Door panel crack repair

[Camhabib]

Like many, my interior door panels are badly faded and have a large crack along the top. I was able to stabilize the crack by doing some work on the inside, placing a support by epoxy. I tried a couple things to fill in the crack before painting though, such as JB Weld plastic bonder and silicone, but the results were pretty poor. I’m looking for some alternative options, aside from just leaving it as is. I purchased some vinyl “wrap” that I was considering using along the top, but the adhesive seems fairly weak, and I’m not sure how I’d get it smoothly around the corners. I’d appreciate hearing what solutions people have come up with for this? Thanks!

 

[AndyG]

You can get a plastic welding kit . I don't know of anyone who has tried it on here .

I definitely think going over it with something flexible that adheres well would be cool...like some flexible grip type material.

 

[DustyRhodes03]

You can get a plastic welding kit . I don't know of anyone who has tried it on here .

I definitely think going over it with something flexible that adheres well would be cool...like some flexible grip type material.

What about that stuff you see on TV, Flex Seal I think? I've never seen it used so I'm not sure what the finished product looks like texture wise, but as far as something flexible and adheres well it fits the bill.

 

[Goatman]

A paintable exterior house caulk should do the job.

 

[AndyG]

I used rtv silicone on mine and it looked fantastic but the problem is there so little surface area to bond to...I think if someone has put any kind of backing plate on there they stand a good chance of RTV staying in and honestly it made the crack disappear.

If there is one thing you can count on its those door panels to do that.

 

[toximus]

I've had my crack for about 10 years now and it hasn't spread (in fact both of my Jeeps have cracked panels in exactly the same spot). Unless you can make it look perfect, I'd just leave it be.

 

[AndyG]

Crack is a terrible problem in this country.

 

[LONGJP2]

Try a search.
I have seen other threads on this discussing the reason why it cracks and best way to fix.
Although, not sure if it was this site or not.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I did a combination of stop drilling the end of the crack, scuffing up the inside surface, 2 different kinds of backing mesh and JB Weld plastic bonder. I haven't painted them yet, but they feel solid.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/painting-door-panels-with-sem-paint.26094/post-424102

 

[Hog]

I used rtv silicone on mine and it looked fantastic but the problem is there so little surface area to bond to...I think if someone has put any kind of backing plate on there they stand a good chance of RTV staying in and honestly it made the crack disappear.

If there is one thing you can count on its those door panels to do that.

I watched a video awhile back where a guy used a soldering iron and , from the back side, “re welded” the plastic back together.

 

[TJ's-TJ]

I did a combination of stop drilling the end of the crack, scuffing up the inside surface, 2 different kinds of backing mesh and JB Weld plastic bonder. I haven't painted them yet, but they feel solid.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/painting-door-panels-with-sem-paint.26094/post-424102

We did a similar repair on ours, check it out on our build thread page 9, about half way down:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/tjs-tj.10996/page-9

 

[Goatman]

Ill bet that new UV activated adhesive would also be perfect. You can spread some on and keep working with it until you are ready for it to stick. Then just shine the UV light on it and it hardens almost instantly.

 

[Camhabib]

Ill bet that new UV activated adhesive would also be perfect. You can spread some on and keep working with it until you are ready for it to stick. Then just shine the UV light on it and it hardens almost instantly.

So that’s actually exactly what I used. They make semi-rigid mesh patches impregnated with UV activated resin. Dried nice and firm and took considerable flex out of the panel.