Bondo is the only thing that comes to mind, but I have never worked with it before, and I have no idea how well it does with plastic.
I need to fill the crack around the cup-holder I installed in place of the ashtray, and the gap where it goes under the shifter trim plate. I really don't know what to use.
I need something that I can shape and sand rather easily but will still maintain a strong bond with the plastic of the console.
fiberglass.. body filler will crack and fall apart
There are a couple types of fiberglass filler. I'd use one of the long strand types.
didn't mean fiberglass filler, also known as 'tigers hair'.. i meant actual fiberglass resin/mat.. sorry lol
Would it be sandable after I put it on? It's a very tight and hard to work with area and it will take a lot of slapping it on and shaping over and over most likely for me to get it right...
fiberglass is very workable.. and sticky lol
Well I guess I will give it a shot. Thanks
make sure you do it outside of the car.. if you get it on any of the upholstery, you're going to be :punchballs: :mad: lol
ehh its all gotta get replaced soon anyway... i'll be mixing it outside though of course.
I've never used fiberglass before... is there anything I should know about it that won't be on the directions? and can I just pick it up at AZ?
yes to getting it at autozone.. pretty sure they still sell the bondo brand mat and resin..
as for special tricks, just like regular body filler, the more hardener you use, the faster it dries.. be careful, as the hardener is thin liquid like water, it'll come out of the tube fast.. also, make sure you scuff down the plastic you're going to be messing with.. use some 120 grit to really give the resin something rough to grab onto.. when sanding it down to shape it, start with 120 grit and move onto 320 to get the deep scratches from the rougher paper out.. then wet sand with 800 to get a nice, smooth finish
Most people use glass underneath some other filler. It has no body or thickness in itself. It comes out like molasses, or 90wt oil.
I'd try it on something first to see if you are happy with it.
Bondo will most probably crack and not stick.
Whatever you use, clean the plastic first, scuff it up for adhesion, and clean it again before trying to apply your product.
I'm going to do some research on some custom car audio sites to see what they do before I replace the duct tape on my console with something better.
most people use finishing plastic over the fiberglass, but i found if you lay a thick layer of resin over the last mat, the results are great.. finishing plastic is mostly used to fill in any pits or holes left by bubbles in the resin after it hardens.. you can eliminate virtually all bubbles by using a spreader you'd normally use to laying body filler on a body panel.. if it doesn't get all the bubbles or pits out, you can always go over it with the finishing plastic, but use it VERY sparingly, it's not meant to be laid on thick
well here is finally a pic of what I'm actually trying to fill
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2011-12-14014917.jpg)
(http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n567/sarjxxx/2011-12-14015014.jpg)
yeah.. fiberglass.. lol
Use epoxy or get some plastic welding rods and melt them into place. If the plastic is ABS, you can use acetone and place ss in the acetone and it will melt them. Get enough in there and you can make a paste. With Fiberglass, you will have to glass that entire piece. You won't be able to use it as just a filler. Polyester resin is a very poor bonding agent with plastic as well. This is the cheap stuff you will find at the auto parts store. It contains styrene which wicks to the top and creates a wax like cover. This also happens underneath. If you absolutely have to use fiberglass, get epoxy resin. Even still it is a poor bond to the plastic. A specially designed epoxy is your best solution here.
Bumper repair is an option, What ever you use won't match the texture you got on the rest. I think the way you got it, the drink you put in it still will be airborne. Put a shifter in there and skip the drinks.
'interior plastic paint' will fix that, it usually textures as it dries.. at least some do
Well I'm thinking at this point, I'm just going to run a tight bead of paintable caulk. I don't have a large gap to fill, and the more I look at it, and the more I hear about my options, I'm thinking its the best way to go. It's all going to get painted again, so I think I will just caulk the gap,and sand and smooth down my curves a little bit to fade them in better. the router didn't really didn't quite do the job I required of it.
I must say I don't understand what your saying about a shifter, since there's one there already:poke: besides I can't put one where my ashtray goes...:p
it's a shame you had to ditch the ashtray lid.. it would have been pretty cool if you could have left it, so you could close it and no one would ever know.. lol
If you are going to use caulk, use polyurethane caulk. It's the only thing that will stay in place with that gap, but I have to warn you, any caulk you use will separate at that joint after a while.
I wanted to but the only thing that would have fit there would have been a Budweiser so that wasn't going to work lol
3M makes this stuff called problem plastic they use for bumper repair. Ive used it a few times and really like the stuff. It sands really nice and is easy to paint over. Only bad thing I can think of with the stuff is the smell. Talk about the worst case of puppy breath you can imagine.
how well does it apply on?
fairly well, but the smell is worse than the worst puppy breath.. lol that i would definitely use OUTSIDE of the car.. opening the door to that stench will knock you on your ass like moonshine lmao
hmmm well I think well maybe I may check it out
To answer the question it spreads on like regular ol body filler.
ANNNNNNNNNNND if ya wait to long to do it it starts spreading like peanut butter.... but is still useable. drys in 10-20 min. sandable in about 25. and you need a friggin cheese grater to knock the excess off. but it sands decent ly when it needs to 80-120-220-400-primer-600-800-paint-600-800-1000-clear-800-1000-re clear- wet 1000-wet 1500-wet 3000 and buff but I doubt youre gonna go through all that just for a measly interior peice lol