Date:         Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:53:32 -0400
Reply-To:     Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Restoring Westy cabinet edge pieces
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

        Yes, all well and good EXCEPT if you did not remove those pieces and GLUE them back they will resort back to their nasty habit of shrinking and curling up.  BTDT !


On 2012-07-15, at 12:00 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> I spent some time today "restoring" the hardened and shrunk plastic cabinet
> edge trim on my '85 project.  This van had lived a long time in the sun and
> heat of eastern Oregon, and all of the plastic trim was hard and had pulled
> back from the ends as well as from the round inside corners of the cabinet
> frames.
> 
> 
> 
> I used a heat gun to soften and stretch all of these pieces, and  I did not
> have to remove any.  For the thick (no longer available) edge trim I peeled
> back a foot or two and used the heat gun to soften and stretch it back to
> length while one end was still attached.  For the cabinet corners I first
> softened them with the heat gun, then pulled a bit more out past the corner
> and softened and stretched it enough to form them back to the original
> curve.
> 
> 
> 
> You could certainly remove the trim and soak it in boiling water briefly for
> the same result, but to remove the cabinet opening trim you have to unscrew
> the hinges and latches, which makes the job a PITA.
> 
> 
> 
> A couple of these corners had shrunk so badly the doors couldn't be shut.
> 
> 
> 
> It worked really well and was easy to do!  These trim pieces are a
> thermoplastic after all!



Cheers,    

Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 VW Westy, '00 Kawasaki 250 Sherpa, "98 Ducati 750 Monster & Lionel Trains (Collection for sale)
Frank Condelli & Associates - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems
BusFusion a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10, 2012