Plastic interior plastic repair. What type of plastic did Chrysler use?

[redgum78]

Hi all,

I am needing to make some small repairs on interior plastic parts. Does anyone know what type of plastic was used on things like heater vents and speaker grills? Also advice on the best glue/s to use.

Picture of my speaker grill with broken screw holes.

Thanks

Dan

[1 Wild R/T]

You know they reproduce that grill right?

[redgum78]

You know they reproduce that grill right?

Yeah I did know they were available, I thought I would try gluing or plastic welding from the back side first as it is perfect other than those 2 corners. If it fails I will get a repo one.

[JpRngr]

Do you have the broken off pieces? If so, you can try acetone to "glue"/"melt" them together.

[redgum78]

Do you have the broken off pieces? If so, you can try acetone to "glue"/"melt" them together.

I'll try that, noting to loose if it fails. Its hard to know what glue to use due to all the different plastics.

[YellowThumper]

A high percentage of the parts are molded out of ABS.
Which is a good candidate for gluing itself to itself.

[redgum78]

A high percentage of the parts are molded out of ABS.
Which is a good candidate for gluing itself to itself.

ABS, thanks YT

[shawge]

  MEK works well too for ABS, wear the PPE when working with it and do it in an open, flame free spot.

I mix shavings of ABS into a jar with a little MEK until it looks like peanut butter. Prep the broken piece edges by sanding and cleaning. Use clear packing tape to hold the pieces together and act as a span or dam. Apply the melted ABS like putty, working and shaping it. Let it dry for 2-3 days and sand to shape. Missed some spots or need to make a layer thicker? no problem, just repeat the process.

[YellowThumper]

Just to bugger up the thread.
Injection molds are my career...
"Borrowed" from the web.

What is ABS Plastic?
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is an opaque thermoplastic and amorphous polymer. "Thermoplastic" (as opposed to "thermoset") has to do with the way the material responds to heat. Thermoplastics become liquid (i.e. have a "glass transition") at a certain temperature (221 degrees Fahrenheit in the case of ABS plastic). They can be heated to their melting point, cooled, and re-heated again without significant degradation. Instead of burning, thermoplastics like ABS liquefy which allows them to be easily injection molded and then subsequently recycled. By contrast, thermoset plastics can only be heated once (typically during the injection molding process). The first heating causes thermoset materials to set (similar to a 2-part epoxy), resulting in a chemical change that cannot be reversed. If you tried to heat a thermoset plastic to a high temperature a second time it would simply burn. This characteristic makes thermoset materials poor candidates for recycling. ABS is also an amorphous material meaning that it does not exhibit the ordered characteristics of crystalline solids.

[GY3R/T]

   Do not sand the pieces !!!  The broken edges are your perfect puzzle fit. In your case, Mix your ABS
     shavings to a runny consistency. Then (using a Q-tip) dab the mating edges with Acetone a few times to prime/soften. Then with a large needle, spread the mix thinly on the pieces so there is minimal ooze. Don't wipe excess glue ! let dry !  Then remove excess with exacto knife.  If you look closely at the grill face, it has the same texture as the interior door panels. and you dont want mess that up.