Does anyone know anything about panel repair? I got a door panel in the mail and the guy sent it in a trashbag... the particle board wooden frame of it is bent. I've watched videos on how to repair cracks in vinyl, but is there a way to straighten out the wood and then apply something that makes it stiff again?

If that makes sense

The only thing that I can think off the top of my head would be to get a steamer. Apply some steam to the back of the particle board. Get it damp but not soaking wet. The panel should soak up the moisture and allow the panel to flex back into position without snapping the panel. If the panel is flat I would bend it back & forth to release some of the tension from its current position.

Once the panel is back to its original shape. Get a heat gun & apply some heat to start the drying process. Dont dry it completely though. Lay it flat & maybe add some weight to keep it straight. Give it a day to dry.


Good Luck

_________________
http://www.HistoricJ.com

it should just be particle board found in any hardware store. just match it the same and cut it out the exact size. get rid of the warped stuff. Use the old vinyl by cleaning off the surface behind the vinyl then applying upholstery glue (the yellow 3M spray can glue for small jobs) Apply a thin coat on each side and let it get tacky. then add one more coat and let that get tacky. then put it back together and it should be good as new.

_________________

Slickwhip: I had a door trim panel which was bent after years of poor storage (removed and carelessly left on the bare floor of the car). I layed it flat and gently weighed it down. Eventually it has flattened itself out enough to hang back on the door. A tricky little corner of it is still sprung and wants to pop out. My only cure for that was to shut the door and leave it shut so it hopefully pulls back into shape with age.

Ghostking: unfortunately a side effect of that method is losing the raised / relief areas. It often makes the trim appear "flatter". Although its a good method if the board is cracked or water damaged but trim itself is in good order and worthy of salvage.

well the deal is is this is to a newer car (1988) so it's not a flat panel... the part that is smooshed is the arm rest...
I suppose i could get that part wet, push it back as best i can, and then get something to brace it. Is there a type of glue that can make the wood hard again and support it once i get it back to shape?

Viagra

Cialis

a teenager


Seriously though, post a pic of problem panel.

Not that I want to encourage juvenile humor, but that was funny

_________________

[quote="slickwhip"]well the deal is is this is to a newer car (1988) so it's not a flat panel... the part that is smooshed is the arm rest...
I suppose i could get that part wet, push it back as best i can, and then get something to brace it. Is there a type of glue that can make the wood hard again and support it once i get it back to shape?[/quote]

Use 2 part polyester like the kind used to fiberglass small boats. First brush on a coat of uncatalyzed polyester resin and let it soak into the wood or fiberboard. Then mix the resin and hardner per package instructions and brush into the surface. The mix will cure and the heat given off in curing will cause the uncatalyzed resin that soaked into the wood to cure also. A single coating of catalyzed resin would cure before soaking far enough into the wood to do any real good in the long run. I restored a fiber board under dash package shelf that had cracked using this method, it has lasted 21 years.

_________________
MikeRL411