Denny Hamlin's #11 FED EX

I was headed into work a couple of days ago (wal mart) and stopped by the toy section, and much to my surprise, they had the new monte kits in stock....well needless to say I had one in the bakery before the night was over and even had the box open. lol. I watched one of the Pocono races earlier in the year and decided I just had to do a FED EX car as soon as I could get my hands on the kit. Now all I have to do is wait for the Decals. I plan on using some Modern Motorsports peices for the dash and some various other areas. There will be no trunk detail on this one, but I do plan on plumbing the engine bay. Only time will tell how far this one goes. I plan on doing it as a short track car, seems like everyone does the SS thing. Any comments and suggestions are welcome. here is where it is as of right now.

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Certainly off to a good start. Remember that short track cars don't have the side windows in place. Also, beat it up a little, maybe a couple tire marks on the doors for good measure :D

I prefer the look of a pre raced car......the thought of beating it up is cool, but I just hate to mess up all those nice decals and good paint

Lookin good so far Russell... If I were you, I would build the greenhouse area from scratch. Those PF kits bars sit too low in the greenhouse area... also widen the side A pillar areas so they are not as narrow.... Look at what I did here....

http://badscaleracing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=204

I am doing a short track 2005 Miller charger and I show you how to make a Pro finish style superdetail chassis.....

DaveT

Dave, thanks for the link. It will help a TON. I need to order some more rod. What sizes do you recommend I purchase. I will need .080 What else? Also, do you have any good reference pics of the chassis? I've been searching for some good detail shots of this car, nothing fruitful other than decal placement and such. I would like to get some under hood shots and interior. I need to search the rest of the joe gibbs team and see what comes of that.

Dave, thanks for the link. It will help a TON. I need to order some more rod. What sizes do you recommend I purchase. I will need .080 What else? Also, do you have any good reference pics of the chassis? I've been searching for some good detail shots of this car, nothing fruitful other than decal placement and such. I would like to get some under hood shots and interior. I need to search the rest of the joe gibbs team and see what comes of that.


Try these:

http://public.fotki.com/jeremyr/reference_photos/2005_north_carolina_trip/

looking good, thats one I will be making also

I agree on rebuilding the "greenhouse" to, I did it on my Jeff Gordon car.

Finally some updates on this guy. I managed to get the roll cage almost completely finished. I still need some supports in the rear area. If there is anything I've missed, feel free to point it out. I was shooting in the dark for hte most part for the bracing for the front bumper.....Oh which reminds me, I still need the bars that support the upper part of the fascia.

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I haven't posted or updated here in a while, but I have started building again and this car is at the top of the list to finish up. I've been using DaveT's (skylinefan's) NASCAR builds as reference. Stay tuned and I will finish this post.

Here is how the body sits right now. I need to order another set of decals. I ruined the red bow tie for the front and I want to double up the numbers. It is difficult to see, but I cut the roof decal to allow it to fold down into the lines for the roof flaps.

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Quick shot with the body on

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Starting to detail the chassis

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Engine starting to come together

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Headers from .062 solder and heat shrink tubing. Painted with a mix of Tamiya, Alclad, and Model Masters paints

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Starting the tubes for the jack bolts. These will get finished later once I get the body in place

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Engine almost completed. Wired distributor (this was an aluminum piece with a resin cap. Looking back on it, I would go with something less...Expensive... as the aluminum base is not noticeable at all)

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Remote mount oil filter and housing, complete with wix decal

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Engine sitting in its home. I believe this is where I mounted it, for what I thought was the final time. It had to come out to make some adjustments

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Shots of the front suspension. This has been a learning experience, lots of stuff I will do differently on the next one. The engine sits too low to allow for the braces for the A-Arms as well as for the steering to be set up properly. So, I made it up. This is 100% inaccurate and would not function, I just hope I don't get hit too hard at the judges table. The "steering links" are a combination of aluminum tube and Dirt Modeler PE Rod ends. The sway bar links are pieces from the Dirt Modeller sprint car linkage kit.

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The front end was taken apart this morning. Some of the details I was not happy with. The sway bar end links will be redone and I decided to modify the kit A-Arm/spindles. The way they came from Revell, I was not able to add coil springs. At first, I was ok with that. Then, I decided it had to come apart. So I devised a plan to fix it. The A-Arms came off, and I cut down the thickness of the molded in spindles to accommodate coil springs.

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Last nights work:

I started on the rear end and trailing arm set up. I had to fill the top of the housing so that I had a place to attach the lines for the cooler and pump. I did this with a mix of styrene stock, Tamiya white putty, superglue, and Bondo glazing putty. Once primed and painted, it should be sufficient. Being on the top, it won't be extremely noticeable. The U-bolts will get sanded off and replaced with wire for realism. The bolt heads on the bottom will also get shaved off and replaced with Pro-Tech PE bolt head/nut detail.

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Here is the "pumpkin" or differential housing. It was painted with a model masters Rust red color (I don't recall the actual name). The bolt heads are Pro-Tech PE pieces

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All of the update pictures posted today were taken with my Samsung Galaxy phone. I decided to try out an app for the camera to hopefully capture some of the detail better, though I'm not sure it worked...

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Where am I at, where am I going, and whats the purpose?

My son is 18 months old, my job was CRAZY busy the last quarter of 2017, and I had all of these model kits filling up Storage drawers and shelves. So, I decided that I needed an outlet for the stress from work, and I got back to the bench. Couple that with noticing a post from the MCMA (Metroplex Car Modellers Association) and I decided that I was going to make a run at winning the pavement competition class, or even an overall award. So, out came the Denny Hamlin car....and the checkbook. I think I have lit the checkbook on fire at this point, all of the aluminum, PE, and decals to try and make a show stopper add up in a hurry! The deadline for this car is March 3rd, which is the date for the MCMA showdown this year.

What you see here is currently where it is at. I get a little bit of time while the kiddo is napping, before I leave for work, and when the wife isn't working on school work.

This is my first time to dive into this much detail on a build. Some of you who have been around for a while may remember my '87 Wrangler Monte Carlo from 2006 (?). It was done on a budget, I made my own fittings from plastic, my braided line was stuff from the craft department. Well, this time around, everything is "legit" and I'm having to figure things out and learn as I go. I have missed some detail, put some pieces in the wrong place, and am now having to go back and fix things. That is leading to doing things twice, or having to figure out how to add parts to the chassis and get them the correct color. Hey, it's all part of the learning process right?!

So, Things that need updated and/or redone. The metal work for the transmission will get some re-work, specifically the lower piece. I don't like how the "bead rolling" looks, and once I add in the lower brace for the radiator, I plan to extend it so that it mounts to that brace and add some PE bolt heads. As mentioned earlier, the front suspension is getting some re-work to add detail and get cleaned up a bit.

My goal for this week is to have the front suspension put back together and have the rear suspension ready to mount. Once that is done, the next big task is to get started on the interior. I have a Kirkey racing seat on the way from a member of a Facebook group. He was kind enough to sell me one of his since Dirt Modeller took some time off in 2017 and hasn't restocked their inventory. I also plan to re-build portions, if not all of the dash to put an electronics tray in so that all of the ignition and electronics are right up front. I've seen several builds with a koolbox, however, this car ran in the spring race in Martinsville, and may not have had one. If I get there, it will get done, though I feel like I am running out of time. I have just over a month to knock this thing out, and work is starting to pick up again!

Great to see it back Russell and yourself...good luck with it and watching with interest.

Thank you!

I started buttoning up the rear end assembly last night and this morning. Still need to add a belt for the pump, a few lines, the spring cups, and brakes then it is ready to go in!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180124/0701d89523c2ebba9df3aae4f873d232.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180124/a6bd59d56de60c04a95d830b78ed63b7.jpg

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Awesome job!

Thanks. I'm starting to feel the crunch. I need to place another parts order this weekend. My PE seat showed up yesterday, but I have lost my kit seat for the headrest assembly, so there is another piece I have to create!

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I got a little work done on the #11 car today. Trying to get the rear suspension ready to install. Brakes are finally sorted out. I had some machined aluminum rotors on hand, so I made some "caps" out of styrene to hold the lug studs. I made the axle ends from some aluminum rod. These were tapered by hand with a file and cleaned up with 400 grit paper. Calipers and brake lines are on. It is ALMOST ready for its permanent home. I have some pictures to set up a step by step/how to on how I created the styrene caps. I'll post that to my model facebook page tonight or tomorrow so be on the look out for that.

Facebook.com/lonestarmodelworks

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Tonight's theme, 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

I picked up a second sheet of decals to double the numbers on the doors and hood. The door decals wrinkled and never would lay flat. So, I hoped to pull the top number with some masking tape, and it pulled them both. So, I have a 3rd sheet on the way....

I finally got the shocks sorted out and have something I am pretty happy with! This is 3 pieces of aluminum tubing, 1 piece of solder, and 1 piece of detail wire. I will detail the build process this weekend on my model page.

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I got quite a bit of work done over the weekend.

Front brakes are complete and plumbed. The lug studs will be one of the very last details to go in.

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Oil tank is plumbed from the top side. Supply and return lines are plumbed as well as a line for the breather tank that would be located in the trunk

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The black plates with the pipes are where the air ducts will tie in to go through the chassis to the rear brakes and the oil cooler

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Interior details started. Dash has a new electronics tray, the MSD boxes are wired and installed. I also got started with the gauges. I attach gauge faces and insert into polished aluminum tube, and coat with window maker/clear adhesive for the glass. I learned this trick here on AF. The shifter is a mix of the kit piece and a PE center section.

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The tin work for the front is complete, as is the cooling system. The tin work was detailed with a C&R decal and dzus fasteners.

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I had hit a stand still on the main assembly until I was able to get the seat completed and installed. I had last the seat for this build after it being in storage for almost a decade. I finally found someone who had a spare and got back on track. I got the seat detailed, painted, and installed this weekend.

Belts and hardware, decals, fire suppression button, etc.

I also got the exhaust painted and "heated up", as well as built a display stand. Hopefully the exhaust fits with the headers that I built... :/


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Continued to be impressed by all your work!

Well, it is starting to look like something!



Body is cleared, still a little polishing left to go. I had a couple of issues with the decals and my clear. This is the first problem I've had, nothing major though. I think I may have cleared too soon. The edge of the driver door decal lifted just a bit, and I got some "dry spots" in the clear. Interestingly though, this only happened over the white number decals. I know there is a line in the sand with clearing over the decals. I prefer burying them in clear for the long term protection!



Tires are detailed, just waiting on wheels and a couple of grease pencil markings



I also started on the air ducts in the interior of the car. They don't perfectly meet the windows. I will add a piece of aluminum tube to move them closer to the windows and mimic the "connector" that would attach to the window. This kit started as a pro-finish kit, so the windows are all pre-painted and have no openings. So, I will use NACA duct decals and some PE washers for the exterior of the hose connections.

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Continued to be impressed by all your work!

Thank you. I look at the pictures on a computer after posting them, all of my recent photos are taken and uploaded from my galaxy S7, and all I see are the flaws. Things that I don't really notice while building it. Areas that are messy, thinking about what I should have done differently, things that I knew better, or just that if I had simply slowed down, taken that extra step to say, clear the chassis, a lot of this stuff wouldn't be apparent.

So glad you guys are enjoying it! It is starting to get down to the fine details, touch up painting, re-working minor details, etc. I think that I have the front steering sorted out so that it looks more correct than the original iteration I had. It still won't be 100% correct, however, it will appear more "functional" than the crap I had set up the first go round!

I got some good time at the bench to sort some stuff out tonight

Steering has been rebuilt to something much more realistic than the crap I threw in there when I realized the engine was in the way. Other than the angles used to clear the oil lines, I'm happy with it.

I also got the rear end mounted and some crush panels made.


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You’re always going to have those niggling issues I think. There is always a mix between perfection and getting on with it I have with my kits, I simply don’t have the patience to spend a year on a single kit for example I’ve been building models for twenty years and still don’t feel comfortable making WIP threads. We have some true masters here as well. I’m really impressed with all the fabrication and new parts you’re adding too! I think if you did a dual build with the stock kit people would be able to see how much extra you’re adding too.

You’re always going to have those niggling issues I think. There is always a mix between perfection and getting on with it I have with my kits, I simply don’t have the patience to spend a year on a single kit for example I’ve been building models for twenty years and still don’t feel comfortable making WIP threads. We have some true masters here as well. I’m really impressed with all the fabrication and new parts you’re adding too! I think if you did a dual build with the stock kit people would be able to see how much extra you’re adding too.

I've had a few people, that I've showed it to in person, not really understand what all has gone into it. I have pulled out my Silver Select build, which was box stock, to show them, pretty much, what came in the box. There will always be flaws, I get in a hurry, note the scratches on the back of the electronics tray. I sanded it out with a rough sanding stick to knock it down, and didn't follow up with a fine paper to clean it out. I was in a hurry to get it in paint and keep moving. Maybe due in part to the time constraints I've been on, but a good part of that is the instant gratification. I've been trying to think ahead to next year, decide what I'm going to build and get started on that as soon as this is over, that way I can take my time. If I need to re-build something, I have the time to do it. Reaching for that "perfection". I keep telling myself that this thing should win it's class as well as a major show award at the Showdown, then I look at this flaw, or that flaw, and think, nope, I'm going to come out disappointed.

I got the body polished to my liking yesterday. Today, I started adding some details. Short track grilles and some tape up front. I used Tamiya masking tape, painted flat black. The tape on the lower chin spoiler still needs trimmed and painted. Spoiler bolts and over flow tube out back.

Air cleaner box was covered in CF decal and cleared. Still needs another coat or two of clear.

Rear suspension is complete! The first sub assembly to be completely marked off of the list. Panhard bar, travel limit chains, etc.

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I can mark wheels and tires off of the list! I finally bit the bullet and decided to use machined aluminum nuts for the lug nuts. I found some great pieces at a more than reasonable price.

The tire tread was sanded down using the "drill method", Mounting the tire on a bolt and putting it in the drill and sanding the tread on 220 grit sand paper. This saves a ton of time. I wiped down the sidewalls with lacquer thinner to remove the kit markings and prep them for decals. Once the decals were on and dry, I hit the entire tire with Model Master dull coat lacquer to take the shine out of them. I added a few markings with a grease pencil, then mounted them on the wheels. The wheels were shot with Krylon Gloss black, which I had to top with Model Master ultra gloss lacquer due to a paint issue. More wet works decals for the weld logo and the alignment tape. The lug nuts are .031 machined aluminum nuts, I left them bare aluminum for some contrast and then painted the top edge with Fluorescent orange.

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Well, this will be the last progress update. The next pictures I post will be completed. Still a lot of little finishing details to do and touch ups to do, but all of the main sub assemblies are primarily complete.

Items remaining:

Install hood, make hood struts, and connect hood tethers
TV camera and radio antenna
Carb linkage and throttle cable/rod
Window braces
Steering wheel and radio wire
Lug studs
Front brake ducts
Finish hood pins
Miscellaneous nut/bolt detail and decals

I'm sure I've missed a thing or two on that list, either way, a few hours work and it is ready to go.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/f2316ffd9a415de614cc6dee0d1728e2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/17295e25e20f7b4243544a0cdb550f42.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/a568ed79f82bbcb18e1119df6b4d45b6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/e3b99ac7d8b443386a37dfb517f6fe25.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/7d071d527c734f741ba6d0f8a97f2eb7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180223/cd8fd7da628ab3af06d3faaffd84c945.jpg

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