The loose and baggy trim needs gluing back into place.
December 4th 2019
Finally I have decided to address the tired looking side trim panels in the rear of the car. I've been wanting to sort these out for a long time but other more important jobs kept getting in the way.
They are constructed of a stiff card backing with a vinyl cover bonded to the surface and folded around the edges. Over the years this cover has become unstuck, causing large air bubbles underneath and also peeling around the edges.
The first job was to remove both panels so I could assess just how bad they were. Enough of the folded edge had come apart to allow me to easily peel back the vinyl, opening up a space large enough to coat the inside with spray adhesive. After allowing the solvent to evaporate I pressed the vinyl back down and left a few heavy weights on top to hold things in place while the adhesive set.
Once the vinyl had been bonded back down onto the card, I used a tube of contact adhesive and slowly made my way around each panel folding and sticking down all the edges.
While the spray adhesive was out I decided this would be a good time to tackle another little job... The card panel on the underside of the boot lid had been hanging off since I bought the car. A few blasts with the adhesive and I managed to stick it nicely back into place.
The final job today was to replace the pedal rubbers. The accelerator one is missing completely and the clutch and brake rubbers are so badly perished that they need replacing. So much so that the clutch one falls off every time I go out for a drive!
A few days earlier I ordered a new set from a Morris Minor specialist and they arrived today. I decided to go with the earlier style of clutch/brake rubbers with the Morris 'M' logo for no other reason than I prefer the look of them.
The new accelerator rubber went on with no problem but the others needed a slight bit of trimming to fit around the pedal stem.
In fact they look so good I thought I'd try them out with a little night time test drive!
