Duct tape for part resuurection

[Briggs1]

The aluminum duct sealing type.

I used it to literally piece my Elan Plus 2 center console together to prep
for making a fiberglass replacement.

The tape will stick to nearly anything and conforms to shapes amazingly
well.

I think the tape would stick to mud if you tried.

My console around the shift lever had disintegrated to about 20 pcs.

I used the tape to hold all of the pcs together and then taped most of
assembly again.

Where there are small plastic chunks missing from my part the tape has
enough structural integrity to span the gap and not sag or deform.

Some place I added a layer on the reverse side to improve the strength.

I was even able to form "lost" outer corners with a few layers so the
original shape will hold up to making a fiberglass pc. without all of the
original plastic bits in place.

I am really amazed at what I could achieve.

The pc I have to work with now comes very close to the original rigidity of
the OEM thermoformed plastic PC.

I used the same process last week to remake the under dash trim pcs. and it
worked like a charm.

Fiberglass does not stick to the tape but this time around I'll be using
mold release to aid in releasing the much bigger molded part.

Since I'll be upholstering over the glass console the bottom side
appearance is not important.

I had thought of multiple ways to recreate the console shape and this BY FAR
was the most exact, least messy, and easiest of the approaches I had
contemplated.

I still have some work to complete but thought I'd share for future
considerations.

Briggs

[vernon.taylor]

Great tip - merci.

@+

Vernon