# Help!!!



## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

I need to turn the 1:87th Roadrunner into the 1:1 Roadrunner. The 1:1 is my Father in laws car. And I want to give him the little one to him for Christmas. I got 4 of them just to be safe. I am not going to attempt to make this car into a convertible. But what I want to do is make it look like the car has it's top up. I do not know what to do about paint or how to make it look like a soft top. Also what wheels & tires would look best.

Also keep in my mind I have never done anything in t-jets. I am also concerned about doing detail in this smaller scale,


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

If memory serves ParkNRDL, Rick the "ragtop" Wurtz did a convertible (Galaxie ...?) that came out very sharp. White and blue comes to mind. He's snifed the roof of of lot's plenty of lil cars. It would be a great template for you to work from. Check his builds.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

I know some of the model car guys use blue tape and paint it black to simulate vinyl tops on '60s & '70s cars . . . maybe something like that could be done. Perhaps some very small, narrow small styrene strips glued across the top first to simulate the supports for the convertible roof . . .


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Ragtop-Up conversion*

Fost, so you want a Top up convert, maybe you should get one of those GTO Ragtop-up Repops, and cut the roof off and re-attach to the RR ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

PS, unless you add Saggy flats and edges across the stock roof to simulate the Bows, any paint will just make it look like a Vinyl roof. Also note that the Ragtops have smaller rear window than the Hardtop version...that's why I suggested the GTO Top swap.


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

You have 4. Cut the roof on one


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Some Top Up images for reference ....


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

BTW- I didn't know if you Father in Laws was a '68 or '69....so the above pix are a '69. Not much dif except for tail lights
Anyway, here is the T-JET GTO Top Up Convert....note the roofline


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

Okay if I go the route of top up, do I get a GTO convertible & cut the top off of it? Then just retro-fit onto the RR body with the hard top cut off?

Or I cut the top off & make it top down. What do I do for interior? I can't just lop off the top & leave nothing inside.

Gonna have to find the other guys pics to figure something out. 

I also wanna try to keep one intact to make a Petty RR out of it.

My Father In Laws car is a 69 383 with 4 on the floor. He just repainted the car this year. And put new heads, intake manifold, & new Holley carb. All done this early this year.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Fost, your FIL must be a pretty good bloke for you to want to do this for him. Good on ya! If you decide to go the windy option you could hit a well stocked toy store and grab a suitable open top die-cast and pinch the interior from that. Cut, chop, slice and dice as required. Keep askin' questions, you'll get the help you need.

Ralph, excellent reference material mate.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

Jisp said:


> Fost, your FIL must be a pretty good bloke for you to want to do this for him. Good on ya! If you decide to go the windy option you could hit a well stocked toy store and grab a suitable open top die-cast and pinch the interior from that. Cut, chop, slice and dice as required. Keep askin' questions, you'll get the help you need.
> 
> Ralph, excellent reference material mate.
> 
> ...


Yeah Jisp he is a great guy. I got what you are saying I think. Find a convertible die cast, take the interior out and make it fit what I need for this car. Right?

If I take the roof off how do I put the windshield in?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Here's my .02.. I would do it top down. Every so often Weird Jack lists resin convertible kits on Ebay. I would use the kit for the 55 Chevy and narrow it down. They aren't very expensive, and he usually throws in extras when you buy more than one. 

Since that body has vent window posts, the windshield will be fairly stout. The trickiest parts of this conversion will be making sure the interior fits centered, shaping the dashboard to match the curve of the glass, and installing the glass without clouding it. I suggest clear 5 minute epoxy (used sparingly) to mount the glass in place. Test fit it multiple times before mounting it permanently.

One issue you will find with that body is it's on the small end of the scale. It's not true H0 scale, it's more like MEV scale. Because of that, the body will sit kinda high on the chassis, and in convertible form might sit even higher. Once you have a good fit inide the body, I would thin down the interior kit by placing it on a piece of sand paper and taking some material off the bottom. You can use clear epoxy to mount it also. You might also have to slice the top boot to narrow it down. 

If that much work doesn't work for you, I would consider Ralph3's idea and go the GTO roof idea. It would be less labor intensive. Which ever way you choose, measure twice, cut once, and always eyeball things before making a move. I don't have any of those bodies handy now so I can't be sure either suggestion would work.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

You can't go to a Deep interior on a T-Jet, you need a Tray made like Aurora did. I made a Top Down Corvette this summer and made a Tray and used a Windshield from a Hot Wheels car.... looks darn good too. And you just Glue the Tray and Windshield in place.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Yup, you got it. Take the interior from the die-cast. Any interior that looks about right would do... just need to make it fit.

Did the body you are working on come with separate "glass"? When you cut the roof away leave the windscreen surround in place. It's the perfect support to glue the glass in. With careful cutting you could try to leave the front quarter windows surrounds in place also. They would act as a brace for the windscreen surround. Does that make sense?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Top Down Corvette Conversion*

Not that it applies directly here, but here is an example I built into a top Down on the Red JL '67. I made the interior tray, and the windshield came from a Hot Wheels diecast car.

I converted THREE Slot Car bodies here - using the Hotwheels Diecast pieces and swapped the Top-Up white Roof from JL '67 to Tyco '60 Vette.

























The White top on the Black Vette was originally on the Red JL Stingray.


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

Okay I got some ideas and yes it is on the smallish interpretation (sp.) of what HO is defined to my eyes anyway. As I said before I do not have any t-jets on hand. But my buddy has some AW t-jet chassis' so I will get one either today or tomorrow so I can get an idea of where I am at. 

This is my little secret but I prefer the hardtop version of the Roadrunners. As well as just about any other car. But shhh he is a convertible guy. So as not to upset the balance of my universe do not tell him.:wave: ( just my attempt at humor).


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

on several of the top down convertible tjets that I have made 
I use the jl tjet mustang interior and top boot , 
I did the tjet Camaro and the firebird the Maserati and a model motoring 67 chevelle and the tjet 41 Lincoln .. it fits these cars very nice..
for the auto world 59 impala I use weird jacks 55 interior because it is real wide..
and I use testors clear parts cement for installing my glass.
it goes on white and it dry's clear. so if you get it on the glass it don't really show after it dry's 
to glue in the interior in I use gel super glue I get from dollar tree


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Fost,

For a top-up version, before you go cutting up other slot bodies, try this old model railroad technique for early canvas passenger car roofs.

Materials: Any thin sticky tape, piece of Kleenex tissue, black (or whatever color the cloth top is to be) craft acrylic paint (in the little squeeze bottles at the craft store - about a dollar).

Cut the tape into strips about 1mm wide and stick them across the car's roof where the metal bows would make ridges in the fabric of the cloth top. Cut off the excess length. 

Pull the tissue apart into a single ply. Cut out a square bigger than the roof area including the sides and rear.

Paint the roof (including tape strips) and quickly lay the square of tissue onto the wet paint. Stretch it out to avoid wrinkles. Load the paintbrush with paint slightly thinned with water, and paint the tissue, working it into a good tight shape. Paint a quarter-inch beyond where the cloth area will end. Don't worry if the paint gets on the windshield or body. Let the top dry an hour or more. The tissue's weave should give the top a cloth texture when dry. 

If the car's roof color shows through the tissue, or the tissue looks fluffy, put another coat of slightly thinned paint over the tissue. 

Let dry for an hour or two. Now the tissue should be stiff. With a _fresh blade_ in an X-acto knife, cut away the overhang all around and carefully pull off the excess. If any paint remains on the body or glass, rubbing with water should remove it, since the paint isn't fully set for a couple of days. 

One way to handle the rear window. Cut out a piece of stiff clear blister-packaging material or sheet styrene the right shape and size for the rear window. Use it as a template to cut the stiffened tissue to create the rear window opening, and pull the tissue away from the back glass. Clean up any paint still on the glass with water and a wooden toothpick. If the result doesn't look convincing, just lay the clear template into the opening and use a pointed brush to put a line of black paint all around the edge to seal it to the cloth top.

Hints - 
1. Practice the whole job on a junker diecast first if you're worried.
2. If you get working on the roadrunner body and the whole job goes south, just wet it and pull or rub off the tissue and paint, then start over. The job only takes a few minutes. You can redo it until it looks just right to you.
3. In the first few days, the dried acrylic paint is fairly easily damaged but it eventually becomes waterproof and very tough. I'd do the top job a couple of weeks before the car was going to see any enthusiastic driving.
4. The bond will be a lot stronger if you degrease the roof plastic with alcohol and scuff it lightly with very fine sandpaper before doing the job. For a shelf queen, it wouldn't matter.

Good luck with the project. If you try it, let us see the results.

-- D


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Bill Hall said:


> If memory serves ParkNRDL, Rick the "ragtop" Wurtz did a convertible (Galaxie ...?) that came out very sharp. White and blue comes to mind. He's snifed the roof of of lot's plenty of lil cars. It would be a great template for you to work from. Check his builds.


thanks for the props, Bill! As usual, I haven't been keeping up with the boards, but better late than never, I guess. So anyways... yeah, done my share of roofectomies. I agree with some of the previous posts that it'd be rough to get the hardtop roof to look like a ragtop... especially since, if I recall, the rear window on that Roadrunner is an odd shape and doesn't look like a standard rectangle convertible rear window. You could probably file the sags between the bows into the roof, but I've never tried it. I actually asked the exact question you're asking here on the boards a while back, and SCM had some insight, but it seemed nobody had actually tried to do what you want to do.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=278169

However, the actual surgery involved in cutting the roof off isn't bad. The toughest part is finessing an interior/boot/windshield to fit afterwards. I agree with 60chevyjim in that the JL Tjet Mustang is a good interior and boot donor, and that the Weird Jack interior works well for larger cars. On that note, here are threads on some that I've done:

Fairlane:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=97061

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=177143

Oldsmobile:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=361233

Impala:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=98246

GTO, Firebird, and a bunch that others posted...
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=178358

hope these help inspire you. :thumbsup:

--rick

edit: here's one more convertible I did, but this was significantly more than a roofectomy...

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=352716


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

"thanks for the props, Bill! " Naw Rick you got it turned around. 

Your early work served to inspire me during my impressionable years.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

And I'm still amazed at the drop tops you've done Rick. The Fairlane, and 442 are still on my to do list, and I'm way overdue for another 66/67 GTO convertible (now that I can light 'em). Honestly, as memorable as that caddy conversion is, I plum forgot about it. That body (sans driver) really needs to take a bath in silicone and have some babies made of her. That one came out so slick!!! :thumbsup:


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

rick your converts look great . 
on the firebird I did
I used the mustang interior top boot and the windshield too and put aj's rims all around..
I just had a great idea , that I got from from my bauer slot cars...
there vw bug ragtop has a vacuformed interior . nice detail and paper thin too..
take the mustang interior and copy it with a vacuform , and do the WJ 55 interior too..
I know someone on this site has to have a vacuform machine .. anyone ??


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## tjetsgrig (Nov 1, 2009)

If you decide to do the top up convertible, please, please, DO NOT use the brown GTO!!!! Its fairly rare and Ive seen them go for some serious quid! Or, you can go ahead and make mine worth more!


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

jonny lightning 500 made them gto convertible in tons of colors too ..
and the jl slot car ones sell real cheap new in the box ... 
so why would someone need to use a aurora one ?


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Why not just buy the drop top road runner from RRR?


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Some Top Up images for reference ....


^^ WANT!!!! Especially the Sublime one


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Why not just buy the drop top road runner from RRR?


I was not aware they have them. I looked on their site & cannot find one.


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