2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Plastic "welding" - front grill

[tomblue01]

Shout out to Delboy's Garage, where I learned this technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRCMIDILfEI

My grill hung on simply because the broken mounts hadn't completely escaped their encapsulated position. It was time to fix it. By my count, there are 11 places where the grill secures itself to the hood & the [sorry for the poor nomenclature here:] rectangular metal skeleton which houses the hood release mechanism. 8 metal fasteners remain for me - none attached.

 

[tomblue01]

I used my low watt soldering iron to melt them back together. It worked well. When I needed extra plastic to fill in gaps, I used the chunk of plastic I cut from the A-pillar.

 

[tomblue01]

The side tabs which connect to that metal skeleton acted a bit differently than the ones attached to the hood. The chrome paint didn't melt, so I couldn't get much plastic penetration. Nonetheless, they seemed alright.

 

[tomblue01]

Upon reattaching, one tab on each side of the grill cracked. The remaining 6 fasteners work well, and I'm happy to say she feels solid!

Of note, I "welded" one of the hood fasteners a little bit off center [it still fits], so if you choose to repair your grill, ensure you "weld" those pieces upright.

Cheers!

 

[The patriot]

Nice!
I'd have never thought of the plastic weld technique.
I would have just epoxied it.
Well done!

 

[surfbeetle]

Nice!
I'd have never thought of the plastic weld technique.
I would have just epoxied it.
Well done!

Yeah, I just used JB Weld on mine, worked good. But I am glad to have seen this video as there are other things that I will use this technique on, thanks for posting it tomblue01.

 

[JR]

If you need extra material, they do make pvc (among other materials) welding rod. Looks just like TIG rod, hold the gun in one hand and push the rod into the repair with the other as it melts. I'm not sure if a soldering iron would get hot enough to use the rod or not as pvc welders are generally hot air guns and higher wattage. They do make some inexpensive guns for the occasional DIY'er.