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MG MGB Technical - Plastic Restoration

Thought there might be someone out there who could advise on sun damaged plastic restoration on my daughters Datsun 280Zx. My origional intention was to remove the plastic steering wheel cowl sand and paint with spray touch up paint. Since I have sanded the plastic it has turned white, is it possible to polish the plastic back to it's origional colour?
If I wet the plastic it returns to an aceptable lighter shade of the origional colour, therefore do I paint it in a clear laquer or seach out a suitable colour match.
Will painted plastic work and be durable ?
It's times like this that I appreciate the fact that there is little or no plastic in my 1970 MGB and realise that these relatively modern cars will have trouble lasting and become the classic cars of the future.
David Levy

David,

i would ask someone who knows about GRP sailboats. There are a lot of special fluids offered at the chandleries that can restor plastic surfaces that have become bleached.

Hope this helps

Ralph
Ralph

Wet sand with very fine paper (1500 or 2000 grit), then machine polish with high quality rubbing compound followed by a glazing compound. Should shine it right up.
J Heisenfeldt

David,

As a polymer engineer, I would like to give a very short lesson on plastics.

In the contents and in making most polymers/plastics there is something called, plastiziers. This is a chemical that gives the plastics their flexibility. Now how many times have you wondered why, especially on your newer cars where much of the interior is plastic, your windshield gets a dirty film on it. You say to yourself, “Where did that come from”. The greasy film is the
plastizers leeching/gassing off from the plastics inside the car.

Also, the plastics in your cars generally have a chemical UV stabilizer in the material - depending on the type of polymers used. This stabilizer is good for/last about eight years. Have you
wondered why your plastic components become brittle and break over time and with age.

So, the restoration products that are sold for plastics are worthless. You cannot restore the physical properties of old plastics/polymer materials.

Now on the 280ZX, the white you are seeing is the molded in stresses in the material that have now become visible. About the only thing that can be done is to treat the polymer components very gently, lightly sand and then prime and repaint. However, be careful with your priming and
painting as in older cars the paints can eat into the polymer materials. Also, I would recommend repainting the components back to the original color, as clear lacquer will just enhance the white
areas.

As for the “old cars of the future”, you are very right about the how well the cars of today will stand up - they won’t!! The polymer materials are getting better but we still have a long way to go.

Robert
Robert Browning

To all
Thank you for the replies, I sanded the plastic working my way up to 1200 grit. An improvement but not perfect, when I get some time I will take the next step. At the moment I have moved on to fixing the rust on the Datsun, and I thought my MG's was bad, I don't know what gauge steel they used on the Datsun but in some places it flexes when you wash it.
Still it is a classic shape and although not the most practical car for a 18 year old girl I much prefer working on it than working on a Hyundi or the likes. Her choice of car may have had something to do with all the clasic car magazines that litter the lounge room.
David Levy

I used an aluminium polish that I happened to have called AUTOSOL SHINE on my large extreamly damaged rocker switches. It made them look like new.
Peter Sherman

I don't know if you have the brand of rattle can paint Krylon down under, but they make a special paint for plastics that I've tried and found works very well. I touched up a damaged steering column switch cover from a B with the black paint and it looks like new. Covers well and doesn't want to peel so far.
Bill Young

David ,

Not sure where you are in New South but there are place specialising in this sort of refurbishment.

The best know is probably "Dash Doctor" bu there are others.
Yellow Pages might be your best option.

Pete.
Peter Thomas

"The greasy film is the plastizers leeching/gassing off from the plastics inside the car".

Robert

That is very interesting news to me. I always thought that it was oil vapour coming through the windscreen vents from a hot engine bay. You learn something every day!

As for white switches, I had the electric window switches on a Triumph Stag I owned in the 1980s go the same way. I used Autosol but it was a very time limited solution before the whiteness returned.

Robert
R Lynex

This thread was discussed between 18/12/2007 and 22/12/2007

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