Rear reflector repair - something different
01-06-2007, 11:01 AM
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Rear reflector repair - something different
My rear reflector unit is "fairly" new - I replaced it when I got the car almost 3 years ago and, since it lives in a garage, it hasn't turned pink yet!!
However, when it was in the body shop for it's repaint earlier in the year it seems that when it was all put back together the three little plastic "prongs" which hold the light unit to the body got broken, so I now have a light unit which is a little loose around the bottom edge.
Since the rest of the unit is in perfectly good condition I'm reluctant to spend £200+ on a new one and I wondered if anyone had ever attempted to repair/improve on the three mounts. I had an idea to epoxy some metal hooks (like cup hooks) into the plastic moulding so that they can lock into the mount on the body. I think that might work but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experiences before I try.
Regards
Dave
However, when it was in the body shop for it's repaint earlier in the year it seems that when it was all put back together the three little plastic "prongs" which hold the light unit to the body got broken, so I now have a light unit which is a little loose around the bottom edge.
Since the rest of the unit is in perfectly good condition I'm reluctant to spend £200+ on a new one and I wondered if anyone had ever attempted to repair/improve on the three mounts. I had an idea to epoxy some metal hooks (like cup hooks) into the plastic moulding so that they can lock into the mount on the body. I think that might work but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experiences before I try.
Regards
Dave
01-06-2007, 05:42 PM
#2
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Originally Posted by Computamedic
...I had an idea to epoxy some metal hooks (like cup hooks) into the plastic moulding so that they can lock into the mount on the body. I think that might work but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experiences before I try...
Marc
01-06-2007, 06:01 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
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I have had excellent luck with epoxy and repairing plastic parts. I fixed one of my shark fins with it. The area has to be perfectly clean. I went further and roughed it up. I also used a well known brand epoxy "for plastic". It wasn't near as brittle as some epoxy when it dried.
The housing is pretty beefy. I bet you could drill into it and affix things with screws if you wanted. Epoxy for sure, so long as the surface prep and epoxy type are correct.
I'm surprised Marc didn't have more success. Even regular ole general use epoxy has served me well on plastic in the past.
The housing is pretty beefy. I bet you could drill into it and affix things with screws if you wanted. Epoxy for sure, so long as the surface prep and epoxy type are correct.
I'm surprised Marc didn't have more success. Even regular ole general use epoxy has served me well on plastic in the past.
01-07-2007, 09:41 AM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Well - that worked out pretty well. I found some suitably sized cup hooks in Homebase and dremelled the threaded end off and attached them to the remains of the plastic locating lugs with some quick drying Araldite. Left to set for a couple of hours and the "new" lugs seem much stronger than the originals - and they fit perfectly!!
I used two hooks for each lug since it seemed to fit quite well and would give it plenty of strength.
Regards
Dave
I used two hooks for each lug since it seemed to fit quite well and would give it plenty of strength.
Regards
Dave
