198 replies to this topic

[MH81]

Hello again,How has anyone here repaired the plastic dash on one of these? Mine is cracked and missing bits of plastic on the bottom.

Many of these are. Most times, a larger fender washer or some kind of backing has been created to reinforce the situation.

[Sawdust]

Gabriel I'm presently working on my dash panel. Mine had already been poorly repaired so I ground off the previous fiber glass & cleaned with solvents to get rid of any dirty, & oily films. I clamped the cracks to even out the surface & applied some epoxy. I will fiber glass with mesh this area smooth & as MH81 mentioned use fender washers when I reassemble. Here is a pic I took for my restore documents.

 

[MFGray]

The plastic is ABS. It can be welded or built up using ABS pieces dissolved in acetone to make a viscous solution that will gradually solidify.It is not as strong as the original and may need mesh reinforcement

[MFGray]

This is what I did to mine - which although not broken was badly cracked. First I tried to glue the cracks with superglue, but I knew that was unlikely to hold, so I cut some mesh to fit  - tacked that in place with a bit of superglue as well, and then made up a solution of ABS in acetone (broke up a couple of ABS plumbing collars and dissolved them in half a jam jar of acetone). I painted that on with the bolts in place and let each coat dry before screwing the bolts in and out a bit to keep the holes clear. It took quite a few coats but by the end I had added another 1/8" in thickness to the plastic with some mesh in there as well. Then just for good measure I used oversize washers to hold it all down. Not the prettiest of repairs, but I think it will hold.

 

I built up the nose piece in the same way with some 3/16" rod bent to fit inside it for reinforcing.

 

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[Gabriel]

Thanks! Here is are some pictures of mine. I was just curious, but how do you know that the dash is ABS?

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[MFGray]

From the thread in the Massey forum here on "Cowl and ABS plastic repair" - Nov 23 2010. I think the welding repair using an ABS rod would not have worked otherwise. I have used the acetone mixture to fill cracks in a steering wheel too, but it can end up with tiny bubbles in it if too much is put on at one time.

[KennyP]

Here's a link to the above thread.

 

Images are missing though!

[Gabriel]

Thanks! I was just curious about what kind of plastic it is. I have tried welding plastic that I thought was ABS, but had awful results and came to find out that it probably isn't ABS but AES and that's why it didn't weld right. I like to be sure what kind of plastic it is before I attempt to weld. I don't really want to try welding something this old, so I will probably go another route.

[Gabriel]

Here is a picture update of the disassembly.

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[Texas Deere and Horse]

Here is a link to plastic welding, you don't have to buy any special tools to do it, I didn't.

 

http://gardentractor...ing#entry279193

[Gabriel]

Thanks! I already have a plastic welding kit with a welder that I bought for my outdoor power equipment repair business. With so many modern power equipment(lawn and garden tractors, zero turns, etc.) using plastic shields and hoods, I decided to buy one last year. I'm just a bit cautious about using one on such an important part that I don't want to damage.

[Gabriel]

Here's where I got to last night with the disassembly.

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[MH81]

Looks like she's seen some dust over the years. I'm sure it appreciates the cleanup.

[Gabriel]

Thanks everyone for all the plastic repair help! If I knew 100% that the plastic is ABS, I would consider trying to weld it. As MFGray said, if the plastic had been another type other than ABS, the repair method he used probably would not have worked. I've tried different ways of repairing plastic and have had one kind work one time and not another, so my confidence level in repairing plastic is low. Do keep the suggestions coming if anyone has any more. It's nice to gain lots of ideas.

[chad zehr]

It should have a brace running from the muffler to the engine block. I have a nice pic of mine with the engine removed on the bench in my gallery. Let me know if you have any questions just finished my 14 restoration. I converted to a kohler ch18s twin! I repaired many cracks in my dash with a soldering iron,  sanded the seams, and finished with a skim coat of body filller turned out like new. I did reinforce mine with fender washers when I was finished.

Edited by chad zehr, January 21, 2014 - 09:12 PM.