Armrest restore
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Elder User
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: South Jersey
Armrest restore
I got the doors off an 88 Bronco which I plan on installing into my 86. However, one of the door panels in the 88 had a broken armrest in the door panel. (The plastic piece that is surrounded in foam that screws into the door panel. It has the little opening cutout inside it so you can put your fingers inside it to close the door once you're seated inside the truck.)
Well, mine was broken into 3 pieces and the foam was rotted out because the door panel had been on the ground a few weeks. I took the plastic out and ripped out as much foam as I could. I JB welded the plastic back together and it looks like it formed a strong bond. But now I need to come up with a way to refabricate the foam insulation that goes inbetween the vinyl skin and the plastic piece. I picked up a can of "Great Stuff" but have never really worked with it. My fear however is that it's not really pliable and will collapse or not withstand the grind of being squeezed due to closing the door. Anyone have suggestions on what to do? The local junkyard didn't have any maroon/red interiors that have this handle, nor did they have any panels that were in acceptable quality to grab a new part.
Well, mine was broken into 3 pieces and the foam was rotted out because the door panel had been on the ground a few weeks. I took the plastic out and ripped out as much foam as I could. I JB welded the plastic back together and it looks like it formed a strong bond. But now I need to come up with a way to refabricate the foam insulation that goes inbetween the vinyl skin and the plastic piece. I picked up a can of "Great Stuff" but have never really worked with it. My fear however is that it's not really pliable and will collapse or not withstand the grind of being squeezed due to closing the door. Anyone have suggestions on what to do? The local junkyard didn't have any maroon/red interiors that have this handle, nor did they have any panels that were in acceptable quality to grab a new part.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,541
Likes: 54
From: Des Moines
You're probably right that the great stuff won't hold up.
My 91 F150 had a driver side handle that was broken when I bought it. What I ended up doing was stripping the foam from the inside of the vinyl, then held the straight edges square with the edge of a 1x4. I traced around the curves of the handle and cut out the initial shape then, using my bandsaw, fit it to the vinyl thru trial and error. Once I had the right fit I stapled the vinyl to the block.
Using the same bolts that held the plastic to the door panel, the replacement fit right into place and I haven't had any issues with it since. It's not the most comfortable thing to rest my elbow on but it works well for opening and closing the door.
By the way- love the avatar!
My 91 F150 had a driver side handle that was broken when I bought it. What I ended up doing was stripping the foam from the inside of the vinyl, then held the straight edges square with the edge of a 1x4. I traced around the curves of the handle and cut out the initial shape then, using my bandsaw, fit it to the vinyl thru trial and error. Once I had the right fit I stapled the vinyl to the block.
Using the same bolts that held the plastic to the door panel, the replacement fit right into place and I haven't had any issues with it since. It's not the most comfortable thing to rest my elbow on but it works well for opening and closing the door.
By the way- love the avatar!
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