Darwin's 14-15 build
 

About time I got my thread up, right?

I decided to have another whack at an old project, and a larger scale one at that. Some of you may remember the New Bright PT Cruiser that I bought a couple years ago and hacked a suspension and hobby grade electronics into. The front doors open and a cell phone or camcorder fits pretty neatly inside, which can be fun to play around with.

Here's an old picture of it flexing.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps5834fa28.jpg

The suspension is really basic, just a steel triangle with a hinge where it meets the body and a shaft and some bearings to hook to the front and rear axles. The springs are simple coils out of things I've disassembled over the years.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps28ba79e8.jpg

I started off trying sort of a junker look on it, with a wrecking yard door and the like.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psd2f09a77.jpg

It was never all that quick, thanks in large part to the crappy New Bright motor I left in it, and the suspension is primitive at best. It didn't hold up too well, either. The New Bright logos and crappy red paint never really cut it. My plan is to make it drive properly and look a little more realistic.

Here's the body in bits. The dashboard was just grey plastic originally--I had a go at it with some Sharpies to give it a little life.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps3gzbam4y.jpg

I sanded down the old paint and got rid of the nasty factory mold lines.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psio0poiby.jpg

I'm still going for sort of a junker look with it, and I thought it needed a grille ornament. I got this pot metal skull from a tie clip my dad got with a shirt a while back. It had a gunmetal finish originally, but when I heated it with a propane torch, it heat-anodized blue and gold.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...pswonhs9lo.jpg

Paint is in the works.

Paint is coming along.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...pspmrpswqx.jpg

Closer look at the dashboard:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psnk7lzgll.jpg

I tried to make some simple friction shocks the last time around. It actually rode a little smoother, at least until the shocks overextended and fell apart. I don't have the budget for proper oil-filled hobby shocks, but I think I can find something a little better than these.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps66d66c86.jpg

Look'n good! Cool Project too & cant wait to see more!

Paint's wrapping up. In the meantime, here's a little detail work on the windshield wipers. They didn't look right all in black... how often do you see a set of windshield wipers on a beater that aren't losing paint?

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psauezwnvh.jpg

I'm going back and forth on leaving the whole body black or adding something else for contrast... updates as it happens.

Been awful dead around here, we still on for this?

I rusted up the damage a little by dabbing two colors of brown into the dents with a shop towel. (Spray onto cardboard, then dip and dab.) This looked way too bright to me, so I gave it another coat of flat black to tone it down but not completely cover it.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psoe1ppym6.jpg

I also dirtied up the interior a little, just because the plastic looked way too clean for this kind of rig.

Then I got out the masking fluid and covered the dented areas and a few others besides.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...pslmylryrw.jpg

My plan is to wipe the body down and give it a clearcoat. Afterwards, the masking fluid just rubs off, leaving matte areas around the damage and in other spots where the clear coat has failed.

That is, of course, assuming that my skanky Krylon clearcoat won't bugger the base coat. Nothing like watching those little wrinkles spreading and knowing how much sanding it'll take to fix. :o

I'm wondering the same thing about the site. What'd you say you were putting this on again?

Clear coat's on, and the body's going back together.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps1n52h2jj.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psqxpptqrh.jpg

I've got the chassis it came with to put it back on, once I get the suspension fixed. I've also got to get the windows and the side mirrors touched up and put back in.

Anybody else still in on this, or am I chasing a dead horse here?

I guess we'll know on the 1st.

Doesn't look like this is still on. Oh well, here's this build wrapped up.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psmdaczjmt.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...pspbby5435.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psv4dxbsaf.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...psneyehhym.jpg

Anyone else?

Looks great, very nicely done and actually looks like a typical pt. my vote for the win. :)

Amazing attention to detail and all around fantastic job! It is nice seeing a project like this with activity being down and XMODS coming to an end. ;)

That detail is amazing! Wish I would have stuck with mine but I got lazy with my new jobs.

Take more pics of the detail if you can pls



Edit: Just saw the RIP XMF :'(

:thumleft::thumleft:Nice job love the interior with the post it note on the dash and trash on the floor.

Great Interior!