Both armrests have broken apart under the upholstery. Aside from buying a used door panel, has anyone tried repairing them? I saw one repair here but it involved sheetmetal. I was wondering if fiberglass would stick to the plastic?

 

Fiberglass is a type of plastic; it is plastic that has been reinforced with glass fibers.

I don't really understand the situation since I can't visualize the armrest situation in your vehicle. Are you trying to find something to externally patch it back together? Meaning bonding a piece of fiberglass externally to the door panel to reattach things?

My general concern would be which bonding material to use (prob a special epoxy) and whether putting in a bonding material to patch this piece in might not lead to new stresses being applied to the plastic of the door, which, after all these years, is dried out and brittle, and would very likely snap before that bond would.

Used door panel is prob your best option---though realize if it is a pick n pull, it's been baking in the sun for who knows how long and is likely to be brittle.

 

I'm hoping it can be repaired by removing the door panel and fixing it from the inner side. From what I've gathered on web searches, normal fiberglass resin doesn't work on plastic, so your concern is valid Derf. If the broken pieces are still in the door area, I'll be one step ahead.
I may try some plastic two part epoxy like you suggest. But that epoxy is very thick and wouldn't soak into the fiberglass very well. I'll need to look for something else that is more porous. Any ideas on that material?

 

pull the panel, post a pic.

We'll see what we have to work with......

 

If you have all the pieces available, I would start by gluing them back together with a good cyanoacrylate glue, and then using a heat gun to form a plastic reinforcement panel, and then attach it using epoxy... However, it might be better to use some thin gauge sheet metal, which won't also deteriorate over time

 

I made the time to dive into this armrest repair this weekend. I found a plastic glue at Ace Hardwaremade by Loctite. It has an activator and glue. It said it would bond any plastic, even the hard to bond stuff. At less than $5 I decided to try it.

Removing the door panel was easy. (Easier than installing it, as I found out later).The broken armrest still had the piece attached. I then accidentally broke it off when I bent it too far to clean it. Once separated I cleaned both parts with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and let them dry.

I applied the activator to both parts and let that sit for 1 minute. Then I applied the glue to the door part, and placed the separate part in place. I tried to wiggle it in for a perfect match but it was hard to hold and the glue was setting up quickly. I was thinking if I had a small **** or handle on the part I could maneuver it in place better, so when I repair the driver’s door armrest I will attach something. Maybe a push pin with the pin ground off will work.

Once in place it set up very quick. It wasn’t perfect but both parts were touching on all edges and it seems to be a rock solid repair. Now I installed the door panel and ran into a problem. The door latch/lock panel gave me a hard time trying to get through the opening. It was easy getting it out! After messing with it for 15 minutes I decided to remove the metal rod that attached the door lever to the inner latch. This let me twist the panel around a bit and finally get it through the hole. I just about had enough room to reach behind the panel and re-attach the metal rod and locking clip. Now the rest of the panel install was easy.

I hope the pictures help explain what I did.

Thanks for your suggestions on the glue!

 

I used that fancy glue and it's been a little over 2 weeks and both armrest are broken again, the glue wasn't strong enough. Back to the drawing board.

 

That sucks. Sorry to hear that.

I do not remember all the capabilities of JB Weld. Metal I have never broken an epoxy bond of this stuff, but I have never used it edge to edge. Maybe someone else has some feedback.

Also, obviously I can't remember if it works on plastic.

You may have to resort to the sheet metal fix for stability and force-bearing structural integrity.

Also, it sounds like you were working with the door latch rods still attached and the panel therefore not fully removed from the door. Unhook those babies and make your repair life 200% easier as you will have access to the entire panel off of the car. They can be a PITA to reattach, especially if you have fat fingers; I get them lined up and then manipulate with the end of a small flathead.

In fact I need to pull a panel today to kill a door rattle caused by a poor speaker mount and panel rattle nearby that makes no sense and will hopefully go away when I secure the speaker. Can't do it easily without the whole panel off.

 

I had the panels off, the rods really weren't the problem. Getting the door handle/lock assembly in the right position, while hooked up to the rods, to pass through the back of the panel was a struggle.