My fascination with the Dodge Charger began in elementary school, sparked by the sleek fastback design I witnessed on Japanese TV during NASCAR Grand National races. This early exposure cemented the Dodge Charger as one of my all-time favorite NASCAR stock cars. While official model kits of the NASCAR Dodge Charger from that era are scarce, mostly limited to older MPC releases, I decided to craft my own using a combination of readily available kits.
For this project, I utilized Revell’s production version of the 1967 Dodge Charger and Lindbergh’s 1964 Plymouth Belvedere stock car race version. Given that both cars shared Chrysler’s “B-body” platform, combining elements from each seemed like a viable approach. Marrying the Dodge Charger’s body and interior with the Plymouth’s chassis and engine required careful adjustments to ensure proper wheelbase, ride height, engine bay fitment, and interior integration. This meticulous process, though time-consuming, proved to be a rewarding and enjoyable modeling endeavor.
One notable challenge was adapting the NASCAR-spec roll cage from the Plymouth kit to the Charger body. The shapes differed between the 1964 and 1966 models, necessitating a custom solution. I fabricated a roll cage using plastic round bars, shaped to accurately reflect the 1966 NASCAR regulations. The dashboard also required modification to meet racing specifications. I carefully removed the instrument panel from the production version and created a race-ready dashboard using plastic plates and assorted 1960s-style meter decals.
Body modifications were extensive. I removed the production car’s various moldings and emblems, filled the fuel lid indentation with putty to create a flush race-spec fueling port, and added hood and trunk lid catch pins for a racing look. The taillight area was removed, and a spoiler was added to the rear trunk lid, enhancing the car’s aerodynamic profile. For authentic racing livery, I sourced decals from “Mike’s Decals,” a favorite supplier, choosing markings representing the COG (Cotton Owens Garage) team, a leading force at the time, and driven by the legendary David Pearson.
[
