Okay, let me tell you about this kick I went on trying to recreate one of those old Pontiacs from NASCAR back in the day. It wasn’t like I planned it, just sort of happened.
It started when I stumbled across an old plastic model kit of a Pontiac Grand Prix, probably from the late 80s or early 90s. Bought it cheap. Got it home, opened the box, and realized, yeah, this is the street car version. Nice enough, but it wasn’t the beast I remembered seeing thunder around the track.
Getting Down to Business
So, the mission changed. I decided I was gonna turn this plain Jane kit into a proper stock car replica. First thing, I hit the internet, digging through old race photos and watching grainy race clips. Trying to nail down the look for a specific car, maybe Rusty Wallace’s or Richard Petty’s later rides. Man, finding clear, detailed pics from all angles was harder than I thought. Every race seemed to have slightly different decals or body tweaks.
Then came the parts hunt. The kit obviously didn’t have a roll cage, racing seat, fuel cell, or those wide racing slicks. Finding aftermarket stuff specifically for that older Pontiac NASCAR model was tough. Hobby shops mostly had newer stuff. I spent hours sifting through forums, asking questions, trying to find suppliers or even people who maybe cast their own resin parts.
- Needed proper wheels and tires. The kit ones were way too skinny.
- Had to figure out the roll cage. Ended up trying to bend and glue bits of plastic rod myself, following photos as best I could.
- The engine in the kit was just a basic block. Had to add wiring, plumbing, scratch-build some of the racing components to make it look busier.
- Decals were a whole other headache. Found some aftermarket sheets, but they were expensive and sometimes brittle from age.
The Build Itself
Actually putting it together took ages. Lots of cutting away stock parts from the chassis and interior tub. Sanding, filling, fitting the roll cage pieces – it was slow work. More than once I had to snap pieces apart after the glue set because something wasn’t lined up right. Modifying the stock body to get that lowered, aggressive NASCAR stance wasn’t straightforward either. Lots of trial and error.
Painting was next. Getting that specific shade of, say, blue or red. Masking off areas for different colors. Always a bit nerve-wracking peeling off the tape, hoping the lines are clean. Then came the decals. Oh boy. Soaking them, sliding them into place without tearing them, getting them to lay down over curves. Used a ton of decal setting solution. Some still wrinkled or silvered a bit.
End Result? Well…
After weeks of fiddling, painting, and gluing tiny parts, I finally had something that looked like a Pontiac stock car. Added some mesh for the window net, dirtied it up slightly to look like it had run a few laps.
Stepping back, it wasn’t perfect. Some lines weren’t quite straight, some decals a bit crooked if you looked close. But you know what? It felt pretty good. It really made me appreciate the look of those cars. They had character, more closely resembled the street versions back then. It’s a shame Pontiac isn’t around anymore, and you don’t see that kind of direct brand battle on the track like you used to. Anyway, that was my little project. Learned a lot, got frustrated plenty, but ended up with a cool piece for the shelf. Worth it, I guess.
