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My 69 door panels are original and in perfect shape except for a small blister on the drivers panel. What would be the best way to fix this? I thought about injecting something in there to bond it with a hypodermic needle but figured I would ask here first as I doubt I am the first to have this problem and don't want to screw it up.
Thanks!
Have you tried warming it up (hair dryer, nothing hot enough to risk harming the material) and pressing it back down?
Might be enough to reactivate the original adhesive a bit and have it take hold again
M
I did try that. I also left it out with the door open in the direct sun for a bit and pressed down on the spot with no luck. It is soft and goes back in place with a finger on it so it isn't something underneath but it just lifts again. It seems to be a bonding or bubble issue and it has pulled away from the inner foam.
Last edited by CanadaGrant; Jan 18, 2019 at 07:50 PM.
The only other thing I can think of would be a syringes they use (sometimes for putting glue under vinyl air bubbles)
I'd tape completely over the area with something like clear packing tape and then poke the needle with a bit of thin glue (crazy glue?) and squeeze it down, that should keep the squeeze -out on top of the tape if your careful
Maybe drop in a see a local vet clinic for the smallest needle they use
M
First thing to do is try pressing into it to see if there is solid material under the bubble or if it is just gas. If you can tell that it is only gas in there, just poke in the center of the bubble with a small, sharp needle. Then you can slowly squeeze the gas out by working from outside edges of the bubble and inward to the 'exhaust' hole. If it smooths out, you should be fine. If the vinyl has stretched, you might want to try a little heat (be careful! too much heat and the thin vinyl just shrivels away) and a smooth pad to press it back down. A last resort to smooth it out would be to use a very small syringe to inject some adhesive/glue/epoxy into the area and put pad/tape over it to hold in place while curing. DO NOT use any glue with acetone in the ingredients; that will melt the vinyl.
Thanks guys. The bubble is in the covering only. You can press it back down very easily and feel when it hits the foam which is level with the rest of the panel. It's like a gas bubble but doesn't get bigger when hot or smaller when cold. Since it's in a concave area I thought it might have separated in that spot and just sits like that. What about pricking it with a pin and seeing if it relaxes or would it not be air tight with the inner foam? I checked with the vet lady next door and she gave me some 27G x 1/2" (.016" outside diameter) syringes which are used for the smallest animals but said that anything thicker than crazy glue wouldn't flow through.
What about just removing the needle from the syringe and injecting a small amount of some kind of glue (not sure what) in a very small hole then using vinyl repair to cover? Would also probably have to figure how to press something up against it to keep it from lifting until it dries while worrying if whatever I use is also going to stick to the panel.
Last edited by CanadaGrant; Jan 19, 2019 at 01:00 AM.
Heat the vinyl with a heat gun... or a blow driver might be better for you, get the vinyl hot push it down and work it as it cools, you want to put a soft rag on it and holding the rag with one hand, rub the rag while it cools. Don't rub the rag on the vinyl (it will make it shine if you do and you don't want that). The vinyl should shrink... The vinyl can take quite a bit of heat just be careful.
If it doesn't do the same thing over again, push it down and then hit it with something cold.
Aside from that... if both fail, then I'd probably inject some glue under it. Weldwood glue is my go to on this, but there are many types and it's made by Dap. The only issue with this is that to get the good stuff I believe you have to buy a gallon of it which wouldn't be a good idea and expensive.
We use the "Contact Adhesive" (and not their "Contact Cement" which is a different glue). here, which is made for Vinyl tops and trim but I'm sure there are other glues out there that will work.
Willcox
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Jan 19, 2019 at 09:27 AM.
A poke with the point of an exacto blade to let any air out would not hurt and should be virtually invisible even if you can't get it fixed.
The water-based contact cement is extremely thin and although you can't do it properly (coat let dry then attach) you might be able to inject a small amount in, press the bubble down (squishing the glue onto both the foam and vinyl and squeezing the excess out of the needle hole) let it sit for a while (dry) and then press it into place and cross your fingers. (I'd still cover the area with tape but at least the water based will clean up squeeze out while it's wet)
Anything thicker would require a slit in the vinyl which may be harder to hide
I would expect the water-based glue is save for the vinyl but as always, test on a hidden area first
M
Door Panel Blister
