Hey everyone,
I'm trying to get things lined up to start my fall/winter projects and I have some questions about doing repair on the interior panels. The three area's in need of work are: 1) Cracks around the screw holes that join the door panels to the door 2) Screw holes on the interior panels just to the side of the driver and passengers heads (looks like they had some speakers mounted up there!?). 3) Arm rest has some cracks in it.

I tried searching around, but I couldn't find any threads on how to repair these things, most people seem to just replace them, but I'm on a budget and I'd like to retain the original panels, if possible.

It doesn't have to be perfect, just better than what's there and structurally sound.

I appreciate any help you guys can offer.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

Happens to everyone and comes from age. No real way to repair them. If panel fit is affected, you can use larger washers under the heads of the trim screws.

You might be able to remove the trim and patch/plug the holes from the back side.

You can buy a pair of repair panels for the armrests. They attach with double stick tape.

 

I'm not sure if this would work, but I was going to try it sometime on a couple places in my car. I have seen some of that interior repair glue stuff at the store. I guess you paint it on and its a flexible glue.

Maybe put that stuff on the cracks lightly and then spray with some interior dye to match it to the rest of the panel.

May not look great, but its better than nothing.

Sean

 

You can use some flexible body filler (i.e. Bondo) to repair some small damaged areas on interior panels. Go to a fabric warehouse and buy a scrap of vinyl coated fabric which has the same surface grain appearance as your interior panels. Make sure that it is at least 2" longer than the largest damage area you have to repair. This scrap will be used to imprint the surface graining into your repair, so that the surface looks consistent. Now, use some small trimmer scissors to cut off any raised edges of vinyl material so that what's left is at the same level you want to maintain. Critical step: Use blue painter's tape to mask off all areas you do not want the "patch" material on. Mask about an 1/8" away from the edge of the damage...you want a bit of good material for the Bondo to grab. Fill the damaged area with the "patch" material and us a plastic scraper to level it out with the rest of the panel surface. Before the filler hardens too firm [you might want to test this with a experimental sample first, to know how long to wait], wet the surface of the vinyl "graining" scrap and put it face-down onto the repaired area. Lightly rub it down so that the texture of the grain is imbedded into the repair; don't rub so hard that the repaired area is depressed below the rest of the panel surface. Leave the scrap on the repaired area until the patch hardens more firmly; then remove the "graining" scrap and clean it off for the next use. If you need to feather the edges of the repair, you can use some fine sandpaper or fine steel wool (#000) to buff the edge flush with the 'good' vinyl. Finally, clean the surface well with detergent and water, flush all soap off, dry it well, then you can re-color any (or all) panels with some SEM "Color Coat" vinyl dye. It can be mixed to your GM interior color code or you can take a panel in for the paint store to mix/match. When you get done, they will all look and work like new. A pint of vinyl dye will do all of the interior panels/surfaces in your car. Buy an inexpensive bottle/gas-cannister sprayer, if you don't own spray equipment.

 

Hi Charley,
Is there ANY glue that will work on the vinyl in the early 70s interiors? I have two 1" long splits in my driver's side door panel. There's no loss of vinyl or padding, just a tight split that I'd like to hide.
Thanks very much!
Regards,
Alan

 

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!

Is there anything that can be used to seal up cracks? I was thinking maybe epoxy would work if applies from the back, but I'm not sure what material those door panels are made out of.

 

For Alan71 and the OP... There is really nothing to glue any loose vinyl surfaces to. Under the vinyl is either fiberboard or old foam; neither will hold on to glue well (I have tried). I think the 'filler' approach is the best for final appearance. Old cracking tends to shrink the vinyl a bit, so the split won't go back together, anyway. If you are able to get a glue joint to hold, pass the 'secret' on to the rest of us.

 

Depending on how big the split is, you might be able to place a piece of vinyl or plastic behind the split and glue the loose vinyl to that. I would expect some CA (super glue, Krazy glue, etc) would hold the vinyl, though I haven't tried it myself.

 

Hi,
The splits I have are still tight.
I've tried all sorts of things to glue the seam but haven't found anything that will glue to the vinyl.
Still looking.... want to save the original door panel if I can.
Regards,
Alan

 

I used a tube of Shoe Goo to repair some splits,tears, etc on some door panels on a 74 Vette a few years back. It seems to bond to just about everything. It stays flexible as well. Once the repairs wer made I finished with one of the interior repair kits that came with a heating iron, colored patch compounds, grain patterns, etc. It definitely took some practice and a lot of patience, but the end result was very good. Unfortunately I did not take any before or after pictures.

 

Hi Ron,
I have one of the vinyl repair kits but I'm afraid of melting the vinyl around the spits. What did you use to heat the repair compound?
Regards,
Alan

 

i wonder if silicone caulk could be used to tack down the edges of tears and cracks.

 

I have never had any luck with those vinyl repair kits. The repair goo either didn't stick or looked like crap. I have tried silicones, epoxies, etc. Same poor results.

The bondo repair method posted here sounds like the best amateur repair I have heard of to date. I'm going to give it a try next time.

A number of years ago I got a pretty big tear in the rear seat side panel on a 300ZX 2+2 I owned (don't flame me, it was a BIG mistake - horrible car). A local car upholstery shop sent me to an independent guy that did small rip and tear type interior repairs for automotive dealerships. I couldn't see everything he was doing but he used a heat gun and some goo and stuff and then color matched and resprayed the repair area. You had to know where the tear was and even then I couldn't tell for sure if I was looking at the actual tear line. He was that good. I don't know what the product he used was, but the repair was a durable as the original vinyl. If it is something you don't want to tackle yourself, you might try an upholstery shop or ask the service manager at an auto dealership who they use for small repairs.

 

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'll definitely try the bondo method and maybe I'll see if I can find a local upholstery shop that is willing to part with their secret for the adhesive they use.

- Andrew

 

Shoe Goo as mentioned by Ron71 is very tough stuff. I used to run a lot and used the stuff on the bootom of my running shoes to extend there life. It will adhere to anything and is very pliable. Can be found at most sports stores.

I would also think one of the electric hobby type glue guns would work as the glue comes out in a hot form and should stick to almost anything. Never tried it on vinyl/leather though.

 

I see ACE carries the Shoe Goo. Gonna pic some up and give it a try. Thanks