plastic int. repair

i was on powerblock magazine they show how to use a heat gun to fix white spots from impact and to reshape panels. looks cool. you can read about it and they also have video. here is link http://www.powerblocktv.com/magazine/?pub=25152/38

It works to some extent, but you have to be really careful. The panels will take an amount of heat to soften, and then just a little more to melt and deform. Visually you can not see the point where the plastic becomes a liquid. If you get it too hot, when you touch it, it will deform. The difference in temperature is very small. I have not had great success with this method. You can reshape the plastic, but the discoloration is hard to eliminate. You also have to be careful that you do not melt the surrounding plastic while working on the damaged area.

I have replaced damaged metal parts that have heat melted tabs holding them in place. I heated the tabs, reformed them, and removed the part. I then replaced the metal part, and reheated the tab area to hold the part. Again you have a fine line between softening, and melting the part. Practice on a part that is junk, until you can judge the amount of heat to apply. The metal part will hold the heat as well, so be careful.

thanks for tips fred i have a couple white spots in cargo area where my speaker box sled into them . the mounting screw area must have been streesed and got a white spot around the screw

What color is your interior?

blue

It is not too hard to get blue parts, I believe there are more cars with blue interiors than all the other colors combined. I do not have much in blue right now, but when I see a blue interior, I should be able to get all the parts you need. All of the wagons with blue interiors from 91-93 have the same color interior. The interior SPID code is 20I.

If need be, you may also have some luck with ColorBond or SEM interior products. I have used them with a great deal of success in multiple vehicles. The color selection is fairly extensive and, providing your prep work is decent, the results are great. They come in spray cans and are used by interior reconditioning specialists who want to avoid mixing their own colors (I know because I was one). Our local Dr. Vinyl shop uses SEM Color Coat and Classic Coat for everything they can.

John

I have the same 94 to 96 blue interior. The SEM color is exact. I SEM'd a door panel repair and the console, which used to be grey. They came out exact. You can see the console in my signature. If you need the SEM code let me know.

Tom