Post by Fletch on Apr 7, 2009 11:53:47 GMT -8
These are the tools that I us for the project. A #1 X-Acto handle with a fresh #11 blade, a #1 handle with a #13 micro saw blade. Some type of saw to make the cuts across the top of the body, in this case I used my trusty battery powered Dremel Model 750 with a circular saw blade, however the same can be accomplished with a fine toothed X-Acto saw blade and handle. And not to be forgotten the ever popular Sharpie marker. I try to use the fine point marker, but if all you have is the medium point go ahead and use that.
Now that we have our tool laid out let's get started. Here is the Revell '40 Ford Coupe that will be our victim for this chop job.
With the Sharpie lay out your cut lines. Using the drip rail as the guide mark the rear portion of the quarter windows. About 2/3 of the way from the back of the quarter windows draw a vertical line. We want to remove the rear portion of the quarter window not the entire thing. The rear of the green house needs to be removed as well. Using the natural break in the body draw a line from side to side between the rear window and the upper trunk line. extend a line from the bottom of each quarter window to the rear green house line. Using the crown of the roof, draw a second line from one side to the other. A third line is drawn across the roof between the "A" and "B" pillars.
One of the major issues with most chops on a '40 Ford or similar body is the rear quarter windows. Trying to reshape the rear quarter windows ends up being the downfall and the reason most chops end up in the parts box. So, we are going to remove the rear portion of the quarter windows and set them aside until reassembly. Using the BACK SIDE of the #11 blade scribe through the body following the natural curve of the drip rail. Once you have worked your way through use the #13 micro saw blade to make the vertical cut on the quarter windows.
Now make your cut along the bottom of the quarter window, extending to the line at the rear of the roof. You can now remove the rear portion of the windows. DO NOT throw away these pieces as they will be reshaped during reassembly.
Make the cuts at the top and bottom of the rear window, set this piece aside as it will be used again.
For the next 4 cuts we'll change over to the double bladed saw. This is nothing more then a standard mandrel with two saw blades separated by a spacer(s). For this chop I used a #6 nut, the thickness of the spacer and blades come to .131". .040" is aprox 1" inch in 1/25th scale so this chop will end up being around a scale 3.25 ". The advantage of using a double blade system is you only have to make on cut. The amount removed from each of the 4 remaining pillars will be the same.
However if you aren't using a double blade system, you can lay out the amount you want to remove with Thin-line tape or free hand it with the Sharpie.
Once the roof is removed the last cut can be made to separate the "A" pillar part of the roof from the "B" pillar section.
Now that we have all our pieces in one place we can start to think about reassembly. One of the first things that you will need to do is to reshape the "B" pillars. Marked here in black.
The roof at the "B" pillar location is now slightly narrower then when we started. You should be able to apply a slight bit of pressure to the pillars to reform them to compensate for the material removed during the chop.
My normal reassembly process is to add a piece of Evergreen Styrene, in this case .010 X .125, to the back of the "B" pillars to reinforce the joint. Once that has had time to set I add .010 X .250 to the rear of the roof section with the "B" pillars so about .050 of the strip is actually attached to the roof piece. The same size Evergreen is attached in a similar fashion to the body in the area of the trunk. These 2 pieces of styrene will act as attachment points for the rear window section. Be aware that we are going to be tilting this rear section of the roof down slightly toward the front of the body. You will need to trim the bottom portion of this section in order for it to set correctly. This is marked in black in this photo:
One other thing to take into consideration when laying this piece back in is it's now to long and will need to be trimmed. Depending upon how much of the crown you want in the roof will determine where you trim from. If you want the crown to be prominent then trim the back window portion of the roof if you want to lessen the crown trim the main roof section. Glue the piece in place and square it up to the rest of the body.
Here is where some will say there is an easier way to do this. They may be correct but I'm to cheap to do it any other way. When we reattach the "A" pillar section of the roof. We will find we have a gap of aprox .080 to .100 of an inch. I prefer to fill the gap with Evergreen Styrene, in this case using .010 X .080. There are those that will say you should cut a second body to get a roof section that is the proper length to avoid needing to fill the gap. It is an option, but to my way of thinking with today's kit prices I'm not spending an additional $25 for a second body to avoid using a couple of dollars worth of Evergreen. To finish this reassembly Attach a piece of .250 Styrene to the front of the "B" pillar section of the roof and pieces of .010 X .080 to the inside of the "A" pillars. Square up the roof pieces.
Last but not least to be reinstalled are the rear portion of the quarter windows. Set the pieces in place, you'll find they no longer fit. The curvature is no longer correct and they're to tall. Applying slight pressure reform the pieces to fit in the openings, trimming the "B" pillar end so it will fit in the opening.
Once the entire assembly has had an hour or so for the glue to set up, go back and fill any gaps and openings with scrap styrene. The more area you fill with styrene will equate to that much less putty you'll need to use.
If you need to use a filler for any gaps, use a 2 part AB putty like Milliput. They make several different grades. You also can use "Plumbers Putty" which is available at most hardware stores. As a final go over use a 2 part Polyester or Urethane Glazing Putty.
I hope this makes sense to everyone if not don't hesitate to ask questions.
Now that we have our tool laid out let's get started. Here is the Revell '40 Ford Coupe that will be our victim for this chop job.
With the Sharpie lay out your cut lines. Using the drip rail as the guide mark the rear portion of the quarter windows. About 2/3 of the way from the back of the quarter windows draw a vertical line. We want to remove the rear portion of the quarter window not the entire thing. The rear of the green house needs to be removed as well. Using the natural break in the body draw a line from side to side between the rear window and the upper trunk line. extend a line from the bottom of each quarter window to the rear green house line. Using the crown of the roof, draw a second line from one side to the other. A third line is drawn across the roof between the "A" and "B" pillars.
One of the major issues with most chops on a '40 Ford or similar body is the rear quarter windows. Trying to reshape the rear quarter windows ends up being the downfall and the reason most chops end up in the parts box. So, we are going to remove the rear portion of the quarter windows and set them aside until reassembly. Using the BACK SIDE of the #11 blade scribe through the body following the natural curve of the drip rail. Once you have worked your way through use the #13 micro saw blade to make the vertical cut on the quarter windows.
Now make your cut along the bottom of the quarter window, extending to the line at the rear of the roof. You can now remove the rear portion of the windows. DO NOT throw away these pieces as they will be reshaped during reassembly.
Make the cuts at the top and bottom of the rear window, set this piece aside as it will be used again.
For the next 4 cuts we'll change over to the double bladed saw. This is nothing more then a standard mandrel with two saw blades separated by a spacer(s). For this chop I used a #6 nut, the thickness of the spacer and blades come to .131". .040" is aprox 1" inch in 1/25th scale so this chop will end up being around a scale 3.25 ". The advantage of using a double blade system is you only have to make on cut. The amount removed from each of the 4 remaining pillars will be the same.
However if you aren't using a double blade system, you can lay out the amount you want to remove with Thin-line tape or free hand it with the Sharpie.
Once the roof is removed the last cut can be made to separate the "A" pillar part of the roof from the "B" pillar section.
Now that we have all our pieces in one place we can start to think about reassembly. One of the first things that you will need to do is to reshape the "B" pillars. Marked here in black.
The roof at the "B" pillar location is now slightly narrower then when we started. You should be able to apply a slight bit of pressure to the pillars to reform them to compensate for the material removed during the chop.
My normal reassembly process is to add a piece of Evergreen Styrene, in this case .010 X .125, to the back of the "B" pillars to reinforce the joint. Once that has had time to set I add .010 X .250 to the rear of the roof section with the "B" pillars so about .050 of the strip is actually attached to the roof piece. The same size Evergreen is attached in a similar fashion to the body in the area of the trunk. These 2 pieces of styrene will act as attachment points for the rear window section. Be aware that we are going to be tilting this rear section of the roof down slightly toward the front of the body. You will need to trim the bottom portion of this section in order for it to set correctly. This is marked in black in this photo:
One other thing to take into consideration when laying this piece back in is it's now to long and will need to be trimmed. Depending upon how much of the crown you want in the roof will determine where you trim from. If you want the crown to be prominent then trim the back window portion of the roof if you want to lessen the crown trim the main roof section. Glue the piece in place and square it up to the rest of the body.
Here is where some will say there is an easier way to do this. They may be correct but I'm to cheap to do it any other way. When we reattach the "A" pillar section of the roof. We will find we have a gap of aprox .080 to .100 of an inch. I prefer to fill the gap with Evergreen Styrene, in this case using .010 X .080. There are those that will say you should cut a second body to get a roof section that is the proper length to avoid needing to fill the gap. It is an option, but to my way of thinking with today's kit prices I'm not spending an additional $25 for a second body to avoid using a couple of dollars worth of Evergreen. To finish this reassembly Attach a piece of .250 Styrene to the front of the "B" pillar section of the roof and pieces of .010 X .080 to the inside of the "A" pillars. Square up the roof pieces.
Last but not least to be reinstalled are the rear portion of the quarter windows. Set the pieces in place, you'll find they no longer fit. The curvature is no longer correct and they're to tall. Applying slight pressure reform the pieces to fit in the openings, trimming the "B" pillar end so it will fit in the opening.
Once the entire assembly has had an hour or so for the glue to set up, go back and fill any gaps and openings with scrap styrene. The more area you fill with styrene will equate to that much less putty you'll need to use.
If you need to use a filler for any gaps, use a 2 part AB putty like Milliput. They make several different grades. You also can use "Plumbers Putty" which is available at most hardware stores. As a final go over use a 2 part Polyester or Urethane Glazing Putty.
I hope this makes sense to everyone if not don't hesitate to ask questions.