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| Lexan Body Tips |
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| For those who want a quick summary of what to expect:
PREP & PAINT 1) Remove from package, wash with detergent and water to remove mold release agent. 2) Place car on piece of Tomy 3" piece of straight track. 3) Place clear body on car and line up wheel wells with front wheels 4) Check that body lines up well, especially from the rear looking forward. 5) Mark with the ultra-fine sharpee the body post holes and points where the axles touch body. 6) Mark cross hairs with axles at center point and end of cross hairs extending to end of front and rear tires (probably needs a demo). 7) Trace the bottom all around the body to mark where to remove flashing. 8) Create & apply window masks (needs demo) 9) Apply round stickers to front wheel wells. 10) <skip> apply decals to inside of body (advanced, see Mike for method) 11) Spray two fine coats of paint with air brush or spray can (15 minutes between coats) 12) Spray very thin backing coat of white 13) Remove window masks after a short period (10-15 minutes) 14) Clean over spray from windows before paint is dry 15) Let sit for 24 hours before mounting. TRIM & MOUNT 1) Remove flashing with scissors 2) Some misc. trim to make piece easier to work with (needs demo) 3) Puncture pre-marked holes for body posts (outside-in) 4) Flatten inside of puncture holes. 5) Apply thin strip of strapping tape to inside of each side, covering puncture holes (needs demo). 6) Re-puncture with small hole 7) Use dremel to put a point on body pins. 8) Apply clear packing tape to inside over puncture holes with enough to fold over on outside to cover mounting pins. 9) Push mounting pins into puncture holes from outside and fold tape over from inside to cover pins. Repeat for other side. 10) Burnish to preference 11) Use small dremel round sanding piece to trim rear wheel opening Repeat for other side (absolutely needs a demo). 12) Trim the rear panel as needed. 13) Fine tune with some track testing. 14) Proceed to stick on pin striping and decals unless you mount decals on the inside and paint the pinstripes like the pros. Suggestion.. Just stick to one color at first and use decals or stickers until you become more profficient at mounting bodies.. Mounting bodies is probably the most difficult step in completing your car.. TAKE YOUR TIME!! The steps that Jim outlined here are good ones and should be followed.. different technics can be developed over time but try and stay with the basics for awhile.. One of the things not mentioned here is how the handling of the car is directly effected by how well or poorly the body is mounted. It is important to NOT get the body to low as this can cause dragging on the track or interference of the tires or pick up shoes.. All these things will upset the handling and generally make the car slower. After mounting many bodies you will gain the ability to make your body "Float" in the chassis pins.. "Float" is a a term we use in H.O. that explains the freedom of movement of the body on the chassis. While holding the wheels/chassis you should be able to wiggle the body a small amount when mounted. This is Float.. The body pins should move freely in the chassis pins without binding or sticking. This will aid in the handling of your chassis.. Sometimes you will have to mount a few bodies before you get the hang of this but keep practicing and it will come to you.. BTW.. a small amount of Nail Polish remover cut with Isopropyl Alcohol makes a good over spray remover for the car windows.. Just dip a q-tip in the solution and rub carefully.. dab with a dry Q-tip to clean. |
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