Practical. Money-Saving Techniques for Cars, Motorcycles, Trucks, ATVs, and Snowmobiles

It's a familiar story—a simple accident in the driveway results in a cracked bumper fascia, taillight lens, or sportbike fairing. With few repair shops interested in repairing plastic bodywork, replacing an expensive part has often been the only option. This is the first book to give Do-It-Yourselfers the information they need to make basic repairs to plastics commonly found on cars, motorcycles, trucks, ATVs, and snowmobiles.

With easy-to-follow directions and clear illustrations, author Kurt Lammon explains how to assess the damage, identify the various types of plastics, and determine which repair strategies will be best suited to the job at hand. Step-by-step procedures take you from cleaning, aligning, preparing, and reinforcing the site all the way through the refinishing process.

You will get invaluable tips for making structural and cosmetic repairs, rebuilding broken tabs and bolt holes, and fixing stripped threads. Learn what tools and materials are necessary to fusion weld plastic or perform repairs using hot-melt adhesives. Finally, to make getting started even easier, a comprehensive Resource Guide puts dozens of suppliers at your fingertips.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Chapter 1: To Repair or Not to Repair... That's the First Question

Chapter 2: Identifying the Type of Plastic
Thermoplastics vs. Thermosets | Thermoplastics: Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate, Polythylene, Nylon (Polyamide), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) | Thermosets: Epoxy, Urethane, Polyester | Automotive Plastics | Motorcycle Plastics: Street Bikes, Dirt Bikes and ATVs | Recreational Vehicles: Snowmobiles, Personal Watercraft, Travel Coaches and Trailers.

Chapter 3: Repair Options for Each Type of Plastic
Thermoset Plastics: Fiberglass, SMC, Polyurethane, Other Thermoset Plastics | Thermoplastics: Polypropylene and TPO, Polyethylene, ABS, Polycarbonate and PC Blends, Nylon and Nylon Blends, PVC, Acrylic, Other Thermoplastics.

Chapter 4: Repair Procedures
Basic Repair and Refinishing Procedure | Two-Part Adhesives: Epoxy Two-Part Materials, Urethane Two-Part Materials, Acrylic Two-Part Materials, Polyester Two-Part Materials, Structural Repairs with Two-Part Adhesives, Cosmetic Repairs with Two-Part Adhesives | Cyanoacrylate Adhesives: Structural Repairs on SMC, Structural Repairs on ABS/PC, Cosmetic Repairs on Rigid Plastics | Hot-Melt Adhesives: Repairing Thermoset Urethane Substrates, Repairing Polyolefin Thermoplastics | Methacrylate Adhesives: Repairing Cracks, Tabs, and Stripped Threads | Introduction to Plastic Welding: Fusion Welding with an Airless Plastic Welder, Fusion Welding with a Hot-Air Welding, Solvent Welding.

Chapter 5: Refinishing Plastics
Rigid Non-Olefin Plastics | Flexible Non-Olefin Plastics | Painted TPO and PP Substrates | Unpainted TPO and PP Substrates | Polyethylene Substrates.

Appendices
Tools of the Trade | The Science of Adhesion | Resource Directory | Bibliography.