Plastic trim repair
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,726
Likes: 46
From: Waukesha WI
St. Jude Donor '15
Plastic trim repair
I'm in the throws of swapping the heater core on the 90 and as I pull stuff out it appears that either time, mileage or other people have broken many of the tabs holding the various trim pieces together. I've never taken this stuff apart before so it's not my fault (for once 
) I figure that getting these pieces bolted down correctly will cut down on the creaking.
Some of the pieces are just cracked so I suppose a little superglue or maybe epoxy should do it. Any ideas what I should look for to make sure everything is compatible and that it really sticks?
The other problem is missing tabs. How to I fix these? I'm not sure how to add material with any strength.
Thanks!
) I figure that getting these pieces bolted down correctly will cut down on the creaking.Some of the pieces are just cracked so I suppose a little superglue or maybe epoxy should do it. Any ideas what I should look for to make sure everything is compatible and that it really sticks?
The other problem is missing tabs. How to I fix these? I'm not sure how to add material with any strength.
Thanks!
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,726
Likes: 46
From: Waukesha WI
St. Jude Donor '15
I got a suggestion from another forum to try this stuff: http://plastex.net/ I've never seen it before but it looks interesting.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 266
Likes: 7
From: Sumner WA
Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 545
Likes: 2
From: Wichita Kansas
And the JB Weld works well too. I haven't had to go to the lengths that Red88 has but where I have had screw holes wallowed out, I've used the JB Weld to fill and make a new plug for the hole then drilled out appropriately. I've also used it to repair minor cracking. All of my trim has been repainted with Bulldog Adhesion promoter followed by the finish coat of the SEM products. I first clean with Acryli-Clean. Good luck with it.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
I would also recomend Airplane glue. If you have a local hobby shop (RC airplane) go in and get some CA and activator (generic name for the glue) and some light fiberglass weave. Sand the spots to be glued, use some CA and fiberglass, then spray activator on it (it will make it hard in seconds). this stuff is tough and withstands vibration. Of course this would be for tabs and such. The plastic weilding (in the thread link above) is awsome way to do it, the Airplane glue is just a quick way.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 125
From: Dunstable MA
St. Jude Donor '05
I've had luck using plumber's PVC cleaner and glue on various auto interior plastic. The passenger's sill on my 87 has been holding together for several years with that stuff.
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Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
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on my 85 corvette, the plastic dash frame, and the console skeleton had various places where mounting tabs and other mounting points were cracked and broken . i fabricated patches using thin aluminum and covered one side with 3M double sided trim mounting tape. if some of the plastic was in pieces, i used super-glue just to temporarily hold everything together. i could then sandwich everything together - aluminum-3M tape-plastic structure. the 3M tape held the plastic together, and the aluminum gave a good surface for the mounting hardware. some of my repairs on the 85 are better than 5 years old and have held up without issues. 
Last edited by Joe C; Jul 8, 2010 at 05:05 AM.
