FJ62 AC Bezel restoration (1 Viewer)

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WoodnotRust

SILVER Star
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Dec 27, 2019
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Location
New Mexico, USA
Maybe not quite as massive as an engine-swap, but still exciting for me regardless. Last week I fixed my cigarette lighter only to discover that my A/C Bezel was cracked in a number of places and had missing tabs. It was also the reason for a terrible buzzing rattle sound that I couldn't locate previous. The best thing of all? I found the paint match (or pretty damn close) to the charcoal-gray A/C bezel and Instrument Finish bezel.

So, I think it came out OK and will share what I did to restore this to "near" perfect. You'll need the following items
1. Dremel with the $15 Engraver kit.
2. Plastex kit (I bought the small black kit for $20 on Amazon)
3. Clear packing tape (optional, depending on repair)
4. SEM Adhesion promoter and Rustoleum Metallic paint (oil-rubbed bronze).
5. A good work light, steady hand and some patience.

I'll first post a few "before" picks, some in process and then the final after paint.

Let me know if you have any questions about the details.

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The Plastex product is pretty amazing. It dries hard and ready to sand/drill in less than 1 hour. It's tedious. Use the molding rubber or create your own mold with packing tape. I use the mold to restore the upper center screw mount and plastic tape to fix the ash tray mount.

The first two pictures show the repair for the part that was cracked all the way through. I super-glued it in place, then used the Dremel to auger out a groove along the crack, filled it with Plastex and later sanded. Do both sides of the crack if you are able.

I heated the molding plastic in a cup of boiling-hot water and pressed into into another good screw hole before transferring it to the broken hole (3rd pic)

Pic's 4 and 5 show the rebuilt ash-tray mounting tab after ai took the tape off, drilled out the hole and sanded a little. Finally, pic 6 shows a little tiny guide pin I restored by making a mold of the good one and after it dried, pulled the tiny piece out of the mold and stuck it on with Plastex and tweezers.

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After sanding and masking off the parts that I didn't sand, I sprayed SEM Adhesion promoter and while still wet immediately sprayed the Rustoleum metallic (color, Oil-rubbed bronze). First pic show the restored and painted tab for the ash tray mount, second pic is the upper center screw hole (entire length of the upper piece is painted) and the third picture shows the screw hole on the upper left where the part was cracked all the way through.

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Outstanding job! These particular pieces are ridiculously difficult to find, much moreso to find in good condition. How is the strength and flexibility of your repairs?

An aluminum replacement has been in the works for a while by @TRAIL TAILOR for the 60 series with a couple production runs done. I'm still really hoping a 62 series bezel comes to fruition.
 
Repair is basically like new plastic...I think "full" strength. There are ways to imbed fine mesh cloth for particular pieces that have a tendency to fail, but I think it's good now for another 30 years. Just finished the install and all that just to fix my cigarette lighter!
 
After sanding and masking off the parts that I didn't sand, I sprayed SEM Adhesion promoter and while still wet immediately sprayed the Rustoleum metallic (color, Oil-rubbed bronze). First pic show the restored and painted tab for the ash tray mount, second pic is the upper center screw hole (entire length of the upper piece is painted) and the third picture shows the screw hole on the upper left where the part was cracked all the way through.

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Absolutely fantastic work.
I had recently sourced a new instrument cluster bezel but could’t source the lower part.
Mine has cracks and missing parts just like yours.
Now added to my list of repairs.
Well done!!!!
 
Luckily I had the Dremel with the engraving bit heads
Ordered the other stuff on your list
May reach out before I attempt for further insights
Incredible value add you posted👍👍👍
 

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