An old CCP Clod returns home...in baaaad shape....

[XStatic Dallas]

Yup! a CCP Clod Buster with blue annodized ESP lift kit. I haven't seen this truck in many years. It was found, and promtly shipped to me before anything else happened to it.

This is the truck that started it all for me. The very first truck I modified. Sure I had my dads Bullhead and my Blackfoot to tinker with...but this truck was different. For some reason, out of every Clod I've ever had...this one stayed as it was. No real explanation behind it. It just.....is....

Sure it saw a few mods in its life. The first was of course the pain staking labor involved in locating CCP parts. Even in the 80's I had a hard time with this. No GOOGLE, and definatly no drivers license. Second came the ESP blue annodized lift kit and braces. 3rd came chrome shocks (which have been replaced by E-MAXX shocks....what the heck were we thinking?) and then a double rotory setup with Trinity matched madness motors. Eventually those rotaories were replaced with a Novak Super Rooster....

Finally the red clod buster body was stripped and repainted Iroc blue with pink pin stripes, and the OEM tires were replaced the spike tires in the picture.

As you can see from the pictures, a bunch of stickers had been placed all over the chassis along with blotches of silver paint. To bad I cant replace this stuff....

I went out and purchased Allclad II chrome paint at the hobby shop I work at. I practiced the "promised chrome" finished on the radio tray since i need to replace it anyway. It's about the best chrome paint I've ever seen and I'm very impressed...however it's not chrome enough for my plated childhood show truck. I'll be having the parts sent to a local chromer shortly. I was quoted 40 dollars to do it...but he sprays the chrome. I don't think thats what I want even though his videos are terrific. I want it plated.

Any plastic chromers on here? I sure could use it if you're from the Dallas area. I've lost this truck once so it will not be shipped anywhere.

Anyway....the bodies gone, the mounts are gone, and the chrome is in baad shape. Let me know if you guys have any CCP parts you'de like to sell. Heres the pics....a step by step restoration...Since the Ground Pounder is mostly done...

 

[XStatic Dallas]

The photos are just how it looks after a tear down and cleaning....it will still need to be replated. The final picture shows my polished alluminum Ground Pounder which you can see the build thread on in the Redcat section...

Please...Any help locating parts at all would be GREAT!

 

[Jerry Matoon]

Nice looking Clod. I still have my dads original 80's Clod and will never get rid of it. I have the V-Spikes on that one.....Those tires worked great on a variety of surfaces and take forever to get bald! Did the twin MSC's as well. Had the Monster Mash motors which worked great for pulling and speed.

On a side note; have you tried Spaz Stix mirror chrome? I have had much better results with that compared to the Allclad chrome.

Jerry

 

[LS6454]

I always wondered what this was. I take it is a one of those CCP Clods ??

 

[william g]

you could always pick up a regular clod chassis and parts and ship them off to be chrome plated. I know it's not the exact chassis but a new one freshly plated like you had back in 1946. That is what I would do, you'll end up with the better looking result.

 

[XStatic Dallas]

Yep LS6....Those are CCP parts (Custom Chrome Parts). They went out of business loooong ago.

Will I was planning on having these parts rechromed...if thats possible? After going through and looking at everything you can actually see that are just tamiya parts thrown in the dipper. Even where the bumpers flaked a bit you can see the red pastic under them.

I however Only got the bumpers because they were red...and I didnt want paint them blue. I was a kid...and I was cutting grass to put it together...so I went with the chrome.

Lucky for me....tamiya's replacement colored parts are now blue. And that is what will be fitted.

++++HINT+++ Ill be looking into bulk pricing on these parts....

 

[william g]

I know when I had some items chromed years ago it was cheaper to chrome a bare part. Reason was the old chrome would need to be removed completely then start the plating process from a bare item.

 

[TamiyaTony]

Wow! Thank you for telling us your childhood story behind your relocated Clod. I love hearing from those who were actively involved with the Clod Buster back in the golden days. As a kid, I could never afford a Clod but always knew that I eventually would own one. My Blackfoot would have to do at the time. Now I have three variations of the Clod with a fourth on the drawing board. Hey, about your CCP shocks, these have been on the 'bay for quite some time and would be perfect to replace those Traxxas ones:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamiya-Clodbuster-CCP-Custom-Chrome-Parts-Shock-Covers-/260770707945?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cb72539e9#ht_1362wt_683

Keep an eye out. Chrome parts show up once in a while, but prices have been pretty high as of late. I think your best bet as others have said, is to have the parts rechromed. If I had the means and the wherewithal, I would buy a new kit and have the entire thing chrome plated. It would probably be cheaper and less time consuming rather than trying years to hunt down a whole CCP Clod. Please keep us in the loop with this project. I desperately want to see your finished result. Good luck.

 

[nosyajg]

a brand new kit done in chrome with the chrome clod body would be awesome...

 

[XStatic Dallas]

Thanks man...I definatly didnt have the means either...but the people of Detroit would rather have a kid with a lawnmower cut the grass for 10 bucks than do it themselves. did about 20 lawns per week....that was 200 bucks!!

Anyway. Will you may be right about that. But I really want to keep these parts with it. Just the history with me and this and this truck you know?

However, as I hinted above I will be talking bulk numbers...if I like what I hear and can keep the part cost down for everyone...I may put a line out of chrome Clod parts. I'm already having alluminum Ground Pounder axles looked into as of yesterday. Ill keep you posted on that in the Redcat thread....

And I've thought about the chrome body, but I just cant do it. I think it's over kill which is why I went with blue accents and an Iroc blue body painted at my uncles body shop. But its gone....and I have no idea what was done with it. Now I still need to locate my polished Juggernaut 2....and my polished/red TXT-1. The TXT will be a hard one because it was sold to an old friend nobodies heard from, but it's rumored to be sold from him to another friend....so all hope is not lost.

 

[Marvinator]

Please keep the pics coming, I love following build/restore threads. It inspires me for my build/rebuilds.

 

[XStatic Dallas]

You got it....

 

[th67ss]

Great story, I like hearing about things found again. I've sold stuff in the past that I wish I would have never done.

Keep the pic's and info comin!!

 

[roog909]

nice story; very cool truck. Good luck with the restoration!

 

[emory70]

i've read in car magazines about companies that chrome plastic, for dash panels and such. one place to start may be a car magazine, like street rodder or musclecar review.

 

[REVOlutionary]

Great story, I have my 1st clod as well it will have to be pried from my cold dead hands. Hey, on the bright side 90% of the parts are still there so at least you aren't starting with a pile of random parts. Keep the pics and info coming. It's cool, seeing something no matter how old brought back from the dead.

 

[XStatic Dallas]

Thanks guys. I'm running into the trouble that everyone who "chromes" plastic uses a spray on? I don't think that's what I'm looking for....You say car mags huh? I'll check that out!! THANKS!!

 

[Joeman37]

I have a Bullhead that is all chrome like that. I thought it was a limited run factory thing though, from reading this it was aftermarket stuff? If it is rare as you guys are saying I guess I got a lot better deal than I thought at the time.

I found this while googling how to chrome plate plastic: http://muellercorp.com/chrome.php If you listen to what they say, "Many people think it is impossible to chrome plastic, it is not. While it is possible to electroplate/chrome plate on plastic it is a difficult and expensive process." then they go on to talk about a process called "Vacuum Metalizing" which kind of sounds like what these platers are telling you when they say spray on? I don't know. That outfit is in MA so if you don't want to ship they are out. Just thought the link might help?

-Joe

 

[Twin92]

Very cool story! It's nice to hear you got a part of your treasured childhood past back.So many times things like this are gone and all you're left with is memories.Now you get to enjoy your Clod again and restore her to former glory...enjoy!Can't wait to see more pics as you go through the rebuilding process.

 

[XStatic Dallas]

Okay guys....I have some good news for both myself, and all of those guys whom use Alclad II Chrome for plastic paints, and don't get the finish they are hoping for....

Apparently I've done things a bit wrong...We have a model club at my hobby shop and I saw an airplane that one of the members built that looked as if it was chrome plated....So I asked him where he had it done, and he told me he used Alclad chrome for plastic paint...

I was dumbfounded...it was nearly perfect!!

So we started talking about it...here's how he did it. And when I get a couple spare dollars the Clod is coming apart and going through these steps...

He started by using a black primer that is used for modeling...he needed the thin primer so it didnt fill details of the model, but my Clod parts wont require an expensive primer...a standard flat black will do just fine...So I will be using Model Masters flat black, and applying it with my airbrush...

After he sprayed 2 coats of primer, he then let it sit for 24 hours with a box turned upside down over the model...

He then spray 3 light coats of gloss black enamel to the model, let it sit for around 20 minutes then once again turned a box over the body of the plane but this time for 72 hours....

Now he sprays the Alclad chrome...Apparently he started with a light dust coat, let it dry for a few minutes, then followed by another light but slightly wet coat of the chrome. Flipped the box over the plane, then after an hour shot one more slightly wet coat of chrome...Then let it sit for 5 days without touching or handling it, so it could fully cure...

HE DID NOT use a top coat to seal the finish as this will slightly dull the finish....However by using the enamel gloss black for the undercoat instead of an acrylic or laquer, The Alclad apparently "burns in" to the enamel and wont rub off. He even demonstrated with a rag....beautiful!!

So yeah its a waiting game....but **** I'm willing to do this to get my Chrome Clod back to a solid finish.

I was hoping to have started restoring the truck by now but I just couldnt find what I was looking for...but this seems easy enough...and I know it looks fantastic!! I'll take pictures when I start, and do walkthroughs as well...