# yard sale find, restoration project?



## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

ok, so I hit this yard sale not expecting to find anything because it's Saturday, and all the good stuff goes Thursday and Friday... and there's this box of old diecast with a sign that says "$1.00 Each-Firm". I do the customary digging, and here's what I find:










along with a few partial Mini-Lindys (Ford pickup, Jaguar, VW.) I pick up the lot and bring it home, and I figure I'll focus on this poor little guy, see if he'll ever run again:










(Sorry for the crappy pics, my wife had the camera so I had to use my phone...) Anyways, the motor seems locked up, so I start the disassembly. Hm. As horrible as the multicolored paint is, the window posts are intact... screw posts are intact... wheel wells are intact. Rear bumper is gone, front bumper is gone with the grille still there, front and rear windows are busted out with the piece that connects them still inside the roof. But wait... what's this?










Is that LIME GREEN? yowza... time to bust out the ****-N-Span! At this point, I really can't tell if it's lime green or just turquoise that's been fogged with yellow, but at least I can dream with this thing soaks...

and I'm thinking the Motorific bodies are going to Fleabay to help fund the purchase of an order from Weird Jack...

--rick


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*wife came home with the camera*

so here are some better pics:














































of course, you can't really see the color in the pics, but I'm thinking it just might be lime green...

it's in the drink now, I'll keep you all posted. anybody wanna place bets? 

--rick


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

How perfect is it that the red color almost exactly matches a typical rust bucket '69 Camaro that you might see along an old 2-lane highway, sitting next to a run-down barn. :thumbsup:

I think no matter what color is underneath you are going to have a blast on this one. :woohoo:


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## oldraceral (Dec 1, 2005)

That is amazing, finding the Camaro with all that paint but no "body work". No telling what you're going to find in boxes of junk.
This morning I went out rummaging and found 10 nearly-new HotWheels for a buck. Brought them home and gave them to my grand-daughter. An hour later and she's still playing quietly with them. Priceless.


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## BRPHO (Aug 1, 2006)

Cool stuff you found there!

Hard to believe with all the coats of paint on that camaro that the posts werent broke or the wing window post were not either?

I'm curious what color the body was molded in under those many layers of paint?

Another great find!

Wayne :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Lime green or not it's still a diamond in the rough!!! Nice find!!! :thumbsup:


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

ParkRNDL said:


> so here are some better pics:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Leave it as is and ask Bob Zilla for a Ghost Rider driver!


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

LMFAO...........Russ, thats funny


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

*Ghost Rider that Camero*

This is where I was going with the Ghost Rider Camero.










Compare this to an original Bob Zilla Ghost Rider production. 










As you can see, the Camero body already has that exposed to Ghost Rider's flames appearance. Why take a pristine body and give it the burn effect when this one came pre-burned? I'm just saying.

Russ the...I am not Zilla...Hutt :freak::dude:


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

you know, somebody really had to work to get that much paint in that many shades on that car! It's a shame they didn't use watercolors LOL. Maybe that burned out looking shell hides a phoenix, set to rise out of those flames.

I love the archeology aspect of cleaning up old slots - "kids" painted over all kinds of stuff! Will look forward to seeing what finish lies underneath.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

When I first saw it I thought it was a rusty diecast.. :lol:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Dude, I would leave the Camaro as is! What a rat rod!

:thumbsup:


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## TomH (Jan 17, 2006)

slotcarman12078 said:


> When I first saw it I thought it was a rusty diecast.. :lol:


Me too. Some guy building a junkyard would either spend long hours making one look like that or pay good money for it. If I didn't see the screwposts, I wouldn't believe it was plastic.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

I couldn't make it look that good as a rust bucket if I tried. :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Maybe only clean half of it?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

You mean like the Maaco half and half car??? LOL!! I remember them ads... I think joez's a bit too young to remember them.. :lol:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*hail the almighty **** N Span*

sorry to disappoint the Ghost Rider fans, but here's some progress shots--

after 1 day in the SnS:





































(more to come)


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*it really IS lime green*

and this is after 2 days:














































I dunno if my monitor is set dark or what, but in this last pic, the nose stripe looks almost black. It's really a bright green. For some reason I really like that, it's part of the reason I'm trying to strip this. There's also some silver paint left on the rocker panels, but it doesn't look like there's any left on the hood vents.

The problem now is that the previous owner was a good boy and followed the directions he read in the model car magazines and sanded before he painted--not on all coats, but at least on one color change. As a result, the door handle and Camaro script on the passenger side are pretty much gone, as well as the fact that the finish is, well, sanded. guess I gotta learn the finer points of plastic polishing. I know this isn't gonna be a mint condition resto, but I'm hoping to at least make it presentable so it looks good running around the track. It's probably the only way I'll ever have an original Aurora lime green Camaro, and the fact that I got it for $1 just makes it that much more tasty. 

--rick


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

No worries Rick....it'll be aw-ight!

Appears that there are some door handles left and they should dot up nicely with some Testors Argent silver as will the rockers. A #000 artist's brush, and a steady hand will get you there. If ya botch it just wipe it off and start over.

Once you have her picked clean I'd carefully mask the micro details and decide whether your gonna spare or kill the mold lines. Remember that rubbing compound and a sharp toothpick can really help get your seams clean. 

Initially wet sand ONLY what needs to be done! At a first glance it appears like you've got some areas that will require that you start at 600. Again work only the areas that require 600. I use an old stainless salad bowl filled with cool water and a splash of dish soap to keep your paper clean. I put an old towel across my lap cuz ya will slop and slobber some.

Put your "readers" on and relax... to do it right requires patience. Be gentle! More strokes using less pressure! Ya want those vent posts to survive. I dont scrimp on the paper if it's worn replace it. You'll feel it when it's not cutting or fouled. Remember that it takes as long as it takes. At least an hour or three depending on condition. 

Once the gerfs and gouges are feathered out using 600 I dry things off and have a looksee for misses and ommissions. I also dry things off and have a look during the individual stages as required....I hate backing up to fix or re-spot little areas. 

Begin anew by spot sanding the 600 areas with 1200 and pull the feather edges out wider. I like to change direction between grades. While I always change direction frequently when sanding I like my final passes of a stage to lay opposite to the direction of the following grade. This makes misses pop right out so you can correct them. Once the bad spots are feathered out in 1200 you can now begin sanding the entire car save for your masked detail areas and pull the entire car's surface together in one even scuff. 

Depending on what finished look I'm after I end at 1500 or 2000. 1500 is about right for a standard factory look. Ideally you will have ended with your finish stroke in the North to South direction.

The polishing "how to" in Model Murdering shows two of the three steps ommitting the first coarse stage. I recommend you practice on a scrapper to aquire the feel.

1. Keep your pad moving at all times.
2. Keep your pad rotation so that it pulls off the work piece.
3. Use a light touch at all times
4. Keep the pad cool and moist at all times and DO NOT allow it to dry out.

Good luck!:thumbsup:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*Model Murdering to the rescue!*

This is about as far as the SnS was going to get with this one, because the body had been sanded:














































I think part of the problem is that I get impatient, and try to scrub/scrape stuff off before it's ready. If I'd throw the the body in the soup and leave it for like a week, it'd come off much easier. But just like when I was a kid, I want to see it done NOW. I come back and pick at it every couple hours, and the stuff gets smeared and I damage the surface of the body, etc. This one was made worse by the fact that it had sanding damage. But then I followed Bill's advice...

(more to come)


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

...and when I hit it with 600 grit wet, this is where I'm at:














































Wow. It actually looks like it may clean up okay. Hey Bill, a couple questions, if you're reading:

1. Since these pics, I have hit the roof with 1200 and it looks ALMOST like it would shine, but not quite. Is there a big difference between the 1200 and the 1500? Or is there a step after the 1500, like to polish it with something? If so, what? _Edit: Duh, I finally made it to the post on polishing in the Model Murdering thread. I see that yes, you polish it with a Dremel. I might have the pads downstairs in my Dremel stuff, but I don't have the polish, which leads me back to the next question:_ 

2. Once it's all sanded, would it be a good idea to dip the whole thing in Future to get a shine on it? I did that with an Eldon Camaro that was actually molded in metallic blue once I stripped flat the brown brush paint off it, and it came out great... _Edit: could the Future be done in place of a final polish? Or will weird things happen?_

thanks in advance...

--rick


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*i cheated...*

...but i learned, and i answered my own questions, so maybe that's ok.

i only bought the 600 and 1200 grit paper earlier today, and that was as far as i got in the above pics... but then once the kiddies were in bed, the wife sent me to Wal-Mart, and they had 2000 grit in the auto body section, so...

wow. the 2000 makes a big difference. but then I wanted to go on, and I don't have polishing compound or the right wheels for my Dremel, so...

i had heard of people polishing Tjets with plain white toothpaste. i broke out the Crest with Baking Soda (which I have used in the past to lap Tjet gears), cut a tiny square off an old ripped pair of sweats that has been relegated to the rag pile, and went to town. these are the results:



















i took these to show that I really did get a little shine out of it:



















it's not a deep glossy finish the way I've seen in Model Murdering after 3 stages of polish, but it looks about as good as most nice used Tjets I find in the wild, and that's good enough for me for now. eventually when I get the stuff to do polishing correctly, maybe I'll go back and revisit...

the problem now is finding the remaining parts. this is my fleet of Camaros:










and I'm not crazy about scavenging bumpers and glass off any of them, since none are hacked up real bad. gotta keep my eyes in the junk boxes at the next show...

--rick


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*Wow rick*

That Camaro was a mess, wasn't it..
I was trying to follow along but can't see most of the pictures at work. (we are blocked out from Photobucket, Flicker and the like)
Have you ever tried Castrol Super Clean? I have read here (Hobbytalk) that it works great...


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

ick,
Looks great. Hey FYI, Micro mark used to sell a polishing kit which consisted of 5-6 sanding pads. They were little 2"X2" foam/sponge pads that had various grades sand paper glued to them. The were used for polishing paint, plastic models and the likes dry and wet. I've used them in the past and they were great, especially when buffing out the finish. :thumbsup: rr


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

yeah, scott, i have heard people mention Castrol Super Clean too. the only reason i haven't tried it is that SnS leaves the original Aurora paint intact, and most of my rescue projects involve trying to save the paint...

rr, that sounds like something I should look for... make my projects a little easier...

--rick


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Rick,
here's the link and they're on sale right now..... rr

http://www.micromark.com/SOFT-TOUCH-PAD-SET-SET-OF-6,7787.html

As you cans see, varying degrees of fine grit. The ultimate shine.  

Set of 6 pads with the same grit both sides: 2400 grit, 3200 grit, 4000 grit, 6000 grit, 8000 grit and 12000 grit.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Tongue in cheek please*

Ahhhhh yes ....the annoying and troublesome "picking stage". That place where we find so many abondoned t-jet projects. I use toothpicks, the round, hard, pointy ones; and a rouge of cleanser, gritty toothpaste (gels need not apply) or god forbid... actual rubbing compound . Start diggin and picking! You should be able to do it in one chick flick. Some times you use the point, other times you trim the pick with a hobby blade into a chisel, scraper or blunt shape to accomodate the area your working in. Not uncommon to use a dozen er so to scale off a t-jet.

Not a fan of the micro papers myself, 2000 is the limit here. I prefer the flexibility of the cotton wheel and my micro grit in liquid form. Papers generally dont get the crannies and if you actually can get a good approach it is criminally laborious. IMHO the micro papers have gained footing because conventional buffing is messy, there is some start up cost involved; and there is of course a learning curve where one must overcome the fear of the unknown and scortch a beater or two until you get the hang of it. The "chicken factor" fortified by "cost issue" justification... for lack of a better phrase. 

Not saying they (papers) aint great, it's just the "grumpy old man approach" to what I call "task avoidance". The contrarian idea that for arguments sake we will spend extra time and thought in an effort to cut corners or disprove conventionally accepted methods on mere principle is a pet peeve of mine. Argumentative realities from the old man univese located somewhere by the missing sock universe ....LOL! "Ya know ya could harvest yer own flax to compress into homemade buffing pads using a molding technique similar to the lost wax process, then squeeze the silica rich juices from the common horsetail plant to use as rubbing compound and save $17.00!" "Maybe I can rig my dremel up to a windmill made from recycled bleach jugs on my day off.... Note to self: dont forget to design an adapter to hook it to my bicycle sprocket for days when there is no windage!"..... Oh goody. 

Just go buy some compound (mothers mag polish will work in a pinch), the correct arbor, and a coupla pads. Use the extra five bux to get a happy meal and be done with it.

Polishing requires some cost and effort. Could I execute a cut and rub with micro-paper?....sure betcha!..Am I gonna? ...probably not! Ultimately I'd like to have this polishing done in the current millenium and the use of something a little less hobbling than stone knives and bearskins to pick my time up seems crystal clear. 

As for "futuring" over imperfections or uncompleted finishes to improve appearances, I'm certain it is a viable option and we see satisfactory results on a regular basis. It would be the only choice of top coat in that it is a polymer lock finish that is easily removed with an ammonia based cleaner should you choose to revisit the restoration. Cant comment beyond that as I seldom use "Future" other than to protect Alclad plating. Around here the application of Future invites foreign particulates back onto what was once a near perfect cut and rubbed finish. Admittedly I tend to avoid it because my expectations are unreasonable and obsessive. It is an accepted method world wide that includes an "undo" button.

Rick!... all kiddin aside it looks fandammtastic! She is reborn! Keep tooth picking at the crannies when you have time and energy. It's the hardest part but if you do five er ten minutes every so often you'll have her picked clean soon enough.

Note: There is nothing in the T-jet Constitution that sez one cannot apply easy off or airbrush thinner in a controlled manner with a small brush to facilitate the picking process. I do it all the time.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

LOL. Bill, you remind me of a buddy of mine from church. this is the guy I turn to when something around the house or the car or the yard breaks or needs attention that's beyond my mechanical abilities. he always knows what to do, always has a better tool or an easier way or a special trick to get the job done. and he always insists, "I'm not smart, I'm just lazy." always makes me laugh...

yeah, i'll keep on picking at it. i was worried that i'd damage the finish with whatever i'm picking with, but i guess if i stick with toothpicks and similar wood implements i'll be okay...

--rick


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

No doubt your friend is a kindred spirit. I use that exact phrase quite often. Sadly I dont remember who coined it or where I ever picked it up.

It's doubtful you will add any damage by putting the wood to her. The damage was done long before you came along. Just keep picking and rubbing....you WILL win! 

In my own warped perspective, polishing is simply a controlled progression of uniformly organized scratches overlaid in descending sizes until they become invisible to the naked eye. All your really doing is taking big scratches and disguising them as microscopic scratches. :tongue:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

*progress*

i thought this was interesting...










--rick


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

From a paint cocoon transformed into a beautiful butterfly... It's easy to understand why you would be inclined to stop right there and say "done!!" The unease of a what if I mess up and accidently break a window post overshadows to desire for perfection..

What I would be fearful of at this stage is the removal of the remaining glass. Being repainted at least twice, you know that section of glass has been glued in. This must be handled carefully... as you may have noticed with Bill's Olive Jag posting.. Hopefully, the grill removal won't be a major issue too.. She looks great Rick!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Rick- Nice score on yard sale find. Great pictures of progressive work. I am looking forward to seeing that hearse on t-jet chassis too!
Jim


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

No worries here! (fingers secretly crossed LOL)

First step to removing the remnants of the glass connector strap is to carefully drill the roof button with a 1/16 bit in a pin vise ....for control. Go slow! Stop when you have reached the bottom surface of the roof and the button is pretty well gone. 

Shove a wedge under each end of the broken strap....use whatever...to exert light torsion between the roof and the strap. Put one small drop of testors 3502 in the hole you drilled and give it a few seconds to activate. Maybe a little testors along the side edges of the strap also but ONLY if Johnny Slopper-ama really goobed it up. 

BE READY to slip a screwdriver under the wedges ... give it a wiggle and work around gently and carefully as though you were trying to schuck an oyster. Let the chemical soften the bond and keep steady pressure without over killing and cracking the roof. The chunk should pop right out...sometimes suddenly...BOO!

Repeat no more than a coupla times if it is stubborn...you dont want too much solvent accumulating and burning through or distorting the roof's topside. Let it dissapate and harden up for a week after the second or third try and live to fight again....there's no hurry.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

ha ha ha, gotcha. i popped that out like 3 steps ago, pretty much the way you said, Bill, minus the testors and drill--gently prying one end at a time. i guess i shoulda posted a pic of the underside since then...

--rick


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Well, what do ya know!!! I was frettin' for nothing!! :lol: Keep up the good work Rick!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Add another one to the Camaro Collection!!!!!!!! Sweet find Rick...*

Ooooooooooooh no I am to late...STOP! lol Nice find Rick. Incredible find, lucky find, Super Duper find! Gotta love it.  

Have been busy lately and missed this thread. It took about 7 or 8 oz. of French Onion dip and about 50 to 60 pretzels to read this from start to finish.

Russ,

I have to thank Ed "Big Time" for sending me the blue based Ghost Rider car. If he wouldn't have sent me that thing in our trades.... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah I don't even want to talk about it. O.K. just for a second. That was the car that inspired me to rust as of late. Thanks daddy-O!

Rusty has been the way I have been thinking lately. hahahaha that Ghost Rider Photoshop is great. Look for another rusty roadster with old Bone Head from the Bob...I am Zilla...zilla in the future.




resinmonger said:


> This is where I was going with the Ghost Rider Camero.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

I like it. It looks like it might have belonged to Jimi Hendrix.


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