Identifying the type of plastic for interior pieces

[ghetdjc320]

Was wondering if anyone knows the specific types of plastic used for various interior panels. I will be doing some plastic welding and repairs to bring my interior back to perfect but will need to know the types used. Here are the components I’m looking to ID:

 

Center console shell

center console black insert 

b pillar trim

a pillar trim

dash bezel

 

Tagging @Dzimm and @m2bandit as they both work heavily on interior plastic pieces.

 

[jdog]

It should be labeled somewhere on the plastic with a code, if I get a chance later I'll take a look at the console and see if I can find the code

[eaglescout526]

Aren’t they all ABS pieces? I know some parts will say what plastic it is and part number and production dates and what not. 

[ghetdjc320]

I see production dates but I can’t identify a code. I believe there are some different types of plastic used for interior trim but it may be mostly abs. The center console and pillar trim tends to be a bit more brittle and crack. The kick panels and inner door sill trim on the other hand feel almost like a nylon material. 

[AZJeff]

Putting recycling codes on polymer parts wasn't a common practice when the MJ's were in production, so it's not too surprising to see forum members reporting not finding such identifiers on interior parts.

 

Based on my years of experience with resins when I earned a living as a mechanical engineer, I think that most of the pieces of the interior of an MJ are ABS.   (Newer vehicles use ABS/polycarbonate blends for these applications, but the MJ predates that use.)   ABS can be repaired by solvent welding and also with some of the filler resins out there pretty sucessfully.

 

The kick panels and similar stuff are probably polypropylene, which is more flexible and has an almost "waxy" feel to it.   Polyprop is much trickier to get welding to work successfully.

[eaglescout526]

I swear I remember seeing a few things say “ABS” like the clock delete panel. But like AZ Jeff said, there aren’t and won’t be those plastic codes. 

[ghetdjc320]

Good to know! Looks like all my repairs are with abs. The center console is always a trick to repair. Planning to use a Polyvance welder to do these repairs but needed to identify the right material. Thanks again! 

[Dzimm]

7 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Was wondering if anyone knows the specific types of plastic used for various interior panels. I will be doing some plastic welding and repairs to bring my interior back to perfect but will need to know the types used. Here are the components I’m looking to ID:

 

Center console shell

center console black insert 

b pillar trim

a pillar trim

dash bezel

 

Tagging @Dzimm and @m2bandit as they both work heavily on interior plastic pieces.

 

 

I'd bet money they are ABS.  Some form of ABS is used for more than 90% of interior plastics in vehicles, especially older ones.  Newer vehicles are starting to utilize other types of plastic more, even 3D printing parts from the factory.

 

I saw Nylon mentioned, Nylon is sometimes used but it's a much heavier duty material and used more on wear type items and structural items that need to be stronger, none of the mentioned pieces fall into that category.  It's also more difficult and expensive to process than other suitable materials. 

 

I ran the injection molding department at Kreg Tool for several years (until they shipped manufacturing to China) and have a few injection molding certs and I can tell you from my experience that in most cases, ABS is the default for injection molded parts unless there is something that requires a certain property that can't be attained with ABS.  

[m2bandit]

Most likely ABS,
You could try acetone welding too. My internet isn't working well right now or I'd find a guide for you.

[OldSch88L]

A big part of plastic components I encountered during my body shop days was PP (polypropylene), but I can't say for sure for vehicles as old as MJs. However, you shoud be able to find "Universal" plastic welding rods; they're usually black with fiber in them. My boss didn't even bother identifying the kinds of plastics to use the right rods, he just used the universal ones all the time. The universal will work when you're not sure what you have, but you'll always get a better bond with the same kind of plastic.