My fascination with the 1966 Dodge Charger began in childhood, sparked by watching NASCAR Grand National races on a Japanese TV program. Among the field of stock cars, the fastback Dodge Charger stood out with its unique and aggressive styling. This early exposure cemented the Dodge Charger as one of my all-time favorite NASCAR vehicles, and ignited a desire to recreate it in model form.
While official model kits specifically for the 1966 Dodge Charger Nascar Program Cars are scarce, primarily limited to older MPC kits, I decided to embark on a custom build. My approach combined Revell’s 1967 Dodge Charger production version kit with Lindbergh’s 1964 Plymouth Belvedere stock car race version kit. Both models are based on Chrysler’s B-body platform, making a parts integration feasible. Marrying the Dodge Charger body and interior with the Plymouth chassis and engine required patience and careful adjustments to align the wheelbase, ride height, engine bay components, and interior fittings. This kitbashing process, though time-consuming, proved to be a rewarding and enjoyable modeling challenge.
One notable hurdle was adapting the NASCAR-spec roll cage from the Plymouth kit to the Charger body. The roll cage, designed for the 1964 Plymouth, did not conform to the 1966 Dodge Charger’s dimensions and NASCAR regulations. To address this, I fabricated a custom roll cage using plastic round bars, ensuring it accurately represented the 1966 NASCAR safety standards. Similarly, the dashboard needed race-specific modifications. I carefully removed the instrument panel from the production car’s dashboard and fabricated a racing instrument panel using plastic plates and assorted 1960s-era meter decals.
For the exterior, I focused on replicating the clean, race-ready look of the 1966 NASCAR Dodge Charger. This involved removing all unnecessary production car moldings and emblems. I then filled the fuel door indentation with putty to create a smooth, race-spec fuel filler area. Hood and trunk lid pins were added for a touch of authenticity. The taillight area was removed to match the race car configuration, and a spoiler was added to the rear decklid, enhancing the car’s aerodynamic profile. To finalize the livery, I sourced decals from “Mike’s Decals,” a supplier I frequently use. These decals represented the car raced by Cotton Owens Garage (COG), a leading team of the era, and driven by the legendary David Pearson.
This project of creating a 1966 Dodge Charger NASCAR program car model was a journey of skillful adaptation and passionate detailing. It brought to life a childhood automotive dream and stands as a testament to the rewarding nature of model car building, especially when focusing on iconic vehicles from motorsports history.
