RockinRiviDad Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 My mounting tabs were non-existent. As u can see in the first pic. I had nothing to go off of for reference. I was able to find cool pix to use on @Schmiddy’s website & he even emailed me an extra pic. Thx Schmiddy. The horizontal piece above AC/heat controls which connect left & right side is missing too. But I didn’t see the need to fix that. I’m sure there’s many ways to do this repair. But here is the route I took. I made a couple of metal tabs in the shape of what I was trying to create. I made them long enough to extend below the actual mounting surface to enforce the area a bit more. Looking back, I could’ve made them both to look alike. But I was following what the original shape. It turns out, that was not necessary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 (edited) For better adhesive I drilled away some of the original plastic material from the backside & sanded the entire area that was gonna get epoxied. Then I used “forming film” to keep epoxy from dripping off of where I wanted it. I let it dry for few minutes, but while still pliable, I was able to peel the forming film away & cut the general shape out of the epoxy with a razor blade. Edited April 20, 2020 by RockinRiviDad (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 I took all components off, sanded entire outside of console & sprayed it with satin black paint (rattle can, not a show car). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 Here’s the finished product 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnulfo de l.a. Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 looking good David! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71GS Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 Looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 Nice job......nothing wrong with a rattle can if you know how to use it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 21, 2020 Author Share Posted April 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Seafoam65 said: Nice job......nothing wrong with a rattle can if you know how to use it. Oh…trust…I know how to use a rattle can…I’m Mexican 🤣🤣🤣 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnulfo de l.a. Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 😂😂😂😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrownedRiv Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 On 4/20/2020 at 6:39 PM, RockinRiviDad said: I took all components off, sanded entire outside of console & sprayed it with satin black paint (rattle can, not a show car). David, what brand paint did you use, if i may ask? I tried to paint my console with SEM interior paint and i got a less than desirable result...the finish was almost (but not quite) crinkley... Sanded wet with 400 to 500 to get all the chips and scratches out, scuffed the whole thing with grey scuff pad, and cleaned with grease and wax remover, and sprayed the first coats very dry...the only thing i didnt use was an adhesion promoter on the bare spots...but thats not where the issues were. I think the SEM paint didnt like the factory paint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 4 minutes ago, DrownedRiv said: David, what brand paint did you use, if i may ask? Over year ago is when I started with the dash cluster & plastic surround. When it came time to paint the plastic, everyone told me I gotta “do this, that & the other” & so I did, just like u did. Well, the finished product SUCKED. I was pissed. I acetoned it all off & grabbed the closest rattle can of engine enamel that I use on everything. Looks great. It’s held up well on my gauge cluster surround, radio surround, glovebox door & surround. Can’t speak for the center console yet. Other than simply handling it to work on it & install it, I still haven’t lived with it in the car. Gonna go for a cruise today. I’ll sure it’ll hold up too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrownedRiv Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 12 minutes ago, RockinRiviDad said: Over year ago is when I started with the dash cluster & plastic surround. When it came time to paint the plastic, everyone told me I gotta “do this, that & the other” & so I did, just like u did. Well, the finished product SUCKED. I was pissed. I acetoned it all off & grabbed the closest rattle can of engine enamel that I use on everything. Looks great. It’s held up well on my gauge cluster surround, radio surround, glovebox door & surround. Can’t speak for the center console yet. Other than simply handling it to work on it & install it, I still haven’t lived with it in the car. Gonna go for a cruise today. I’ll sure it’ll hold up too Awesome. Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 The plastic ALWAYS needs to be prepped 1st. usually with a primer BEFORE painting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrownedRiv Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 The SEM interior paint is specifically formulated for plastics and vinyls and doesnt require a primer. They do make an adhesion promoter, which i didnt use, but like i said...the bare plastic spots covered well and were smooth; it was the paint that was layed down over the factory paint that had issues. IMO, the catalyst in the SEM paint reacted with the factory paint lacquer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 Sanding & cleaning the factory paint on the console. Then cleaning with wax/tar remover is prep enough for my POS PITA project 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerage Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Great job. Looks really good. I did virtually the same on my 63. My problems were re installing it. The manipulation required to get it back in place kept breaking the tabs. I repaired and painted the damn thing so many times I lost count. I won in the end, but its a miracle the whole console wasn't thrown down my driveway then run over. It was a nightmare!! As for paint reacting over factory paint - a lot of the time its caused when paint is applied too wet. Lighter initial coats can help stop that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Loosen the console for things like rear carpet, don't remove it if you can help it! Work from the top with front/rear ashtrays and shifter plate removed. I know now! I've had god results with SEM plastic spray bomb precededwith SEM 38363 "Sand Free" Adhesion Prep. John B. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 3 hours ago, powerage said: Great job. Looks really good. I did virtually the same on my 63. My problems were re installing it. The manipulation required to get it back in place kept breaking the tabs. I repaired and painted the damn thing so many times I lost count. I won in the end, but its a miracle the whole console wasn't thrown down my driveway then run over. It was a nightmare!! We must be brothers 😆. This damn car can piss us off something fierce can’t it 😆. Did u back the tabs up with metal? I was afraid of breakage too. So I couldn’t reinforcing the tabs any other way 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 My question is: exactly what epoxy did you use to attach the metal to the plastic? There are a lot of epoxies out there, and a lot of them don't work worth beans on plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerage Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 14 hours ago, RockinRiviDad said: We must be brothers 😆. This damn car can piss us off something fierce can’t it 😆. Did u back the tabs up with metal? I was afraid of breakage too. So I couldn’t reinforcing the tabs any other way I did. Couple of times it cracked in different places. The most frustrating job I've tackled on this Riv. That and the turn signal.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 We must be triplets! Either you 2 are following my footsteps or, I'm following yours and those footsteps are baby ones with typical Riviera progress! Turn signal switch - Bin there, done that! If it weren't for cornering lights (and I considered omitting them from the circuit), I would've bought a replacement. As careful as I was, I snapped an itty bitty tab taking it apart. I fab'd a bracket from my bedroom bifold doors to hold it together Maybe we should challenge each other on what we struggled the most on regarding our projects. . So, I have a battle that was tougher than the console, tougher than the turn signal switch/cable, tougher than snapped 1963 HVAC diecast levers and even rusted-out fuse holders in the fuse panel. What is it? Installing the 12-circuit bulkhead connector with a 57 year old rubber grommet. I struggled for weeks and was convinced it was impossible without a fresh pliable grommet. I even made a mold of the old grommet to fab a fresh one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 1963 only? Drawing the bulkhead connector into the firewall with an electrical cap and 3 pieces of 6-32 ready-rod through 3 connector cavities that I removed. Was a 1-man job! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 23 hours ago, KongaMan said: My question is: exactly what epoxy did you use to attach the metal to the plastic? There are a lot of epoxies out there, and a lot of them don't work worth beans on plastic. I don’t have much experience with epoxies. But I’ve taken on a few small projects that required plastic repair. I chose the SEM Quick Set 180 two part epoxy & Release Film Downfalls: - U need a special gun in order to dispense the epoxy. It’s not a standard caulking gun. - mixing tube that attaches to epoxy bottle cannot be reused. Product hardens in tube & serves as the cap to store remainder of epoxy in bottle - the hardened epoxy in the tube seems like a waste of good product 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 2 hours ago, XframeFX said: Maybe we should challenge each other on what we struggled the most on regarding our projects. That sounds like the topic of your next thread 😆. Thats actually not a bad idea tho. Start the thread brother. I’m sure we all have stories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 Just don't let your passenger brace themselves using the console when they want to rearrange their butt in their seat. Same goes for the driver.😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71GS Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 3 hours ago, RivNut said: Just don't let your passenger brace themselves using the console when they want to rearrange their butt in their seat. Same goes for the driver.😊 Exactly, hands off the fresh console 🤣 in fact, get out of the car. 🤣🤣 just kidding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I think it's been about 5 years since I had someone in the passenger seat. It's been longer than that (decades) since anyone was in the back seat. If memory serves, that might have been the young lady my mom called "Fireball" -- but that's a different story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 When I replaced the leather in my car in 1985, I had an upholsterer do it (don't know if Clark's was around then.) My back seat was almost pristine but we could not find leather to match so I had to do the back seats as well just so everything would match. Turned out that the leather we used was poor quality and after a few years, the finish started coming off. 😠 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldMan Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Great job RockinRiviDad. I also repaired my tabs and used JB WELD CLEARWELD two part plastic epoxy to glue my metal pieces onto the console. Just installed my console and the tabs never budged. I am like a bull in a glass house so if stuff stays after I install it, I know it's fixed for a long time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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