Plastic Panel Repair

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  • Pappy
    The Full Monte
    • Dec 2002
    • 10453
    • San Marcos, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 (x2)

    Plastic Panel Repair

    Scott's thread on his mower problems and the responses, including mine, about busted plastic hoods got me thinking again about fixing plastic panels.

    The hood on my Deere LT155 has a upper and lower section and the upper had developed several cracks before I fell against it and punched a hole in the center with my hand. I also drive a Dodge Ram and like the Ram dashes do in hot climates, it is cracked into 3 pieces.

    My idea is to go beyond just gluing or welding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3yW-hqFng) the pieces back together, but to reinforce them with fiberglass and carbon fiber cloth on the outside for looks. Fiberglass would be good enough for the tractor hood and could be painted to match with a rattle can but the carbon fiber would add a unique look and wouldn't cost that much more than the fiberglass cloth. I would go with the carbon fiber on the dash since 'buzz bomb' paint won't hold up for long exposed to the sun and the upper dash would be a PITA to remove and reinstall for painting.

    Once the piece were rejoined by either method, the process would be to even out and cut the surface with 60 grit paper to provide some 'tooth' for the resin to grab. I was thinking of putting down 2 layers of glass on the inside for strength and then a single layer of carbon fiber on the outside for appearance and sealing the plastic.

    Should wind up with pieces that are bordering on indestructible....
    Don, aka Pappy,

    Wise men talk because they have something to say,
    Fools because they have to say something.
    Plato
  • Daryl
    Senior Member
    • May 2004
    • 831
    • .

    #2
    I would use a dash cover on the truck, http://www.dashmat.com/ It would probably be easiest and look nicest. For the Deere, two layers of fiberglass cloth on the back and then Bondo on the front. You could fiberglass the front too, but it may be more work than you want to get into. You may want to check that the heat from curing doesn't melt the plastic and make it worse.
    Sometimes the old man passed out and left the am radio on so I got to hear the oldie songs and current event kind of things

    Comment

    • Pappy
      The Full Monte
      • Dec 2002
      • 10453
      • San Marcos, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 (x2)

      #3
      Not a big fan of the dash mat / pads. Dodge truck dash tops are notorious for cracking in the heat and mine would have to be repaired to support a mat properly. If I was going to use a cap I would go this route.

      Don, aka Pappy,

      Wise men talk because they have something to say,
      Fools because they have to say something.
      Plato

      Comment

      • capncarl
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 3564
        • Leesburg Georgia USA
        • SawStop CTS

        #4
        I am not sure if fiberglass is the best for dashboards, and possibly not for tractor hoods. Ive had failures of the glass not adhering to plastics. It may be a job for epoxy glass. Any dashboard that has ever been treated with armorall will likely be impossible to repair this way.

        Comment

        • dbhost
          Slow and steady
          • Apr 2008
          • 9209
          • League City, Texas
          • Ryobi BT3100

          #5
          The dash is padded with that foamy rubber padding to protect your noggin. I wouldn't fix it with fiberglass or anything that doesn't have some give to it...
          Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

          Comment

          • Pappy
            The Full Monte
            • Dec 2002
            • 10453
            • San Marcos, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 (x2)

            #6
            Originally posted by dbhost
            The dash is padded with that foamy rubber padding to protect your noggin. I wouldn't fix it with fiberglass or anything that doesn't have some give to it...
            I'm talking about the top of the dash. No padding on it. Hard Plastic.
            Don, aka Pappy,

            Wise men talk because they have something to say,
            Fools because they have to say something.
            Plato

            Comment

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