When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey folks, I acquired a pair of A-Pilar trim pieces for the old girl since one was missing when I got the truck back and I destroyed the other on accident trying to remove the interior trim.
2 questions:
- is there a way to reinforce these trim pieces since they are so brittle? I was thinking maybe putting a strip of duct tape or something on the back?
- what is the proper order to put the trim on… when I was removing the trim originally I started with the short side pieces over the door, because they hide the screws holding the A-Pilar trim. When I popped it off, the remaining A-Pilar trim piece shattered because it’s wedged in the side trim piece… what am I missing?
Welcome to working with old plastic. There is nothing you can do about it except be careful. If it breaks, it breaks. You will find all your electrical connector tabs are broken now if they have been taken apart. And if you have been in the cluster, you will find the plastic falling apart in there also.
If you do break those pieces, sometimes you can epoxy them back together, sand it down and then paint them and try to hide the broken area.
I am in the same boat after I fix mine of how to make them stronger and last longer?
I was thinking of working on this today but never made it out to my garage
I think a good coat of fiber glass rosin on both sides should make it stronger.
You would need to add the pattern back to 1 side is all.
As for how to get it back in I dont get what you are saying about this "wedged in the side trim piece"?
Do you have a head liner in your truck?
You know the trim comes in 2 types, with head liner and with OUT head liner.
I dont have a head liner and IIRC, been 6+ years since I played with them, the trim went behind part of the dash pad.
Dave ----
I do not have a head liner, I don’t think it ever did as there no sign of any glue or residue on the roof.
I can’t take a picture of how it interlocks with the other trim pieces because my truck is at the shop currently, but I am pretty sure the large rear corner pieces and the front A-Pilar pieces both slide into that short metal piece that goes over the door. The large rear corner piece has to be slid into that side metal piece before you snap it back in, I had to do that, luckily the large rear corner pieces are still pretty flexible.
Thinking about it, I think the proper order to put the trim back on Is actually to do the A-Pilar trim first, because they are screwed in up top (which requires the dash cover to be off) ? The. Slide the side ones in carefully and work you way back, with the upper rear piece going on last?
I do not have a head liner, I don’t think it ever did as there no sign of any glue or residue on the roof.
I can’t take a picture of how it interlocks with the other trim pieces because my truck is at the shop currently, but I am pretty sure the large rear corner pieces and the front A-Pilar pieces both slide into that short metal piece that goes over the door. The large rear corner piece has to be slid into that side metal piece before you snap it back in, I had to do that, luckily the large rear corner pieces are still pretty flexible.
Thinking about it, I think the proper order to put the trim back on Is actually to do the A-Pilar trim first, because they are screwed in up top (which requires the dash cover to be off) ? The. Slide the side ones in carefully and work you way back, with the upper rear piece going on last?
gonna be honest i had my trim off just 2 weeks ago but i have no idea what you are talking about
I pieced the broken off end on my passenger side by tacking it back together with a soldering iron then building the back side up with regular JB weld and using standard tie wire for rebar. So far so good.
The metal piece mentioned just above. My truck is a base model so no headliner.
JB Weld makes a plastic repair putty that someone said works pretty good.
I bought it but have not used it yet on mine.
Thing is I am missing parts from each side and hope the putty will fill the gap.
Dave ----
For the typical cracks try this:
... from the plumbing department.
Bevel the edge of the crack from the backside (Dremel) and smear it on, in, and around. Make sure the piece is being held in the correct shape for drying if it's been distorted by age. Otherwise it'll "self-correct" when you install it and open the crack back up. Bummer.
JB Weld makes a plastic repair putty that someone said works pretty good.
I bought it but have not used it yet on mine.
Thing is I am missing parts from each side and hope the putty will fill the gap.
Dave ----
That was me Dave, I used it to fabricate all new mounting holes for the dash bezels, worked pretty good so far. I’ve screwed I’ll back together and none of them broke so…. I guess we will see when I hit my first pot hole and jar the truck 😂
my new ones ( Apilar trim) are not broken yet, although one of them was cracked in half at some point and someone used a soldering iron to melt it back together again, similar to what digger did I’m guessing.
Aurora - on the interior trim, there are 5 pieces of metal trim on my truck, the front long curved piece above the windshield, the short straight pieces above each door, the long fairly straight piece running above the rear glass (with the coat hook), and a long straight that runs below rear glass…. There are also 4 plastic pieces , one large piece in each rear corner with the seatbelt coming through, and one for each A-Pilar to hop the right and left of the windshield. I have a single cab, no idea what a super cab has.
As for how to get it back in I dont get what you are saying about this "wedged in the side trim piece"?
Dave ----
Dave, the A-Pilar and large rear corner pieces are more or less “Male” pieces that slide into the “female” side piece over the door, which are “C” shaped. Basically I believe all the metal pieces are Female and the plastic pieces are all male… and they interlock accordingly. That is why mine shattered When I pulled the shot side piece off from above the door… it’s stupid… unless I’m wrong and did it completely wrong…. Lol
Dave, the A-Pilar and large rear corner pieces are more or less “Male” pieces that slide into the “female” side piece over the door, which are “C” shaped. Basically I believe all the metal pieces are Female and the plastic pieces are all male… and they interlock accordingly. That is why mine shattered When I pulled the shot side piece off from above the door… it’s stupid… unless I’m wrong and did it completely wrong…. Lol
You are correct. And there is no "snapping it" on or off, you have to flex the plastic pieces and slide them up in the metal pieces. It's all very fiddly and cheaply made, like all interiors are.
I guess I didnt notice some being metal, I just attached where it seemed obvious the pieces slip behind the others and all that, but i had my interior mostly untouched minus a couple screws missing (no idea why)
My a pillar pieces are warped from not being screwed right and my driver flange being distorted so it doesnt fit nicely over the weather strip to "lock" it down right sadly. but good helpful pics for showing the layering
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
