# Restoration project



## old blue (May 4, 2007)

I recently purchased these three on Epay with full intention of stripping the paint and restoring them to their original glory or something close. I also did not have the Ferrari 250s in my collection. I only paid $25.00 for all of them and I knew they had solid rivet chassis so I really was okay if they were garbage. I will post the progress of the stripping in later posts.

Old Blue


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Can't tell for sure from the pic, but is that one on the left a Cobra with a roof added? Very interesting...

--rick


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Very good eye!!! Yes, it is a Cobra with a Jaguar window glass converted into a roof.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

looks like some other British coupes from that time period... this was the first one i could dig up, but i'm still looking...

http://www.allardregister.org/gt-coupe/

--rick

edit: or this one

http://www.barchetta.cc/All.Ferraris/images/0521/166-mm-s-n-0-1476.jpg


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

They do look similar. Mine is just ugly. I hate to lose the vintage moon eyes decals and the red hop up kit decals from the hood, but this car is really ugly. I will attempt to restore the roof and maybe paint it red inside, but I have little faith that I will be able to save the look. 

Also note the pinstripe down the side. I found it interesting that this was done by scraping off the blue paint to reveal the red plastic underneath.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Through the miracle of the internet I can now show you the new and improved version of the car in the middle. I stripped the paint in ****-n-Span for a few days and cleaned out the details with a toothbrush and toothpick. The two racing stripes did not survive but the rest came out pretty clean.

I owe a debt of thanks to Bill Hall and others on HobbyTalk because I was able to cut two new window posts from a donor car and goop them onto this one. I was also able to sand and buff out a couple rough spots just like I learned to from you guys.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Here is the car on the right all cleaned up. This one soaked in ****-n-Span until I lost my patience and threw the car into isopropyl alcohol to remove the remainder of the paint. The red paint appeared to be spray paint and was difficult to remove. I had hoped to save the two racing stripes on this one but they were wiped out by the alcohol. This one has window posts in tact and little damage to anything. I think the paint actually works to preserve the original finish.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Nice saves!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: 

Someone obviously had a car in mind when they did the mod to the cobra. Considering they probably could only use what they had available to them, in a primitive kinda way it's sorta cool. Yes, it's ugly, but someone did put some time into making it something else.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

old blue, i have some pieces from the original decal sheet Aurora made. i can supply those scallops if you really want to put them back on. PM me a mailing address.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

After a night in the ****-n-Span the blue paint washed away revealing a green metallic paint and some number decals. What I discovered was that the glass was held on with Elmer's glue and modeling clay to fill the gaps where the glass did not touch the body.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

LOL.. Never satisfied with the results of the first layers of paint... Sounds like me as a kid.  :lol:


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

Nice saves! The Aurora Ferrari GTO's are some of my favorite cars. Oh wait, ALL T-Jets are my favorite cars!

Marty
Marysville, OH


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Great job!

Nuttin' owed here my friend. It always tickles me when someone else "goops" another slotcar(s) back from the brink. It aint easy, but it's also not as hard as folks think it is.

As for your recently inherited "folk art roof" on the Cobra, your findings are in keeping with the vintage. In general you wont often find joints or repairs made with liquid/solvent type plastic welders, and CA as we know it wasnt available. In all but a few cases where I've found contact cement (elephant snot) in screw posts; the most commonly found adhesives are gelatinous Testors (tolulene based) tube glue, and Elmers.

The tube glue of the era can present some problems. Clearly your repair skills are now at the point now where you can excise the offending area; fill, sand and buff. Obviously Elmers is no great shakes as it is water soluable. Even stubborn 40 year old Bossie bones will give way eventually if you take your time and stay at it.

Hopefully the newly discovered green metallic will give way too. 

Good luck!


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

*Before and after*

Before and After......

The red cobra was something of a challenge once I got down to the green spray paint. A few mistakes on my part paired with some pretty tough paint led to a very trying process. Things I learned on this one was:

Dunk the body in ice water between brief buffing sessions - cuts down on those buffer burns.

Be patient, be patient, be patient. It is worth it.

I now have a green thumb, not from planting anything, but from gently encouraging the paint to leave the body.

Old Blue


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Very impressive saves Blue!

Patience is the ultimate restoration tool. The more you excercise it the stronger it gets, and best of all...it's FREE! Truly the magic wand that restorers seek.

While buffing can be somewhat nerve wracking; as you develope a comfort level things get better. The tendency for most beginners is too use too much pressure. The idea is to gently let each grade of compound do its job, then clean up and move to the next grit. Too often we expect too much in the early stages. 

Yer on a roll!


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

This is my favorite kind of post to read through, bringing em back to former glory! 

I agree with Joe, looks like somebody was inspired with the Cobra, kinda looks Aston Martin-like to me, or like a Sunbeam Harrington LeMans, or maybe even Triumph GT6 without the kamm tail. Who knows? It looks a lot better now! Nice work!


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

Great saves! 
This is what the Cobra artist was trying for. The roof was made to run on the 289 Cobras at LeMans before the Daytona Coupe was built. The aero advantage added 20 or so MPH to the top end speed on the Mulsanne straight. One of the original cars was a blue #98.
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/2316/AC-Shelby-Cobra-289-Le-Mans_10.jpg


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