WIP: Kasey Kahne's '06 MOPAR Dodge Charger

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates! Things haven't got much further along than you see here. A little thing called Winter came along and brought my building to a screeching halt! But I'll get back to it soon. I'm not giving up on it by any means.

Keep the faith, someday BAD will return. But it will be a while......

Clay

Clay,
Do you do your own photoetching?

You can turn parts with your lathe and mill, You have an ALPS. Surely this would be the last frontier of modelling to conquer if you haven't done so already.

Can you give me some details about your lathe and mill?

Thanks
Nenad

Clay,
Do you do your own photoetching?

You can turn parts with your lathe and mill, You have an ALPS. Surely this would be the last frontier of modelling to conquer if you haven't done so already.

Can you give me some details about your lathe and mill?

Thanks
Nenad

I've done some photo etching in the past. It was a lot of work, and I didn't do very well at it! But someday I'll try again. My lathe is a Sherline 4000 with the mill column attachment. I've got a handful of extras.......rotary table, vices and so on.


On to an update. I got quite a bit of time this weekend so I drug out the old Kasey Kahne car. One thing that had been holding up progress was a new seat. Kasey runs a Lajoie seat so I had some work to do to replicate it. I started with the Revell kit seat, removed the head rests, shoulder rests, and rounded off all of the sharp edges. Next I cut down the center of the bottom part to remove a wedge to narrow it up enough to add the leg supports. All the lower bracing was done with Detail Master #4 hard line bent up and glued on. The shoulder rest is bent from scrap aluminum with DM #3 hard line for the ribbing. The new head rests were scratched from styrene stock and glued on. I shot the whole thing with Alcald polished aluminum, then flocked it, and added the vinyl areas with masking tape and brush painted them with semi gloss black.

Once I had the basic seat done, I made new leg braces from sheet aluminum covered with sticky backed craft foam. And like my Jr seat, I added a radio to the left leg bolster from styrene stock and wired it up with Pro Tech wire.

http://images31.fotki.com/v1100/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150001-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1157/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150007-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1139/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150004-vi.jpg

And here's a few shots of it test fitted into the chassis.

http://images32.fotki.com/v1110/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150012-vi.jpg

http://images32.fotki.com/v1090/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150008-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1093/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150013-vi.jpg

http://images35.fotki.com/v1131/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150017-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1095/photos/1/174078/4723853/P3150016-vi.jpg

Thanks for looking...

ClayK

I could be going :banghead: :runaround: :screwy: over this build now!.

Bugger it. I'll just sit back and :popcorn:
Fantastic work!

Clay, I was just curious as to what you used to mask off the body while you were painting the various colors.

great interior!

Clay, I was just curious as to what you used to mask off the body while you were painting the various colors.

Mostly regular masking tape cut with a knife to get the specific shapes. That and Tamiya masking tape. All the splatter was done with spray cans. Just barely pushing the nozzle to get it to spit, and I held the body in my other hand a few feet away. Pretty messy operation. My arm, the floor, the walls, everything was blue for a while!

ClayK

Cool, thanks for the info.

Im still trying to figure out how to mask off the 43 STP car that Im working on. Thought I'd found something really good w/ the frisket paper that Ive got, but it didnt work out as well as I was hoping.

That seat is HOT my friend!! Nice touch with Kasey's shifter too!

Damn!!!!
That seat looks incredible! Nice job on the shifter too man!

I got a deadline fast approaching, so I got back to work on this one over the weekend.

One of the things I needed to tackle next was getting the engine installed. But before I could do that I needed to get all the brake lines run, and master cylinders. I made up three new3 master cylinders from styrene stock, crimp tubes, and Pro Tech aluminum caps and installed them onto the firewall. From there I ran all the brake lines using Detail Master #1 fitting line and Pro Tech t-fittings. I also ran the power steering lines and added a Detail Master P/S tank to the frame. At this point it's pretty much ready fro the engine to drop in.

http://images31.fotki.com/v1098/photos/1/174078/4723842/P3290072-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1115/photos/1/174078/4723842/P3290073-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1101/photos/1/174078/4723842/P3290078-vi.jpg

I also did a bit more to the interior. Fire bottles are finished, and I added the fuel line tube through the cockpit.

http://images36.fotki.com/v1156/photos/1/174078/4723842/P3290075-vi.jpg

And finally, I had a few more small things left to do on the engine. I finished up the headers, last few oil lines, and new shifter linkages from RB Motion. The engine is now ready to be installed. Once it's in, it's all downhill from there!

http://images31.fotki.com/v1098/photos/1/174078/4723851/P3290081-vi.jpg

http://images35.fotki.com/v1153/photos/1/174078/4723851/P3290082-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1157/photos/1/174078/4723851/P3290079-vi.jpg

Thanks for looking......

ClayK

I hope you don't get sick of the OMG's, It's Awesome and Fantastic work you are doing there that we keep saying, but it's true.

It's awesome how you and Dave have churned out so many detailed builds (and fantastic) over the last few years.

BRING BACK BAD!!

:cheers:
Nens

Excellent work Clay.

Thanks guys........finally getting back into the groove on this one.

With all the small stuff out of the way I was able to finally install the engine for good. I hooked up all the loose oil lines and power steering lines. I also added the oil temp line, as well as getting the radiator installed. Once it was in I was able to add the upper and lower radiator hoses as well as the small return line back to the Detail Master canister on the firewall.

All the tin work around the radiator was made from embossing metal and PE sheet. I still need to finish up the front suspension, but getting this part done was a huge step towards completion.

http://images36.fotki.com/v1160/photos/1/174078/4723854/P3310090-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1122/photos/1/174078/4723854/P3310092-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1152/photos/1/174078/4723854/P3310097-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1140/photos/1/174078/4723854/P3310094-vi.jpg

ClayK

Ouch.
My eyes are hurting from all this heavenly glory we are witnessing!...:popcorn: :smokin:

I think I'll g to bed now and cry myself to sleep.:disappoin

This is so encredibly awesome. A true work of art.:iceslolan
It's a pleasure (although a bit demoralizing at that) to follow your progress !

Absolutely killer!!!
Very inspiring as well. I had to take a bit of a break, and when I came back, I decided to try and finish up a bunch of builds I had to the almost finished phase. This is making it difficult. I want to start a new nascar build now!
Damn you Clay! :icon16:

WOW, that is nice. Nuts but nice. :grinno: :screwy:

Gald to see this one coming together Clay - it's completely awesome, just awesome....:runaround:

Thanks guys......


Lots of progress since the last update. I've been doing more building that picture taking so I figured it was time to take a break and get some pics shot.

All of the front suspension is now complete. I scratch built a new set of front shocks, added front spindle tether cords, brake lings and calipers, as well as all the tie rods and front sway bar arms.

http://images23.fotki.com/v876/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110100-vi.jpg

http://images26.fotki.com/v935/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110102-vi.jpg

http://images21.fotki.com/v758/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110108-vi.jpg

The rear suspension is also finished finally. Added the rear break calipers, chains, and rear shocks. The exhaust is also finished and installed. I built it from plumbers solder and sheet plastic. I shot it with various Alclads and give it a wash in a few areas to darken the seems.

http://images33.fotki.com/v1141/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110109-vi.jpg

http://images28.fotki.com/v963/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110111-vi.jpg

Jumping back to the interior, I started getting the dash detailed. I made face plates from embossing metal, JWTBM gauge decals, and topped off with MCG PE rings and Tamiya jar clear for the lenses. All the small decals on the dash and interior were printed out on my Alps.

http://images35.fotki.com/v1164/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110104-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1148/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110105-vi.jpg

And finally a few with the body on to see what it will look like in a few more days. I've got about a week to get it wrapped up before the trip to Milwaukee for the NNL. A good day tomorrow, and I think I'll make it!

http://images28.fotki.com/v987/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110119-vi.jpg

http://images28.fotki.com/v1031/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110118-vi.jpg

http://images26.fotki.com/v912/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4110113-vi.jpg

Thanks for looking!
ClayK

Excellent stuff Clay. I always enjoy looking at your builds and marvel at the standard that you achieve.

:smokin: :popcorn: Awesome.

:eek2:
Wow...
Incredible, I'm speachless...
I've already seen several of these ultra-detailled Nascar models here but each new one is a far stronger kick in the ass... :runaround: :naughty:
this livery is particularely nice and original, what a pleasure to follow your build. :thumbsup:

I love the paint and the seat.
Those details, while quite a large part of the car, are pulled off well and really make this a step above other models.

Excellent as always Clay!
Andy

Thanks for the comments guys. I can finally see the light at the end. I've got about four nights left to get this one finished and ready for Milwaukee. I think I can make it.

All of the interior details are finally done. I added a Detail Master tach, cratch built shift light, and wired it all up. The dash electronics are a mix of Pro Tech boxes, MM coils, and a few scratch built pieces. I tried using some yellow wire to simulate the seals that some of the wires have. Not sure if it's effective or not, but it does break up all that black. I also scratch built a drivers head net from seat belt material and PE screen.

http://images20.fotki.com/v191/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130127-vi.jpg

http://images20.fotki.com/v364/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130128-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1139/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130135-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1148/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130126-vi.jpg

I also did a bit more work to the body. The four openings were covered with more PE screen, and then I laid some white decal film over them to simulate the tape arrangement Kasey had on when he won at Charlotte. I'm just about ready to finally mount the chassis and body together for good.....


http://images35.fotki.com/v1163/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130121-vi.jpg

http://images20.fotki.com/v369/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130124-vi.jpg

http://images23.fotki.com/v822/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4130125-vi.jpg

ClayK

GTFOOH!!!!!!!!:smokin:

Man, That's just not fair!

freaking sensational!!! :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Absolutely wicked!

When i saw your scratchbuilt exhaust i remembered that i've actually seen ( and heard ...) one of these last year at Goodwood. Standing right next to it this was one of the coolest sounds of the weekend besides a W125 Silver Arrow and a fire spitting Moto GP Ducati! ( O.k....an F1 at full bore is yet another thing still :-)

Abslolutly outstanding. If it's possible you're improoving: I would to say last build it was hard. BRAVISSIMO.

Well I'm in the home stretch now! The body has finally been glued to the chassis for good. With it on I could focus on adding the windows and final details. This probably the last update before it's finished.

I used MCG PE window braces. After they are bent up, I drop them in some blacken-it to give them and even flat black finish. New quarter windows were made up from .005 clear sheet plastic, and detailed with Pro Tech PE bolts. The fuel filler and vent line are also all finished up.

http://images22.fotki.com/v836/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160138-vi.jpg

http://images26.fotki.com/v888/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160139-vi.jpg

The hood was detailed and installed next. All it needs is the inner pivots and hood tethers.

http://images22.fotki.com/v836/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160143-vi.jpg

http://images22.fotki.com/v813/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160147-vi.jpg

Underneath, every thing has been finished up. New drive shaft safely loop, rear fender tins from embossing metal, and front and rear fender supports made from Detail Master #2 hard line.

http://images27.fotki.com/v995/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160151-vi.jpg

http://images22.fotki.com/v817/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160152-vi.jpg

And finally my 1:1 hand complete with Go Diego! band aid showing off the inner front crush panels....

http://images33.fotki.com/v1135/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160153-vi.jpg

http://images21.fotki.com/v517/photos/1/174078/4723854/P4160149-vi.jpg

Thanks for looking, and thanks for all the comments along the way!

ClayK

Absolutely amazing.
I did not think it could get better than the #24 car you did last time!

The most amazing model I've ever seen!

Woooaaawwww!

It's not until you see something to give it scale, like a 1:1 hand, do you realise how small everything is and testimony to your skill is that the detail holds up even upon close up photography, and given the parts count a super detailed stock car model has, where there is plenty of opportunity for error, everything is still done to such a high standard. Very impressive Clay. :)

Sensational stuff Clay, some of your best work...love it.

Awesome Clay!!

Got a question for ya.

The tape that is on the front duct work, where do you get that at? Or is that something you make up for yourself?

That rocks big way!

Awesome Clay!!

Got a question for ya.

The tape that is on the front duct work, where do you get that at? Or is that something you make up for yourself?


The silver portion of the tape is strips of BMF. Then I made up an art file and printed out the logos on my Alps, and then laid them right over the foil.

Thanks for the comments guys! This one is done and will be posted in the completed section soon!

ClayK

Wowoww!!!! details are unbelievable :eek::eek::eek::eek: ... Keep them coming!!!

-- william

Thanks for the info Clay.

The file you made up, is that something you think could be printed on reguler clear ink jet decal paper, and then applied in the same manner?

o lord.. i cudnt believe what im seeing....

:sunglasse This is one of the best models I have ever seen !

A stellar build. Without a doubt a forum highlight!

Amazing !

simply shocking work, will not prompt that was used for making of soft protective straps on framework of safety?

Stunning! No other word for it! This is a total work of art!