Datsun 510 4-door Track car...in progress and need help!

[675datsun]

This is the 1/24 Hasegawa 510 4-door kit(JDM). I'm building it to clone my friend's 1972 4-door 510 that he set up for track events. Here's a 1:1 pic

It has a Rebello built KA24E with a EFI quad-throttle body induction and SDS fuel control. 16" Panasports and 4-wheel Wilwood discs.

My first time with DetailMaster photoetch parts!!!
Onto the model. The closest thing to Panasports, Rs Watanabes and I couldn't help but keep the Brembo calipers/discs! Center section is painted steel, lip is chrome silver.

Dan's car has a battery where the rear seat used to be, aluminum door panels and a full roll cage.

Here's my attempt to build the battery from the above photo!


I used photoetched battery clamps for the ground and + cables. It was hard getting that clamp around the cable! Grounding cable is painted tape textured with Xacto grip. Sewing pins to make (4) posts and styrene tabs for the securing battery.
Now for the cage and seats...

seats

These are seats are from the Focus WRC kit and I love them because they match the 1:1 driver's seat and it even has that Sparco I.D. decal on the side!!
Battery cable to engine bay: Goes from battery along passenger seat through firewall, and has (3) sheet metal screws holding it down. Seeen bottom right of pic:


The tranny tunnel is modified(covered in sheetmetal/electrical tape!) to make room for the KA24. Check out the "brushed" aluminum door panels.

Here is the main hoop with modifed harness bar. The hoop is from the BRE kit, but I had make the harness bar, and remaining cage from rod.The harness attachments are the #tabs from the sprue!

Seat belts!! This was so much fun, but really tough for me. If you look closely you'll see the bolts holding down the belts to the floor

Front view of just lap belts:

Got the shoulder belts mounted to the harness bar!! mounted the clips so they look like a single bolt is holding them in place. Dan's gonna love it!

Here you can see how the rear bars go through the back panel to tie into the rear struts.

Finally! Tell me if I threaded the belts correctly, I know I lost 1 clip!

Painted rear bars black

SOme underbody detail in progress


Some fit mock-ups


door panel paint rough(brushed aluminum?
See the door panel, where can I get some scale door handles like that??That's my little bro in the pic

Well, that's where I am. It was a blast doing the interior, but some things I'm concerned/need help with:
I-'m not happy with the door panels, they look too "brushed".
-The belts are alright, I used the material that came packaged, but -I've seen "weaved" pattern belts in others projects.
-Is the battery cheesy, my bro said the the little bar code I put was way out of scale, oh well.
1)How do I add the nerfs to the roll bar? Heat shrink tubing?
2) How did anyone make the front half of the cage, so that it matches the windshield width, etc.
The roadster is on the backburner and I need to finish this 510 by February!
Comments and pointers much appreciated

[bigblockss]

it looks like its comin together i guess im gonna hve to finish my pro street one keep up the good work

[Honoturtle]

I love this project! The seat belts are mounted to the roll-cage and battery look awesome.

For the front half of the roll-cage, take a basic measurment at the top of the windsheild, the measurement down and back. Hard to explain, but make the part longer, so you can always trim it.

[Hiroboy]

Very nice work, keep it up.

[Ferrari TR]

Door handles: I think Detail Master and MCG both have door handles in their products.
Custom cages are tough to build, but you can use pipe cleaners or something simular to mock up the cage.

Nicely detailed! Its gonna look sweet with a coat of bright yellow!

[JDM4LiFe]

I LOVE IT... You are doing awsome on this car...


Lance

[Layla's Keeper]

By far the most different road racing 510 on the boards. Don't see many Hasegawa 4doors. And it's going together really well.

But you've still got the classic Revell BRE 510 kit, I see. Good for you.

You know, we're going to have to have some sort of 510 contest or something when all these little beasts are finished.

[EMAXX]

That looks amazing. Great work. I like all the detail your putting into this kit. Keep us posted on how the build goes, as I'll be following this thread.

[tonioseven]

Truly excellent craftsmanship!! I never knew about the 4 door kit until very recently!! Thanks for sharing your project with us!!

[willimo]

Just beautiful! I can't beleive it! Well, I can, but you know what I mean. I love the detail, it really brings this thing up to the next level. Just a fantastic bit of work, here, and I can't wait to see the engine.

For the help you asked for-- silver is hard to brush on smoothly. I think you will just have to bite the bullet and spray it. Use a can if you are still afraid to use an airbrush. People around here use airbrushes like they are going out of style but I for one am still a little nervous about using them.

For the padding (I'm assuming thats what nerf is) on the roll bars, I always used masking tape, and wrapped it around the bars kind of loosely. I often have to run a bead of CA along the final edge to keep it from ever unwrapping. The reason I wrap it sort of loose is because I like to take detail wire (the thinnest I can find) and twist it around the tape real tight, to simulate the zip-ties that hold the foam on, and how it crushes the foam a tiny bit at that spot.

For the front roll cage, trial and error. If you have some measurements and something to mock it up with, great, but you'll still be trying and erroring at the end.

Still, beautiful beautiful. Great work!

[Camber]

Coming along very nicely, who makes the watanabes that you used?

[GT-Alex]

THAT is detailling !!!

[slk320]

coming along very nicely! I think the seat belts and seats as well as the battery are top notch! Very realistic and very in-scale. I did a 510 (2 door) and yours has by far a better stance!!

Did this kit come with an engine?? Your chasis pics show enigne belly, but I am not sure whether the Hasegawa kit is curbside or not. Are you going to super detail the enigne as well??

Don't forget fuel and brake lines as well as ebrake and a new exhaust

Will look forward to progress of this build up!!

[Zcaithaca]

looks awesome

[SpoonMan Dos]

Outstanding! Just when you hit us with the roadster, BAM! This 510 comes outta nowhere and steals the spotlight. I agree with SLK, the stance on this car is great.