I tackled the Defroster Vent Trim over the last couple day.
I purchased an intact Slate Gray part from a local yard for $35.
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Since this was more or less a proof of concept for me I got a grade 'B' panel in case I wasn't happy with the results. The imperfection in this panel was a cigarette burn.
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I washed it down with dish soap using green and blue Scotch pads. There was a lot of grease and smoke embedded in the plastic.
Next, I drilled out the burn mark and beveled the hole on both sides with 500 grain sand paper wrapped around a small wooden dowel.
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Next, I used JB Weld Plastic Bonder epoxy to create a plug for the hole.
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Taped it off...
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... and filled it with epoxy. The reason I beveled the hole on both sides was to create an hourglass shaped plug that would have more surface for adhesion.
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I thoroughly cleaned it using Plastic and Leather Prep (SEM 38353). First with a blue pad then with paper "shop towels" and finally with a tack cloth.
I applied a light coat of Plastic Adhesion Promoter (SEM 39861).
Finally I sprayed 5 very light coats of SEM Color Coat in Khaki (Custom Color 5545)
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Here's the final results next to the broken one.
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The color is lighter however I have not cleaned the existing one at all.
I was very pleased with the results of the epoxy fix (it's at the mid-point of the lower half of the piece). In this photo it's unnoticeable and in person you have to look for the fix to see it.
My final impressions:
The color coat's color is slightly off from the Khaki of the original part. This may be because the original needs to be cleaned. I'm going to clean is with the same process and see if it makes a difference.
The level of gloss is much flatter with the paint at this point. This may change once it's fully cured. I will do a light buff on it tomorrow and see if the the surface can be polished a little.
For me this was a proof of concept for my driver door panel which has the typical crack. I'm impressed with the Color Coat so far and was surprised by the epoxy plug results. I will install, buff it out and see how it wears for a month or so before I tackle the door panel.