Mending plastic again

[JHZR2]

I had a detailed thread a few years back regarding mending low surface energy plastics due to something I broke on my BMW.

Today I was trying to install the door card on my 96 Ram, and I forgot to put in two clips, so I needed to pull it again. And of course when I pulled it (it wasn’t even in full right), those idiotic clips held tight and two spots on the door card held… damaged.

Ugh…

The only markings are these:

So not really sure what type of plastic it is….

So, thoughts on how to best mend this? Should I even try? The two broken parts are on the front leading edge of the door card. Maybe do it with some undersized clips so there isn’t as much fore required to extract?

Thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I have seen some shops put door panels back on with industrial hook and loop that can be sourced from McMaster Carr. The only thing about using this technique is that you need enough flat surface area on the inside of the door panel to match with the flat area on the door sheet metal.

Is there any chance you might source one from a nearby salvage yard?

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[JHZR2]

I have seen some shops put door panels back on with industrial hook and loop that can be sourced from McMaster Carr. The only thing about using this technique is that you need enough flat surface area on the inside of the door panel to match with the flat area on the door sheet metal.

Is there any chance you might source one from a nearby salvage yard?

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

It’s only two of the clips. I might not even miss them. I’m sure yards have them but it’s a hassle to get one. Would rather mend. Maybe even hook and loop in those spots, to hold it tight enough…. Good idea.

 

[RooflessVW]

I'd scratch up the surface good and use epoxy with fiberglass flocking.

 

[Trav]

The first thing I would do is get a different style of clip, the Christmas tree style really sucks. It may take a few tries before you find one that fits properly but there are many, don't be afraid to enlarge the hole a little for a perfect fit. I use a tool like this.

ENGINEER TR-02 Manual Taper Reamer Hole Saw Reamer (for Dia. 4mm-16mm Holes), Also Used for a deburring Tool, Made in Japan: Safety Tape: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

ENGINEER TR-02 Manual Taper Reamer Hole Saw Reamer (for Dia. 4mm-16mm Holes), Also Used for a deburring Tool, Made in Japan: Safety Tape: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

What you need are clips like this, these may or may not fit but you get the idea what you need, autobody supply stores usually carry a good assortment.

Amazon.com

To repair the plastic should be easy enough, once you find a clip that will work well and is removable scuff the broken piece and where it fits on the panel and fill the whole cavity with Lord Fusor 153 after priming it with Fusor 602EZ, it will be bomb proof.

 

[mattwithcats]

Jb Weld, perhaps Plastic Bonder?

Plastic Bonder Syringe - Tan

Plastic Bonder is a quick-setting, two-part, urethane adhesive system that provides strong and lasting repairs and works on thermoset, carbon fiber composites, thermoplastics, coated metals, concrete & more.

www.jbweld.com

 

[Smoky14]

I've had success with MEK. Wet the edges you want to stick with a Q-tip and hold until it fuses together. Try a drop of MEK on the plastic to see if it melts, if not try another solvent.
Good luck
Smoky

 

[tnt_motorsports]

Is plastic welding an option? I bought a cheap welder from HF to fix my JD LT150 hood. The hood costs a small fortune to replace so a few bucks for a welder seemed like a good experiment. Low and behold it worked...

Just my $0.02

 

[JHZR2]

Is plastic welding an option? I bought a cheap welder from HF to fix my JD LT150 hood. The hood costs a small fortune to replace so a few bucks for a welder seemed like a good experiment. Low and behold it worked...

Just my $0.02

I don’t know. I’m not sure what kind of plastic this even is. It’s not marked. It is less dense than water..

 

[vavavroom]

Methylene chloride may work. I have used Micro-Mark Same Stuff Plastic Welder on ABS, styrene and acrylic with good success. Don't breathe it in. Test if the product melts the plastic on contact. If so, it can fuse it. I don't think holding plastic together with glue or resin works well unless you have a large contact areas.

 

[JHZR2]

The first thing I would do is get a different style of clip, the Christmas tree style really sucks. It may take a few tries before you find one that fits properly but there are many, don't be afraid to enlarge the hole a little for a perfect fit. I use a tool like this.

ENGINEER TR-02 Manual Taper Reamer Hole Saw Reamer (for Dia. 4mm-16mm Holes), Also Used for a deburring Tool, Made in Japan: Safety Tape: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

ENGINEER TR-02 Manual Taper Reamer Hole Saw Reamer (for Dia. 4mm-16mm Holes), Also Used for a deburring Tool, Made in Japan: Safety Tape: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

What you need are clips like this, these may or may not fit but you get the idea what you need, autobody supply stores usually carry a good assortment.

Amazon.com

To repair the plastic should be easy enough, once you find a clip that will work well and is removable scuff the broken piece and where it fits on the panel and fill the whole cavity with Lord Fusor 153 after priming it with Fusor 602EZ, it will be bomb proof.

I wanted to get this off my plate, and the adhesive I could find local today was 3M 4747 and the single use wipes for the low energy plastic primer.

I scuffed, wiped with IPA, dried, applied the adhesion promoter, then mixed the adhesive and applied it. It set up fast. I think it was a 20s work time.

I didn’t have the right gun, the second fastener I did got a different ratio and it set faster, didn’t look as good.

I ground down some of the OE type fasteners that I had (I had a box of a lot of them) to make them somewhat smaller. They don’t hold very well, but I was worried that a tight fit would result in tearout if I had to remove it again.

In the end it worked pretty well. The door card is installed and in place…

Now to replace the speaker and spray rustproofing inside the other side.

 

[Gimpy1]

I have seen some shops put door panels back on with industrial hook and loop that can be sourced from McMaster Carr. The only thing about using this technique is that you need enough flat surface area on the inside of the door panel to match with the flat area on the door sheet metal.

Is there any chance you might source one from a nearby salvage yard?

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

Trim panels are really hard to find lkq that are in decent condition and the correct color. You can search car-part.com for one.