Can I fix this? - clear windshield has a yellowish tint to it

[bh1701]

I bought a 67 Thunderbird promo in an online auction the other day. I received it today and noticed that the windows are not clear. Instead, they appear to have a yellowish tint to them. Not sure if this is just due to age ( it is almost 60 years old!) or how it was stored over the years. Also thought it could have been in the home of a smoker and that it was a tobacco film (although I get no odor of smoke from it), but the rest of the car shows no similar symptoms.

I tried using a plastic cleaner on it, but that didn't help.

Wondering if anyone has any ideas if this can be fixed? 

I will be painting the model in a champagne gold, so the yellowish/gold tint on the windows may not look that bad!

Thanks,

Bart

[Bill Eh?]

Hey Bart, if you plan a repaint, are you going to do some disassembly? If so, removing the windshield piece, might allow for some soaking in your chosen cleaner/paint stripper.

 

 

[bh1701]

3 minutes ago, Bill Eh? said:

Hey Bart, if you plan a repaint, are you going to do some disassembly? If so, removing the windshield piece, might allow for some soaking in your chosen cleaner/paint stripper.

 

 

Bill,

Yes, I will be taking it apart to paint the exterior and interior. My favorite paint remover is Easy Off Oven Cleaner (NOT the Low Fumes version since I don't think that works as well ). Do you think that would work, or do you have other suggestions for a cleaner/stripper to use? I think it would also probably be wise to test whatever cleaner/stripper I plan to use on a spare windshield first to be sure there is no adverse reaction.

Bart

[Bill Eh?]

Definitely a good idea to test on a spare. There many different agents that forum members use to remove coatings. To find out about these varying preferences and methods, type the following into a new search outside of the MCM Forum:

site:modelcarsmag.com paint stripping

or

site:modelcarsmag.com paint removal

or

site:modelcarsmag.com stripping chrome

You get the idea. You will get many links to this topic, which should guide you to a satisfactory method for clearing the yellow from the windshield. This search method is a pinned topic provided by Ace-Garageguy. I have used to it many times to search topics, and it works well.

Personally, I have Castrol Super Clean and LA's TOTALLY AWESOME on hand. I have also used the full strength Easy Off Oven Cleaner.

Edited June 21, 2024 by Bill Eh?

[bh1701]

I wanted to add some clarification to my post. When I said that the window has a yellowish tint to it, I did not mean to suggest that something had been applied to the window to create this effect.

It appears to me that the clear plastic has been taken on a yellowish color. Not sure if this would be due to age - like how old decal sheets can turn yellow.

I have never seen this before. I have other model kits that are years older than this one, and none of them exhibit this condition.

Thanks,

Bart

[peteski]

I'm curious if the yellowing is also present on the clear plastic that connects the windshield with the rear window, or is it just in the exposed window areas?

Once you pry the "glass" out of the model, If the entire piece is yellowed, scrape some plastic from both surfaces of the connecting piece to see if the yellowing is just on the surface, or through the entire thickness of the plastic.

[redscampi]

Hydrogen peroxide may be the ticket. I used to use it extensively for vintage RC plastics restoration. If that works then perhaps coat it with something to seal it.

[bh1701]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

I'm curious if the yellowing is also present on the clear plastic that connects the windshield with the rear window, or is it just in the exposed window areas?

Once you pry the "glass" out of the model, If the entire piece is yellowed, scrape some plastic from both surfaces of the connecting piece to see if the yellowing is just on the surface, or through the entire thickness of the plastic.

Thanks, Pete!

I will be disassembling it next week and was planning to check the strips that go from the front to the back to see if they had the same issue. It will be interesting to see what I find, and whether scraping it has any effect!

Bart

[bh1701]

1 hour ago, redscampi said:

Hydrogen peroxide may be the ticket. I used to use it extensively for vintage RC plastics restoration. If that works then perhaps coat it with something to seal it.

Gary,

Thanks for the idea. A couple of questions for you:

• Do you let it submerge it and let it sit in the peroxide for a while, or do you just brush it/rub it onto the surface.
• How long do you let it come into contact with the peroxide?
• What could be used to seal it?

Bart

[redscampi]

24 minutes ago, bh1701 said:

Gary,

Thanks for the idea. A couple of questions for you:

• Do you let it submerge it and let it sit in the peroxide for a while, or do you just brush it/rub it onto the surface.
• How long do you let it come into contact with the peroxide?
• What could be used to seal it?

Bart

I used to submerge the parts and let them sit in the sun if I recall. It worked very well for that particular plastic. For sealing something like this, I'd be inclined to try the "future" floor polish trick described elsewhere in this forum. You can dip the glass, wick the excess from a corner and then let dry. A side benefit is that a lot of minor surface imperfections tend to disappear with this method. If you mess it up it can be easily removed and repeated. There are plenty of folks that use this stuff, and plenty of detractors as well. Try it on a parts box piece first.

Edited June 22, 2024 by redscampi

[Can-Con]

Honestly, looks like a transparent paint was sprayed on it like the old Testors clearcoat enamel. That would turn yellow and leave the plastic slightly foggy like in the pics , , BUT,

You can get new glass from the recent reissue of the "Allison in Thunderland" funnycar. It has a bone stock '69 Thunderbird body and glass in it. The glass fits the '67 and '68 kits too.

I have a rebuilder '68 and the glass in it hasn't yellowed like that  ,, or in any of my other older kits either for that matter.

[bh1701]

27 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Honestly, looks like a transparent paint was sprayed on it like the old Testors clearcoat enamel. That would turn yellow and leave the plastic slightly foggy like in the pics , , BUT,

You can get new glass from the recent reissue of the "Allison in Thunderland" funnycar. It has a bone stock '69 Thunderbird body and glass in it. The glass fits the '67 and '68 kits too.

I have a rebuilder '68 and the glass in it hasn't yellowed like that  ,, or in any of my other older kits either for that matter.

Thanks for the ideas, Steve!

The model has never been disassembled - I can tell that because the posts that hold the interior to the body are still "melted" down against the interior tub. So, I don't think clear would have been sprayed on the glass. Plus, the glass and body are absolutely smooth and slick to the touch.

The funny car would be a good source for the glass, but buying the whole kit for one item isn't cost effective for me to do.

I'll wait to see what ideas others might have, and will report back on my results!

Bart

 

[Deathgoblin]

There's a guy on YouTube from Poland that does restoration on toy cars and when he has a piece yellowed like this, he puts the part in a bath of 12% hydrogen peroxide solution and puts it under UV light as it soaks.  It tends to take the yellow right out.  He uses his daughter's nail lamp.     The channel is called Paul Restorer.  

Edited June 23, 2024 by Deathgoblin