Whats the solution to damaged or missing rubber trim

[Arya2.0S]

I have a 1.6GL which my dad and I are restoring but the rubber moldings that go on the outside along the bottom half are damaged.
Most of the fixings are broken and or the clips to hold them on are missing.
I cant find any for sale anywhere which i find stupid because don't people break Lasers and 2.8I's all the time?
Anyway what can be done about this? Surely there has to be some sort of solution as i cant be the only one to have this problem.

Thanks.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
Have you tried the Capri Club?

Andrew.

[stevemarl]

Or Martin at Caprigear?

[Stewb28i]

The quarter & wing trims are held on with studs & nuts which invariably rust to oblivion. Depending on the state of them then they can normally be repaired using m4 screws & polyester resin (that's how I did mine).

The door ones are screws & clips. The clips are available but not cheap. They're usually so brittle that they aren't salvageable secondhand.
It is worth having a ring around the usual suspects as you may get lucky!

I managed to save mine...I had to remake the captive nut plates at the back of the mouldings which are screwed into through the door skin - this is quite easy as they fit into a 'track' on the back of the moulding. The front fixing (which has the plastic cap) has a rivnut in the door skin which can be drilled out & replaced.

You could make stud plates which would fit into the tracks where the clips would normally fit - this would mean you'd have to drill your door skins though!

In terms of the mouldings themselves they can be rejuvenated with something like autoglym plastic trim polish or if they are damaged they can be prepped, filled, primed & painted with textured paint - they all have to be suitable for use on plastics though obviously!

Stew.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Or Martin at Caprigear?

It's mentioned on another thread that Martin hasn't got any, unfortunately.

[Stewb28i]

Ps - no amount of plastic Polish will rejuvenate missing trim......

Stew

[Arya2.0S]

Yeah Ive tried all the usual places and no luck, never heard of capri club, got a link?

Outside of that i was thinking of making a flat piece of plastic, setting that onto the backs of the moldings and sticking them on with high strength double sided tape. Not ideal but if there's no other choice...

edit: Googled capri club, no luck there either.

[Stewb28i]

Not sure if you read my previous post....yes you could stick them on...

Capri club - first hit on Google -

http://www.capriclub.co.uk

[Laser]

the damaged external threads can be fixed using a combination of small bolts and nuts and washers .. if you have the trim carefully cut out the remains of the broken bolt in the plastic stub a split directly down the centre usually gives you the space . and leverage to rip out the remains .. then insert a usable m5 threaded bolt but first heat the bolt up on a gas ring push it into the remains of the stub to melt it in place then flood the area with araldite leave it to set for a day then you will have a locator and a bolt .. obviously it wont have mega strength but it locates and holds then bolted lightly in place .. slap on a load of copper grease to slow down the ageing process ..

[-JC-]

If Capri Gear and Tickover don't have what you need, you could try trawling the ebay "capri - breaking" listings.

[Andrew 2.8i]

or if they are damaged they can be prepped, filled, primed & painted with textured paint - they all have to be suitable for use on plastics though obviously!

Hi Stew,
Out of curiosity, do you recommend any particular brand of paint for painting plastic?

Andrew.

[01mpope]

I am soon to remove all this trim from the passenger side of my laser (drivers side is already missing) if that's any help to you!

[Stewb28i]

I've got a mate with a bodyshop so generally scrounge bits of paint for trim etc - never notice the brand but will have a look next time in there. I know it's not a high street brand anyway.

Stew.

[Andrew 2.8i]

I've got a mate with a bodyshop so generally scrounge bits of paint for trim etc - never notice the brand but will have a look next time in there. I know it's not a high street brand anyway.

Hi Stew,
I thought I'd ask what paint you use as I never seem to have much luck painting plastic items. It doesn't last long before the new paint starts flaking off.

Andrew.

[Stewb28i]

Prep & the right paint is key. Cleaning the buggers can be an issue as most products used on the trims are silicone based which is exactly what you don't want if paint has any hope of sticking!

Keeping the paint to the minimum build up helps too as the expansion & contraction during thermal cycling can cause flaking.

Stew.

[stevemarl]

I`ve used this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FREE-POSTAGE- ... SwTapV4CgR for bumper ends, it`s been on a year or so now, which I know is no time but it does look like it`s adhering pretty well so far.
One of these caps is brand new, just removed from its bag, the other had a small scrape on the corner which was filled, profiled & given a light dusting, then a second coat extending further, then again covering most of part. It`s honestly very difficult to tell apart in the flesh (flash makes difference more noticeable). As said, you must keep the paint as thin as possible for reasons stated. I would also recommend spending time with a silicone remover/panel wipe before paint as you never know what`s been put on in the oast.

[Andrew 2.8i]

I would also recommend spending time with a silicone remover/panel wipe before paint as you never know what`s been put on in the oast

Hi,
That's great advice, thanks Steve. I'm pretty sure my car hasn't been in an oast though, as it doesn't smell of hops!

Seriously though, that is a terrific job on the bumper end caps, it's impossible to tell the two apart from the photos.
I think where I'm going wrong is the time spent on preparation prior to painting.

Andrew.

[stevemarl]

(By the way, the bottom one in the 2nd pic is the new Ford item, the slight marks were picked up whilst still unopened in its bag!! The plastic is so soft that even running your fingernail along it, (in the bag!) will leave a slightly shiny `trail`. The painted ones are better in that respect!

[Arya2.0S]

I am soon to remove all this trim from the passenger side of my laser (drivers side is already missing) if that's any help to you!

Thanks but i need a whole set. Will have to figure something else out.

[david656]

Hi,

I'm going to say very quietly I have a laser that I took these mouldings off and threw away

However at the scrappy near me is a 1984 2.0GL - the thing is completely knackered but I think it has the side trim on it still.

I'm popping up Saturday potentially to grab some bits off of it - I'm unsure of cost but could get you some pictures of what is there