How to Restick a Peeling Padded Car Door Trim Insert Panel on a Ford Mustang
Work outdoors., Apply masking tape., Expose a patch to repair., Brush off deteriorated foam., Glue and press., Remove the masking tape next to the glue., Re-roll., Wait to drive the car.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Work outdoors.
Deteriorated foam bits are messy and slightly sticky, stray contact cement is messy and super-sticky, and contact-cement solvent is foul and unhealthy.
Put on some ugly clothes and your safety glasses.
Arrange to sit on an ugly stool behind the door completely open so that drips will wind up on the ground (which is preferably not uniform, soil-showing concrete), not in the car.
Gather gear, including the plastic spoons and paper towels to dab up messes before they harden or spread in the general area. , Use masking tape to protect the area around and closely under the repair area.
Apply short, overlapping, bent strips at curves, and tip the edges into indentations for optimal results.
Also cover the armrest and any other areas that the side of the roller you'll use to press down the vinyl may brush against, in order to protect them from scratches., “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”: try to leave the door alone until the pad is loose at an edge.
Messing with the insert involves some risk, and waiting for it to almost completely dry rot apart makes it easy to finish separating with little force.
Once this has happened, peel the surface vinyl layer off to a point where the foam is somewhat sturdy, which provides access to clean out all deteriorated foam, and to which the panel could eventually be peeled from the other direction to the then-permanently-glued area to patch from that end.
Leaving some attached eases alignment of the remainder.
Peeling from the top edge down to the armrest and widest extent of the insert is a good start., Use the vegetable brush to gently scrape away dry-rotted foam and dirt from the back of the cloth-backed vinyl surface layer and from the fibrous backing still on the door.
Use patience, not force, for stuck bits.
Remove any accumulation at the edge of the peeled area.
Create a basically-clean, smooth surface for the cover and door to bond securely and without lumps., Contact cement works well.
It's usually used by applying to each surface, allowing them to dry to tackiness, and bringing them together to bond on...contact.
But the vinyl panel and fibrous backing are permeable to fumes so it will eventually dry even if applied wet between the two.
This has the advantage of allowing alignment and stretching of the pliable vinyl to the complex curves of the backing.
Take out a little cement at a time from the container to a plate and use a disposable small trim-size paintbrush to apply a brush-width's or so to the inside edge of the yet-to-be-glued area. (Generally, start near the arm rest.) Apply a generous, glossy but not gloppy coating.
And work fast—not allowing the glue to over-dry first, leaving it able to penetrate, is more important than perfect uniformity.
Press the glued area down at edges (the back of a clean spoon works well) and across smooth areas with a soft roller.
Continue with one brush-width's of glue after another.
Gently scrape and wipe up any messes and switch to a clean tool or wash hands as needed to not spread them.
Check alignment of all edges from time to time as you go and promptly peel back the vinyl to reposition as necessary.
Try to avoid stretching the vinyl or distending it in a particular direction but the ability to tip in edges requires only care, not perfection. , Once you've finished applying the glue, firmly pressed down the vinyl, and verified it seems to hold, remove the masking tape directly in contact with the glued areas so that it is not itself joined permanently.
Use a clean implement to push back down any vinyl that lifts with it.
Leave some masking tape on the armrest or other areas that may need protecting from roller-axle scrapes., Every half-hour or so at first, and then every several hours over the next couple days, run the soft roller over the vinyl to ensure firm adhesion, especially pressing down any “bubbles” suspiciously reminiscent of the original delamination.
They're not airtight – just hanging loose, and with soft glue inside ready to re-bond., The door panel will be delicate at first and its fumes will be foul.
Don't drive the car for a few hours, and for the first couple days leave a window open. -
Step 2: Apply masking tape.
-
Step 3: Expose a patch to repair.
-
Step 4: Brush off deteriorated foam.
-
Step 5: Glue and press.
-
Step 6: Remove the masking tape next to the glue.
-
Step 7: Re-roll.
-
Step 8: Wait to drive the car.
Detailed Guide
Deteriorated foam bits are messy and slightly sticky, stray contact cement is messy and super-sticky, and contact-cement solvent is foul and unhealthy.
Put on some ugly clothes and your safety glasses.
Arrange to sit on an ugly stool behind the door completely open so that drips will wind up on the ground (which is preferably not uniform, soil-showing concrete), not in the car.
Gather gear, including the plastic spoons and paper towels to dab up messes before they harden or spread in the general area. , Use masking tape to protect the area around and closely under the repair area.
Apply short, overlapping, bent strips at curves, and tip the edges into indentations for optimal results.
Also cover the armrest and any other areas that the side of the roller you'll use to press down the vinyl may brush against, in order to protect them from scratches., “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”: try to leave the door alone until the pad is loose at an edge.
Messing with the insert involves some risk, and waiting for it to almost completely dry rot apart makes it easy to finish separating with little force.
Once this has happened, peel the surface vinyl layer off to a point where the foam is somewhat sturdy, which provides access to clean out all deteriorated foam, and to which the panel could eventually be peeled from the other direction to the then-permanently-glued area to patch from that end.
Leaving some attached eases alignment of the remainder.
Peeling from the top edge down to the armrest and widest extent of the insert is a good start., Use the vegetable brush to gently scrape away dry-rotted foam and dirt from the back of the cloth-backed vinyl surface layer and from the fibrous backing still on the door.
Use patience, not force, for stuck bits.
Remove any accumulation at the edge of the peeled area.
Create a basically-clean, smooth surface for the cover and door to bond securely and without lumps., Contact cement works well.
It's usually used by applying to each surface, allowing them to dry to tackiness, and bringing them together to bond on...contact.
But the vinyl panel and fibrous backing are permeable to fumes so it will eventually dry even if applied wet between the two.
This has the advantage of allowing alignment and stretching of the pliable vinyl to the complex curves of the backing.
Take out a little cement at a time from the container to a plate and use a disposable small trim-size paintbrush to apply a brush-width's or so to the inside edge of the yet-to-be-glued area. (Generally, start near the arm rest.) Apply a generous, glossy but not gloppy coating.
And work fast—not allowing the glue to over-dry first, leaving it able to penetrate, is more important than perfect uniformity.
Press the glued area down at edges (the back of a clean spoon works well) and across smooth areas with a soft roller.
Continue with one brush-width's of glue after another.
Gently scrape and wipe up any messes and switch to a clean tool or wash hands as needed to not spread them.
Check alignment of all edges from time to time as you go and promptly peel back the vinyl to reposition as necessary.
Try to avoid stretching the vinyl or distending it in a particular direction but the ability to tip in edges requires only care, not perfection. , Once you've finished applying the glue, firmly pressed down the vinyl, and verified it seems to hold, remove the masking tape directly in contact with the glued areas so that it is not itself joined permanently.
Use a clean implement to push back down any vinyl that lifts with it.
Leave some masking tape on the armrest or other areas that may need protecting from roller-axle scrapes., Every half-hour or so at first, and then every several hours over the next couple days, run the soft roller over the vinyl to ensure firm adhesion, especially pressing down any “bubbles” suspiciously reminiscent of the original delamination.
They're not airtight – just hanging loose, and with soft glue inside ready to re-bond., The door panel will be delicate at first and its fumes will be foul.
Don't drive the car for a few hours, and for the first couple days leave a window open.
About the Author
Anna Johnson
Anna Johnson is an experienced writer with over 5 years of expertise in museums libraries. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Anna creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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