(G) how do I fix this!?(pic included)

Hey guys,
I have a piece of plastic below the dashboard on the drivers side which is bent (see pic). It seems the previous owner just bent it out of shape to get to the speaker in the dashboard. Do you know how I can bend it back to shape as it really buggin me!

circle it in red im not 100% what you want

here you go!!

hmmm knows what that is, so why doesnt it bend back? is it too solid? or does it move back but then go back to that position?

Should be a little clip just under the dash on the right that it sits on.

Otherwise cant you just bend it by hand, its only secured by one nut under the steering column (and one bolt in the clutch pedal footrest if youve got one)

I think you'll find that it is not so much bent as much as 'naturally distorted'. i.e. it may have gone like that by itself rather than because someone bent it.

It's a rather large unsupported piece of tough plastic IIRC, tucked under at the corner and a screw in the centre. What I would do is glue a piece of aluminium (or steel) strip to the back, with hot glue or (ideally) epoxy resin, and then you will be able to impart a shape to it (i.e. flat). Perforated strip like 'Meccano' as included with central locking kits (for example!) will work fine.

In theory you could heat the plastic with a hot air gun, and then flatten it. In practice this method usually ends in tears (yours when it gets too hot to touch, or when the edge melts). I've been down this road a few times before

-Alex

thanks guys,
bending it back into shape is for nothing...it just doesnt want to bend back...now I will try and heat it with a hair dryer and hold it in shape. Who knows maybe I can fix it.

AlexGS: your fix although works is more than I can handle!

THanks,
Will try this evening!

Hey Drinu, mine's exactly the same -- I'd say Alex's suggestion would be most likely to succeed, just a makeshift tab of almost any solid material, glued to the top side of the bent piece, which can then be tucked behind the speaker panel and will hold in place fine.

Good luck with bending if you go for it though!

well u seem to like gages so bye a gauge u like the with monting bracket screw it up with self tapers straight throung the plastick into the plastick above it it will hold it up plus ull have enouther gauge

Does that last post make no sense to anyone else???

When people cant write in English or even vaguely spell correctly then dont bother at all!

possibly a little harsh chrisunoman...

I figured it out, but I wonder if any typing really was saved (e.g. 'bye' is the same length as 'buy'.) Good idea anyway - maybe an oil pressure gauge could be added there? Not sure if there is any plastic above the trim panel, so there could still be a need for a metal bracket.

The idea of sticking a metal strip to the back was mainly to make it pliable - so that bending the steel would hold the plastic in shape - but of course making an extra mounting bracket is good as well.

-Alex

And this is even more so when they are English and have no excuse for not writing their own language properly. It's one thing being a dunce at English, but quite another to show no shame and broadcast it to everyone

Do very few people take pride in how their writing comes across to others these days I have to agree with Chris in that those who can't even take the time to check they've written legibly really shouldn't bother...

Well I think you to are 4ss h0l3s and should take the time to realise that.

I can say anything!

Oh, and its 'you two' not 'you to'.

I guess you never did get English at GCSE level!