Door panel woodgrain curling loose

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Bill73Ragtop

Long time vintage mustang hobbyist
7173 Mustang Supporter Member
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Apr 19, 2011
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Location
Buffalo, NY
My Car
1969 Convertible Restomod enhanced.
former owner (25 yrs) of 1973 Convertible, 351c, A/C, RA
Last Oct I noticed a tiny curl in my driver's door panel woodgrain. I made a minor half-hearted attempt to place a small bead of contact cement, but had no way to pressure the woodgrain for any period of time, and the weather was cooling down.

So today I figured I better pull off the car cover, charge the battery and fire it up (yet to do) to see if everything is working since Charlotte is two weeks away.

The winter months of below freezing storage did not help matters, it appears to have increased the amount of curling.

I'm open to suggestions on how to cement down the woodgrain. Maybe a gentle heating with blow dryer to start?

DSCN1768.JPG

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sure wish I had one I could practice on!!!

I'd say maybe steam and related heat would work but you would need something to press it down after re-glueing?

Just a guess - maybe someone with the bodyshop experience would know?

In the old days some cars had that simulated woodgrain appied to the outside of the body; The Ranchero Squires, and full - sized Ford Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park wagons are some that come to mind. I know they were different materials but maybe some of the same techniques to get it to lay and stay down???

Ray

 
I could rig up a gentle press using the center console as a base (we are only talking a few lbs of pressure) but my main concern is what adhesive will set and adhere to the 'chrome' under the wood grain.

 
Woodgrain is for Country Squire station wagons. rofl

A heat gun will only make the vinyl veneer a little more pliable, but you'll need something to stick it back down.

I suggest taping off the areas around the corner of veneer that's lifted up, use the heat gun to soften it up a little (not too much heat, though - it might melt or distort, or cause the surrounding factory adhesive to left go). Open the gap a little, and spray in some 3M Adhesive - let it tack up according to directions, then stick it down and apply pressure for the recommended duration.

To avoid having to stand there and hold it in-place while the adhesive sets up, make a small sand bag big enough to cover the area affected. Get 2 small pieces of masonite or really thin plywood, a shower curtain rod, and a thin pillow (or a blanket folded over several times). Close the doors and roll down the windows. Get a friend, and place the pillow (blanket) on the corresponding area of the passenger door, then one piece of thin wood, then one end of the shower curtain rod. Then the small sandbag and other small piece of thin wood, over the affected area of the driver side door panel - and sandwich the shower curtain rod between the two (and adjust for just enough tension) to hold it all in-place for however long the instructions say to. The sand bag and pillow will protect your door panels from the shower curtain rod, and the thin wood will give the shower curtain rod something solid to push against.

Sounds kind of ghetto - but it should work to keep it in-place while the adhesive sets up.

Hope that helps. :D



I could rig up a gentle press using the center console as a base (we are only talking a few lbs of pressure) but my main concern is what adhesive will set and adhere to the 'chrome' under the wood grain.
Click to expand...
You could use something smaller to do the very same thing against the center console, but the passenger door (if there's a clear path) would be better, because it's more solid than the plastic console.

Fold the seat backs forward if necessary. ;)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Woodgrain is for Country Squire station wagons. rofl

A heat gun will only make the vinyl veneer a little more pliable, but you'll need something to stick it back down.

I suggest taping off the areas around the corner of veneer that's lifted up, use the heat gun to soften it up a little (not too much heat, though - it might melt or distort, or cause the surrounding factory adhesive to left go). Open the gap a little, and spray in some 3M Adhesive - let it tack up according to directions, then stick it down and apply pressure for the recommended duration.

To avoid having to stand there and hold it in-place while the adhesive sets up, make a small sand bag big enough to cover the area affected. Get 2 small pieces of masonite or really thin plywood, a shower curtain rod, and a thin pillow (or a blanket folded over several times). Close the doors and roll down the windows. Get a friend, and place the pillow (blanket) on the corresponding area of the passenger door, then one piece of thin wood, then one end of the shower curtain rod. Then the small sandbag and other small piece of thin wood, over the affected area of the driver side door panel - and sandwich the shower curtain rod between the two (and adjust for just enough tension) to hold it all in-place for however long the instructions say to. The sand bag and pillow will protect your door panels from the shower curtain rod, and the thin wood will give the shower curtain rod something solid to push against.

Sounds kind of ghetto - but it should work to keep it in-place while the adhesive sets up.

Hope that helps. :D



I could rig up a gentle press using the center console as a base (we are only talking a few lbs of pressure) but my main concern is what adhesive will set and adhere to the 'chrome' under the wood grain.
Click to expand...
You could use something smaller to do the very same thing against the center console, but the passenger door (if there's a clear path) would be better, because it's more solid than the plastic console.

Fold the seat backs forward if necessary. ;)
Click to expand...
LOL!! I have tube sand 4 ft sacks that I use to increase the rear wheel traction for my Tundra during the winter. I could take one and lean it against the portion I'm trying to re-secure. It would conform to the shape and apply some pressure to the area. Thanks, that's the kind of idea I was searching for....

I'm gonna check it out tomorrow.. problem is the interior of my garage is still at 28 - 30 deg. I've have the doors open the last couple days when I am at home and have floor fans running, but the under slab frost is still probably 2 ft deep and keeping things kinda cool-ish around here. There is a 2" difference between the driveway and the garage floor due to frost rise....

You cannot imagine how I am looking forward to spending a couple days in Charlotte at above 60 deg weather in mid-April. Anyway. that's beside the point....I need to re-attach the wood-grain.

 
Rather than try to rig up something and risk failure with the adhesive due to the cold temps in my unheated garage, I removed the door panel and brought it into the basement. Cleaned the undersides of all goop, warmed it gently with a blow dryer, applied some 3M super weatherstrip adhesive contact cement, let it tack and pressed it together and set a 5 lb bag of sugar on the area. I'll let it sit overnight and see how it holds.

 
bill73ragtop take the door panel off clean old glue off and apply some new 3m glue and use a weight it let cure it should work,good luck i see you did some of it already try the weight bag of sugar may not do it,good luck.

 
floor contact cement for vinyl.

clean the metal and vinyl with alcohol then brush the glue on the metal and on the back of the wood grain. let sit per instruction and when tacky push them together.

you could then put a flat piece of wood block on top and put a wood stick wedging the wood against the transmission tunnel to dry over night.

if you removed the door panel and took the wood insert panel off then the repair would be easier but that is alot of work

 
The 3M weatherstrip super adhesive worked . Seems to be nice and tight ...we'll see what happens in the next couple weeks (in Charlotte) if it decides to hold tight.

I also had to re-attach the vinyl woodgrain decal from the center of my steering wheel (I got it from OMS a couple years ago) using the same technique. Both top and bottom 3 inches in the dished center lifted from the plastic trim

I seem to be experiencing adhesion issues.....must be the local WNY climate.

 

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