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best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:10 pm
by 87fierogt
hey guys im working on repainting a clod buster body for a member here and it has a crack in the corner panel and i cant seem to get it fixed or fixed without showing through. i am great with body work but for some reason this is giving me a super hard time. what is the best thing to fix this with? ive tryed

5min epoxy(it was what i had the brand wasnt the greatest)
jb weld quick
loctite weld(basiclly same as jb)
epoxy/steel putty (shrunk)
now im at a stand still due to this spot everything was fixed and painted but then the steel putty shrunk im trying to get this done asap for this member everything else including all lights etc painted cleared and buffed now i just got this spot holding me up and i am getting very impaitent.

thanks in advance

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:16 pm
by call-911
I would do JBWeld, but the last time I painted a body I didn't have hair under my arms so take my 35 year old opinion with a grain of salt.

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:21 pm
by RedScampi
I did a good repair on a Blackfoot hard plastic body using good old fashion testors model glue. The plastic is very similar to what model cars are made of and it bonded nicely. I glued small strips of styrene behind the repair to add some strength. Just use some plastic filler putty to fill any low spots on the surface, sand and prime.

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:35 pm
by budhatrain
so with all the stuff you have already done is the piece still salvagable?

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:57 pm
by Y'ernat Al
Maybe just bondo it at this point to fill the shrunhken area? Bondo-sand-prime-a little more bondo if it still isn't perfect-sand-prime-wetsand-paint. (Not that that helps your patience crissis)

I ran into similar difficulties tryin to fix a Tamiy Super Champ - that skinny rear strip that ALWAYS cracks at the roll cage. Anyway, after failing with JB and a couple of the other double barrell epoxys, I got one from the aisle in the auto parts store specifically called Plastic Weld, formulated for plastics. That worked well and actually fused the plastic so it was real strong and tight and with only minor sanding it's smooth as can be. Really imperceptable fix because it essentially re-fused the pieces together.

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:27 pm
by 87fierogt
thanks for the replys guys. im not impatient about doing it right more of impaitent that everything i try is not bonding or is shrinking/showing through i wanna get this done for him everything else looks great and is already cleared and buffed and i wanna get this finished in a timely fashion.b

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:32 pm
by jwscab
tamiya bodies are ABS, or styrene, the same as most models. Testors model glue (the orange tube, original style, solvent smell) will slightly melt the pieces and fuse them the best that you can hope for. The environmentally safe stuff smells like oranges,but doesn't provide near the bonding strength.

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:54 pm
by Brandon G
I would guess regular automotive bondo (or as they like to call it, body filler) should work fine.

Re: best way to fix a crack in hard tamiya body?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:22 pm
by 87fierogt
i got it together i took a peice of a flat frame rail from a 1/8th scale tbucket jb welded it behind on the crack then bondo it looks like normal although the body line is slightly rounded but not noticeable it just needed one last coat and thats drying nowb