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MPC 1969 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible


Model Carnage

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Well, ya' gotta know that the only thing that makes disasters like this one doable are cheap and plentiful MPC 1970 Bonneville Convertible reissues. That, and the fact that i picked up an MPC 1969 Bonneville Convt junk box with the rear deck section cut out of another example.  There's 2 ways i can fix this..... a:  fit the 2 pieces together that are pictured, or  b: cut the deck out of a 1970 Bonneville donor and make the side joints at the quarter panel  top corners. I'm used to doing version b: but i'd give version a: a go if someone can suggest a non-shrinking filler to fill the flaws above the big Vee (on the underside) where the body was thinned to make cutting the deck out. I like microballoons & superglue but it's a little too grainy for the top side of something like this. What powders are you guys using with superglue? talcum? baking powder? Or ?

I'd kinda like to fix the pictured deck into place from the top then fill the Vee on the underside first then level it and bridge the gap with some strip styrene over the Vee. Then fill the little gaps and scars on the top side with what?

 

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That actually looks pretty good after you got the old paint off.

Looks like a pretty easy fix too. But after you get the panel glued back in, instead of finishing it off with putty, I'd "V" out the seam , fill it with plastic strip glued down with liquid cement and sand it flush. That will give you a much stronger joint and minimise the risk of it ghosting when you paint it. Still might take a small amount of filler but much less.

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Got a little bit done: Carved off the old glue from the tops of the quarters with a nice sharp folding knife knife in order to have a surface to level the deck to.

Fitted the replacement deck into the hole with the correct spacing from the cowl brace to the edge of the new deck, matching the dimension taken from an unbuilt 1969 conv. because the 1970 Bonne was a slightly different dim.

Leveled the deck into the opening by taping, then gluing little tabs on top, over the gap between the 2 parts. Had to do it a little at a time because the new deck might've slightly changed shape after it got cut out of the other body. Or maybe the body moved a little.

Filled the Vee underneath with superglue & microballoons. Tiny, hollow glass spheres for those unfamiliar with the product.

Cut off the leveling tabs to check the mismatch between the new deck & old body by block sanding. Was all good except for the right rear corner which was about .010" high for about 3/8" long, right in the corner. It's true now.

Next up: buzz off the excess microballoons underneath and then bridge the gap from styrene-to-styrene with some strip stock because microballoons & superglue is kinda brittle.

Then stuck some rectangles on the bottom of the REMOVE brace on the windshield frame from the donor 1970 Bonneville. Some of you will figure out what that's all about.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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Edited by Model Carnage
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Loctite Superglue Gel is great for filling stuff like this. Never shrinks. 

I've also had good luck with superglue and embossing powder. Did it on a black body recently using black powder and the fill was so clean I was able to get away with polishing the whole body and didn't paint it. Boo-ya!

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57 minutes ago, Model Carnage said:

Whoa! Never would've thought of that one. Thank You!

About the Superglue Gel: Will it harden if it's painted on and exposed to the air?

 

Superglue Gel fully cures within about 24 hours. And it keeps getting harder, so you want to work it down after about 24 hours, not longer. You want to work it down to pretty much level with a file, and then finish up with your normal sandpapers backed up by blocks. But the stuff will NEVER shrink, and it's not coming out. The Loctite brand has worked well for me, store brands not so much. 

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Baby steps: Buzz off the excess microballoons from the underside factory Vee with a flame-shape carbide bur in the 1/8" pencil grinder to expose the styrene. Bridge .045" styrene across the Vee to mechanically connect the new deck to the old body with something more reliable than microballoons.  Short pieces will better follow the contour than 1 long piece, right? The black marks designate the edge of the styrene patches that were radiused on the opposite side to follow the curve in the underside of the body where it meets the side of the quarter panel.

Then a piece of sprue was L-shaped to provide a landing spot for the broken rear lower valance and glued onto the inside of the 1/4 panel. After the valance is moved back into place with heat it will be glued to the L. Then the joint between valance and quarter can be Vee'd out and filled with a wedge of styrene. After that heals, the L can be whittled off with the pencil grinder.

And the sloppy contact cement was picked off the remnants of the windshield frame to make it fully visible for eventual removal. Pics next time.

Oh, and i dribbled some gel Original Superglue onto some scrap styrene like Snake45 advised. It took a couple days to get there but it hardened. Mighta been slow because the model factory is a little on the cool side this time of year. Okay, Carry on.

P.S. If anyone wants to supply a pair of stock grills for this animal i have things to trade. The rear bumper filler is absent, too, but looks to be easily fabricated.  PM plz if you have 1 or both grilles.

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Edited by Model Carnage
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