Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 21:57:42 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: [FIX] Instrument Housing Repair
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I've repaired a bunch of these housings.
I use JB Weld.
Remove all instruments, build little dams from clear packaging tape
around broken out corners (inside and out) , or on the flat mount to the
dash area that previously had a screw hole in it.
You are in effect casting new material onto the existing housing.
About the only trick is to get the instrument housing very clean and
roughen the areas to be repaired with sandpaper to get a good bond.
Using a toothpick you can see through the package sealing tape and push
the JB Weld mix down into every crevasses, don't be shy about extra build
on the outside corners.
After everything sets solid over night you can remove the tape, pre-drill
holes for the screws.
This also works for flat areas as long as you lay enough JB Weld on top
of the existing housing and make a second application to get thickness.
I've used the same technique to build back corners on plastic instrument
backs where the screw holes cracked the corners off.
Hope this helps some.
Stan Wilder
83 Air Cooled Westfalia
On Sun, 29 Sep 2002 21:09:46 -0500 John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
writes:
> I have been plagued by the infamous fracturing and breaking of the
> instrument housing in my '88 GL Vanagon. My problem was around the
> speedometer holes. All broken out except for one hole. I had the
> speedo
> held in place with "100 mph Tape" (Alaskan for silver "Duck" tape"
> -
> used to fix SuperCub airplanes up there - thus 100 mph".
>
> I recently acquired a replacement only to find it was broken worse
> than
> my original. Had good instruments, so I sold it for the
> instruments,
> making it clear the housing was marginal at best.
>
> Then I acquired another housing. This time from a 1990 model. In
> this
> case the housing looked good,the holes for the speedo were ntact,
> but
> most of the instruments were gone except the tach and related stuff.
> The
> ribbon connecter was still all there, but not much else.
>
> Upon very close examination I discovered the tach mount holes were
> broken out as well as where the light goes for the clock and center
> instruments.
>
> Back to square one. I was no better off than with my original
> housing.
> So what to do?
>
> Here is how I fixed the problem and rebuilt the hole bosses for the
> mount screws.
>
> Materials:
> Plumbers epoxy putty - one tube. This stuff comes as two part mix.
> What
> I used was like a tube in a tube. There was an inner core of Part A
> (gray), and an outer layer of Part B (white).
>
> Coarse sand paper or a rasp. Small putty knife. Small hobby type
> trimming knife, wood carving tool, or whatever. Something with a
> blade
> and good handle.
>
> Procedure:
>
> Rough up the area around where the boss is broken out. There must
> be
> grooved surface for the epoxy to get a grip. I used a rasp.
> Sandpaper
> works.
>
> Cut off a piece of the plumbers putty and mix according to
> instructions.
> Should have a round ball of "squishable" putty to work with. Make
> sure
> you get enough for each boss area. Mix only enough to repair one hole
> at
> a time. It sets fast.
>
> Press the putty into place and fill the hole where the boss used to
> be.
> Spread the putty on both sides of the plastic, and shape the corner
> so
> there is ample material for strength and for drilling a new hole.
> Level
> the top of the putty with the putty knife using the existing plastic
> as
> a guide for the putty knife blade. The putty will be hard enough to
> drill in 1/2 hour to 1 hour. It can be trimmed in 20 minutes.
>
> Trim tthe putty so that the instrument that fits there will indeed
> fit.
> Then with instrument in place to set the hole location, drill new
> screw
> holes. Be sure to use a dril bit that is slghtly smaller than the
> screw
> threads but not to small. This putty gets very hard and thus
> brittle. If
> the hole is to small you can crack the putty if the screw doesn't
> fit
> just right. The hole should be just big enough that the screw
> threads
> self tap. Do not tighten the screws to tight. Just snug is
> sufficient.
>
> Once the holes are drilled, remove the instrument, and clean out all
> the
> shavings. Then install the instrument, snug the screws and you are
> done.
> Try to be sufficiently accurate in the work that the screws do not
> have
> to be removed once they are tightened the first time. Bad for the
> new
> hole boss.
>
> Thats it. Easy task. Solves a big headache with our Vanagons. Just
> takes
> a little time. Should be a good permanent fix.
>
> Good luck to all,
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
>
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