Hull repairs to 400 SuperChief?

[Toyman]

I'm looking at a 400 SuperChief that has a fair amount of damage to the hull. Previous owners have attempted to repair some of it with JB Weld & sheetmetal riveted inside. Must not be a poly body as it has stress cracks from impacts. This can be purchased fairly reasonable so I'm seriously considering it.

My question: What is the best way to repair this type of hull?

I know.. I should do a search and will but I still want to hear from the experts.

[George]

It's likely a Chief. The Super Chief only came with the G50B engine. The JLO 400 was used in the Chief. The Super Chief also only came in HDPE plastic.

I've used acetone and ABS from donor bodies to repair cracks and small holes in other ABS bodies. This method works pretty well but requires some time. The ABS repairs take weeks to cure.

I think members Lewis, HydroMike and 6x6 can help with this. From what they've posted on this site, they have done extensive repairs to their ABS bodies that I would have thought were beyond repair.

[LarryW]

From what I believe, a 500 superchief is poly, 450 tomahawk is poly, 400 chief is abs. Try the acetone test I guess. drop a dab on somewhere it dont matter and see if it reacts at all.

[Toyman]

From what I believe, a 500 superchief is poly, 450 tomahawk is poly, 400 chief is abs. Try the acetone test I guess. drop a dab on somewhere it dont matter and see if it reacts at all.

Your right Larry. It is a 400 Chief with the ABS body. I'm still trying to learn all the various models of each brand. This would be one I'd question if it could be repaired to at least my satisfaction. I went back and read some of the earlier posts pertaining to this type of repair and saw where some had a recurrence of the damage. I don't think I'd have the patience for this time consuming work only to have it fail. In my line of work we do a fair amount of restoration work to masonry buildings. Once a crack has developed and repaired it is weakened and prone to crack again. I'm sure there are those that have become very proficient at ABS repair and had good results. With the stress I put on my toys I'd be surprised if a repair would have any longevity.