Disassembling an old model

[Againmikewins]

Hi there! I recently scored this 1960 Lincoln Continental for a decent price. Chrome is a bit rough, but that's not the end of the world. I can also fix the A pillars as well. 

I'm curious about how to remove the stylized side skirts on the rear, however. I believe the glue is at least 50 years old. I want to remove it without breaking the skirts or the body. 

Thanks for any help!

[MrObsessive]

Hmmm..........that can be a tough one. You might want to try running some mineral spirits around the skirts to see if that will soften the glue up a bit. It won't hurt the plastic though. You can also try dunking the body in some water and then putting it in the freezer. The icing action may pop off those skirts, but it'll depend on how much glue they used.

That stuff can be tough no matter the age!

Hope this helps!

[Ace-Garageguy]

If the typical excessive gloo was used to assemble the model, it may be physically impossible to remove the skirts without damage to them or the body. Both the old-standard tube gloo and liquid "cement" are solvents that literally melt two pieces of plastic into one continuous piece. Just softening the gloo in this case will still not allow the pieces to separate.

BUT, all is not lost. Using a very fine photo-etched saw blade, it is entirely possible to CAREFULLY cut around the edge of the skirt, destroying only about .010" of plastic on the edge, where the blade kerf travels.

I've used this technique very successfully on several heavily-glooed joints that wouldn't come apart any other way. Some edge repair is necessary afterwards, but it's better than trying to pry parts off and breaking them.

[Againmikewins]

Thank you both for the insight! I hope I can save this car! I got it for less than $30! There are some pretty rough looking subjects that are selling for a lot more. 

I love these old Lincolns!

[Againmikewins]

I got the passenger side completely off with minimal glue damage to try to repair. The driver side is mostly off, but there's a stubborn part giving me hell. Back to the freezer! 

Thanks again for the tips!