68 Grille repairs

[Inspector71]

It looks like I am going to have to take the grille, which is cracked in several places) off the metal brace to have the metal part sand blasted. Is there any trick to this so I don't break and or lose anything? It seems there is always some "trick" that escapes the how to books. Thanks

[Dino]

No real tricks, just caution, this stuff is old.

Begin by taking lots of pictures before dissasembly.  Spray every single bolt with WD40 and let it sit for a while.  I usually start soaking the nuts and bolts a week or so before I actually start the project.  Spray a few times throughout the week and when you're ready to start there's no surprises.  Use jars for bolts and screws and take your time to take everything apart.  Keep taking pictures, if for whatever reason the project needs to take a back seat you quickly forget where everything went.  The grille will be brittle so take it easy.

[69DodgeCharger]

If the rust penetrant doesn't work you can use a grinding stone or cutoff wheel for a few seconds at a time to grind away the head of the bolt. If you grind for too long it will heat up and melt the surrounding plastic. I would skip on the WD-40 and get some "real" rust penetrant. Liquid Wrench, or PB Blaster and let it soak for a day or two before starting. If possible put a small piece of wood or plastic into the mounting tab area to keep the J clip from spinning and breaking the sidewall of the mounting tabs. It worked for me. At least on the few bolts that were able to be turned out.

[Inspector71]

Thanks for the great replies. A friend started this project for me about 15 years ago and then moved. Everything stripped was tossed in boxes and jars and now I don't know what goes where. He dropped the dash too and, well, now I see why it is so important to take pictures and label everything. Thanks for the great ideas. I plan to fix the grille this spring.