Straightening Door Bump Strips (external plastic door strips)

**Admiral coFF33** · 12-12-2007, 01:57 PM

Hey all ,

when i purchased my X81 for some reason the passenger side door bump strips were removed.

The doors are perfectly straight , but the bump strips have been sitting around for a little while now , and are not completely straight....

They are made of the Generic Gray Plastic door strip Material that was on A70/X83/Z20 and a few other models.

What would be some suggestions on getting these strips straight again ??

I was thinking about sitting them on my house roof for a while in the sun , and hoping they heat up and go back to shape , but the roof is tiles and they will probably end up more wonkey ....

Anyone done this before or got any ideas ?

Cheers

john

**VasH** · 12-12-2007, 05:23 PM

Heat em up with a heatgun on a flat surface maybe put some weight on them like a phonebook or something until they cool down.

**LeeRoy** · 12-12-2007, 05:36 PM

I vote for heat and squashing them. Just dont heat them too much or theyll lose their colour though. Have you though about just going and getting some off a cressida at the wrecker?

ps. that car looks horn.

**Jabtronic** · 12-12-2007, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by LeeRoy

IHave you though about just going and getting some off a cressida at the wrecker?

That's what I was thinking, I picked up a single side strip the other day from the wreckers for $5.

**pisso001** · 13-12-2007, 06:57 PM

They will straighten up ok if you put them on a flat bench or something, heat them up then put something on them to spread the weight then put a phone book or something on them.. Wouldnt hurt to put a straight bit of steel along each side of it as well to keep it straight the other way too..

**ian** · 13-12-2007, 07:15 PM

hi .
also you can heat them up in hot water if you can find something long enough to put it in
ian

**styler** · 13-12-2007, 11:57 PM

its cheaper and easier to get ones from the wreckers, seriously sometimes bends
come out easy in materials, other times you make a compound bend and it just gets worse and worse the more you play with it.

ed · 14-12-2007, 07:09 AM

theyve got metal strips inside them? several i have seen do

if so, they never come straight

what ive found DOES work is to put a smooth continuous bend in them, such that they bow away from the car in an arc. its easy to get them dead smooth in an unspecified radius curve

then when you stick them down, the glue will hold them down flat (sprung down) and theyll look dead straight