Horrorshow Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Looking for a little help. I have never worked on a “glue bomb” How much disassembly can actually be done, can windshields be removed? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) It depends entirely on what type and how much gloo was slathered on. Each one is different. Some come apart relatively easily with a little careful prying. At the other end of the spectrum, you'll need sophisticated surgical techniques...and some parts may be destroyed in the process. Experience, skill with various tools, making judgement calls on what to save, and simple common sense all play a part. Edited January 23 by Ace-Garageguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Ace is right. Every one is different. And then there’s the question of whether or not it’s worth it. If it’s a kit that’s easily replaced, it’s probably not worth the effort of messing with it. Get a new one and start from scratch. Steve 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 As Bill says, it depends greatly on the kit and how it was built. When things get real gluey and two parts are really welded together, you may have to sacrifice one part to save another. Which one you sacrifice depends on which one is easiest to replace (with a another available part) or scratch build. Glass is often a difficult one, brittle plastic that is welded to the roof. If the glass is available from another kit or not too difficult a shape to make your own, you may have to grind it out of the body. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) 8 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said: ...And then there’s the question of whether or not it’s worth it. If it’s a kit that’s easily replaced, it’s probably not worth the effort of messing with it. Get a new one and start from scratch. Unless you're a glutton for punishment like me, and particularly enjoy building something nice from somebody else's bodged messes... Edited January 23 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 I'm in the middle of one right now. '61 Galaxie convertible...looked like a clean build, but boy, did this guy love his cement. I've never seen an AMT annual kit build with the bumpers glued to the chassis mounting posts (the tabs on the back side of the bumper ALWAYS snap into place, NO exceptions). Interior was glued ALL the way around, then the lock rings were glued onto the posts. Front fender ornaments were heavily glued from underneath, and I'll have to grind the body on the inside to break the taillight trim panel free. I'll also have to dunk the body to see if the stripping agent will soften up the glue enough that I can get the windshield out. There's no visible glue on it though. And, thankfully, no fender skirts or other junk on the body. The hood was glued to the radiator bulkhead though, and I'll probably fix it shut on the rebuild. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 4 minutes ago, Mark said: And, thankfully, no fender skirts or other junk on the body. A rare one, that. It seems almost universal that early glue bombs have the skirts welded on along with every body ornament in the box. Good luck with the glass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Thorne Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Something like this can be very helpful. Of course, you could make your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
restoman Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 15 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Unless you're a glutton for punishment like me, and particularly enjoy building something nice from somebody else's bodged messes... Yup. I actually think I like dealing with glue bombs better than tackling a fresh, un-goobered kit. The result of a lot of years in the rust & resto end of things...? I've got a '72 Ventura GB that is slowly coming apart. The glass is toast, I'm sure, but I'm trying! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 11 hours ago, Bainford said: A rare one, that. It seems almost universal that early glue bombs have the skirts welded on along with every body ornament in the box. Good luck with the glass. Yeah, this one’s on fleabay right now for a decent price. If it wasn’t for the extra shipping…🥴 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Well aint that purdy. Obviously, the Buick kit didn't come with side skirts. Unfortunately, with $30-$40 shipping to Canada, anything like this is completely unreasonable now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobss396 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 I did one a year ago, a '62 Ford that was in decent shape. The chassis came off with the screws, the bumpers too. I had to cut the interior nubs off with the MCG PE saw blades. This would be not doable without these saw blades. The firewall I broke off cleanly, the glass came out using the PE saw blades. The interior and glass will not go in per the kit instructions, I had to get creative with the dash mounting too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horrorshow Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 Thanks for all the advice. These are my own glue bombs so I’ll only get to curse myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 18 minutes ago, Horrorshow said: Thanks for all the advice. These are my own glue bombs so I’ll only get to curse myself. That's a shame. Cursing the original builder is part of the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Don't get me wrong. Being an annual model kit nut, I've done plenty of glue bomb restorations. Not because I love working on junk, but out of necessity. I would just absolutely never waste my time piddling around with a heavily glued and messed up AMT '49 Ford model when I can pick up a new one almost anywhere for next to nothing and start fresh. I'm not blessed with infinite bench time, and I can't envision myself wasting the time doing what I see as "busy work", trying to resurrect something just for the sake of doing it. I've got way too many interesting and important projects that I want to complete before I die. I'm not going to spend even one second correcting someone else's poor work on something that's not worthy of my time. Just me. Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 As said for a kit that is expensive a restorable glue bomb is the way to go. I would suggest maybe developing your disassembly techniques on glue bombs that are more common to avoid making mistakes on something rarer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobss396 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 22 hours ago, Horrorshow said: Thanks for all the advice. These are my own glue bombs so I’ll only get to curse myself. I took apart a Chevy II that I built around 1995... Testors paint and tube glue. I was astonished at how much glue I used to get the glass and tub installed. I thought it could be saved... nah... maybe a few parts but I'm calling it toast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Typically try to use some sort of prying instrument like Ron showed in his post, just make sure whatever you use has a radiused end to it as it is less likely to break both the bodywork and the glass or whatever else you are trying to pry loose. It takes a little pressure but not like prying something loose with a crowbar! Some of those plastic automotive interior levers and pry tools might work pretty well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmak Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 As a young teen in the early 80's my interest was (and still is) annuals from 50's, 60's and 70's. I scoured local garage sales, flea markets and junk shops for these annuals and 90% of what I found was built. At that age I was not about survivors so I rebuilt everything I could find. Some all but fell apart and other were glue welded garbage. Over years I developed a feel for using sharp object to pry apart welded pieces and some tips and tricks. Some tricks and thoughts: *Start with a couple not special (common kits) glue bombs to develop your skills and test some of the methods below. *Tire burn/tire melt is always more difficult to repair than you think. The process that causes the tire burn also slightly softens the adjacent material and you might have to cut it all out to repair it properly. *Strip the paint once you get the chrome off you can save. Often painted parts are glued together, and this will work them loose. *Put the model in a zip lock bag, hold the model and bag upside down over a small pot on the boil (wear an oven mit!!!) and fill the bag with steam. Seal the bag and place in a deep freeze for a couple weeks. Repeat a few times. This method gets water into the very tiny gaps and when it freezes it pops the glue. *Late 60's/early 70's MPC kits molded in color are some of the worst to get apart. *Know what you have to save / similar common kits that are available. Years ago, I bought a ton of the MPC 74 Barracuda Snap fast kits (essentially un-assembled promos) to get glass and windshield posts for 70-72 MPC Cuda resto projects. I could easily cut the glass out of the rest projects since I know I had good glass waiting. *Be patient, I have resto projects that took decades to find parts for. Hope this helps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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