Engine is not 100% but I wanted to start on the chassis. I didn't have anything specific in mind so I am just kind of winging it as I go. Over the years I have spent more that I should have on small nuts, bolts and washers and they just sit there, so I thought I'd see what I could do with them
I am bouncing around between the rear end and front end setup. The kit shocks aren't great and by the time they get cleaned up, they wont have much detail. I bought some random aluminum and brass tubing and rod to play around. I started making my own shocks. also have these beads I got a long time ago from Michaels and I think they will work as the tops and bottoms of the shocks where they mount.
Rear shocks are being separated from the leaf spring mount
I will be using the kit mount, but the molded in lumps will be drilled out and I will make U-bolts like this and fasten them with real nuts and bolts
Also, I want to remove this molded in mess, but I think it will be impossible to keep a nice round axle housing
So it is going bye bye and being replaced with aluminum tube.
I hacked off a little too much, so I have to re-cap the ends of the housing. I will fill and smooth it out
I did this by shaving out the inside of a slightly larger aluminum tube to make it razor sharp
Then I used it as a hole saw/razor to punch out the caps from sheet styrene.
Here are the beginning of the shock bodies. Aluminum tube spun in a drill and polished to a shine. The bodies will be painted, but the shafts will be polished
They still need to be trimmed, but here is a mockup
For the front end, with all the work I got myself into, I really don't want to bother with the shocks. Nobody will miss them. However, in the engine bay, there are two large holes where the shocks are supposed to come up through and mount. empty holes vs. lumps of plastic is not much of a choice. i will make dummy shock mounts. it will make the engine bay look nice, but there will be no shocks under them.
I and using .7mm brass nuts and bolts, and 1mm washers, like a fender washer.
This
Or this
All i have are cell pics right now, but when things start to get a little more complete, I will take better pictures.