During July, I pushed to wrap up a few projects.  Although I only finished reassembling the ’69 Camaro, I was able to make great progress on the 71 GTX and 70 Challenger rework projects.

Earlier in the year, I experimented with brake fluid as a paint stripper.  For the most part, it worked, but it was slow and wouldn’t cut through flat paints.  I had read about using Castrol Superclean floor degreaser and thought I would give it a shot.  A gallon was $7 at Walmart…at that price, I just had to try it! I also picked up a plastic food container to keep with my modeling supplies.

The results were astounding!  Chrome plating melts away in minutes.  I let the parts soak overnight, but once I pulled them out, I used a toothbrush under running water to remove all of the paint.  Gloss, flat, silver, everything came off.  I stripped paint from a hood that I used to experiment with different painting techniques well over a decade ago.  I did not sand the hood before the experiments so I was able to see that the plastic was completely unharmed by the stripping.  It looked as good as if I had pulled it from a new kit!

With the rest of the challenger parts stripped, I was able to move forward with the project quickly.  At this point, I still need to paint the engine and finish the detail work.  I may also pull the interior to paint the wood grain trim.

The ’71 GTX is nearly complete, along with aluminum exhaust tips.  The only thing left to do is paint the air cleaner.  I stripped the original piece and it’s waiting for paint.

I also started working on my VW bus kit.  I saw a picture of another kit online that gave me inspiration of how I wanted to finish it.  I will be aggressively lowering the bus since the original ride height is comical!