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Repairing, Rejuvenating & Restoring a Plastic Grille

26K views 8 replies 2 participants last post by  Chevrolet4x4s 
#1 · (Edited)
Repairing, Rejuvenating & Restoring a Plastic Grille
As vehicles age the grille takes a lot of abuse from years in the blazing sun and the occasional rocks and belt buckles. The original shine fades and cracks develop and can make your vehicle look worn and tired. Sure you can get an aftermarket grille but that can take away from a vehicles character and make it look like everyone else’s who has encountered this dilemma, Or if your lucky you can spend $100 or more on a new grille if you can get one for your car or truck which isn’t the case for 1973-1974 Chevrolet trucks in which a correct reproduction grille cannot be obtained. Here is a simple how-to for giving your worn, damaged and faded grille a face lift that most do-it-yourselfers can do at home for very little money.


1973-1974 Chevy truck grille a $0.99 eBay score.



Grille as I received it.


Looks normal at first look


Has a small crack (no surprise on a 33 year old grille)


I sanded the area, melted a small pinhole depression at the end of the crack to keep it from running. I repaired the crack with JB Weld. Flexing it slightly to get it worked into the crack.


Back of the crack had a line from the stress of the crack that wasn’t open but added a little JB Weld to be on the safe side

Repair sanded down


I added a piece of an aluminum fence tie (used for attaching chain link to fence posts) for added support to the repair.


Put a little JB Weld into the channel and insert the fence tie.


THOROUGHLY
Clean Mask and Prep the grille accordingly. I used sandpaper to smooth scratches initially and used #0000 fine steel wool to do the final smoothing and to prepare the grille for primer.


Apply primer in several light coats.

Paint the grille with Dupli-Color® Instant Chrome Spray Enamel in several light coats until full coverage is achieved.


After the paint has FULLY cured apply clear coat in several light coats. If you add the clear too soon or too heavy you will dull the finish.
Let the clear coat cure remove the masking tape and look at the finished grille


 

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