What do you think is "must have" equipment for a decent restoration?

[njmlondon 576]

Hello all

I have been accumulating some WW1 parts from around the world with a view to a complete restoration. I have never restored a car before, but I have always wanted to tackle a project like this and am ready to go.

Before I start I wanted your input on your favourite tricks for the following...

1stly, stripping paint of a hard WW1 body. I know it used to be brake fluid that seemed most recommended but it stinks and is not the nicest stuff to have around. Is there anything else any of you would recommend that can be easily found in the UK?

2ndly, stripping paint from WW1 wheels. Are these made of the same stuff as the body and can I use whatever is recommended above? Or are they nylon and need a different treatment?

3rdly, revitalising old tires. I have read on this site that a glycerine bath works a treat. Does anybody know what types of glycerine I should be looking for and a UK source?

4thly, polishing the black chassis. Are there any plastic polishes that can bring the shine back to a chassis and at the same time smooth out scratches?

5thly, revitalising metal parts like springs. Are there any tips? I know a night spent in a glass of coca-cola can shiny a penny but would this work on the metal parts used in a WW1? Is there anything better suited?

Finally, anything I am missing from above that you would consider a muist-have for a restoration?

I look forward to any input!

[bromvw 744]

Acetone will dissolve any paint even hard enamels if soaked long enough. The best way is to lay damp kitchen roll that has being soaked in Acetone over the shell and than seal the body in a suitable container for a few hours perferably outside due to the highly flamable fumes . A well ventilated shed is ideal for this . Acetone is readily available as nail polish remover .

I have heard that boiling wheels in a old pan is good for removing paint but i have'nt personally tried it . For cleaning small parts many use a sonic jewelley cleaner with a few drops of washing up liquid added into the water . As for old tireS - and this will seem really odd - TRY peanut butter . Plaster the tires in it . leave overnight in a plastic bag . The natual oil brings rubber back to life as good as new .

[WillyChang 1818]

Acetone will dissolve any paint even hard enamels if soaked long enough. The best way is to lay damp kitchen roll that has being soaked in Acetone over the shell and than seal the body in a suitable container for a few hours perferably outside due to the highly flamable fumes . A well ventilated shed is ideal for this . Acetone is readily available as nail polish remover .

u gotta be kidding me, have you even TRIED what u are suggesting?

[Dante77 11]

To 4th:

I have polished up a vintage Blackfoot Servo cover using chrome polish (the cheap stuff that comes in a tube).

Worked perfectly for me and also buffed out some scratches. Also used it on SRB chassis, worked nicely too.

[bromvw 744]

u gotta be kidding me, have you even TRIED what u are suggesting?

YES WITH GREAT RESULTS. The peanut butter trick is a old car valeting trick and i promise you it works

[Percymon 2185]

I've seen members here use acetone too on vintage bodies, but be careful not to melt the underlying shell palstic.

Graffiti remover also tried and works but very messy

Caustic soda solution is another alternative.

To be honest though one of the quickest ways is to sue wet n dry sandpaper of various grades and just work your way through the paitn layers, and then use a metal scriber or craft knife to clean out details and shutlines.

[MadInventor 3887]

Not having used any of the other suggested methods, I have used brake fluid for paint strippping off old shells, it does work, but you will need to leave it to soak for at least 24 hours. Alternatively a product is available in the UK called Modelstrip. This is paint stripper designed especially for stripping paint from plastic, I've used it and it does work, you need to plaster the bodyshell in it and then seal it in a bag for 24 hours. Good but expensive.

[Percymon 2185]

I had an original Clodbuster hard shell in DOT4 brake fluid for 2 months and it didn't touch it - i ended up sanding it. All depends what the sheel was originally painted with and you can't imagine how 'creative' people have been over the years with various paints !

[breck 0]

I just stripped paint of an old White Monster Beetle Shell. I sprayed it on and in 10 minutes the paint came off... I still need to do a 2nd small clean-up, but it worked well.

http://www.googone.com/GG-Browse-Products/...-Spray-Gel-14oz

[Will16 45]

Hi mate,

DO NOT use Acetone. It will melt your shell to a pile of gloop. Graffhiti remover is a good choice to getting paint off hard bodies..

The WW1 doenst need to be painted though, for box art??

[spudtrooper37 1]

A Manual is good :-)

[bromvw 744]

Hi mate,

DO NOT use Acetone. It will melt your shell to a pile of gloop. Graffhiti remover is a good choice to getting paint off hard bodies..

The WW1 doenst need to be painted though, for box art??

Will i and many others have used the acetone method . I have never had a problem with it and its far milder than brake fluid

[TamiyaDan 8]

.

[bromvw 744]

Mark may well be right , i'll admit to not having tried acetone on any of the original 80,s bodys only the more recent re re stuff . Also who knows what the paint will look like in a few years - prob peel and crack as he says .

[oz-trash-cowboy 63]

Top of my restoration tool list is time and second patience.

[WillyChang 1818]

Top of my restoration tool list is time and second patience.

screw that... limitless creditcard and a workshop camera is better

[Backlash 483]

The first thing I like to have is an instruction manual for the car I'm rebuilding to ensure that I have all the correct parts, aand that the build goes as the factory intended..

To answer your questions..

1.. Easy off oven cleaner - Only on ABS (Hard Plastic) bodies and needs to be of the caustic type.. Spray it on and and recheck every 20 mins or so.. Scrub difficult areas with an old toothbrush.. (Best to do this outside in the shade as the fumes are quite bad, and follow the instructions on the can regarding wearing PPE like gloves and safety glasses/goggles as it will burn your skin)

2.. See answer #1 - Note, remove metal screws and tyres etc. before using oven cleaner..

3.. Soap and water and scrub with a soft nail brush.. I've not tried Glycerine yet, but you buy it from chemists or your supermarket (where they have deoderant and bandaids etc)

4.. Brasso is a great plastic polish, but it does contain a mild abrasive, so it will remove small sctatches.. Deeper scatches can be sanded with fine wet and dry paper first... Car polish will also polish plastic quite well.. (I've not tried polish on clear plastic windscreens etc, as most polishes contain mild abrasives, so may cause fine scratches on the plastic..

5.. For brass, and other metal parts, I soak them in mineral/petroleum based degreaser... Alloy parts can be rubbed with fine wet and dry paper, or scourer pad to give a "satin" finish or then "polished" with a quality metal polish such as Autosol to give a high shine..

Pot metal parts (SRB gearcases) I first degrease, then rub any corrosion or marks with a soft bristle brass wire brush, but this will cause the pot metal to become shiny... Pot metal can also be bead blasted, and it will keep its natural dull appearance... Pot metal can also be polished if you desire..

I am still yet to find an "easy" method of cleaning nickel plated metal parts such as springs and screws back to a "like new" shine.. If you have a Dremell, you could try polishing them with metal polish.. Having them replated is an option..

Goodluck..

[njmlondon 576]

Thanks for all your input!

I am off out shopping later to buy some Peanut Butter, Brasso and some Oven Cleaner. Quite an ecclectic combination!

I was also going to buy some fertiliser for my garden this weekend but reckon I would be swoooped on by the counter-terrorist police! I think I may just put that on hold for a while!

[redzone 212]

Must have equipment is a dishwasher & no wife

[MAD RACER 566]

I use my Ultra Sonic cleaner.

Really is a great tool.

A dishwasher?????

I've herd of that before. Does it work well?????

NO WIFE it will have to be when she is at work. LOL.

[HunterZero 77]

1stly, stripping paint of a hard WW1 body. I know it used to be brake fluid that seemed most recommended but it stinks and is not the nicest stuff to have around. Is there anything else any of you would recommend that can be easily found in the UK?

The most common used methods for hard plastic bodies if you search the forum are DOT3 brake fluid, or caustic soda (usually in the form of heavy duty oven cleaner spray). Don't use acetone, except as a last resort, it will melt plastic. It destroys ABS plastic, polycarbonate and polystyrene on contact.

Nail varnish removers are commonly acetone, but some are acetone free, so some brands may attack plastic, some may not. It's not worth the risk IMHO.

3rdly, revitalising old tires. I have read on this site that a glycerine bath works a treat. Does anybody know what types of glycerine I should be looking for and a UK source?

I can't vouch for peanut butter, but it will smell of peanuts forever if you do that. Instead, use silicon oil (damper oil), or dilute glycerine 1:10 with water and wipe with that to rejuvinate them. You can buy containers of glycerine at the local pharmacist/chemist, it's commonly used for dry skin.

- James

[bromvw 744]

I can still remember my new wifes face the first time she found a 1.1 pair of beetle cylinder heads in the dishwasher lmao . SHES USED TO IT NOW

[WillyChang 1818]

break the next one in with a load of brake shoes & head/taillamp glasses. Throw in the dizzy cap too for good measure!

[Kokuzu 38]

A patient wife...

[axemandavva 0]

For stripping paint on hard bodies I have been using desolvit graffiti remover lately.

What I like about it is that if it`s going to work it works quickly - spray on, leave for 15 minutes, wash off, rinse and repeat.

You can tell quite quickly if the paint is shifting, and with the chemicals only in contact with the plastic for a short period of time I feel there is less chance of the body being damaged should the plastic react badly to the gunk.

I have not tried it on a lexan body.

Brake fluid works well too sometimes, but there have been bodies I have soaked for weeks without any paint coming off.