R107 Grill Plastic Composition

[Golden80s]

Hello all,

Would anyone happen to know what type of plastic the grill on the R107 is made of? It probably isn't ABS - figured that out already.

The reason I ask is that I have a little damage to repair and would prefer to use a material-appropriate solvent or cement as opposed to epoxy.

Thanks in advance!

[Golden80s]

Ok, I yet again tried my old standby for MB ABS, Weld-On no.3 - which even though it is marketed as being for acyrlics works wonders on MB Black ABS - but no luck even though I think that no.3 is basically pure MEK.

So I'll now source some multi-plastic Weld-On no. 4052 which is claimed to be able to bond a whole laundry-list of plastics and will post my results here in a day or two.

[pool boy]

Replacement grill parts are not that expensive. You may want to check before you attempt a repair.

[meltedpanda]

are you talking about the little chrome strips? they are cheap and easily had

[Golden80s]

Nope, I am talking about the dk. grey plastic louvers - bit of a crack in one due to a stone impact I'd like to fix - trivial with the right cement.

[Golden80s]

...it is a good excuse to hide in the garage with a cold beer on a hot day.

Funny how that can always bring out a ton of 10 minute jobs that have waited years to be tended to.

[Golden80s]

What is this stuff anyway!? PVC?


Tried Weld-On no.4 with absolutely no luck! Between them nos.3&4 cover not only Acrylic and ABS but Butyrate, Polycarbonate, and Styrene as well.


They are both basically pure MEK plus small amounts of additives as far as I can tell which means that they should act as a solvent/cement for just about any kind of plastic to some degree.


Still trying to locally source Weld-On 4052 locally which adds PVC and Noryl to the mix but with no luck.


Tempted to throw up my hands and hit it with 3500 psi strength Devcon Plastic Welder thinned with Acetone and call it a day.


Any thoughts from you all before I do?

[meltedpanda]

plastic welder, I have not used one, but heard they work well in cases like this

[Alkraut]

My guess it is nylon. Tough to bond to. How about a two-part epoxy like JB Weld?

[Golden80s]

Nylon!? Now why didn't I think of that possibility? Formic acid? No thanks!


Guess while we are on the subject it could be Polyester as well.


Think I will try heat welding or just “band aiding” the invisible portion of the cracked area with some fiber material soaked in epoxy.


I actually prefer Devcon Plastic Welder over JB Weld in a case like this as even though both are 2-part epoxies the Devcon never seems to get as “brittle” over time as the JB can IMHO and it responds to thinning very well. 3M makes an equivalent to the Devcon as well.


As much as we all know and and love our cars I am always surprised how little there is out there on identifying what parts are made from exactly what materials – often times this makes all the difference between being able to make an invisible repair or just making an absolute mess.


Cheers!

[Golden80s]

Well, well - look at what I just found:

Bonding poly's

Think it might be worth a closer look...