By Michael Ashton
This is how I felt after my Ninco Audi R8 Spider left the slot at high speed and massacred the rear spoiler.
The spoiler was damaged in the worst way possible. One strut was broken off the wing. And the mounting tabs for both struts were snapped off.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the mounting tabs were still in the slots of the rear deck, held in place by the world’s strongest thermonuclear glue!
Stop Crying and Get To Work!
I really wanted to fix the spoiler in a way that results in a reliable repair that also maintains the aesthetic appearance of the car as much as possible. Not just gobs of glue all around the mounting slots to provide reinforcement. So here is what I did…
First cut a square notch in the base of each strut where the mounting tabs used to be.
Next, cut a short rectangular strip from a sheet of styrene plastic that is slightly thicker than the strut itself. The styrene strip should be about 6 to 7 mm in length and the same width as the notch that was cut into the base of the strut.
The strip should fit snugly into the notch, as shown above. The strip is going to be our new mounting tab.
The strip is then glued into the notch using two-part plastic epoxy cement. This type of glue provides a very strong bond between the strip and the strut. Note how plenty of glue is applied. This effectively encases the strip and strut in a cocoon of very hard glue. Don’t worry about the excess because after curing it will be sanded down to a smooth, even finish. The combination of support on three sides and the surfaces of the new tab coupled with the bonding and hardness of the plastic epoxy provides a very strong repair.
The existing mounting tabs had to be “routed” from the slots on the car’s rear deck. This was done very carefully with a sharp scribing tool and a hobby knife with a narrow pointed blade. Be very patient when performing this step. Once this is accomplished the newly fabricated mounting tabs can be shaped by filing and sanding until they fit tightly in the mounting slots.
The following two photos show the repaired spoiler. The strut that was separated from the wing has been glued back in place with CA glue and appears to be quite secure. The underside of the wing and the struts were painted with Krylon Fusion Gloss Black. After the paint cured for 24 hours the struts were coated with Pledge Floor Care.
Not Perfect, But Very Good.
The new mounting tabs fit tightly enough in the mounting slots that glue was not required. So this car has a tear away spoiler — at least for now. If it does ever become too loose for a friction fit I can always glue it in place.
The repaired spoiler has held up well so far. Even through a couple of minor incidents. Therefore, I would recommend this type of repair for any wing of similar structure where the struts have sufficient thickness and surface area to allow it. It’s a bit tedious and time consuming, however, I believe that the preserved appearance of the slot car makes it worthwhile. Not perfect, but very good I would say. Anyway, if it breaks again, I’ll fix it again.
Now see how I feel…
_Michael Ashton
