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“In this assembly session you will assemble the fuel tank and install it in the rear section of your model.“
This long stage involves working with the large Body and Chassis assemblies so you may want to get some help.
Contents
Parts
Materials: All of these parts are plastic except the soft vinyl Fuel Tank Hoses.
Assembly Guide (Digital Version)
Build
Assembling the Fuel Tank
Stage 106.1
Push the pin of the Fuel Level Sensor into the center hole of the Upper Panel.
On my model, this part was already installed. The paint and graphics on this fuel tank are very nice:
Fit the posts of the Upper Panel assembly into the matching holes on the shallow recess side of the Fuel Tank.
To make sure this Upper Panel is placed in the right position, take note of this small pin on the bottom of the Fuel Tank. This is the ‘front’ of the tank:
Place the Upper Panel on the Fuel Tank so the ‘JAZ Products’ graphic is closest to the side with that pin:
Secure the Upper Panel to the Fuel Tank from below with two (2) AP screws:
Retrieve your Boot Floor Panel from the previous stage and fit this Fuel Tank assembly down onto the two center posts, as shown.
Align that pin I mentioned earlier into this hole of the Boot Floor Panel:
Secure the Fuel Tank assembly to the Boot Floor Panel from below with two (2) AP screws:
Stage 106.2
Connect the two Fuel Tank Hoses between the pins of the Upper Panel and the Boot Floor Panel, as shown.
In order to make these Fuel Tank Hoses more sturdy and posable, I inserted lengths of 22 gauge Craft Wire into each one. The wire should be slightly shorter than the hose itself so there is space at the ends of the hose for the mounting pins:
Then, I connected the hoses between the pins and shaped them so they look somewhat realistic:
Stage 106.3
Retrieve your Body assembly and carefully turn it upside down on a soft cloth. Fit this entire Boot Floor Panel assembly into the trunk area, aligning the screw holes as shown:
Two things here to note while fitting this into the Body – First, make sure the plug of the Wiring for the LED Rear Lights is not trapped below the panel:
Second, make sure the peg on the end of the Fuel Hose inside the trunk (from Stage 75) fits up into this hole:
Begin securing the Boot Floor Panel to the Body with six (6) LP screws:
Stage 106.4
Finish securing the Boot Floor Panel to the Body with four (4) AM screws.
This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:
Here is what our Boot (Trunk) interior should look like installed:
Connecting the Body and Chassis
Stage 106.5
Retrieve your Chassis assembly. Bring the Body close to the Chassis and connect the plugs of the Wiring for the LED Rear Lights. Then, starting at the rear and moving forward, bring these two large assemblies together.
I always find it easier to do these type of ‘marriage’ steps with everything upside down on a soft cloth:
With a friend holding the Chassis above the Body, I connected the Wiring for the LED Rear Lights plugs together:
Next, we tucked the rear end of the Chassis down into the Body, hiding the Wiring for the LED Rear Lights underneath:
Moving forward, we slid the center of the Chassis down between the middle section:
Finally, we lowered the front end of the Chassis between the fenders. We also made sure the headlight wiring behind the left front wheel (arrows below) was not trapped or damaged:
This process was simpler than I expected however, the two metal Wheel Arch Reinforcement Plates over the Front Wheels did need to be squeezed a little towards the engine to drop down into place correctly:
Stage 106.6
Begin securing the Chassis to the Body with ten (10) AM screws, five under each door:
Stage 106.7
Continue to secure the Chassis to the Body with four (4) AM screws at the rear of the car:
Further secure the Chassis to the Boot Floor Panel with two (2) CP screws at the rear axle:
Stage 106.8
Retrieve your two rear Bumper Guards from Stage 102. Slide the tabs of these Guards into the slots at these locations on the Rear Bumper.
These Guards are marked ‘L’ and ‘R’ so you can tell which side they need to be fitted to:
Secure the ‘forked’ ends of the Guards into place with two (2) DM screws, one for each:
Stage 106.9
Remove both front wheels, then secure the Front Right Wheel Arch Reinforcement Plate to the Body assembly with two (2) AM screws:
Stage 106.10
In the same way, secure the Front Left Wheel Arch Reinforcement Plate to the Body assembly with two (2) more AM screws:
Thoughts
Oh, I do enjoy the ‘marriage’ part of building vehicle models – seeing the Body and Chassis come together! This Charger feels even bigger than it looked separately. Since we do not reinstall the Front Wheels until a later stage, my final picture here is with the vehicle upside down. I did not want to put the heavy car down on plastic suspension parts.
Next Up
Stage 107 – Left/Right Panel Mount Brackets, Front Chassis Cross Member