Hey guys, I have a quick question I need some help with. I have the car all cut out, and it is a ladder body style. I covered the top with 1/64th plywood. Hope thats right. My question is do you cover the whole length of the car underneath with the aluminum tape? I would think you would want to cover up the channels but not quite sure.
Covering the underbody
- Thread starter whitaker717
- Start date
Yes the under carrage should be completly covered on a ladder type car. IMO. I personally like to use muffler tape for the covering and a tape decal for the top of the car. I cut the decal 1" or 1.5" too long so I can have an overlap at the front of the car and a smooth transistion from decal to muffler tape. Thats just how I do it even if I use a 1/64" Basswood cover on the top.
We cover the front weight pocket and hollowed out sections with one piece of foil tape, the rear weight pocket with another. I leave the axle slots open, only because our rules say BSA axles must be used in the slots (just in case they want to inspect).
A pencil eraser works great to flatten the foil around the edges for as smooth a transition as possible.
A pencil eraser works great to flatten the foil around the edges for as smooth a transition as possible.
I use Econkote also on NPWDRL cars. Super light stuff. Although heat is not necessary with EK, I still use a model airplane heating iron. If you use MonoKote, you must heat.
On BSA cars, I always use 1/128th birch. It was expensive in small pieces, so I paid 25 dollars for a piece large enough for 10 - 12 cars. With ladder or X-bodies, I make them completely hollow, then put the 1/128 birch on tops and bottoms. Some BSA districts consider ladder or similar bodies illegal, so first the birch, then either paint or Ekonkote over that.
On BSA cars, I always use 1/128th birch. It was expensive in small pieces, so I paid 25 dollars for a piece large enough for 10 - 12 cars. With ladder or X-bodies, I make them completely hollow, then put the 1/128 birch on tops and bottoms. Some BSA districts consider ladder or similar bodies illegal, so first the birch, then either paint or Ekonkote over that.
Packing tape works just fine if you don't have any of the other *cote stuff. I have used that before to at least cover the ladder voids that I will not be using to add weight vs using the heavier muffler tape over the whole bottom. Over the weight pockets I use the aluminum muffler tape since it seems to hold really well even after being peeled back a few times.
An inexpensive way is to use Avery clear self-adhesive labels (full sheet 8 1/2 by 11). Cut it 1.75 inches wide. The nice part with this is you can use MS Word to create pictures or designs and print it out for the top covering. I cover everything except the weight pockets. Bottom first, then top wraps around to the bottom. You can even use a little CA glue on the ends if necessary.
I love the labels for the top, I've done some cool designs with them. Here is a car I did a week ago
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