Console repair: How to patch holes?

[71ZZZZZ]

I used this product from Eastwood when I had similar repair tasks. Didn't quite get the hang of the graining bar but the filler worked very well. Once you painted over it unless you were closeup you couldn't tell. You can use it for a variety of plastic reconstruction work. If you're crafty enough even repair that ashtray. Very toxic fumage so wear a resipirator and do the work outside or in a very well ventilated room. Good luck! :beard:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2020&itemType=PRODUCT

[vercingetorix]

From previous posts I have heard you Northern Hemisphere types make reference to Bondo. (You guys use the strangest words) Bog is the correct term for body filler....

Jeepers and all this time I thought the "bog" was what ya'll called the "Loo":eek:

[DeesZ]

Hopefully this will encourage others to attempt small repairs on plastic interior parts, and if anyone can add to the following suggestions, please do so.

I was unable to find any of the plastic repair compounds that were suggested, so I moved ahead with JB Weld to repair the early ash tray (from a 2/71 240Z HLS30-23609). The results are very acceptable, to my eyes, anyway. I'll post before & after pictures and you can be the judge.

Getting the old glue off from the previous repair was not as easy as I had imagined. I went at it with a set of x-acto knives. It is important to get the old stuff all off or the next repair will be no stronger than the first one was. If you do this, be sure to wear eye protection because the little flakes fly everywhere when they finally give up their grip. To add to the strength of the repair I also removed a small bit of plastic in several spots so that the JB would be just a tiny bit thicker in several places across the mating area. Also, I cut a small groove lengthwise in the center on both surfaces to be mated up. This provided additional space and surface area for the JB to adhere to (otherwise when the mating pieces are clamped together the vast majority of the epoxy be pushed out by the clamping pressure). I made sure that my clamping ideas were going to work well before mixing the JB, and when everything was in order I mixed the compounds and worked it in to the surfaces to be mated with a toothpick. Then I just clamped the pieces together with moderate to light pressure, and removed the excess JB with a damp rag. The stuff takes a good while to set, so there was lots of time to assure that the surfaces were mated up the way I wanted. Looking back on this I would have spent a bit more time on this step to assure a more perfect alignment of the two pieces. When the JB began to set, I replicated the 'texture' on the surface where plastic was missing with the point of a toothpick. All in all, I'm pleased with the results, and with the experience will likely be able to do a better job on the next piece that I do. I can tell where the break was, but I had my wife look at it and she couldn't see it until I pointed it out. Now, the real key is getting everything the same color and making it look "normal" so that it matches the other plastic pieces that it will be attached to. The JB left me with a gray line where the repair was, and that had to be remedied somehow. I found a great product for that... of all places, at Walmart. It's Krylon "Fusion" for plastic in "satin black" color. This stuff is advertised for use on plastic lawn furniture, etc., and claims to bond to plastic. It does bond very well, as I cannot scratch it off. (I also painted a very ratty plastic gas tank on a portable generator - it now looks like new!) It sticks better to plastic than it does to metal, and I highly recommend it for this application. Simply put, it looks great and matches the black plastic interior exceptionally well. I will likely put another coat on after the week drying time that they suggest between applications. Then again, maybe not, because for what I need it's good to go now. I will likely clean up my '71 console and give it a shot of this stuff too if I decide to put her back on the road. Bottom line: This experiment gave me a very strong repair that looks pretty good, and salvaged a part that would have cost me a small fortune to replace. Hopefully you will be able to get similar or better results yourself.

p.s. Does anyone have a spare ash tray top that fits on to this unit? I haven't found that in my box of spare parts that came with the car.

[tstewart]

An alternative that I picked up from repairing plastics on motorcycles is to create your own filler using scrap pieces of plastic and MEK (methyl ethyl ketone, purchased at a hardware store). Take the scrap plastic and shave filings into a glass container. Add MEK to the filings and stir. Over time, the MEK will dissolve the plastic shavings making a plastic paste. Adjust plastic/solvent mixture to achieve desired consistency. The resultant paste is then used to fill cracks, etc. This solution acts like others mentioned in this thread in that it will slightly dissolve and bond to the material that is being repaired (similar to using pvc cement when working with pvc).

This material can be formed and while it is soft, textured material can be used to imprint textures on the repair. If you use a scrap of the same material as the original as the source of the filings (an piece of old console to repair a better one), color matching is not an issue.

I usually use a dremel or similar tool to open up cracks and provide ample surface area for the paste to attach. The resultant repair is extremely strong. In my experience repairing broken plastics on motorcycles, this was the most durable repair.

I have included a before and after pic of a quick and dirty repair I made on a cracked console for a daily driver. I ground out the crack, covered it with masking tape and filled from the back side, careful to force the paste into the crack. After the repair hardened, I sanded the rough edges and applied SEM texture coating to achieve a similar finish. I then applied a black finish that bonds to plastic (ColorBond) to freshen up the entire piece as there was some fading.

As you can see, the repair is not perfect. This is a daily driver and I was more concerned with a strong repair than a show quality finish. More time and effort can create any level of perfection you desire.

[siteunseen]

Revisiting an old thread found using the "Search" box, and thanks to Mike for the quality search, this guy says dissolving black plastic with MEK will make a useable paste for console repairs which got me thinking about something that's already made up.  So I've been reading about black ABS plastic pipe glue.  Has anyone ever used this to repair a cracked console?  Mine is cracked where the choke assembly was mounted.

Thanks.

[Zed Head]

That's not a bad idea.  I don't know if the console is ABS or some other plastic, but ABS cement would probably do the job.  I would add some reinforcement, like glass mat.  I have a cracked console too.  Might give that a look.  

[Patcon]

I have tried ABS glue on other brand interior parts and MEK as well as melting SS mesh into the part from the back. All with mixed results. If the part has to deal with a lot of stress I have found they don't usually hold. If the repair is more cosmetic then it tends to work really good

[psdenno]

My experience with console repair has been to cover cracked and stressed areas with fiberglass cloth on the backside of the unit.  I've used two part epoxy putty to fill holes.  Works well and looks good after a fresh coat of paint and a little touch up highlighting.  I don't think I'd try plastic pipe glue.  See pictures here:  

Dennis

[charliekwin]

That ABS cement is the exact stuff I used to repair some of my interior panels.  It's basically ABS dissolved in (I think) MEK.  It will wet out fiberglass mat the same way resin does and dries hard and strong.  A couple photos of panels I did recently: first patching up the speaker holes on the window panel:

And the vent tank cover.  I don't have an after on this one, but the repaired panel fell of my workbench and landed right on the corner of the broken side and was perfectly fine, and survived a fair amount of flexing to get it back in the car.

[240Ziggy]

13 hours ago, psdenno said:

My experience with console repair has been to cover cracked and stressed areas with fiberglass cloth on the backside of the unit.  I've used two part epoxy putty to fill holes.  Works well and looks good after a fresh coat of paint and a little touch up highlighting.  I don't think I'd try plastic pipe glue.  See pictures here:  

Dennis

Nice work on that centre console psdenno. What colour and how did you to paint the borders along the choke panel. Silver or white?

[gundee]

23 minutes ago, charliekwin said:

That ABS cement is the exact stuff I used to repair some of my interior panels.  It's basically ABS dissolved in (I think) MEK.  It will wet out fiberglass mat the same way resin does and dries hard and strong.

That is really good to know about ABS cement. I really hate mixing resin to use fiberglass on smaller projects.

[psdenno]

35 minutes ago, 240Ziggy said:

Nice work on that centre console psdenno. What colour and how did you to paint the borders along the choke panel. Silver or white?

Thanks!  I used a fine tip SILVER Sharpie pen.  If you try it, just drag the SIDE of the Sharpie pen along the edge you want to highlight - easier than it sounds.

Dennis