I've tried a number of glues for broken C4 interior trim parts (some sort of plastic but I don't know exactly which flavor) but haven't yet found one that works well. I've also been told by one salvage person that such parts can be "made like new" with the heat of a soldering iron. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

John

 

Have you tried Gorilla Instant Glue? I used it to repair the broken door handle on my Toyota DD and that is some strong shet!

 

Thanks for the reply. Is that the Gorilla Super Glue?

 

What the salvage person told you is true to a point. by using a soldering iron what is happening is that you are essentially "Welding" the plastic in the same manner as welding metal. It is a technique that is used in building custom plastic model cars.

There are also plastic welders available that work similar to a metal welding torch in that they direct superheated compressed air through a nozze directly to the broken area.

The idea behind either method is to melt both sides of the broken area as you apply plastic rod to the "Puddle" thus welding the two pieces together. The plastic welding kits are available from many sources but the cheapest that I know of is Harbor Freight Tools (They have an on-line website). This is the fastest way as you would be moving the "Torch" and the plastic rod along the break in one motion until the break is completely fixed. I wouldn't try it without practicing on scrap plastic first.

Of course, as I said, you can also use a soldering iron to melt the plastic. I have welded plastic before using the soldering iron method but again, I wouldn't try it on a good piece without first practicing on scrap plastic. If you do use the soldering iron method, the easiest way is to melt a small piece of the same type plastic onto the tip of the soldering iron and then apply it to the break while moving the iron in a circular motion enough to melt the piece into the part thus bridging the break. Once that is done, repeat the process to the area adjoining the area you just welded. Keep repeating this process until you've welded the entire break. Also, using this method may require applying the melted plastic to both sides of the break to get a complete weld.

With either method the "Weld" will be obvious just as in metal welding. You will have to "Finish" it off and that is where the problem comes in because, depending on the surface of the original part, it may be very difficult to blend the weld into the original surface.

Hope this helps.

Norm.

 

Loctite #416. Good stuff on any plastic (polymer) that won't (or you don't want to) actually Melt or fuse together. As a "glue" it works really well.

I've used the stuff to glue together a cracked turn signal switch, and it holds up to That abuse - still together now a couple of years later...

 

Thanks folks! Lots of helpful info.

John

 

I know what you mean about glues not working---Try the Gorrilla Grip, or Gorrilla Glue---I forget the exact name, but you can't miss it (it has a picture of a smiling Gorrilla on it). It's a tannish-brown in color. I used it on the back of an interior door panel, and it holds the plastic fine, whereas JB Weld didn't!

Cheers,

/s/ Chris