Topic: Door Panel Repair

[60 s Sol]

I noticed lately that the power unlock button and the manual door pull (interior) were coming loose and sinking into the door panel.  When I took the panel off, I found that several areas that were bonded (plastic welded?) to hold these in place had separated.  (see picture)



I need to reattach them but I'm not sure what to use.  My first thought was hot glue.  Has anyone else done this repair?  Any ideas on how to best reattach these?

[Critterman]

They make plastic welders, try your local Harbor Freight store, or check their site.

[Critterman]

here you go:

http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-welding-kit-with-adjustable-temperature-96464.html

[Sol Asylum]

They make some really good adhesives that might work too, anyone know what material the panels are made from?

[TomatoSoup]

They make some really good adhesives that might work too, anyone know what material the panels are made from?

Yeah, try Critter's suggestion... but as a fallback, I'd try JB weld or other 2-part epoxy. 

The plastic material seems to be a form of polypropylene (at a guess) which usually doesn't take well to glue.  Having said that, I epoxied in my puddle lights under the door liner and they are still there - though they don't have to withstand constant pushes.

[Uranium-238]

but as a fallback, I'd try JB weld

Beat me to it!

Depending on the plastic simple plastic glue may work, I know the polystyrene stuff I used to make model airplanes as a kid holds up incredibly well. Might be able to find similar stuff for polypropylene.

[ThunderSky]

here you go:

http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-welding-kit-with-adjustable-temperature-96464.html

The issue with the hot air welder is that you need donor material the same make-up as the parts being welded, which becomes your "welding rod". And given the heat involved it would take some practice to weld these without distorting the other side of the plastic, if it's even possible.  I'm guessing that these were ultrasonically welded at the factory.
BUT, if it's not a polyethylene based material, then maybe a glue would work.  Would need to test a few different cements like ABS , PVC etc to see if they melt the material.

[spider]

Push the plastic blobs back in place with a soldering gun & if you feel it needs more, light a bondo spreader & drip it over the joints like candle wax. Let cool & test weld.

[60 s Sol]

Thanks for the advice.  Most of the welds around the door lock button and interior door handle had failed.  I used Loctite Epoxy Plastic Bonder and it worked great.  It is a two part epoxy, different from and stronger than Loctite Epoxy Plastic.  The one I used actually fuses the plastic, while the other claims to bond it.  At any rate, I broke the remaining welds, applied the bonder and clamped for an hour.  All pieces are now firmly seated in the door panel.

On another note, what would you recommend for removing scuff marks and other stuff from the hard plastic door panel?  Would a vinyl cleaner work here?

[pocketcthulhu]

On another note, what would you recommend for removing scuff marks and other stuff from the hard plastic door panel?  Would a vinyl cleaner work here?

I keep some isopropyl alcohol wipes for the hard plastic surfaces that get really grimy, they work wonders for me.

[Rogue]

According to the GM service manual for the Kappa cars, the thermoplastic door panels are made of polypropolene. And of course, the manual only suggests repair products for rigid plastic parts...no mention of semi-rigid or flexible. Check with your local auto paint supplier for their recommendations for the proper repair product. Some of the available brands would be Fusor, Norton, 3M and others. Eastwood might even be a good source. Hope this helps you some.

[TomatoSoup]

According to the GM service manual for the Kappa cars, the thermoplastic door panels are made of polypropolene.

Hah!  I soooo called it!

[Rogue]

Yes you did TS...way to go!