Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Paint, body preparation and modification, interior work and electrical
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oaklandsyd
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Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

The hinge cover in the back of the wagon (on the ceiling) in my Goon is cracking and I may not be able to get it in in one piece.

1 - What the hell is that part called?
2 - How do I repair/reinforce the plastic? Fiberglass/carbon fiber & Epoxy Resin?
3 - anyone in LA area have one in good shape?

I'm also messing with some quick fixes for droopy Sun Visors - any advice on tightening up the Sun Visors a bit would be appreciated. It's definitely an issue with the swivel clamp bit not really grabbing. Thinking a touch of JB weld on the rod will thicken it, allowing the clamp to snug up a bit better.
RONSLYCHUK
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by RONSLYCHUK »

My sun visor kept falling out,so I put a couple of wraps of Teflon tape on the end and it has stayed in since then.
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RMS
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by RMS »

there be a screw on the visor @ the chrome arm that should tighten it up if not, like ron said a bit of teflon tape.

I would fix the wagon rear hatch torsion bar cover with a product from u-pol called SMC.
two_68_510s wrote:I guess our donkeys are quicker then your sled dogs!
oaklandsyd
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

The screws don't really do anything anymore. Teflon tape is a good thought. I was thinking about putting some rubber hose on the clip side - something a bit grippier than the hard plastic.

I'll try to track down the u-pol SMC - the cracks are pretty bad, was really hoping for something with a bit more structural integrity/ strength. Maybe glue in some strips of plastic (of the same/compatible plastic type - if only I knew what that would be...). I guess if it holds well enough to go back in - it hopefully won't need to come out again now that the new headliner is in.
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RMS
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by RMS »

that smc is seriously tough stuff, but sands like polly fill. with your work being concentrated on the back side of the hinge cover you can make it thick.... except were the fasteners go. I used smc to fix the fiber glass nose on a buddy's kenworth. Built up 4 inches for almost a foot that was missing along the edge were the hood meets the cowl. no come backs yet and its been in service for a month... its even seen gravel.

just be prepared when you get the total for the smc. list was $100ca for 1L
two_68_510s wrote:I guess our donkeys are quicker then your sled dogs!
oaklandsyd
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

Sweet fancy moses - I found it on amazon for $60.

I talked to a plastic shop and he said if it were his part, he'd use G-Flex and Fiberglass. OR if I can figure out what type of plastic it is (ABS? PVC? Blah?), then he'd just fuse like plastics.
yenpit
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by yenpit »

All of the old classic Datsun plastic is what I refer to as REAL plastic.......like the plastic model kits we had as kids! Most glues or epoxies WILL bond to it, so most will work. You can also paint the parts, as long as you follow your normal surface preparation steps! FYI most automotive plastic parts starting in the mid 1980's thru today is called polypropylene plastic (PP), which I believe is "wax based", so glues & epoxies & paints do not bond long term....best example of this is the Sport Compact guys cutting, modifying & painting interior trim parts, and things simply don't hold together long term, paint flakes off etc etc! Most polypropylene plastic parts have "PP" cast on the back of the part, identifying it as such! Rebuild yours, cuz nice ones are hard to find!
1973 510 2dr
1972 521 flat bed
1972 510 Wagon parts car
2009 Toyota Matrix S AWD

LOTS of 510 parts!
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RMS
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by RMS »

I have tried welding datsun plastic with ....methyl chloride ? ... it did work and was easy to work with but wasn't very strong it was also hard to get the mating surfaces flush when using strips of abs to reinforce a center console. for a few small cracks with no load, welding is the way to go. I also tried using fiberglass mat and resin on the console but it didn't bite and pulled off easily even when abraded with 120grit.
Last edited by RMS on 29 Jul 2019 18:39, edited 1 time in total.
two_68_510s wrote:I guess our donkeys are quicker then your sled dogs!
oaklandsyd
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

yenpit wrote: 29 Jul 2019 12:36 All of the old classic Datsun plastic is what I refer to as REAL plastic.......like the plastic model kits we had as kids! Most glues or epoxies WILL bond to it, so most will work.
Any successully tested suggestions? I'd like to reinforce with a plastic piece behind the crack. I tried JB Weld Plastic and it didn't work.

I did some burn and float tests on the plastic and still can't quite nail it down as ABS, but it's definitely not PVC. According to this chart, it floats like ABS, burns like Polyurethane. (Continues to burn, doesn't really drip, mostly yellow orange flame, black sooty smoke - not sure about smell. Just smelled like burning plastic.)

I'll probably use SMC in the long run, repaint/repair as much as possible.
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yenpit
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by yenpit »

Wow.......technical! Never seen that before! RMS what is "no load (plastic) welding"??

TJ
1973 510 2dr
1972 521 flat bed
1972 510 Wagon parts car
2009 Toyota Matrix S AWD

LOTS of 510 parts!
oaklandsyd
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

It's just missing a comma @yenpit
RMS wrote: 29 Jul 2019 13:00few small cracks with no load [comma] welding is the way to go.
My cracks are pretty severe. 2/3 way through in 3 places, all starting at screw holes... :/

I'm testing a couple of OTC glues now. May test out the 'paper clips melted in' trick too.
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RMS
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by RMS »

thanks for the punctuation oaklandsyd.
two_68_510s wrote:I guess our donkeys are quicker then your sled dogs!
oaklandsyd
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Re: Wagon Plastic Hinge Cover & Sun Visor Issues

Post by oaklandsyd »

hahah. save us all a little extra work...

Ultimately just gave up and soldering iron melted everything together. Worked good in an ugly ugly way.

Going to try to get some SMC hard set type filler, get it all smoothed out, the repaint the whole piece.

FWIW, regular basic JB Weld stuck to the plastic OK. For filling gaps and small cracks - might be the easiest route.
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