Chrysler 2004 Concorde Service Manual page 1376

23 - 6 BODY
BODY (Continued)
PANEL SECTIONING
If it is required to section a large panel for a plas-
tic repair, it will be necessary to reinforce the panel
(Fig. 1). To bond two plastic panels together, a rein-
forcement must overlap both panels. The panels
must be "V'd" at a 20 degree angle. The area to be
reinforced should be washed, then sanded. Be sure to
wipe off any excess soap and water when finished.
Lightly sand or abrade the plastic with an abrasive
pad or sandpaper. Blow off any dust with compressed
air or wipe with a clean dry rag.
Fig. 1 PANEL SECTIONING
1 - EXISTING PANEL
2 - NEW PANEL
3 - PANEL ADHESIVE
4 - BONDING STRIP
When bonding plastic panels, Follow repair material
manufacturers recommendations. Be sure that enough
adhesive has been applied to allow squeeze out and to
fill the full bond line. Once the pieces have been
brought together, do not move them until the adhesive
is cured. The assembly can be held together with
clamps, rivets, etc. A faster cure can be obtained by
heating with a heat lamp or heat gun. After the parts
have been bonded and have had time to cure, rough
sand the seam and apply the final adhesive filler to the
area being repaired. Smooth the filler with a spreader,
wooden tongue depressor, or squeegee. For fine textur-
ing, a small amount of water can be applied to the filler
surface while smoothing. The cured filler can be sanded
as necessary and, as a final step, cleanup can be done
with soapy water. Wipe the surface clean with a dry
cloth allowing time for the panel to dry before moving
on with the repair.
PANEL REINFORCEMENT
Structural repair procedures for rigid panels with
large cracks and holes will require a reinforcement
backing. Reinforcements can be made with several
applications of glass cloth saturated with structural
adhesive. Semi-rigid or flexible repair materials should
be used for semi-rigid or flexible backing reinforcement
(Fig. 2) and (Fig. 3). Open meshed fiberglass dry wall
tape can be used to form a reinforcement. The dry wall
tape allows the resin to penetrate through and make a
good bond between the panel and the adhesive. Struc-
turally, the more dry wall tape used, the stronger the
repair.
Another kind of repair that can be done to repair
large cracks and holes is to use a scrap piece of sim-
ilar plastic and bond with structural adhesive. The
reinforcement should cover the entire break and
should have a generous amount of overlap on either
side of the cracked or broken area.
When repairing plastic, the damaged area is first
"V'd" out, or beveled. Large bonding areas are desir-
able when repairing plastic because small repairs are
less likely to hold permanently. Beveling the area
around a crack at a 20 degree angle will increase the
bonding surface for a repair (Fig. 4). It is recom-
mended that sharp edges be avoided because the
joint may show through after the panel is refinished.
Fig. 2 SOFTENED EDGES
1 - SOFTENED EDGES
2 - PANEL ADHESIVE
3 - BONDING STRIP
Fig. 3 PANEL REINFORCEMENT
1 - PANEL ADHESIVE
2 - REINFORCEMENT
• Panel repair for both flexible and rigid panels
are basically the same. The primary difference
between flexible panel repair and rigid panel repair
is in the adhesive materials used (Fig. 5).
• The technician should first decide what needs to
be done when working on any type of body panel.
One should determine if it is possible to return the
damage part to its original strength and appearance
without exceeding the value of the replacement part.
LH