'68/'69 Grille header restoration; any suggestions?

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang..
I'm getting my '68 Charger R/T home soon from the paint shop and need to finish off things now to reinstall.. Any pointers on stripping, priming and painting the grille header here? Simple sanding isn't going to cut it....

Troy

[Charger-Bodie]

I would sandblast it, primer sealer it, and paint it.

[six-tee-nine]

I'm gonna send mine out wirht some other stuff to get is blasted and powder coated.

Remember this thing is pretty much in sight when you pop the hood, so you better handle it the right way.
As said above is a good option too, but not when you have to paint it with a rattle can (too large) and it will get full of dust. Tha method is only succesful if you have acces to a spray gun and the space to get going with it....

[Winged 1]

 
Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

[Charger-Bodie]

Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

Powder coat will be thick and it will look Phony because it will fill the character marks and spot welds etc. Not a good place for powder coating.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

Powder coat will be thick and it will look Phony because it will fill the character marks and spot welds etc. Not a good place for powder coating.

         
      I  2nd that.

[69bronzeT5]

Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

Powder coat will be thick and it will look Phony because it will fill the character marks and spot welds etc. Not a good place for powder coating.

         
      I  2nd that.

I 3rd that. I'd blast it and paint it with a spray gun.

Btw, nice Plymouth

[Corellian Corvette]

I disagree completely. Considering that mine has been blasted and powder coated, and the spot welds and other details pop perfectly, I'm not sure why people think it's some thick molasses.

Good powdercoating will be very thin and will not mask ANY metal imperfections or pits. Since there is no filler, etc. like a primer would have with paint, every detail comes through.

On a nice virgin piece of metal, powdercoating will look FANTASTIC. If you have major dents, scratches, or pitting powdercoating will NOT fill those imperfections in.

However, it's going to look GREAT, won't scratch, won't be susceptible to any oils or grease, and won't allow rust through. I've had most of my major body components (Dash frame, brackets, grille frame, hinges, braces, bumper brackets) powdercoated and they look amazing and are infinitely more durable. It also gets in cracks and areas you could never get with paint.

Take a look at my original A/C Air Cleaner that I had done. This thing was COVERED in grease, oil, 10 layers of paint. It looked TERRIBLE and I was afraid I was going to have to get another one. Tell me this doesn't have the most minute details popping out, including the indentations for the spot welds.



Here is my complete dash frame done. Again, look how much detail you can see, and no paint drips or anything. Also – there is not one ounce of rust on any part – and there is coating up inside the frame and in every nook and cranny.



I had all the parts in that picture blasted and coated. Total cost = $150. Total amount of my time taken = 0min. 

Grab up every piece of metal you have and take it down to your local coater. I highly recommend it.

[69*F5*SE]

I have to admit.....it does look pretty good and with the right sheen.

[runningman]

Is that just a satin black?  Looks pretty nice, I have had a few pieces powdercoated as well and have been very happy so far

[1969chargerrtse]

Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

Powder coat will be thick and it will look Phony because it will fill the character marks and spot welds etc. Not a good place for powder coating.

         
      I  2nd that.

I powder coated mine and it looks thin and fantastic.  I did a thread on it before, my brother in law used a powder coat called E coat.  Thin and semi flat, looks original as can be.  I'll locate thread and pics.

FOUND IT!  Check out these pictures, looks great.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,35430.0.html

[hemi68charger]

I had all the parts in that picture blasted and coated. Total cost = $150. Total amount of my time taken = 0min. 

A continued thanks to all........ $150 for all that? Now, that's definitely worth it... Did you clean all the parts and strip them down first or is that done as part of the powder coating process?

Cheers,
Troy

[Finn]

  I'm having my dash powder coated with some other parts but now I'm really thinking about tearing down my grille again to have the frame done.

[1969chargerrtse]

I had all the parts in that picture blasted and coated. Total cost = $150. Total amount of my time taken = 0min. 

A continued thanks to all........ $150 for all that? Now, that's definitely worth it... Did you clean all the parts and strip them down first or is that done as part of the powder coating process?

Cheers,
Troy

I dropped my stuff off at the powder coating shop and he sent them out to be sandblasted and then did his work.  The sandblasting price was just added to the total cost.

[Corellian Corvette]

Same here. The guy I use also sends the stuff out to be blasted - so it all gets added together. Since I'm using a coating that the guy is running though most of his stuff already, he really doesn't care if he has to throw more stuff in - it only gets more expensive if he has to do a special color and change out the gun. It's all free cash for this guy so I get a good deal. 

[Silver R/T]

Ive stripped mine, welded up any holes that someone put on there (not factory), filled, primered and painted correct semi gloss black.

[Silver R/T]

Go with blasting and powder coat. Going to last the longest and hold up the best..
Eric

I would also, it will resist abrasion, chemicals, moisture. Cant go wrong with powder coat.