how do i

[beason]

ok guys.. I'm new to this body stuff.. and I'm supprised to see that there isnt any stickys on this forum for how tos.. so ill ask a few questions to get it started and maby it will get stickyed..
1. what kind of paint do you use.. something that is hard enough to hold up but wont crack i used krilon
2. what do you use to cut out the body?? mainly the fenders without scratching the paint or body ..i did a crown pleazer body and man that thing was thick.. i had to dremle some of it..
3.how do you line up the body post holes??
4. how do you get the outline for the motor hole
5. how do you cut those out
thats about all i got right now.. i havent dove into air brushing yet so i dont have any questions on that stuff just the basics..

p.s. mods if you sticky it feel free to edit all the gibberish at the top..

 

[Candyman]

1. Always use paint specially formulated for polycarbonate. The most popular are Parma Faskolor and Pactra Racing Finishes plus there are great specialty paints from companies like Spaz Stix.
2. Depends on the body. I usually use curved body scissors that you can pick up at Tower or your LHS. You can also use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to cut the main contours of the body then use a sanding drum to neaten up the edges.
3. Set the body on the chassis in the approximate location you'd like it. Do this before you paint it. Make sure the wheels are centered in the wheel wells as good as they can. Also make sure it's centered from side to side. Then just mark the tops of the body posts on the outside of the body with a marker.
4. Well, that depends on the body, chassis and engine. Basically, when you set the body on top of the chassis to do the body post holes, trace around where the cooling head is and cut from there.
5. I would use scissors for the smaller cutouts. If you're cutting a hole, drill a starter hole with a drill to get the scissors into.

A good place to start is here:
http://www.rctech.net/articles/painting_hauntedmyst.shtml

 

[NCNitro]

Do NOT use Krylon! You must use a paint made for lexan, something like Pactra, or Parma. The Krylon will chip off the body in big chunks.

I use a dremel to cut and trim all my bodies.

I line up and drill the body post holes and any other holes that need to be drilled prior to painting the body. I use a unibit for all my drilling, it makes very nice clean holes in the lexan. For the windshield hole I use an olfa circle cutter.

 

[beason]

well i guess this one was a learning experience.. will paint thinner eat the body up? if not maby i can strip it..

 

[NCNitro]

You can use brake fluid, or denatured alcohol. You will have a hell of a time stripping it no matter what you do. Like you said, chalk it up to a learning experience, beat the crap out of it, then paint a new one.

 

[rossb]

Start by reading this:

http://www.hpiracing.com/bodies/body-tip.htm