TIME TO GRILLE

[Shakey]

Looks like you did an excellent job.  Well done!   

[SFbullitt]

Right on!  I'm waiting for the new headlight door emblem so I can put the whole thing together.  One little tiny thing is holding me up.

[Chatt69chgr]

Thanks for sharing your grill restoration.  I have this to do still.  Your grill came out looking very good.  Please don't take this as a criticism but my plastic portion is not silver----it is more like a gunmetal gray----and it has never been refinished.  I figure that there must have been variation throughout the model year---perhaps diffent vendors or the finish the vendor applied varied slightly.  My car is an end of year car.  There has been discussion on this in previous threads.  In fact, one member shared his formula with me and his pictures came out exactly like mine looks as far as the color is concerned.  But, alas, my paint vendor couldn't mix me any of this since it was acrylic and they only do the newer paints now.  Said their old stock of the acrylics had dried up.  Had to change due to EPA regulations. 

[SFbullitt]

Mine, is more of a gun metal than bright silver.  I took that pic under flourencent lights which always misrepresents true colors.  Check out this pic, I moved it into my playroom in the garage.  Looks different under normal light.

[SFbullitt]

with no flash....

[Lord Warlock]

You're spreading bondo on the carpet?   ....bad boy   its hard to tell what is correct and what just looks good.  I think it looks great, I'll see about getting a shot of my own original grill and add it to the thread for reference use.  I plan on working on this part soon as well.  How do you detach the stainless trim around the front of the opening? the pieces appear to fit into each other so I don't want to snap anything important.  I have to replace my I piece in the front as well, and fill in a small hole/cracked plastic.  I already have the replacement I piece, though it will need a little work before it goes on for good, I hope you don't have to rip the whole thing apart just to get the trim off.   

[SFbullitt]

I was using that filler for a few small stress cracks that I found in the plastic.  That carpet's in my playroom, no worries.

Yeah Lord, you need to have them all loose so that it doesn't bend.  I got the stainless I piece instead of plastic and had to slightly grind a little of the tabs on all 4 ends so that it fit perfectly.  Since your grille is out of the car, it's easy.  I finished my grille the other night.  I'm charging my camera to publish the finished pics.  Stay tuned!

[SFbullitt]

She's done!  It was a fun but lengthy project.  I'm happy with the results and can't complain about any of the products that I used.  Both headlight doors open and close as if it was new and the vacuum pods work really well.   I just need to run new vacuum lines and clean up the wire harness for it to be 100% complete.

[Roth68rt]

That looks fantastic, brand new even.  Great job!!!
Steve

[Charger-Bodie]

excellent!!!!

[timinator]

I just finished mine. I used the Eastwood Argent wheel silver and the SEM trim black as per the comments here. Turned out great. I had to replace several parts from a donor grille but between the two of them, had all the parts I needed. It actually didn't take very long. I did it over the weekend.

[bull]

What do you guys use to repair cracks in the bezel? And what do you use to reattach broken pieces such as the lower corners?

[1969chargerrtse]

I just finished mine. I used the Eastwood Argent wheel silver and the SEM trim black as per the comments here. Turned out great. I had to replace several parts from a donor grille but between the two of them, had all the parts I needed. It actually didn't take very long. I did it over the weekend.

Wow, great job, I'm getting ready to do mine, it's nice to see how those colors worked. So pulling it out, cleaning it up , swapping parts and painting it, over the weekend? Looks great! Rob.

[bear]

I started the deconstruction process of the grille tonight.  I started with the outer core and found an easier alternative to removing the rivets on the inner supports.  I used a small sharp chisel and it worked!  It was able to get in between the plastic and the frame without breaking anything!  I tried to use a side drill at first and couldn't get to it.  This method worked perfectly.  There is a pic at the bottom where you can see the chisel and angle that I used.  Almost EVERY bolt was frozen and they all pretty much broke off at the first turn.  I soaked them in WD 40 and it didn't help.  I ordered the kit with the new washers and bolts and I'm happy to have found it online.  I wet sanded the gray/black factory paint so it's perfectly smooth and ready for primer.  I will keep posting pics along the way.  One vacuum pod works, the other is dead.  Luckily, I have a spare.     

where did you get that bolt kit from i need one for my grille

[Lord Warlock]

Yes, do tell the bolt kit location, would love to see what it includes.  I plan on replacing about every bolt i can get to eventually, originality has its limits. 

[Brado]

Nice work guys.. unfortunately my 69 grille is unrepairable (big chunks missing).  Anyone bought a repo from PPR yet?

[chargerman68]

darn mis read the title was getting the bbq ready....

[69bronzeT5]

Im gonna half to get my grille done sometime...Im afraid to do anything to it though, it cost us $400 and Im afraid of f**king it up.

[68mmcharger]

Who sells the arrow emblem for the 68 grille? Is it different from the one on the rear panel?

[Lord Warlock]

Got all my own trim pieces off last weekend, worked out the damage to the spare I piece, I assume this piece was originally chrome wasn't it? 

What size ubolts extend thru the front of the fender to hold it in place?  Mine snapped off when removing it, so have to get new ones. 

[bull]

What do you guys use to repair cracks in the bezel? And what do you use to reattach broken pieces such as the lower corners?

Uh-oh, I accidentally wrote another question that only I can see.

FYI, I've also heard of people using a sharp-edged silver paint pen on the bars.

[Silver R/T]

i just finished my grille i painted the black and the outer silver then i had a pro sign painter do the bars ect with a brush {cant tell it was done with a brush} it looks amazing the silver is so crisp and perfect that i cant even believe it ...the best part he only charged me 100.00 to do it

looks pretty nice! I thought you were resto/paint guy, could've done it yourself???

[Lord Warlock]

Been working on the grille a bit this weekend, took a while to get around to it, still have to resand the black lip and re-do it as it isn't smooth enough yet.  I may have to search for some SEM trim paint, the organisol doesn't look right, and neither did the other black i tried.  I finished the silver today at least, after repairing a few small cracks and the previously mentioned hole, looks pretty good now, but we'll have to see it tomorrow in daylight.  I'm tempted to break out the airbrush instead of relying on aerosol cans.  Was the factory black a satin, flat or gloss black? 

Are the inner silver areas (around the black plastic) painted the same color as the grille plastic surround?  Seemed to be a little more silver colored than the grille paint that i got for it.  Under flourescents they looked a little darker than it did the first coat in sunshine, we'll see.  I can't see the contrast with the black until I remove the masking tomorrow. 

LW

[bear]

Been working on the grille a bit this weekend, took a while to get around to it, still have to resand the black lip and re-do it as it isn't smooth enough yet.  I may have to search for some SEM trim paint, the organisol doesn't look right, and neither did the other black i tried.  I finished the silver today at least, after repairing a few small cracks and the previously mentioned hole, looks pretty good now, but we'll have to see it tomorrow in daylight.  I'm tempted to break out the airbrush instead of relying on aerosol cans.  Was the factory black a satin, flat or gloss black? 

Are the inner silver areas (around the black plastic) painted the same color as the grille plastic surround?  Seemed to be a little more silver colored than the grille paint that i got for it.  Under flourescents they looked a little darker than it did the first coat in sunshine, we'll see.  I can't see the contrast with the black until I remove the masking tomorrow. 

LW

You can get the SEM trim black from eastwood:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=113&itemType=PRODUCT
All the silver areas are the same color