Warpage Repair; anyone know how?

[El Caballo]

I have a 1960 dealer promo Thunderbird that has warped over the last 57 years. I was wondering if anyone has straightened such a thing out?

I am reluctant to use heat, but it is just ugly enough that it would be no loss to society if it got screwed up even worse. I thought perhaps making some sort of body-buck and pouring boiling water from a kettle and using some wooden cuticle removers to quickly push the affected areas back into place. Maybe a heat gun? Would that be concentrated enough?

Ideas?

[Howard Cohen]

It is not warpage, although that is the end effect. The old material was porous, like swiss cheese. Over time, the small air bubbles pop and the plastic changes it's shape/shrinks, warps, whatever you want to call it. The only way to stop this is to seal the model when it is new. Some people put a coat of clear on it or painted it. That seals the plastic. You will notice that the chromed parts never change shape as the chrome seals the plastic. It has changes shape as some of the mass if missing. Seldom repairable  

[Perspective Customs]

You can try the hot/cold water method. Dip a portion of the model (roof, hood, sides, etc) into a bowl of very hot water while reshaping then immediately place into a bowl of cold water, still holding the shape. You'll need to do this several times and be careful not to bend the plastic too forcefully to avoid breaking it. And of course be careful not to burn yourself. I used this method on a '58 Fleetwood promo with fair results. Not perfect but did remove a good amount of the shrinkage/warpage. Individual results may vary.  If you're able to make bucks that may help in the process.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Perspective Customs