The Monogram 1985 Camaro Z28 Restoration Project

This 1:8 scale model was produced by Monogram Models in 1985. In 1986, Monogram was absorbed by Revell Models and became Hobbico, who then declared bankruptcy so Monogram-Revell was purchased by Hallmark Cards and then a circle of sell-outs eventually put Revell (the Monogram name disappeared) under the ownership of a German company as Revell GmbH. They still manufacture two 1:8 scale cars, a Jaguar E-type and a 1979 Pontiac Firebird.

I built this model about 40 years ago. It sat on a top shelf in the garage for years, moved around with us and got abused. I pulled it down to assess the potential and found that it was coming apart at the seams, the front and rear windshields were cracked and discolored. Exterior mirrors were missing and other parts were loose. I discovered that plastic cement doesn’t have a long life expectancy and begins to crumble.

April 8, 2023

I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I tried polishing the windshields with no success and finally pulled it all apart. Did some research and found that this model kit never survived the 1986 merge and now goes for anywhere between $200 and $600 on Ebay. At that point, I decided that restoration was definitely an undertaking.

My intent was a full restore with new paint, new windshields and more added detail in the engine compartment and cabin. A number of years earlier I had repainted the body and installed 3V lights in the headlights and tail lights plus interior and dash lighting. Fabricating new windows would be the major part of the task.

April 13, 2023

Visited Industrial Plastics and got thin Plexiglas sheet to reform the windshields. Cuts easily and will definitely take the proper shape. Now that I know I can replace the windshields I can progress with the rest of the project.

April 14, 2023

My anticipated process will be:

Interior

ü Touch-up black

ü Gauge set

ü Repaint interior to match Lear Siegler Conteur interior

ü Rewire interior lights

ü Make floor mats

ü Repaint dash top

Chassis

ü Glue tires to wheels to stop bead unseating

ü Repair any broken parts

ü Add underside details

ü Rewire for connections from battery to body lights

Engine-transmission

ü Add details for plug wires

ü Drill for tubing and wire connections

ü Verify component colors

ü Repair exhaust connections

Body

ü Repair cracked front fender

ü Fabricate replacement windows

ü Paint engine compartment component to the correct colors

ü Wet sand and clean for painting

ü Paint and cure body

ü Paint or add details for door handles, side lights, mirrors etc.

ü Install new windows

ü Install and rewire lights

Assembly

ü Install engine-transmission assembly to chassis

ü Install interior to chassis

ü Install body to chassis

ü Connect lights to battery pack

ü Connect wiring and tubing from engine to body

ü Install all other engine compartment parts

ü Install hood

ü Final inspection and corrections

April 16, 2023

Tested making the windshield and rear window from plastic. Concept works so restoration will continue. Dismantled the chassis including the wheels, brake assemblies, hubs, battery box, switch and wiring. Disassembled the wheels and removed the tires. Removed parts from the body assembly such as radiator, AC condenser and other parts, removed headlights and support structures.

Removed front seats and repainted both front and rear seats with undercoat, then flat black to get a leathery look to the seats.

April 18, 2023

Painted seats with shades of grey to match Conteur style. Sadly no Camaro decals for each panel. Touched up edges and other items. Fabricated floor mats from painted paper materials and added red bowtie emblem. Installed dash gauges and warning lights. Installed seat belts and wired in the courtesy-dash lights.

April 20, 2023

Drilled out broken wheel pins in differential and steering knuckles. Painted wheels, radiator and AC condenser. Painted chassis and differential. Drew up files for replacement wheel pins to print. Tested the wheel pins, not acceptable, will find a different method to secure the wheels.

April 22, 202

Finished stripping and cleaning the body. Managed to get all the light fixtures off except the RR corner light which broke off. Will have to do repairs to that. Wet-sanded the body in preparation for primer. Masked off the rocker panels and the top of the battery.

April 23, 2023

Problems with tires and wheels have surfaced. The sidewalls on the tires have flattened in and no longer seat properly on the rim beads. This is a big issue. Soaked the tires in hot water and inserted the rims inside to force the beads out. Will see if that works.

Drew up the wiring diagram for all the lights. Tested brilliance differences between two AA batteries and a 3.7V compact battery. Although the compact was slightly brighter, I’m concerned about burning out the bulbs but the AA batteries in the box are quite heavy. The compact battery is also rechargeable as opposed to the AA batteries. Will have to make a decision on the power source. Tested the switch and then discovered that the leads for my digital meter are screwed up so will have to replace that.

Need to plan wire routing and connections. The wires on the tiny incandescent bulbs are very small and soldering could be quite entertaining.

April 26, 2023

Undercoat on the body, inside and out. Need to make sure that it’s perfectly smooth so that the paint job doesn’t have any dimples or orange-peel finish. Intent is to use the duplicolor indigo blue metallic finish and clearcoat. Undercoat turned out perfect, needed no remediation prior to base colour application.

April 28, 2023

Masked off all areas that will not be painted and applied the basecoat colour. Total disaster. The nozzle on the spray can was defective and blew big gobs of paint everywhere. Tried a different nozzle insert, same issue. Tried a third insert, same issue. By now I have wasted a lot of paint with no success. I determined that the entire nozzle could be pried off and replaced. Now I get a proper spray but am running out of paint.

April 29, 2023

Started wet-sanding the finish on the body and hood. Have to be careful not to remove too much paint or I’m back to black undercoat and starting over again. Managed to achieve a smooth surface on the entire body. Now the true test, if clearcoat will provide a proper finish or if I have to start again. Results are satisfactory, finish is good and will bring up to full gloss with an application of pledge. Yes, furniture polish but the body has to sit for a while so the paint and clear coat cure properly.

Trim colours along the rocker panels, front and rear will need touchup and refreshing. Hood louvres will be painted black. Some other parts will also be painted black, such as the headlight mounts and minor touchup in places.

May 2, 2023

Proceeded with the restoration of the engine and chassis. Added in the spark plug wires and any other wiring directly related to the engine. Repainted the transmission, drilled out holes in the AC compressor for the hoses and lines.

May 7, 2023

Connected all the exhaust components and verified that all the wires and lines were routed correctly. Installed the radiator and AC condenser in preparation for hose connections. Installed the lower radiator hose.