Car topper repair.

[Flyinfool]

I have a plastic car topper to put on my HF trailer.

I did not notice when I acquired it that it looks to have been crashed on one corner.

There are some deep scrapes and the corner was pushed in and it rubbed thru at the crease mark. I cant complain, the price was right, which is why I did not look at it closely.

 

I think the thing is vac formed out of ABS but I'm not certain about that. It is an off white in color and has a heavily textured surface. It is a Kartote brand.

 

I was going to do the repair by laying up some glass cloth and epoxy on the inside, but after thinking about that, I realized that this cover is very flexible/flimsy and the glass/epoxy would not be, It will probably just crack off.

 

Is there something flexible that I can use with the glass cloth to repair the crack.

 

Eventually I will paint it, but that will not be for a while, at least not this year, unless I just buzz bomb it.

[jointventure]

This is the best product that I have found. We use it daily to repair collision damage to a variety of plastic bumpers and mouldings and give the repair a lifetime warranty. Most paint and body suppliers will carry it.

 

http://www.pliogripbyvalvoline.com/plastic_repair.html

 

Get the one with the longer working time if you want to impregnate the cloth. It will be part# 8002 and gives you 10 minutes to work with it. DO NOT try the #8000, it only has a 25 second working time.

 

This is another good product, but not as "user friendly" as the Pliogrip.

 

http://www.lord.com/Products-And-Solutions/Adhesives/Lord-Fusor-Products.xml

 

If you need any help, PM me.

[Snaggletooth]

Jeff, sent ya a PM on an idea.

 

Mike

[twigg]

Yes ... repairing ABS is very easy.

 

Go to Home Depot and buy 1Qt of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (It's by the paint thinners)

 

Next pop into your local plastics supplier and pay a couple of bucks for some offcuts of ABS sheet.

 

Cut the sheet into the sizes you need to patch the hole, and use the MEK to "glue it".

 

Grind up some of the ABS, mix it to a paste with MEK and use that to fill the gaps.

 

Wear nitrile gloves and work quickly.

 

This is a complete repair for ABS ... works beautifully on fairings and will be, at minimum, as strong as new.

 

MEK is evil ... do not get it anywhere you don't want it, and don't spend money on Plastex.

[Taking it EZ]

MEK is evil

Be sure to read the warning label thoroughly. Do not use in an inclosed space and absolutely do not use around any source of heat or spark. I have seen it launch a 55 gallon drum several hundred feet into the air

[jer878]

Yes ... repairing ABS is very easy.

 

Go to Home Depot and buy 1Qt of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (It's by the paint thinners)

 

Next pop into your local plastics supplier and pay a couple of bucks for some offcuts of ABS sheet.

 

Cut the sheet into the sizes you need to patch the hole, and use the MEK to "glue it".

 

Grind up some of the ABS, mix it to a paste with MEK and use that to fill the gaps.

 

Wear nitrile gloves and work quickly.

 

This is a complete repair for ABS ... works beautifully on fairings and will be, at minimum, as strong as new.

 

MEK is evil ... do not get it anywhere you don't want it, and don't spend money on Plastex.

 

The plastic chrome ring around my front turn signal split, do you think this stuff would "weld" it together?

[MAINEAC]

FYI... MEK is the PVC pipe cleaner... It's also in the pipe glue..

[twigg]

The plastic chrome ring around my front turn signal split, do you think this stuff would "weld" it together?

 

If it's made of ABS then yes, it will.

 

For mending cracks you need an applicator, or the stuff will run everywhere.

 

They sell small plastic bottles with thin, needle-like, tips. They are used for applying the solvent to acrylic when making fishtanks. One of those (web search) would be very useful.

 

If you want to know what kind of plastic you have ... or at least id MEK will weld it, then just put a drop on a hidden surface and see if it dissolves it. If it does, you are good to go.

 

When you are repairing a crack or split tape the pieces together and run a thin bead of the chemical on the reverse side. Capillary action draws the fluid into the crack, and that's all you need to do. The tape will prevent the stuff damaging the face and it only needs a few minutes to set up.

 

A plastic syringe with a #25 needle will work well too.

 

Unlike other methods where you are trying to reinforce a glued joint, like with adding glass-fiber, etc ... this method literally makes good the original piece. Bear in mind that the original piece broke So you might want, in many cases, to strengthen it. Do this by adding ABS and using the solvent to bond it.

 

If you have a missing tab ....

 

Get some modeling clay and make a mould from a good tab. Grind up some ABS (A plumbing fitting or some sheet stock). You can do this by grinding, filing or simply collecting hacksaw shavings. When you have enough, add a few drops of solvent and make a paste. Push the paste into the mould you made and leave it to set.

 

Finish shaping the new part then use more solvent to glue it in place of the missing tab.

[Flyinfool]

If it stops snowing tomorrow tomorrow I will try to post some pics of the damage.

[Flyinfool]

Here are some pics to show the damaged corner.

The whole top and left side have deep scratches, and the top left rear corner is scraped thru. It is just barely thru in a couple of spots along that crease but that whole crease is VERY thin and will leak water if/when it rains.

 

It looks like maybe someone drove under something that they did not quite fit under, scraping up the top and then it came off the car an slid down the road on its left side.:doh:

[Snaggletooth]

Looks repairable from the pics Jeff. If you're interesting in taking me up on my offer let me know what size sheets you would need.

 

Mike

[Flyinfool]

I'm certain it is repairable. I spent the day getting other parts done.

I will let you know once I figure out how big the patches should be.

[Snaggletooth]

Okey Dokey.

[Flyinfool]

OK, so I now have no idea what this car topper is made from.

It is impervious to MEK, Acetone, lacquer thinner, toluene and PVC pipe cement.

It is obviously Vac formed, but I have no clue from what.

 

I did use a heat gun to form the damaged corner back into shape.

 

I think I am back to plan A of scuffing the surface up real good and finding some kind of flexible adhesive and glass cloth laid up on the inside.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Flyinfool

[twigg]

OK, so I now have no idea what this car topper is made from.

It is impervious to MEK, Acetone, lacquer thinner, toluene and PVC pipe cement.

It is obviously Vac formed, but I have no clue from what.

 

I did use a heat gum to form the damaged corner back into shape.

 

I think I am back to plan A of scuffing the surface up real good and finding some kind of flexible adhesive and glass cloth laid up on the inside.

 

If you were able to heat form it, and it's impervious to the solvents, then it is almost certainly one of the polythenes.

[Flyinfool]

Well I did it.

Whether or not IT is right, time will tell.

I got some Piobond from the hardware store, It is supposed to remain flexible after drying. It is a rubber cement

I used some 80 grit sand paper to rough up the surface real good on the inside of the shell.

I then painted on a coat of Pliobond glue.

I laid a 1.5 inch wide strip of glass cloth into the wet glue.

Then painted on another good coat of the glue.

Laid a 3.5 inch wide strip of glass cloth into the wet glue.

Painted on another coat of the glue to finish filling the weave of the cloth.

All of these layers were done at once with no drying in between.

[Snaggletooth]

As long as it sticks ........you're good to go. Be nice to know what that shell is made out of.

[camos]

Be nice to know what that shell is made out of.

This has not been substantiated but apparently it is made with high density rigid polyethylene.

Here is a how to repair using a kayak as an example.

http://www.kayak-repair-central.com/plastic-repair.html

Edited May 8, 2011 by camos

[Flyinfool]

Maybe this is a good excuse to go get a plastic welder from HF.

 

This may have been a better solution.

 

Oh well, if my repair does not stick, I'll peel it all off and get the welder.