Little victory - B4B plastic Dodge dash script

[Bobacuda]

In the process of prepping for paint, piece by piece, and I have been putting off removing the plastic (pure Unobtanium) "Dodge" script from the dash.  It has survived 61 years of Texas summers and is still intact.  In fact, I have the only '53 I have seen that still has the script and it is all in one piece.  Everything else in and on the cab has been removed, so I crawled in the cab and had to use a mirror to see the back of the script to see how it is held in place - three plastic studs with those damn push on-self clamping-plastic snapping clips. 

 

I tried using a staple puller and I broke one stud off (I think I can glue it).  Then I got a bright idea (or at least one that worked for me).  I pushed a pointed tip tweezer under the clip, one leg of the tweezer on each side of the stud and squeezed them next to the stud as I slid the tweezer forward until it would not move.  Then I pressed down on the outside edges of the clip - BINGO!  I got the other two off without breaking anything.  My Unobtanium Dodge script was saved.

 

Considering the age of the plastic and the odds of finding another, I consider breaking one out of three studs to be a victory.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Those plastic plates are tough to get off. I use dental tools to get under the clip ears and raise/bend  them up gently.

The push clips will come right off once you get the knack of it.

You did good.

Bob

[John-T-53]

I noticed the same type of plastic script in a '53 Dodge sedan too. Were the scripts painted silver originally?

 

My truck never came with its script (or clips) so I eventually found one on ebay. It stays in place without clips, plus I can easily remove it to clean and wax the dash every now and then.

 

However, my boss (while checking out my truck one day) roughly prodded the script and broke it between the "G" and "E" (fortunately the "E" has its own peg).

 

Any ideas as to what type of glue would work with this plastic? I've already tried Testors model cement and it didn't stick.

 

Thanks,

[Bobacuda]

Mine looks like it was silver at some point, but it has been a plastic translucent white since I have owned the truck (39 years now  ).  Well, so much for using model cement on it. I was planning on trying Super Glue first - which I have never had much luck with - or Gorilla Glue, but  the last time I used it on plastic it "crazed" all over any plastic near the repair.  I was also thinking of just using epoxy (JB Weld).

[52b3b Joe]

I noticed the same type of plastic script in a '53 Dodge sedan too. Were the scripts painted silver originally?

 

My truck never came with its script (or clips) so I eventually found one on ebay. It stays in place without clips, plus I can easily remove it to clean and wax the dash every now and then.

 

However, my boss (while checking out my truck one day) roughly prodded the script and broke it between the "G" and "E" (fortunately the "E" has its own peg).

 

Any ideas as to what type of glue would work with this plastic? I've already tried Testors model cement and it didn't stick.

 

Thanks,

 

If it were me, I would use a 5 min epoxy from a local hobby/craft store. They dry clear with a slight yellow tint that would match the yellowing fairly well. I used 5 min epoxy a lot on my RC planes (mainly from crashes). I don't think it would hurt the plastic, but some glues and epoxies will hurt or melt old plastic like that. Plastics tend to be less picky with epoxy than glue though. 

[Dodgeb4ya]

There were silver both for the car and truck when new.

[RobertKB]

However, my boss (while checking out my truck one day) roughly prodded the script and broke it between the "G" and "E" (fortunately the "E" has its own peg).

 

 

 

Fire your stupid boss!! LOL

[John-T-53]

Fire your stupid boss!! LOL

 

Haha! He's rough on everything, lol....!