[white97ex]

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!