How can I save this?

[Jesse D]

sorry about the picture quality. I took em with an I touch. The car is a 1/25 scale AMT 68 GT500. I have absolutely no experiance working with plastic like this. any help would be much appreciated.

[Kaleb]

I'll be quite honest. I can tell there is something wrong but a clearer pic and some description would be helpful in my case. Idk about anyone else. Do you have a camera and something like a photobucket account? If not at least a camera and post them like you did?

[Jesse D]

I do not. The rocker is cut off above the door line from the middle forward.

[Scuderia]

There's an option that jumped out at me right away that might not be too difficult. BUT another question is 'do you want to keep that as a stock-looking body'? Or something a lil more custom?

[Fat Brian]

You just need to glue some styrene strip along the edge where its cut. Use good glue like Tenax and give it a day or so to dry so its solid when you go to sand it. You can follow the contour of the rear part that is still there to put the correct curve in it and then rescribe the door line. It's not that bad to fix but this is also a fairly easyily obtainable kit, I saw a few at Hobby Lobby last week. Print you off a 40% off coupon and buy yourself a new one, the cammer parts are worth it if you add them to a better block from a newer FE motored kit.

[Jesse D]

I keep changing my mind. I wanted to build the engine and put it in something else. Then again I wanted to save the body but I hardly have the skill to shave door handles on a model much less repair missing chunks. I might be up to trade the body or the whole kit if anyone has a decent old built mustang they'd be willing to let go of.

[VW Dave]

Sadly, I don't think there's any saving that one......replacement is the only way to go, and make the rest of that model the 'parts donor.'

[RickRollerLT1]

Looks like a factory defect, but are commomly called "short shots". I've have had and seen worse, but this dosen't look too hard to fix. I'd say it can be saved with plastic strip, losta bondo/filler, and some scribing around the door lines to match. I had a sealed 70 Challenger kit given to me and the body had the full HALF of the rear end missing! It could not be fixed at all, but luclky I had a spare so things were all good.

[VW Dave]

  On 5/22/2012 at 12:21 AM, RickRollerLT1 said:

Looks like a factory defect, but are commomly called "short shots".

I don't think that's a short shot, and the OP said it was cut...either way, it looks tough to fix as he said he's not experienced.

[Jesse D]

True. it was cut. I've built model cars before bu I never messed with the bodies like this. My only experiance is sanding off door handles and filling holes.

[wisdonm]

This is not as big a deal as some would have you think. Get some two-part epoxy putty. J-B Weld in auto sections, plumber's putty (cheaper) in the plumbing depts. Knead some together and shape it like clay. Use tools or a wet finger. It will stick to darn near anything, even when wet. Workable for about 10 minutes, like a rock in a half hour. Then just sand or machine as needed.

[RickRollerLT1]

  On 5/22/2012 at 5:42 PM, wisdonm said:

This is not as big a deal as some would have you think. Get some two-part epoxy putty. J-B Weld in auto sections, plumber's putty (cheaper) in the plumbing depts. Knead some together and shape it like clay. Use tools or a wet finger. It will stick to darn near anything, even when wet. Workable for about 10 minutes, like a rock in a half hour. Then just sand or machine as needed.

What we both said.

[wisdonm]

Bondo/body filler is not the same. Those are way harder to work with than epoxy putty which is like clay, not mud.

[Jesse D]

I think I'll try JB weld for the rough shape and finish it with bondo if necessary. Thanks for the input. I was truely lost.

[62rebel]

IMHO it's too common of a kit to worry over. i cut up two of them to repair my AMT Iron Horse Mustangs and never gave it a second thought. they're readily available fairly cheap.

[Jesse D]

It'd be worth the experiance. Any ideas on how to rebuild the wheel arch flare?