Buddy Baker 1980 Monte Carlo WiP

[18degrees]

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 Tamiya mica silver over flat black


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.











and what i am going to use to try and fix with




stay tuned for updates and photos.

[18degrees]

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.










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.

[Volzfan59]

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.

[18degrees]

They are a boat on wheels

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.

[Volzfan59]

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.

[18degrees]

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.

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.

[18degrees]

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.






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.

[catpack68]

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.

[18degrees]

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







close enough for government work

[Volzfan59]

Looking good Dave!

[18degrees]

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.






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.

[18degrees]

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

[racecar dave]

Lot of nice body work. Coming along pretty nice.