RC Bashers

OK so after some time I got most of my RC stuff sorted through and I came across my slash's proline hardcore shell that was my first paint job (a flop because basic spray paint and not lexan paint). Well since it's basic krylon paint and not the harder-to-remove lexan paint, i decided ill try to repaint it. But long story short, the body's got a few cracks around the fender area that i wanna fix before i paint it. Is there any glue type or any method id use to best fix it? Can i use general purpose epoxy to fix it?

lots of people use some silicone to fix the cracks, you can do that and lay some fiberglass cloth down too.

but usually when mine start to crack i start thinking about the next shell.

Yup hit up home depot and grab the mesh tape used for sheet rock and good ol shoe goo, funnny you will find a little repair kit at like tower with the same. DOne it alot and it does work for that matter makes it stronger. I just cut the tape put it on the spot then put a glob of goo on my finger and spread then let dry

Perfect, we actually have both of those things out in the garage. Ill get to fixin those cracks once i get the old paint off. And it looks like the paint may take a while, since its a 3 coat i gotta scrape off the first couple layers.......good thing Proline's lexan is thick

Not sure what your doing but for a fix just lay it over the paint good sticks to anything lol

im taking the paint off my proline body for my slash because it was what i painted before i found out that i needed lexan paint (i used krylon paint)

using dot 4 or purple bath to reomve paint?

this one was done with krylon spray paint before i learned that lexan bodies need lexan paint, so im using mineral spirits and a brush to take it off.

o, i see. I Use dot 4 brake fluid. The stuff wrinkles up and wipes right off. Just dont soak plastic in it. I crumbled my bead lock rings doin that.

how does dot 4 fare on lexan?

great. I stripped down a Hardline body last night in about 30 minutes. It cam in all messed up with runny paint, I stripped it down clear again and masked, painted it in one night. If it wasnt for the scratches on the outside of the body you'd think it was new.

what effect does cold have on a painting job? like say its about 40's temps.

Ideally warmer is better but in cold take it slow and give it plenty of time to dry between coats, use a hair dryer to help it. Heat the body with it first and heat the paint.

i just notice that some parts of the body, like on the hood, the paint is nice & glossy but like on the sides & fenders its kinda cloudy. only coat #1 done so far.

What I do is do the first coat and call it good and bring the body in and let sit in the warm house and let it dry.

i cheat and use a hair dryer to help on the drying process or a heat lamp. but then again im impatient ..........lol

Yea what i was telling him early on but if you use faskolor it doesnt help to much and you find it doesnt dry fully...best in the end to let it dry on its own been my experiance or do it in the sun they dry nicely in that stuff you guys dont see often

does your coat get all mismatched between glossy & hazy?

No I havent got that as of yet..

thats not good. It wont go away either bub. Once it gets cloudy, time to start over. Its due to putting to much paint on at once. You have to paint in light coats and always let it dry completely before moving on to the next coat. In some cases, like on models, a clear coat will make the clouds go away, but not on lexan, at least not that I've seen. Keep in mind I've only painted a few rc's, but thats my experiance with em. I had to wipe the paint out of the Jeep once on the hood because it caught spray from the side, fron and then the hood itself. It was just way to much at once. I use a radiant heater and a fan to dry my stuff. Just as good as the sun. Anthing metal, I get it really hot in front of the heater and then spray a light coat, and repeat. It almost bakes the paint on making it very strong.

Is the clouding because of what you used to strip the old paint?
Harsh chemicals and something abrasive (brush, sponge, etc) can cause small scratches and create a haze.

When I paint, I try to be patient as possible... because I really have no patience. But I know I want a good paint job, so I do very thin coats, use a hair dryer on low heat to speed the drying process. Then give the body/paint a little time to cool down to room temp, usually with a fan blowing over the body and paint. Repeat until body is fully painted, no funny patches or anything. Then use black (lexan) paint to back the "exterior" paint so any lights you have won't show or make the paint glow.

I forgot this was about fixing cracks and not how to paint.

I haven't really trashed a body enough to have to deal with this. Although Sav's fix seems it would be the best. I have dealt with cracks in the fenders of an old quad before. It may help to make a small hole (with a drill or hole reamer) at the ends of the crack. That way it will be less likely to continue to split. On the quad's fender repair, I drilled small holes along both sides of the crack and used some gimp string (plastic string stuff i used to make keychains out of in cub scouts) and stitched the crack together to help relieve pressure that may cause the crack to split further.

I don't know if stitching the crack is necessary (may look cool) but making a hole at the end of the crack may help.
But Sav's fix may just be all you need.

well about that fix with shoe-goo & drywall tape, i have everything except the shoe-goo. will any other alternative work, like silicone sealant or rubber cement?

The goo owns stick with it, stuff is sold everywhere sure you got wallyworld there?

yeah im just trying to go with what i got