spray painted grill

[cobradriver]

PO spray painted the grill of my 69 charger silver....though he liked it i dont...but i want to try to get that paint off....what would be the best method?....i dont know what kind of paint it is....but tends to flake off fairly easy.....then what kind of paint should i use to bring back the black?

[chargermick]

I used a Scotch Brite pad and liquid dish soap to remove all of my paint. I just stood at the kitchen sink and scrubbed. I bought the silver argent paint from Totally Auto, and the black is SEM trim black from any good auto paint supply.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi cobradriver,just clarify a little.Was the whole grille painted silver?Or just the area that is supposed to be the grey area?If the silver paint that was put on is easily flaking off,try using a small  air blow gun , gently blow at the edges of the paint and it should start blowing off,and just keep going.If it doesn't and you still want that paint off,if it is still fresh,use some paint reducer in little areas to soften and wipe off immediately,and keep wiping dry,use a little air to help .You may have to do a little sanding before you do your next paint job,but make sure you finish off to around 600 grit,because the new paint (out of a spray can,whatever you use),is going to be thin and you will see scratches left by 400 grit and less.Now for the paint......SEM trim black is pefect for the black because what you are trying to duplicate is the color of NEW,raw black plastic.Now for the silver or grey area.I have replied on this subject before,and will do again now.There is a paint from a vendor,called grill silver,that is widely used and accepted by most ,for the grills on 68 and 69 chargers.I myself tried it,but having an NOS center section grill to go by along with a very good original,found that the correct color is more along the lines of grey,more than a silver.I had a proffit taken of the NOS one and had a formula made and mixed for me,(it took a few mixes and test spray outs to get it right),but I nailed the color right on.I was being very meticulis when it came to my grill.I wanted to get this grill as original looking as possible.Here are a couple of pics.

[cobradriver]

yeah he spray painted the black area silver...i used a pressure washer and was able to take off some of the silver on the grill....but the head light doors are where it concerns me...its on thicker....and it wont come off...

[69 OUR/TEA]

ok,here is another trick,to clean my headlight doors,which had some bugs and dirt up against the fins,I put them in my glass bead cabinet,(using fine glass bead)turned down the air pressure to 15-20 lbs,and cleaned them like that.They cleaned up great.Very important,because the pressure is low,it will take some time ,don't hold the nozzle to close to the part.Also when you go to clean these to prep for paint,do not use the typical wax and grease remover,you have to use a plastic cleaner that is alcohol based,so it evaporates out of the plastic.Omni has a brand,called plastic cleaner,I don't have the part number in memory,I will get list it for you later.

[GreenMachine]

    I sandblasted my '70 grill with white sand (silica). I used Rustoleum Satin Black and blacked out the whole grill, 4 years later and it still looks great, no chipping, no fading. IMO, a '70 grill should have been solid black from the factory.

[cobradriver]

ok this is what i did....i used mineral spirits and my pressure washer to take off as much of the silver as i could...then i took qtips with paint thinner, and painstakenly cleaned the grill washing as i went to not leave any paint thinner on the grill plastic.  the taped it off and painted.....actualy looks great...i figure this will hold it till a reproduction is avail or sent to have it restored...amazing how great the car looks now the grill is back in black....

[grek]

69 OUR/TEA,

I'm in the process of restoring my grill and want to know if you need to remove the original silver paint on the grill before applying the new paint.  If this paint needs removed, what is the best method?  I know you already posted to the orignal post however I want to confirm if I should take any different approach when removing the orignal paint if need be.  Also, once the paint is remove what should the grill be preped with in order to prepare it for painting?  You had mentioned in one of your previous posts about using sand paper, can you explain why sand paper is being used and will I need to do the same.  My apologies for posting these questions since I'm sure you answered them in the past however based on your knowledge and how great your grill looks I had to ask.  Just thought of one more question.   What type of glue should I use to fix a crack and what type of plastic filler is best to use if any. 

Thank You,

Grek

[Shakey]

69 OUR/TEA,

I'm in the process of restoring my grill and want to know if you need to remove the original silver paint on the grill before applying the new paint.  If this paint needs removed, what is the best method?  I know you already posted to the orignal post however I want to confirm if I should take any different approach when removing the orignal paint if need be.  Also, once the paint is remove what should the grill be preped with in order to prepare it for painting?  You had mentioned in one of your previous posts about using sand paper, can you explain why sand paper is being used and will I need to do the same.  My apologies for posting these questions since I'm sure you answered them in the past however based on your knowledge and how great your grill looks I had to ask.  Just thought of one more question.   What type of glue should I use to fix a crack and what type of plastic filler is best to use if any. 

Thank You,

Grek

Grek,

There is a lot of info about restoring grilles on the site.

Here are a few links.  If you utilize the advanced search feature, you will find much more.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,4620.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,49.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,5616.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,6267.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,6077.0.html

69 OUR/TEA has done a fantastic job.  Follow his lead.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi grek,
            You do not need to remove the paint on the grill,just prep it good.This is what I did,my center section was nos,but did have a couple of scratches in the gray area and since I had to paint my bezels I was going to paint eveything so it matches perfect.I had a proffit taken of the color of the nos grill section,and had paint made.For the black I used SEM trim black as it is made to go over plastic anyway,it also resmbles the color the grill is supposed to be.(The black area is supposed to look liike "new" raw black plastic).My bezels each had a small crack in the upper outer areas.I used 400 grit paper and sanded where the crack was,about an inch and a half,used a plastic cleaner,PPG OMNI MX 182 plastic cleaner,DO NOT USE A WAX AND GREASE REMOVER,SOLVENT FROM IT WILL STAY IN THE PLASTIC,AND WHEN YOU GO TO PAINT IT WILL WRINKLE!!! Then gently warmed up the plastic with a heat gun,warm ,not hot.I used locktite plastic epoxy,mixed it,again gently opened up the crack a little so the epoxy will get into the crack.I also puddled up a little more on the top of crack that you will not see because the metal grill frame will cover it.The little bit that came through to the inside area I sanded smooth,out to 500 grit wet paper,I also used  a red scotch pad,lightly,to get to the tough spots.Then cleaned with the plastic cleaner a couple of times,it dries fast,then went ahead with painting.Painted eveything black first,waited a day for it to dry good,then taped up the area to stay black and did the gray area.The headlight doors and center section are a time consuming tape job,be patient.Do you have a PPG paint supply store near you,I can give you the formula for the gray paint,that they can mix for you?

[69 OUR/TEA]

Grek,the plastic cleaner is MX192 not 182.My typo.

[grek]

Shakey- Thank you for providing the back URL listings on gill discussions.

69 OUR/ TEA- Thank you for the reply as well.  If I understand you correctly, the dab of glue that's used on the outside of the crack is actually your filler and then is sanded off.  Once sanded, preped for paint, and then painted you'll never see the crack.  That makes sense.  I figured you would need a filler however the glue itself is the filler.  My sister's neighbor is a PPG paint rep. and he should be able to get the paint that you had made special.  Maybe I can even get a break on the price, we'll see.

Again, thank you for all the great info. 

Your Mopar Friend,

Grek   

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi grek, what I mean is ,where the  the crack is ,puddle up some of the epoxy on the opposite side of grill,that you don't see.Like above the headlight doors on mine.I gently opened up the crack and let some epoxy flow into it,then let go and you will see some of the epoxy oose out of the crack,just wipe it up,what ever is still there you can sand later after it cures.Then on top ,take some of the remaining epoxy and puddle it on top of rack to add somemore back up strength.Here are a couple of pics to show what I mean....

[grek]

69 OUR/TEA,

Thank you for the additional explanation and the pics.  I definitely understand what you are saying.  I was very leary about attempting to separate the plastic in order to let the glue get in the crack.  I understand not to separate to far, just enough to let the glue get inside the crack.  During the process, I may need to ask some further questions and would greatly appreciate your help.

Thank you once again,

Grek

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi grek,no problem,anytime.When you get to the stage of painting ,let me know and I will get you the code that I have made for the grill color in PPG.

[hewi]

G'day.

Living in New Zealand it's pretty hard to find Argent Silver.

Will have to get some made up for me. Is the grill argent silver exactly the same as the silver on the taillight lenses (69 Charger)? If it is I could use this as the paint to match.

Cheers,
hewi