When I started to enter the world of antique toys, I would buy toys in need of dire repairs. They were inexpensive, and I figured, that buying the missing parts, and then removing old paint, and re-painting, would let me receive a small profit. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. Parts are expensive, and by the time toy pay for parts,shipping, and paint, sandpaper, Dremel wire brush heads, and other items, you don't end up with much profit.
Plan "B" was to buy toys that were in demand, had all of their parts, but did not necessarily fetch a high price. Eventually, I narrowed down the search to the Hubley tow trucks or wreckers as they are sometimes called. The one that I'll present in this installment of my blog is the Hubley model # 452. It measures about 6" (L) x 2" (W) x 2.5" (H). They mostly come in red, and there are plenty of them around. Also, if you don't set the restored price too high, you will sell them.
As you can see, the truck looks bad,but not as bad as it looks!
All the parts are intact, and the main concern is oxidation of the grey metallic parts.
What I did was use the high-speed Dremel with several wire brush attachments, and brushed the corrosion away. I think that the metal here was aluminum.
Below is the same Hubley truck 452 restored. I'm not 100% satisfied with the results,
but it's a big improvement on what it once was.
