Minden!

Hi guys,

I got this 93 968 not to long ago and am in love with it but I am trying to straighten out a few cosmetic issues.
The upright pillars covers on the side of the windshield have pretty bad warping and I am wondering if anyone has had any success with straightening these out.
My only thought would be to apply heat through a heat gun and once it is plyable, clamp it down in place till it cools.

jeff968

Hello and welcome. I think you would be better off finding a good set of used ones. This is not a common problem so you should be able to find a nice used set. My project car came from hot texas and mine still look good.

DSMblue

Hmm, interesting. I think you would want to remove the covers to determine the cause. If it is the fiberboard backing for the vinyl, may be a potential to use steam to soften and reshape. I wouldn't want to do that while installed on the car.

Boeing 717

Speaking of which. Are those little screw plugs still available?

jeff968

yes they are, in all colors.

H.F.B.

I know this problem very well. My 93 a-pillar covers were warped too. It's a 968 cabriolet, formerly located in California and Arizona, so she got a lot of sun.
What I did to solve the warping was indeed heat to reform it. The a-pillar is more or less simple plastic, I think.
I constructed this sort of straighten device and put the pillar for approximately 30 min @ 180°F in my oven.
Just look at the pictures, it worked. I think you could get the same result with a heat gun. But be carful. Too much heat and the plastic is gonna blister.


A-Pillar straighten device


Left, straightened. Right still warped.

Boeing 717

U got a part number Jeff?

Minden!

Thank you all for the comments. The 968 parts seem to be getting very expensive. (I am also looking for the seals along the windows and some are listed new at $600!)

@H.F.B. I think I am going to give your method a shot. I'll keep everyone posted on the results.

Jim C

I reshaped my cab A pillar covers similarly by heating them in my oven. I set it to 170 or 175 - basically the lowest my oven would go - and kept an eye on them while they were heating up (did one at a time). Would put one in the oven, heat it up a bit, then, with gloves on, would work the piece to get the waviness straightened. Rinse repeat. Worked very well. Couldn't get them perfect, but damn near so. Clamping it up after heating, as HFB did, should make them perfect!

dbonds

I have these part numbers saved in my notes:Interior trim screw caps (black color) - 311 867 169 01C

Interior trim screws - 311 867 167

Boeing 717

Thanks a lot bonds.

jeff968

FYI, you can order the screw caps in various colors. Check PET for the numbers.

Boeing 717

Thanks