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-   -   Headlight Tab Repair (https://www.miataturbo.net/general-miata-chat-9/headlight-tab-repair-54957/)

chokeasphyxia 01-13-2011 12:42 PM

Headlight Tab Repair
 
Looking for best way to fix NB broken headlight tabs, read about plastic welding, sounds too expensive. I've tried jb weld without much success, read about Lord Fusor line of products seen here:

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/lord...aspx?pagenum=1

What have you guys used?

Preluding 01-13-2011 12:51 PM

Take high heat soldering iron with a crappy tip on it. Slowly solder both pieces together... tada! you just plastic welded yourself.

Doppelgänger 01-13-2011 03:22 PM

Buy a bottle of this stuff called "Tanax 7R" at your local hobby story. It's a brush-on plastic weld that will chemically "melt" the plastic back together. The problem is, almost nothing will be as strong as the initial molded plastic.

BarbyCar 01-13-2011 04:18 PM

1- Insert metal pins into one half of the joint leave 1/4" or so sticking out.
2- Mark and drill mating holes in the other half of the join.
3- Use adhesive of choice or soldering iron.
4- ???
5- Profit.

olderguy 01-13-2011 05:00 PM

Mighty Putty

chokeasphyxia 01-14-2011 01:30 PM


Take high heat soldering iron with a crappy tip on it. Slowly solder both pieces together...
Soldering iron isn't a bad idea, but'll probably look like hell, I might try it.


"Tanax 7R"

Mighty Putty
Have you guys actually used these products on headlight tabs? One issue I've read is a lot of adhesives don't work well on polypropylene (PP), which is what the housings are made of, wanted someone with first hand experience using one of these products on PP and having it work.

chokeasphyxia 01-14-2011 01:32 PM


Originally Posted by BarbyCar (Post 678606)
1- Insert metal pins into one half of the joint leave 1/4" or so sticking out.
2- Mark and drill mating holes in the other half of the join.
3- Use adhesive of choice or soldering iron.
4- ???
5- Profit.

The tabs are pretty thin, would have to be very small pins, might be worth a try though.

olderguy 01-14-2011 02:27 PM

I have wrapped Mighty Putty around NB headlight tabs, broken cooling fan arms where they attach to the shroud, and many other places where you can make a full circle around the parts you want to hold together. A little flat black paint afterward helps to hide the repair.

Doppelgänger 01-14-2011 03:31 PM

I used Tenax on various plastics, but I can't tell you which ones. I did a tab repair on a NB headlight with JB and was able to hold the entire light up by the tab after I left it untouched for 2 days. Time to go combo and use some plastic weld and then smother the cracks with some kind of 2-part epoxy lol

Machismo 01-14-2011 03:37 PM

Epoxy Steel - moldable, sandable, and paintable. Like clay that hardens in 5 minutes.


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