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Adhesive for gluing emblem to bezel?: 1952 Cadillac

Started by jdemerson, August 19, 2015, 08:05:51 AM

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jdemerson

My Cadillac had new emblems and bezels on the hood and trunk lid when I got it. I have lost the emblem on the trunk lid, probably because someone popped it off with a pocket knife and took it. (It seems unlikely that it would have simply fallen off.)

When I attach a new emblem to the existing bezel, what adhesive is the most permanent and most resistant to theft? (The bezel itself is bolted to the trunk lid.) Is epoxy the best method? J-B Weld? Gorilla Glue? The goal is to avoid ever needing to buy another emblem at around $200!

Thanks for advice and experience.

John Emerson
CLC #26790
1952 Cadillac 6219X
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

Barry M Wheeler #2189

Besides gorilla glue, anything made by 3M should be fine. One good thing, they have solvents to take it back off if need be.
Barry M. Wheeler #2189


1981 Cadillac Seville
1991 Cadillac Seville

55 cadi

"Liquid nails"  makes a great product and very strong.

Like its name, the glue is as strong as if you nailed two pieces of wood together.

Look up, you can get at any hardware store, they have many different forms of it
1955 Cadillac sedan series 62
1966 mustang convertible w/pony PAC, now in Sweden
2005 Cadillac deville

Roger Zimmermann

On my '56 de Ville, the emblem fall down from the car while driving. The cement delivered with the plastic emblem is not good. I let it glue with an urethane adhesive, the same material used for the front or rear windows. Stay somewhat elastic, ideal for this application.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Fred Pennington 25635

John, most adhesives not specific for automotive or outdoor use will get brittle and become useless.
Of course this is not a daily driver I presume.
I would use 3M Outdoor Mounting Tape.
It is available at Home Depot. It is the same as 3M Automotive Mounting Tape available at parts stores.
Properly applied to clean surfaces and pressed on tight , the tape holds tighter the longer it is on.
Ever tried to get a 70's or 80's badge off?
Epoxies and the like don't like sunlight (UV) and become brittle to the point the turn to powder.

Fred Pennington, CLC 25635
1940, LaSalle 5019
1940 LaSalle 5019 parts car
1968 Ford Bronco
1973 Mustang Convertible
2012 Shelby GT500

cadillac ken

#5
I agree with you Fred.  I use the 3M automotive emblem tape.  I'll have to try the stuff you say is available at Home Depot.

The down side is most times a thief intent on "removing" your emblem will most likely crack it or break it in some way no matter how good it's stuck on the car.  I had the same problem with the Porsche 911 I had.  Kids were going through a faze where it was a medal of honor to pry off the hood badge on the 911's and break off the Mercedes hood star.
The hood badge was bolted onto the hood.  That didn't stop them from carving up your hood to get the badge off.  I finally filled the two small holes on the second repair and ran the car without the hood badge. 

Good luck, John.  Here's hoping it just fell off.

57 Eldo Seville

The hood crest emblem fell out of the bezel on my Seville yesterday while cleaning up or a show.  I'm thinking that weatherstrip adhesive would be a good solution since it retains flexibility and is designed for an exterior automotive environment.

Any thoughts?

Dave Morris
Dave Morris
CLC#28497
1957 Eldorado Seville
2020 CT5-V

55 cadi

The liquid nails do not get old and brittle, the product is made for industrial use and therefore lasting along time and not to go bad fast or fail over time.

I have worked in both the automotive industry when younger and then home remodeling, I have seen the tape go bad over time especially in where the weather goes from one extreme to the other, I do think the 3 m tape works good, but I wouldn't push away industrial adhesives. Plus the tape will make it sit up higher past the crest frame which you may not want.

Weather strip adhesive I wouldn't trust because it is flexible and therefore can be pulled up because it has give to it.
1955 Cadillac sedan series 62
1966 mustang convertible w/pony PAC, now in Sweden
2005 Cadillac deville

jdemerson

Quote from: 55 cadi on August 22, 2015, 08:27:11 PM
The liquid nails do not get old and brittle, the product is made for industrial use and therefore lasting along time and not to go bad fast or fail over time.

I have worked in both the automotive industry when younger and then home remodeling, I have seen the tape go bad over time especially in where the weather goes from one extreme to the other, I do think the 3 m tape works good, but I wouldn't push away industrial adhesives. Plus the tape will make it sit up higher past the crest frame which you may not want.

Weather strip adhesive I wouldn't trust because it is flexible and therefore can be pulled up because it has give to it.

Thank you for several informative and helpful comments.

My application is metal-to-metal, and I want to PERMANENTLY attach the emblem to the bezel. I can still remove the entire unit by unbolting it from the deck lid. I am wondering whether the tape adhesive is best for my application where I'd prefer no separation between the two pieces. I can see that for gluing a metal trim strip to painted sheet metal the tape adhesive could be perfect.

I have always thought of Liquid Nails as being for wood, ceramics, and other home construction. But I see now that there is a variation, LN-203 that is specifically for metal to metal. Is that my best option? Is it a better choice than Gorilla Glue? I have some fresh Gorilla Glue in stock, but I'll get the Liquid Nails LN-203 if that is superior.

As always, thanks for good advice. This is a great message board!

John Emerson
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

55 cadi

John,

I have not used the gorilla glue yet, I have purchased but not used, there other products are strong but they are new to glue.

When it comes to putting the plastic emblem onto the metal bezel the tape will make it sit up higher than it is suppose to, factory it is attached through the bezel sitting close to bezel, the tape won't allow it to sit flush.

I guess it is just a matter of how you want it to look, do a test and leave the backing on the tape and put between the emblem and bezel and see what it does, you will get a good idea of how it will sit and may work for you. i personally believe it will sit too high/stick out too much, the tape is good for attaching emblems to the body like factory application on newer cars.

Good luck
1955 Cadillac sedan series 62
1966 mustang convertible w/pony PAC, now in Sweden
2005 Cadillac deville

57 Eldo Seville

#10
My crest/bezel was purchased in April 2014 and I had the supplier attach the parts together at that time.  It looks like they used some sort of clear adhesive which adhered to the inside of the crest but the bond failed on the bezel surface.  Tape would not work for my application as it would be too thick and the emblem sits slightly recessed in the bezel.

I used 3M Super Weatherstrip adhesive and now have essentially a permanent bond.

Dave
Dave Morris
CLC#28497
1957 Eldorado Seville
2020 CT5-V

jdemerson

For reasons stated above, I'm ruling out the tape but am considering these strong and permanent adhesives:
1. 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive
2. Liquid Nails LN 203 (for metals)
3. Gorilla Glue

Any further advice about the best choice for gluing emblem on bezel?
Thanks.
John Emerson
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

jdemerson

Quote from: jdemerson on September 03, 2015, 01:26:30 PM
For reasons stated above, I'm ruling out the tape but am considering these strong and permanent adhesives:
1. 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive
2. Liquid Nails LN 203 (for metals)
3. Gorilla Glue

Any further advice about the best choice for gluing emblem on bezel?
Thanks.
John Emerson
bump...
John Emerson
Middlebury, Vermont
CLC member #26790
1952 Series 6219X
http://bit.ly/21AGnvn

Jeff Maltby 4194

Gorilla glue might foam out creating a mess to avoid.
Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500