and hopefully with some fixes that work for fitment issues.
as i go, i will post before and after pics of problem areas and what i did (if i was able) to remedy the problem.
hood is done ;D Tamiya mica silver over flat black
(https://i.imgur.com/5GZROSH.jpeg)
and the rest of it... i really don't think i needed to point to the gaps that i will try and fill, they are pretty plainly visible.
(https://i.imgur.com/yhRGOS3.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LDhlm24.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YasMqrg.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/O9WEo6f.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lCW9k0D.jpeg)
and what i am going to use to try and fix with
(https://i.imgur.com/DQ6jNZp.jpeg)
stay tuned for updates and photos.
already got some work done, sections of strip or rod in place and drying. using the Plasti-Weld as opposed to glue because it's bare styrene and also it seems to work better; for those of you who haven't or don't use it, it basically melts the plastic together a little bit. once these extra pieces are dry and trimmed, i will hit them with another application of the PW, just to get it together a little more and fill tiny gaps.
(https://i.imgur.com/LCOuXG7.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cItONqn.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cNu4tvC.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/O5spK5H.jpeg)
and if anyone is wondering why i am building the MC versus the Daytona 500 winning Olds... well, there are a few reasons.
1. Baker ran the MC more that year than the Olds.
2. Powerslide came out with a decal sheet for the 1979 MC that was sponsored by Spectra, it has all the black parts as a decal so i don't have to mask that stupid body line below the opera windows... all about being easy.
I love those old Monte Carlo bodied race cars. As you know, my old limited late model was a '77 Monte Carlo bodied car. I don't care what division you ran in, Monte Carlo's looked great. Ford Torino's did too, but I digress.
They are a boat on wheels :D
I remember a DW quote about when they transitioned to the smaller wheelbase cars in 1981. Said that the MC handled so much better than a 1981 Regal.
Wasn't "Bertha" the winningest stock car ever? I know the DW won a ton of races in it both as a Monte Carlo and Laguna S-3.
Quote from: Volzfan59 on December 25, 2025, 08:36:12 PMWasn't "Bertha" the winningest stock car ever? I know the DW won a ton of races in it both as a Monte Carlo and Laguna S-3.
According to what i found on the internet, Bertha was a 1977 chassis that won 19 races out of 68 it ran primarily between 1977-1980.
ok... got the right rear all filled and sanded. i shot a coat of flat black over the section and will post that, along with when i shoot the mica silver on it. not sure how these pics will turn out when posted, so... there are still evident lines in the photos, so let's hope that the black does some good coverage.
(https://i.imgur.com/7ojN9nn.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CC2AHqe.jpeg)
i am using various sizes of strip and rod. the strip is either .010 or .015 inch thick, depending on which one i use, and the rod is the smallest i have on hand. the clothespin you see in the pics is used with a clamp to hold a piece of rod in place. i should be able to get that all sanded, test primered and painted in the next few days. then on to the front... lots more nooks and crannies to try and trim/sand around. also trying to sand with the body contours so i don't flatten spots out.
The work you have been doing on the body is looking great.I have a couple of those Salvinos Jr 73-77 Monte Carlo kits that I want to tackle at some point.Im definitely taking notes. Looking forward to seeing more progress on it.
the rod i am using is 219 which is .025", the smallest one listed on the Evergreen site is 218 which is .020"
not sure how much difference that would make, given that i would like to use the smallest possible. may have to hit the LHS and grab some 218.
anyways, here are the pics of the RR taillight area after filling, sanding, priming and painting. one coat of flat black and 2 of mica silver
(https://i.imgur.com/xsQ6IM9.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tqdYdZa.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rmnQZsP.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/coLfEFX.jpeg)
close enough for government work ;)
Looking good Dave!
Thanks Steve.
went to the LHS today and there wasn't any 218 rod to be had, so i will be stuck working with the 219.
got the LR section done today, shimmed the gaps with strip and added a small piece of rod where the taillight area met the body, right by the fuel filler. did that so there wasn't such a drop off when i sanded, man it was a ledge. used some super glue to fill tiny gaps that i felt with my fingernail and then sanded it all down. it just got a coat of flat black and should get some mica silver later or early tomorrow. should have pics up NLT Sunday.
(https://i.imgur.com/hWu8y4P.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vf6YpTu.jpeg)
man... i was just looking at a pic of the actual car, the tv panel... those taillight areas stick out WAAAAAYYYYY too far compared to the real ones. not sure if i want to tackle that or not.
Postscript to this- apparently i chose poorly when i had to pick between the tv panels. The one i didn't use looks more to be more accurate.
Too late now, too much already done... dammit.
to piggyback off my last comment about the taillight sections sticking out too far, it was just the perspective of the photos that threw me off. the section i used doesn't stick out too far for my liking.
here is the finished LR section. from the side view the fill wasn't the best but i'll live with it
(https://i.imgur.com/heI4kqw.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/v0B42fO.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fBS5aXX.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/t9TdHxZ.jpeg)
Lot of nice body work. Coming along pretty nice.
front sections done, in primer now
(https://i.imgur.com/fov6COx.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tnFbwki.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VIfhPyJ.jpeg)
after this PitA experience, i'm glad i only have one other of these kits to build. may be finished in 2045...
got the whole thang primered, here's the front
(https://i.imgur.com/4jQN5gm.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VCfyNwf.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ohZboUs.jpeg)
not perfect but will work for me
mica silver is up next
(https://i.imgur.com/qvJAYdT.jpeg)
she got some color!
working on the back half of the chassis and rear suspension, engine is finished once i figure out how tall the air cleaner needs to be to clear the hood.
engine... had to cut the distributor down so the air cleaner would fit
(https://i.imgur.com/ZVCPEqQ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3VXufO6.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZA60CQA.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VPcco3V.jpeg)
rear chassis half with the suspension in place. went together pretty easy with no trimming.
(https://i.imgur.com/1Nh5OoR.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ugk1fyC.jpeg)
and i mocked up the tires and wheelbacks to see how they would sit. pretty tight in the wheel wells, this is with the 2 spacers that the instructions called for.
(https://i.imgur.com/btbPhRV.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yn8R3ke.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZyMKVnJ.jpeg)
Doggone Dave, the distributor and wheel well/ tire fit is tight.
yup, Steve, sure is. that is with 2 spacers that come with the kit, the more spacers the lower the rear axle is. so use 1 spacer and it's not gonna be so tight. i built it how the instructions called for.
started on the front half today.
the dash mounts to the firewall/other part of the dash here
(https://i.imgur.com/OulS9Iy.jpeg)
and to the firewall/other part of the dash here
(https://i.imgur.com/lEWvYLz.jpeg)
i tried it that way, it fits pretty tight but wasn't happy with the "what if" i was handling it and put too much pressure on it and broke it off
so my solution was mounting tabs made of strip
(https://i.imgur.com/aUzRPyl.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6pgmrJh.jpeg)
should be a lot more sturdy
got the firewall and dash in place. the firewall fits very well and snug on the chassis pan, but i am not too fond of the overall look of the top of the dash. that gap is very evident. the gauge decals are nice, they have a silver trim ring around them.
(https://i.imgur.com/sWuz9Wk.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PVL8L7N.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uMjF4vC.jpeg)
This Monte Carlo looks good - Buddy Baker is one of my favorite old school drivers- I have a couple of the Salvinos 71 Charger kits in the lineup which I believe have the same chassis parts, so seeing this thread leaves me concerned- you're doing an excellent job with this kit - looking forward to seeing the finished product
got the front suspension and some bars together and just glued the engine in place (not pictured)
(https://i.imgur.com/sJnquNi.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uRjSjhm.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Nx55GUv.jpeg)
i used the instruction sheet to refer to the mods i ended up doing, mostly because i am not exactly sure what the official automotive name of some of the parts are :o
first, the front springs. i removed them... they seemed to interfere with the rest of the suspension not fitting snug
(https://i.imgur.com/cKMHOIq.jpeg)
this piece wasn't long enough, it pulled the pieces that the wheels mount towards the car... if that makes sense. so i ended up cutting some tubing and digging out some rod ends and made my own
(https://i.imgur.com/oK2cnDF.jpeg)
this area had to be sanded down on both sides, the suspension rubbed on them and kept them from fitting right.
(https://i.imgur.com/8QF3P8w.jpeg)
these parts, there are 3 different versions of them in the kit. i used the ones that the instructions recommend, seems to be the ones that would give the lowest front end stance. they move around a little, up and down, if they aren't glued in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/e0jHU8V.jpeg)
these have no specific area to mount them to the crossbar that the engine sits on. you just have to line up the areas that mount towards the front of the chassis and fiddle with them until they look right and hold the piece from the previous picture straight
(https://i.imgur.com/zrOFvmM.jpeg)
and where this bar mounts attaches to the firewall, there aren't any holes, just a recessed area where they are supposed to fit. i ended up drilling them out a little bit so the bars would fit easier.
(https://i.imgur.com/dCfclZb.jpeg)
alrighty... hope that makes sense. please PM or ask on here if you have questions.
i did attach the 2 chassis halves and mocked up the wheels... chassis sits level, all 4 tires touch the ground.
got the office done and glued the chassis halves together. the instructions call for the entire front half, including the cage, to be finished before the chassis is glued together. however, for me the cage would have blocked off the area where i clamped the halves together so i went ahead and glued them. i think i am going to assemble the cage and then glue it to the chassis. there seems to be a fitment issue with the top hoop, one point isn't long enough to attach when it's mocked up. everything is painted, just have to do some roll bar padding paint. i also mocked it up with the wheels in place and set the body on it... the next one i build, i will use one less spacer on the rear end and use the "medium" front spindles... it seems to sit really low.
(https://i.imgur.com/RwV2wVe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y2kyS1R.jpg)
got the black decals done on the driver's side. i usually (and shoulda) started on the passenger side to figure out if there are little nuances that exist... but i don't know why but i didn't this time. the decals (Powerslide kit quality decals, not sure if there is a difference between the Salvinos kit decals and regular Powerslide decals, but Mike always seems to differentiate between them in the descriptions) were fairly easy to work with and line up. i did get some that folded over but the wrinkles came out with some massaging. on the passenger side i think i will put the rear section on first, the front section on second and the middle section on last. i did them from rear towards the front this time.
(https://i.imgur.com/aqTuoLWl.jpg)
AND the picture size option is available again on imgur, so the pic isn't so big. not sure if it disappeared for a while and then came back or i just missed it, but it hasn't been there for a while that i noticed. maybe it's because i am working from a new computer that runs Windows 11, my tower is so old it still runs on Windows 10. not sure but whatever, i'll take it.
got some decals done today
(https://i.imgur.com/n0xGXJBl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VwkrGvZl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8vyZ91El.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eKZFB83l.jpg)
Looks great Dave!
unfortunately due to frustrations this build is gonna be boxed up and shelved for a little while. gonna come back to it later when my eyes are a little more fresh and see if i can figure these issues out
already started on the next project, keep your eyes peeled in the NASCAR showroom
My attempt at one one those kits resides on the shelf as well, didn't make it near as far as you did.