I have been trying to repair the front and rear trim on the drivers side of my TC; the plastic dowels that the nuts thread onto have broken off. I've tried a few methods such as heating a bolt head and melting it into the trim and covering over with JB, epoxy or abs plastic sludge (you know what this is if you've done custom ABS interior panels). Anyway, they have all let loose with the glue or JB left in place and the bolt pulling out. Anyone have any other ideas? I'm gonna try some more extreme measures to give the JB a place to grip the bolt but maybe there is a better way?
I always used a pair of short sheet metal screws to connect the metal bracket to the trim piece.
I'm not sure we're talking about the same piece as my trim only has some plastic pegs that go through the sheet metal and a type of nut/washer that goes on the other side; no bracket. I'm talking about the pieces between the bumper cover trim and the wheels (one being where the side marker is on your car).
I would have to see what you have done so far.
I would have drilled out the location where the plastic stud broke off and threaded a 1/4 20 stud in its place and used plastic nuts on the back side.
the nuts you have now are like "cap" nuts that just cut thier own threads.
Or..
drill out the area where the plastic stud was and glue in a new plastic round stock.
I have learned that the glue used to attached pvc lines / water lines together will almost weld these plastic parts together.
i used that glue to repair some plastics in my 20th.
Yup, those are the pieces that always break. The front pieces for mine had two metal brackets, one on each side of the side marker opening. Each bracket had a hole (or two, I forget which) where the plastic from the trim piece would poke through. It looked like the plastic was melted or something to hold them in place, and the plastic always broke off at some point. So I'd take short, pointy sheet metal screws and screw them into the back of the trim piece to hold the brackets on. They've always lasted forever afterward.
The rear pieces are different, though -- those have the little plastic pegs that poke through and you have to put a speed nut on. I guess those are the ones you're talking about. I've never had to repair them, and from what you're describing, I'm glad as it sounds like a real pain. But I wonder if the same technique might work -- fab up some 1"x2" brackets with three holes each and use two sheet metal screws to attach them to the trim piece. Use a bolt in the third center hole to stand in for the broken peg.
Thanks guys, I'm gonna keep trying.
Scott, those plastic repairs you are talking about, where the plastic welds together, is just like the sludge I was talking about. It's like ABS glue which is just ABS plastic with some kind of solvent in it. This 'melts' the plastic around the repair and makes the piece into one. I wanted to try this but I never had the nuts (pieces broken when I got them). Maybe I can get some speed nuts that would work online or from the JY, if I get there again soon, and try using some abs dowels...
This is how I used to repair my front pieces (minus the center bolt, since that was part of the bracket, I think)...maybe it would work on the back pieces, too?
thats a great idea. Did you make/add this bracket? My front trim doesn't have this...
They were part of my front trim pieces, though they should be pretty simple for you to make. Try going to your local Radio Shack and see if they still carry those straight "radio mounting brackets" that have lots of holes drilled into them.