Its biggest issue is the heavy damage to the body. The base plate is badly bent and completely broken into two pieces. The break is right in line with the rear axle's location.
First step is to get the base off and start working on it. I cut the axle to remove it and the two good (two only) wheels and set the wheels aside for later.
I have straightened out the base plate as much as I dare. The two halves now fit together well. The plan is to epoxy the broken joint in the center of the axle location of the base plate. It's not very wide where the break occurred and even if it were wider, this would not be strong enough. I've cut a thin piece of Stainless Steel to make a gusset on the upper side of the base, right over the break. This will add enough strength to allow the model to be handled and displayed without incident.
While waiting for the epoxy to set on the base repair, I have fixed the fender damage and returned the car back to its original cream color. Now I can dry fit the repaired base. A minor tweak was needed with the front rivet opening and then all was good! The base sets into the model correctly and the model sets level.
In my next post about this model, I will fix the tow hitch, paint the base, install wheels and axles then secure the base to the body. Right before the base goes on I will add the silver trim (and the red trim to the tail lights). Stay tuned (if you're interested).
