door trim panel tabs

[LJSB]

The mounting tabs on many NSX's are often snapped off from folks that expected to find the conventional Christmas tree fasteners and not the screws on the outside perimeter of the interior door trim panel.
This is a condition that exists on most NSX's I have seen that have had the door panel off at one time.
My solution is to make a little mold out of 2" masking tape and pour some 2 part epoxy into it and let settle. Just before it sets I flatten the epoxy with a squeegee and let it finish setting hard.
Sand to shape, drill and paint.
Here's a pic after removing the tape mold and doing some shaping.
A not too hard fix for a problem that can cause annoying creaks & rattles.

 

[D'Ecosse]

Nice job, Joe ! I love creative solutions like this.
I have re-inforced mine by epoxying a washer on the top side - some of them were partially broken with nothing to hold the screw, but enough to mount a washer on.

 

[ChrisK]

When I put in aftermarket speakers in my 92 I noticed the same thing. About have were either broken off or had cracks in them. I did pretty much the same thing as you only I just used some JB Weld name product.

 

[Tom239]

Nice work.

Is the original tab material incorporated in the fix,
or is the new tab 100% epoxy? I can't tell from the pic.

I was faced with the same problem a while back.
I made a less elegant fix, I attached metal tabs
with small black screws (the heads of which are
visible only when the door is open).

 

[LJSB]

Most had a little of the original tab about 1/8-1/4". It won't really matter and yes the new tab is two part epoxy. I used a product from Norton designed for plastic repair. It is black in color so I didn't need to paint.
There are many such designed products. Go to a body shop supplier and they'll help you pick something out.


Wash area with soap and water. (I use a product like 409)
Rough up with 30 grit paper.
Make and attach a mold. Mine was made from 2" tape but you can use foil tape too.
I also used a plastic adhesion promoter. (3M sells these neat little sponge squares that pre-soaked and work great)
Pour in the epoxy and let it set 1/2 of the way and flatten with a squeegee.
Let it fully cure overnight.
Finish sand and shape, drill.

 

[bjmills]

Just wanted to say thanks for posting. I have fixed my door tabs, my speaker enclosure tabs, and even one of the screw holes for the window switch (I have no idea how that got broken!)

Works great!

 

[Hugh]

Nice solution. I had a couple of those broken off as well and used washers and JB Weld to renew the hole. (Did that sound ghey?)

 

[Juice]

Joe, a detailed version would go over well in NSX Driver. Wish I had your solution a few years ago.

 

[rbirling]

I did the washer and epoxy thing on mine, even the ones that weren't broken (yet). No need to paint -- these parts aren't visible (you guys are perfectionists!). :tongue:

 

[bjmills]

Oh yeah, I sure didn't paint, and I did a half-assed job of sanding. Well, I made sure the backsides were nice and flat but they look fairly ugly... as you say, they don't show...