Old glue removal

[Paintandwrenches]

I picked up this kit in a lot with a bunch of other ones today. it appears to all be there but unfortunately somebody started it long ago and did not do a stellar job with the glue. I'm not sure what kind of glue it is but it's old and stringy. Does anyone have any advice as far as what I can do about getting this thing apart and getting the glue off of the surfaces and glass besides cutting, scraping and sanding? Thank you in advance!

[64Comet404]

I would first try soaking it in warm water. If it is stringy, there is a chance that it is some form of rubber cement. If that doesn't work, you can try using CA de-bonder to separate the joints (small quantities, though-it can mess up the plastic if not careful).

[Mark]

If the original builder used cheap off-brand glue, early/ineffective "non-toxic" cement, or something not intended for plastic, it may peel off.  Otherwise, you are cutting and grinding.

If the clear parts have whitened in the areas where cement was applied, you're out of luck and will have to replace the parts.  

The van looks like an early one with separate hood and side panel inserts.  With that one, I would make saving the body top priority.  You can pick up a more recent reissue to get new windows, chassis parts, and chrome.  With the Chevelle, again save the body and chrome parts if you must prioritize.   A later issue '70 or '72 kit uses the same chassis, engine, glass, and interior.

[yh70]

thats old Testors glue..this is the best way i found to deal with it...u gonna have to do some scraping and sanding for sure..  as to get the parts to come apart get u a plastic bowl of some sort with a lid.. and some Easy Off oven cleaner (name brand and yellow can) do this outside...spray model well and leave in sealed tub at least 24 hrs then under warm water start washing off and prying parts off gentle.. (make sure strainer in in sink) ..dry model and repete if needed..scrape and sand whats left..  i have used ease off lots of times fore un-glueing old models glued together with testors with great success .. now if u have any on windshield their are 2 ways to fix it.. easy way is to vacuum forum u one..#2 start sanding the spot with some 600 grit and keep working your way up to 2000 -3000 grit then u can polish out with crest tooth past..

[Paintandwrenches]

Now that I've really looked at it it's not quite the mess I thought it was. The glass in the van is pretty bad but otherwise I think it'll clean up fairly easily. The Chevelle is great and most of the chrome parts haven't been glued so I kind of got lucky there. It's going to be a fun project.

[Tom Geiger]

I rebuild a lot of ancient relics where kids have been more than generous with the glue. In most cases it’s model cement, and there’s a few things to do. First I access how hard the parts are glued on. There are times you can get an exacto knife under an edge and it just pops off. Other times, like in the case where engine halves are glued together, just leave it and sand off the glue mess.  If you strip chrome, sometimes the glue is on top of it and will flake off as the chrome under it dissolves 

For instance the below photographs are the before and after. 
 

This photo is how I got it in a bag. It was so gluey you can see glue smears on the fender tops!  Some parts just popped apart as described above.  Then I dampened it and put it in the freezer to loosen joints. The water in joints will expand as it freezes and make parts easier to pop apart. 

On this one much of it came apart. Some parts shattered and were replaced from my parts kits. The pickup bed held fast and I decided to work around it being permanently mounted on the frame. 

Be patient and work each challenge. Sand the smears flat, prime and access if they need more work.

In the end, The Blue Beetle rides again! Good luck!

[bisc63]

You described it (the glue) as stringy. You mean it's still soft and/or malleable? If so, you may want to try some "Goof-Off" adhesive remover. It comes in a spray can, you can get it at Wal Mart and other places easy enough. It's fairly mild solvent won't hurt your skin, but it removes many softer adhesives. It's made for removing vinyl decal adhesive residue from old sticker placements.

[keyser]

Like Mark said, saving the early van body is a must. Most of the early ones have a crack in the cowl where the wipers are. This body might have one, so be careful pulling chassis out of it. Fairly easy fix, just fiddly. Can't really see engine, so gluing hood shut and fixing cowl easier. New issues have hood fixed in place  for the most part.