Best adhesive for steel to vinyl? Dash panel fasteners are coming loose

[Miljack]

I've been trying to get the fasteners that CC used in the older boats (mine is a 99) with the wood grain dash panels. It appears to me that CC used a thick vinyl, prob. about 1/8" thick, then covered with the wood grain veneer. To attach the panels to the dash, it looks like they heated metal studs or "t bolts" and attached them to the vinyl backing. These are coming loose, and I've tried 2 part epoxy, some kind of vinyl adhesive, super glue, etc....Anybody got other suggestions? I've got some liquid nails on there now drying to see if that will work, I'm open to suggestions!

[jimmyj]

man, that 3M 5200 marine epoxy is the most serious adhesive i have ever used. its PERMANENT. has held stuff iin my boat (amp boards and wire mounts) for a year now that liquid nails let loose after 1 time out

[Rick]

5200 or 5300

The 3M 5200 should work The 5300 is just the faster drying. The 5200 takes a full week to cure.

[mrbobolina]

Go to 3M website to read about the various adhesives. The 5200 is not meant for bonding metal unless you use a primer on the surface to be bonded onthe metal side. The 4000 UV is however is mondable to metal and cures in 24 hours I think.

They sell the 4000 UV at West Marine

[abbyjhon]

Best adhesive for steel to vinyl? Dash panel fasteners are coming loose

5200 3M 5300 should work just is fast drying. 5200 takes a full week of treatment.

[toyota40runner]

Jb weld. I had I go kart that I made when I was a kid. It was practically held together by jb weld and hose clamps... Lol

[wakehead]

You can also try PL premium 500 construction adhesive... that stuff seriously sticks to anything and you
can't take it apart ever

[Miljack]

I should have updated this thread, thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I ended up using the 3m 5200/5300 (can't remember but I think it was the fast drying version of the 5200), but I used a good automotive primer on the tbolts. I went to the auto paint store and asked for "zinc chromate" primer and the guy gave me the "dog look" and said what?? (showing my age now!) After I explained that I wanted a primer for a polyurethane advhesive, he said ohhh, you want this kind of primer (I'll get the name and update later). This was at a Sherwin Williams auto paint store.

So far so good, I had no luck with any of the other suggestions in this thread, I tried them all! I even tried the 5200/5300 without the primer, and it came loose too.