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I took my door apart over the weekend, and in so doing, managed to snap off the mount for the wiper switch. Now, it just sits there. It's still functional, but it wiggles. Is there a way to fix this? I'm considering just trying to glue the mounts back.
I've always felt that the door panels were really poorly designed on these cars, if you ever wanted to take them apart.
Some of the auto parts stores have a plastic repair system that rebuilds the broken plastic using a clear powder and the Super glue additive. If you are careful you could use this. I had a couple cracks in my door panels and the plastic powder and glue did the job beautifully. On the worst I used a stainless steel mesh over stress cracks and epoxied it in place using a good quality epoxy. My door panels on my 1988 are not very pretty anymore but they are "strong enough" to do the job.
I do however love the old fashioned Glue guns! If you have one that might be the fastest way of fixing it. Just be sure to rough up the surfaces or even a glue gun might not be able to make the glue stick.
Epoxy is also a permanent repair if done right, I do a lot of these. I frequently will put a fine mesh of S.S. over cracks and build it up with epoxy. The mesh I am using has a 1mm by 1mm weave and is made of Stainless Steel, it makes any repair very strong
Which ever method you choose just remember that Cleanliness is very important so wipe it down and even rough up smooth surfaces before attaching them together.
Some of the auto parts stores have a plastic repair system that rebuilds the broken plastic using a clear powder and the Super glue additive. If you are careful you could use this. I had a couple cracks in my door panels and the plastic powder and glue did the job beautifully. On the worst I used a stainless steel mesh over stress cracks and epoxied it in place using a good quality epoxy. My door panels on my 1988 are not very pretty anymore but they are "strong enough" to do the job.
I do however love the old fashioned Glue guns! If you have one that might be the fastest way of fixing it. Just be sure to rough up the surfaces or even a glue gun might not be able to make the glue stick.
Epoxy is also a permanent repair if done right, I do a lot of these. I frequently will put a fine mesh of S.S. over cracks and build it up with epoxy. The mesh I am using has a 1mm by 1mm weave and is made of Stainless Steel, it makes any repair very strong
Thanks for the advice!
Would any/all of these make it impossible to remove the switch later for service? IE to change out the bulb or something?
Buy ABS cement for black pipe at Home Depot or any plumbing supply house. A small can is under $5. Sets up quick, cures hard overnight.
Be careful, nasty fumes.
The thought of the Black ABS glue might work, I have never tried it. It might be worth looking into.
The system I use is a professional Plastic repair kit that helps identify what the material is before you start working on it. I only make modifications that strengthen a broken part before replacing it entirely. My 1988 Door Panels were cracking all over and I could not afford to throw money at the car so I fixed the cracks. Being a pilot I was taught to always drill the end of a crack to stop it from growing. The places I re-enforced are stronger than new. Learning to know the material before you attempt repairs is smart.
I'm just finishing up my winter project of redoing my dash/center console.
Used it to repair and reinforce some mounting tabs, and to remodel my console.
I removed the door a the cup holders as I found them to be utterly useless. Replaced with 2 power outlets,a dual USB port, and made a recessed area that can actually hold more than one item.
Bought some ABS sheet and glued it up with the cement. Once hard , it can be sanded smooth and finished
That is a really beautiful rebuild of the console! I wish mine looked half as nice! ABS is a great medium if you have the right tools and especially the right GLUE!
Broken Wiper Switch Mount
