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I have seen a few older posts and need some epoxy/gorilla glue experience. I am replacing my radio, and the front of the lower console just below the gauge cluster/radio was not fitting right. See the picture. After getting it out I could see the front lip was cracked and held on by the rivets/vinyl to the front reinforcement bracket.
For the center console plastic interior parts you might want to check with AL KNOCK Interiors as I know he makes new dash Panels in the correct patterns. Your other choice is to buy a new center console and paint it to match your interior.
There are some fast drying glues that can be used to fix the cracks in the plastic, vinyl is harder to patch but still possible. Eastwood is another good supplier of repair equipment and great spray paint.
There is something called Plastic Welding where you can use heat to melt the parts together. I have one that uses Hot Air and the other a heated Tip but they both can fix plastics better than in the past. With the plastic welder you need to KNOW what type of plastic it is. The kit came with a manual with many pages dedicated on "how to identify what type of plastic" you are working with. I used it many times and it has paid for itself. They sell many solutions for broken plastic parts in cars at Eastwood. I have the Poly Vance Model 7 Air-less Plastic Welder kit from Eastwood. Using the Stainless screen under the plastic repair makes the repair even better. The Plasti-FIX kits are pretty nice to keep in your garage. Take a look at what Eastwood has to offer....
Al Knoch might turn up better search results I think Ctmmccloskey misspelled it. Most of the stuff others like corvette america sells is his stuff as well. I bought my Al knoch door panels from corvette america on ebay for $400 new shipped for the pair vs buying them direct for close to $600 at the time.
honestly the pictice shows what just might be a console thats missing the 2 nuts that hold it tight againt the dash bezel... Mine looked exactly the same as someone replaced my radio and didnt replace and tighten those retainer nuts that bolt on to 2 threaded posts coming from the bottom of the bezel. Keep in mind the reproduction stuff rarely fits as well as the real panels. I used 2 large washers to help distribute the hold after reassembling. I did glue a crack in the console body as well which is completely unnoticed since the vinyl covering was fine. My door panels on the other hand were a lost cause.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Jun 13, 2024 at 10:46 PM.
Gentlemen, very helpful. Here are two more pics and the bracket I linked above was riveted to the console and the two nuts you mention were not there when I took it apart. I think the previous "stereo installer" tried a bubba fix. You can also see the piece that is broken off because of the rivet job. You think it is beyond any kind of plastic repair?
The other photo is the crack on the passenger side. Likely from stress and the above bubba fix. This is the front lip of the console with the bracket riveted. Screws to gauge cluster missing. This is the crack along the side of the console.
Thank you augiedoggy for correcting my Misspelling of Al Knoch's name! I apologize for my error. I also use some fender washers on the hardware up front as well as it spreads the force and makes it seem more secure.
The crack you show in the last picture can be fixed without too much trouble. A good quality two part epoxy like JB Weld could fix it for you. You might consider putting epoxy in the crack and then put some fiberglass tape over it and apply some resin to harden the fiberglass. Even window screen material could be used under a layer of JB Weld to really beef up the repair.
If I were doing it I would probably Hot Air weld and re-enforce the area with the stainless steel screen material they make for fixing big cracks. It all depends on what type of plastic it is made of. My Air welding kit has probably 20 different types of plastic welding rods for the various types of plastic. It has helped me fix some expensive parts and bumpers on the newer cars and even my Pond liner!
Thank you augiedoggy for correcting my Misspelling of Al Knoch's name! I apologize for my error. I also use some fender washers on the hardware up front as well as it spreads the force and makes it seem more secure.
The crack you show in the last picture can be fixed without too much trouble. A good quality two part epoxy like JB Weld could fix it for you. You might consider putting epoxy in the crack and then put some fiberglass tape over it and apply some resin to harden the fiberglass. Even window screen material could be used under a layer of JB Weld to really beef up the repair.
If I were doing it I would probably Hot Air weld and re-enforce the area with the stainless steel screen material they make for fixing big cracks. It all depends on what type of plastic it is made of. My Air welding kit has probably 20 different types of plastic welding rods for the various types of plastic. It has helped me fix some expensive parts and bumpers on the newer cars and even my Pond liner!
I was wandering through Ace Hardware today and noticed lots of good solutions for fixing cracks in plastic. Could always wander down the “glue“ aisle and see what they’ve got.
That material they used looks different than a lot of plastic so I would clean and then sand the plastic down before using Epoxy. There are hundreds of options when it comes to glue, I have a collection of repair kits that come with white Micro-balloons and some crazy glue to harden it.
The Hot Air welders are awesome when it comes to fixing parts. You can fix so many parts with the air welding process and save some serious money.
I called Eastwood and they did not think the welder would be that effective in this case. The plastic overall is quite brittle. After further diagnosis, the front lip was broken because whoever put in the other stereo removed the two studs from the bottom of the gauge cluster. They also put the bracket in backwards and when pulled so that the side mount screws would fit, it broke the lip.
That is probably the best solution as you will have a nice center console!
Now that you have a new one on the way you can experimentally try different fixes on the original, if it works then you will have a nice spare! The Plastic welding kit I have has saved me thousands of dollars repairing items. I have welded bumper covers back together so they don't "Have" to be replaced. I have fixed dashboards, a Pond Liner and many things around the house.
"How to weld plastic back together? You need an electric welding gun and an appropriate welding rod to complete the repair. After you clean and identify the plastic, use the heat of the gun to gradually melt and join the plastic together. Finish the weld by smoothing it out to create a fix that is stronger and cheaper than a new piece of plastic."
I am glad ZIP could help you, we are lucky they made so many of the C3 models. The after market and even factory replacement parts are drying up very quickly and we are having to try and find the part even if used. ZIP used to have a very nice Corvette Boneyard near Tappahannock, Virginia but they sold it years ago. Before that they used to "Re-condition" some of the parts removed at the boneyard. When you have a 1968 C3 with so many one year parts you want to know where you can get parts just for the 1968.
Console Cracks and Breaks--Can it be fixed
