape and the totally incorrect shape of the convertible boot. I have a couple and plan to use the chassis and underhood stuff from one to update an MPC '74 annual I have.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Can-Con

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Nigel and Steve! Sorry for the mistake. My memory has failed me in my old age! Nigel, one other thing about the front end - if you glue and putty it in, the grill and headlight piece will fit in from the bottom but you have to been it a bit around the inner fender liner on one side. If you don't want to do that you might want to paint the grill and glue the grill/headlight piece in before you glue the front fascia in and putty it up. 

Steve, thanks for letting me know about the convertible boot. I will take a look at one on the internet and see if I can change it. If you have any ideas let me know. Thanks! 

Today, I finished the foil on the body and found some wheels and tires that would work. The Keystone wheels in the kit looked like the chrome was fading and missing in places and someone had twisted them off the sprue. I found some Goodyear tires that would fit these Cragars, although they were not white letter tires. I sanded off the Goodyear logo on the tires and then added the decals from Fireball Modelworks. The wheelbacks from the kit also fit these tires. 

For the engine, I am going to use the Hemi from the Revell 68 Dodge Charger kit since I had some extra parts from some bagged kits that I bought. the Hemi engine is more detailed and will fill up the engine bay a little better. I test-fitted the block and transmission in the chassis and the engine mounted well in the engine mounts. The transmission is about 1/4" longer than the 440 in the kit so I will shorten the driveshaft. The hemi will be easier to add plug wires and I won't have to scratch a coil. Also the kit exhaust manifolds look like they will match up with the Hemi. The height of the engine looks close and if anything may be a little shorter which might affect the shaker hood fit. But I think I can remedy that, if necessary, just by adding some plastic under the bottom of the shaker.  Here are the progress photos.  Thanks for looking! 

I didn't rub through on the front fender. That's just a reflection. 

[Can-Con]

No problem John. I figured the mixup was because of both kits being '70 R/Ts. Easy mistake to make.

As for the boot,, The real ones are flat, no height to them really.  I'd just cut a flat piece of sheet plastic to the right shape and glue it down. Maybe add a bit of detail on the sides where it wraps down a bit between the seat and side panels. I did the same thing with my '74 Caprice convertible when I did it.

[Can-Con]

Here's another good shot,, Looks like it's kinda crimped a bit around the outside edge of it.

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Steve! I think I've got it - I have some black masking tape that is probably wide enough. I just need to cut it to the right shape a little bigger than what I need and then put a few crinkles in in as I stick the edges down!  Might work! 

[Can-Con]

17 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

Thanks, Steve! I think I've got it - I have some black masking tape that is probably wide enough. I just need to cut it to the right shape a little bigger than what I need and then put a few crinkles in in as I stick the edges down!  Might work! 

should work. ?

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Steve! I appreciate your help! 

I finished the Hemi engine from the Revell 68 Dodge Challenger. Nothing special, just added plug wires and I will add heater hoses on final assembly. Next, finish the interior and then final assembly. Thanks for looking! 

[6bblbird]

Everything looks very well done. I did notice that the exhaust manifolds that you are using are for a 440 or 383.

The  exhaust ports on a HEMI are not paired on the middle cylinders.

[Andy Oldenburg]

Your making good progress and I like your color choice. Hope to see more soon?

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks Walter and Andy! I appreciate your comments! Walter, I didn't realize the info on the exhaust manifolds. I used the kit supplied 440 manifolds because I thought they would hook up better with tailpipes. But I probably should have used the Hemi exhaust manifolds but I am not going to change it now. 

No convertible windshields ever fit very well and this one was no exception. I know it would be better to use two part epoxy but I can't use that in here because Mom says it stinks. So I used the clear parts cement and I finally got it to stick and stay (see below). Unfortunately, I will have to re-foil the windshield frame. In addition, because I glued and puttied in the front fascia, I had to cut the radiator support in order to get it in. But it wasn't a big deal. i cut it, glued each piece in separately, glued the middle where I cut and then painted over the incision. The firewall, grill, and radiator are in. The interior is also in and I'll have photos tomorrow. Thanks for looking! ?

[KWT]

You're killing it

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Jeremy! I appreciate your comment! 

Finished the interior a couple of days ago and finally took some photos. I also have it put together and on wheels. The interior aside from the painting includes, seat belts, window cranks for the doors ( I only had two) door pulls that are 1/2 of a PE brake pedal on each side, and a steering wheel from the parts box. The wheels are on and the hood is closed with the shaker in place. Now I just have the finishing hardware and it will be done. Thanks for looking! ?