Ain't that the truth!

I pulled my interior apart yesterday and discovered some interesting things.

Firstly, someone at some stage someone has broken the plastic. It has been plastic welded back together. Not happy! Unfortunately it could have been any number of people in 2001 who had a go at my car as a result of a minor accident or the seat belt recall.

I got the two parts of the hoops out (they were still attached at the bottom) and have been going thorugh the investigative process. The reason they shouldn't be separated, and if they are, are very hard to re-glue, is that they were heat welded together. There was a strip of wire running through the seam of both the outside and inside edge. I believe this is heater element. They run a current through it and it heats up melting either the plastic or a glue that comes with it and bonding the two shells together.

I have stipped out the metal and am cleaning out the groove and tongue. I should be able to glue them back together pretty well with the hood inside when I put it all back together.

 

Aus, PM Stratocaster about re-gluing the covers. He tried numerous products without much luck.

 

Sounds like a challenge to me!

 

I'd love to be proved wrong on this one Aus.

 

Consider yourself proved wrong!

I'm glad the challenge was raised as I made sure I took amazing amounts of care. I pulled out the wire and cleaned both side back so that there was nothing in the groove and the lip on the other piece was nice and smooth. I test fitted and scraped repeatedly. Once I was happy with the fit I masked the edges with masking tape. I then layed down the grooved piece with the roll hoop in it supported where ever it needed it. I mixed up a heap of Araldite (two part epoxy) and carefully layed it in to the groove with a chiseled matchstick. Took a while and as I was using a fast setting Araldite the stress level was high but I got it done quickly and neatly in no time.

I then fitted the other piece and the fit was firm and snug. I then gaffer taped three points around the hoop and on either side. Gaffer tape is great because it is a bit elestic and if you pull it tight it puts pressure on the joins.

I left it for 24 hours then fitted it to the car. After another 24 hours I removed the tape. It has held for almost a week now and is rock solid. I'll post picks when I remember where I put my camera.

 

It must be the "gaffer" tape. I mean, come on, just say the word to yourself about 10 times. It's one of those words that you can't imagine can actually be real.

GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER.......... GAFFER..........

 

Good to hear Aus. I don't mind being proved wrong.

 

X - Have you been sniffing the fire retardent again?

 

I am bumping this very old thread. I have a customer coming in a few weeks, and would like to try to fix her rool hoops.

The big question is to AusS2000...how are your hoops holding up?

 

Billman, if fixing them doesn't work out, I have a set of perfect black roll hoops to get rid of, and not very far from LI