Dino's grille restoration

[cdr]

Looks great!!!! 

[keepat]

Dino,
Awesome job!!!!
Pat

[Dino]

Thanks folks!   

I wish I had taken more pics of the process but you know how it goes.  Once you're on a roll...   

[Dino]

Thanks folks!   

I wish I had taken more pics of the process but you know how it goes.  Once you're on a roll...   

[green69rt]

Ah, now I see.   I need to do this stuff in the den, I thought I had to do it in the garage.  Now I know, the wife will just have to put up with it....

[Dino]

Ah, now I see.   I need to do this stuff in the den, I thought I had to do it in the garage.  Now I know, the wife will just have to put up with it....

That'll be ex-wife then!   

The house is for storage only.  The actual work was spent in a very cold garage.   

[GeneralLee440]

Great write up Dino, thanks for the great pics I saved a couple for future reference for my build

[GeneralLee440]

Thanks folks!   

I wish I had taken more pics of the process but you know how it goes.  Once you're on a roll...   

Yea once your on a roll you dont have time to stop and get pics

[funknut]

Very nice!

I have some grille repair in my future and will be coming back for your pics/walkthrough!

[jaak]

grille looks great!!!!! Nice work, bro!!!!!

[myk]

Very nice!

I have some grille repair in my future and will be coming back for your pics/walkthrough!

My thoughts exactly.  When I finally get around to dismantling my front clip I'll need this thread as a reference...

[cavemanno1]

  wow Dirk,very nice work!
Question,how did you do the door emblems?did you just polish the charger emblem or painted it as well?If painted how did you do it?

Thanks

[Dino]

The chrome on the arrow emblem is speckled but it had enough shine on it to keep.  The chrome on the Charger emblem was very good.  On both emblems the paint had faded so I washed both pieces and repainted them.  The charger emblem I painted flat black with Rustoleum 2K primer + paint and before it hardened I removed the paint from the chrome with a rag and a drop of lacquer thinner.  The arrow emblem I masked.  I used the same black and Testors Red with a brush.

[PlainfieldCharger]

Dino, On the goo slurry you made. How thick did you make it. Would it run? Did you have to spread it or would it flow out? What thickness do you feel worked the best? Did you wipe acetone on the grill piece first before you put on the goo?  I know allot of questions. Your repair on that big area looks great. Nice thin application. I want to duplicate that.

[Dino]

Thick goo, not running unless you have a few days to watch it take off.  

Make it as thick as you can and add acetone if needed.  

If it's runny you can't control it.  Brush a bit of acetone on the plastic to make it melt and immediately brush the goo on.  I kept a jar with clean acetone nearby in case the goo was too thick so you can instantly thin it.  Build it up slowly and you'll be done before you know it without having any problems.  Once dry you can file it, sand it, drill it, you name it!  

[PlainfieldCharger]

  Thanks for the extra details. It was the exact info I was looking for.

[Dino]

My pleasure, let me know if you need any more information.  I'll be happy to help.

If I'd start over I'd clean the grille thoroughly, sand it so it's ready for primer, and then do the repairs.  In that order.  That way all you'd have left to do is file/sand the repairs and you're ready to prime the whole thing.

[1970Moparmann]

What a great idea!   Thanks for the write up Dino!

[Charger4404spd]

Looks great man, I can remember the buffer slinging trim a bunch when I restored my grill

[timmycharger]

Hey there Dino, I am getting ready for the plastic repairs this weekend. I have my glass jar, my acetone and lego pieces ready to go.  Couple of questions for you:

1. I plan on making the repairs on Saturday, when should I make the "goo", that morning? or night before? is it an exact science on how much Acetone vs. lego or plastic pieces?

2. for the pieces that need to be repaired, do I have to coat the area with Acetone prior to putting on the goo to soften the area up so it "welds" together? did you scuff the area or scratch it to make it adhere any better?

just read through your grille resto again, makes me want to start working on it right now on my desk at work in the office LOL

[Dino]

I'm glad you're excited to start! It's gonna be fun!

Make the goo the night before, it takes a while for this stuff to melt. As long as you have a lid on the jar it'll stay liquid.

Use lego shavings to make it into a thick paste. One that would barely run off a vertical surface, but don't make it chunky. Also if it's too thin it won't fill much. Don't just throw the blocks in and pour acetone on it because it'll take forever to melt through it.

It might be hard to gauge how much acetone to pour in the jar with the lego pieces but it's ok if you got it too thin or too thick. If too thick then just add acetone and mix, if too thin use lego block shavings to gradually make it thicker.

I don't scratch up the surface but make sure the surface is clean. I do brush on a bit of straight acetone to give the plastic some bit. I'm ot sure if it's necessary but it doesn't hurt. The goo itself kinda "burns" into the plastic as well.

Keep a clean jar of acetone and some brushes nearby in case you need to add some liquid or if you need to do some cleanup. For example when you put down to much goo, scoop it up and use a brush with acetone to clean it up.

Have fun!

[timmycharger]

Excellent! thanks again Dino   

[Dino]

You're welcome.

Shoot me a message if you run into trouble.