Here are some updated samples of some of the custom work I've done, the variety of figures etc..

Some of my work.

 

GAH! I haven't even been able to find Rumble yet!!

 

Hey Samantha, here's some tips
1.) Wheels...touch a hot soldering iron to the pin head Approx. 20 to 30 seconds and you will be able to pull the wheel over the pin (do not worry, it will still hold its shape). Then heat up the pin again until you see it starting to move a bit of the plastic holding it becomes glossy, then use some needle nose plyers to pull the pin.
2.) Hinge pins it has worked for me to use a hinge pin to move a hinge pin....Well also a hammer but you get the idea, just try to hammer it out on a wood surface soo thar the pin being hammerd has a place to go. Then after you get it out about 1/4 inch needle nose to pull it the rest of the way.
3.) Stripped screws....use your screwdriver in pair of vise-grips press against the screw really hard and twist with the vise-grips and it will usually move the screw.

 

they make screw extractors that get screws out w/ no heads on them, they basicly cut into the screw and turn it

 

you called thundercracker the blue jet? argh!

you fail.

good luck with the custom btw.

 

you called skywarp thundercracker when you tried to correct sami? argh! YOU fail!

 

 

no. i am aware that skywarp was the base for the custom 'blue jet', for which she couldnt recall the name thundercracker.

you also fail.

 

Blah..I knew the names..I can never place which color goes to which name though..that's all..I'm no noob.

 

What are hinge pins and where would I be able to buy them? And I don't have a soldering thing..How much do those cost? I've tried hammering..But the way and placement of the plastic, the plastic would crack from the force of holding the peice down to hammer I'm afraid.

 

i think he means using the pin from another hinge to knock out the pin you want to. using a pin you already have out as a tool. soldering irons can be as cheap as $12

 

They have soldering guns at Wal-mart for $10, but you can get them at discount stores (Big Lots) for under $7. Good luck, looking forward to the finished pics.

 

I have this pin puncher thing, I saw it on the kitbasher thread about it..So, that parts no problem.

 

Soldering Iron is the way to go. It is the path my child.

 

O.K. here we go:

The doors, if you are talking about the door skins, I developed a simple method for these. Below is a pic of Jazz's door, the slide pin is in yellow, the red lines on the pin indicate "flats" that you need to grind into the pin, if you have a Dremel tool, with a grinding "rod" (its a little bigger than a hinge pin, but is knurled on one end - the grinding end) you can easily grind these "flats" into the pin, be careful not to gouge the plastic. Once you have that done, take some needlenose pliers and turn the pin 90 degrees and the door skin will easily seperate from the door panel. To put it back together, simply put the two pieces together, and turn the pin 90 degrees again, and it will still function as if unmodified.



Wheel Pins: like everyone else said, soldering iron. If you're going to do Alts, get a good one. I have a Butane powered Soldering iron, and I love it, it gets the job done fast. Just follow the methods in the guide.

Stripped Screws. Dont mess around, just drill off the head, and "hopefully" there will be enough of the threaded area of the screw left (or sticking out) after you seperate the pieces so that you can grab it with the needlenose pliers and turn it out. If not, the piece can be saved, it just takes more "doctoring" of said piece.

As far as other pins. Get yourself a "Starter Punch," thats what its called, you need the smallest one that goes down to 1/8, works like a charm. Oh and dont forget the block of wood that Vector mentioned.

These are some of my tools that I use when dis-assembling Alts, along with some precission screwdrivers, which I see you have, no Alt is too tough to take apart.

 

Thanks Plowking..I might have to look into that one..Uhm, Drummel kits? Was that what it was..Those would be where..Home Depot or something, or would walmart have it too?

 

Thats Dremel, actually, thats the brand name, you can find them about anywhere, like you said, Home Depot, Wal*mart, at these stores you can expect to pay around $40-$50 for a good one, but if you have a store near you called "Harbour Freight Tools" go there, they have them really cheap. The one I got came as a kit for only $7.00, (Dremel tool, an assortment of attachments, and a case to store it all in) of course its cheap, and you get what you pay for, but I have the same one from them and I've been using it for over 2 years now, with no probs.

 

Plowking's really got this one. I figure I'll just pipe up to say that nearly all of the pin removal I've done on Alternators has been with a soldering iron. I used the hammering technique on an alt. Swindle kitbash, ended up breaking a bunch of parts and got fed up. The pins move much more smoothly with the soldering iron.

 

So you just heat it, touching the tip to it..How long? It makes the metal hot, but won't that melt the plastic, or make it get all deformed? And what do you do..get it hot ,and then push it out, or hammer, or, what?

 

1.) With the tip of your Iron, touch the head of the wheel pin, (according to the quality of Iron you have, that depends on how long it will take to heat it up.) I use a slight downward pressure when I do mine, as soon as I see the pin start moving down (or into the wheel) stop, set your Iron aside, and quickly pull the wheel straight off (just make sure you dont set the Iron down on anything that it can destroy, be cause it will be hot!) dont worry about destroying the hole in the center of the wheel, it will go back into shape as it cools.
Now then, use the same method for the pin itself, heat it up, once it starts to move down (or in) stop, set your Iron aside and pull the pin out using needlenose pliers.

2.) As far as the straight pins, I've never had to use the Iron on these, I just use my 1/8 Starter Punch, my small hammer, and a block of wood (it's a 5 inch long piece of a 4x4 stud) Place the block of wood under the piece where the pin is going to come out so that the part itself is supported firmly by the wood.
As you know, these pins are knurled on one end, smooth on the other, the knurled end is the end you want to drive into the wood. Give it couple of firm wacks, and once the knurled end is showing, grab those needlenose pliers and pull it the rest of the way out (like Vector said)