Hey all,
Working on some of the interior components on the Cat and was wondering if anyone out there found a decent way to repair armrests that have basically come off of their backing. Seems like the vinyl shrank over the years and slipped off the metal/plastic backing. See pics below.
I repair them by removing some of the foam inside, then using 3M 1357 adhesive to re - attach the vinyl to the steel mounting plate.
Royce is correct. I took mine apart and shaved some of the foam down so it fit in the vinyl better. I used a general purpose adhesive from loctite. Once it’s cured it’s not moving. I used zip ties to tighten and hold the shape while
It cured. They looked about like yours when I started.
Thanks Gentlemen!
I’m going to have to take more than just a little out on this particular sucker, but I’ll do the same. No way I can stretch and glue this In the current state.
Im thinking about clamping the vinyl where it needs to be after removing foam and putting it through some heat cycles. Hopefully that will better help it keeps it’s shape and not expand again.
Seems like a design flaw from the factory, or maybe these were just overfilled with foam.
The vinyl shrinks after 52+ years so in my opinion it’s not something that was wrong when the car was new.
As Royce stated, anything soft or pliable is going to shrink over time. The fact that we can still make some of these pieces work is really a testament to good starting materials as much as our ingenuity in making them look good or work properly again.
I’m just about as old as my Cougar, and she runs better than me most days! 
