Splitting ABS Attex Body

[racerone3]

I decided today that I need to take the upper body off my racer to make some repairs. any hints from the experts on an easy way to remove the staples holding it together. I also read somewhere that Attex had put some acetone on each half before stapling them together to form a bond. will I need to run a saw between the halves?

[LarryW]

Hey Race,
The staples are a long process. I bend the tabs straight with needle nose and use a small screwdriver to pull up on the top of them some. Once its up enough to grab with pliers/vise grips I yank. In the past I have used a screwdriver and bent the staples and then pryed the body apart with screwdriver but that seems to dent the body and yanking them out works just as good with less body dents from prying.

Another method with less body dents from prying screwdrivers is with the pliers try to push the staples back in from the bottom up. Then when it sticks up enough to grab, yank. I did that on my 208tt and it seemed to be the best method as far as damage wise. It makes it seem faster if you do it in steps. Like bend all the taps, go back and start yanking. Not that it helps in speed but helps my mind seem like Im actually doing something instead of sitting there messing with one staple for 2 minutes at a time, lol.

The abs glue pulls apart with no tools. The worse spots are where the inner upper is united to the inner lower on top of wheel wells are. Just go slow and be careful pulling it apart. The plastic is thinnest there.

[Don]

I found a relatively easy way to split them apart. Use a wide putty knife (the kind where the steel goes all the way to the end of the handle) and get it started on a corner of the body by tapping it between the halves. Once it's in, you can lay the handle flat against body seam and keep tapping all the way around.

[lewis]

Race i did a little of both because i am no expert. I ran into the most glue at the front around the headlights. Any gouges can be leveled with a sander.

[hydromike]

I had to use a sawzall on Five. The staples were a nightmare, and the sections that were glued together were REALLY glued together. The outer seam wasn't so bad, but the glue on the inner seam had rendered two pieces into one for all eternity. Eternity ended when I plugged the sawzall in. My Dad helped by prying the halves apart as much as possible prior to sawing, so that the saw was able to be kept straight, and to make sure I cut the bonded area, and not virgin plastic.

This, of course, was all military spec stuff, so your racer might not be so bad.

~m

[jeffery9076]

i just split the 440 thunderchief apart i should have tryed using the multimaster but i need new blades. good idea sawzall but do not get carried away

[LarryW]

This, of course, was all military spec stuff, so your racer might not be so bad.

~m

With any luck, when I get to working on mine it is only fire department grade!