Is this worth saving?

[RedScampi]

This Blackfoot body has seen better days. There were/are many layers of paint, the front corners both need repair and the front of the hood has a warp or melty spot. It will be a real challenge to bring it to a presentable state. Would you tackle it?

[Mazdaj]

I probably wouldn't resurrect this one-mainly because of time. I rarely get more then 30 min. at a time to play so by my estimation I would finish it by 2013. How would you rebuild the front part of the lower fenders if attempted?

[RedScampi]

I think i would use styrene plastic stock attached with model cement to rebuild the general shape. I might drill a very small hole in the broken edge with a pin vise to insert a metal pin of some kind for strength. After the basic shape is there I would use auto body spot putty to fill holes then sand, smooth, sand, smooth. Probably use some strip styrene on the back side to reinforce the joint. Obviously this repair would never stand up to an accident, but it should be invisible on a shelfer. I have seen some pretty amazing repairs on some of the older stuff. For the hood, probably I would just fill the warp and sand it out. The FORD script on the hood lip would have to go of course. I think it's a matter of time, rarity and bull-headedness that makes people take on challenges like this. For me, I'll probably make the attempt, just to see if I can.

[scr8p]

i'd just pick up a decent used one off of ebay. there's always some on there. now, without buying a brand new one, any used body you'd find would still need to be restored to some extent. but, the nicer the part is that you start with, the better the final product will look. and it'll take less time and effort, too.

[bearrickster]

You could always chop it off and slam it down low run it with no grill, and use it like a Mud buggy!!

[RedScampi]

Wow, that's a cool idea I hadn't thought of! It'd be kind of a rat-rod RC.

[rctenracer]

check "scollins" at tamiya club he loves this kind of work .

[RedScampi]

Wow! Took a look at his stuff. He is way out of my league! Still, I really like the idea of bringing cars back from the dead using new parts only for the hopelessly destroyed stuff. They may not be perfect or completely "accurate" but they'll definitely be created from my own labor. That's what makes it fun for me.

[dubfreak]

always good to save some stuff never know what the future bilt will require

[tizeye]

That's big job... I did similar repairs on VW body I thought that it was too rare to just throw away. It had a huge hole in the bonnet that required the most work, it took me hours. The end result was ok, but only when viewed from a distance about 12 feet should do it..

[Diggley]

Regular "Easy Off" over cleaner worked great at stripping/removing not only Testors model paint from my old Monster Beetle body, but also automotive grade basecoat-clearcoat.

It will take some bit of effort though.....

I used multiple coats of oven cleaner, lots of dish soap, tooth picks, and a new toothbrush for scubbing. The automotive grade paint was tough, but not impossible to take off.

You can see how well the paint came of in my "under constuction Baja Ultima post". It used to be gloss black (2 stage)..you can still barely see a few spots of the original 1987 Testors green.

I've recycled a otherwise trashed body and am currently in the process of making something special.

I don't think I would go for the 100% resto either. I like that rat rod/mud bogger/rock crawler idea. You can still find Blackfoot bodies.

[RedScampi]

Yeah, I hear you. I have another very nice Blackfoot that is getting the resto treatment. This one is more or less an experiment. What you seen in the pictures is the result of several days of work with brake fluid and oven cleaner. This thing had four or five coats of enamel on it. I've had varying success at stripping depending on what was used to paint originally and how long the paint has been on. Sometimes the brake fluid works better than the oven cleaner and vice-versa. Lexan is usually tougher. i just stripped Turbo Ultima body and it came out crystal clear but others have clouded and gotten brittle. go figure.

[bearrickster]

Soak it in a bucket of Super clean overnight and a old tooth brush in the morning the paint will just fall off

[tizeye]

What's Super Clean?...

[shodog]

What's Super Clean?...

castrol super clean degreaser