72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Hey all, Pulled my Grill today and starting process of beautifying it. I am curious on what Brand of Paint you had the best experience with. I see Dupli-Color and Eastwood sell Argent Silver but is there a better paint out there? Thanx for your suggestions/recommendations in advance. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I used krylon paint and primer in one, but I did the inside of the fins on mine black. It seems to be holding up well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCfan Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Doug, I suppose it depends on the overall look you want for your grill. I wanted my '70 SS grill to "pop" so I used Plasti-kote Bumper Chrome on all of the honeycomb sections and the exposed top rail and feet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 Yeah Steve, I'm going to repaint in the Argent Silver but unsure of Manufacturer to use. Some spray nozzles work better than others for coverage and uniformity. I don't know which one(s) fit that bill. I actually considered going with black but I keep getting drawn back to originality. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 Doug, I suppose it depends on the overall look you want for your grill. I wanted my '70 SS grill to "pop" so I used Dupli-Color Bumper Chrome on all of the honeycomb sections and the exposed top rail and feet. I read your Thread on that project just today Dennis and looks excellent. I'm going to try and stay factory where practical and Argent Silver is my selection. Just searching for the best paint color to use once taped and ready to spray. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonteMack Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Hey there Doug was just about to do the same to my 72 quick question though i cant seem to get the back of the signal rear housing out of the grille it looks like sealed rubber or something? Only thing holding me from pulling the grille out. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 The turn signal sockets act like a twist lock Mack to remove or replace. Try turning them (I think clockwise) with pressure until the socket rotates and simply pull them away. They can be hard to turn by hand on occasion and I used a pair of slip joint pliers to rotate them but do it gently (or a more subtle tool of your choice)! Don't want to crack or break the sockets. You will likely need to remove battery unless already out to get at socket. Good luck with yours. I'm just now considering how I am going to tape it off the easiest and most practical way. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420ponies Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 That will be about an 8 hr job. I did mine and all I can say is all that work is mighty fine when finished. mine has been done for 4 yrs and looks like I just finished it. Argent Silver from Eastwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 Okay, thinking outside the box here. Did a preliminary measurement of the inside dimensions of the grates assuming all are the same measurement. I am going to cut out a thin but solid piece of (I don't know what yet) that will seal off the front chrome side when pushed into the grates cavity. If I'm correct, I'll duplicate the model maybe 29 x's and do one half the Grill at a time. The material will be rigid but easily cut with an exacto knife. Not certain this will pan out until I measure & cut my Model but evaluating it looks feasible. Spent today just cleaning it and not done yet. There is enough oxidization and needs removed before paint and is time consuming. I expect to spend tomorrow cleaning as well. Hopefully, by the end of the day I can report Grill is clean and my crazy idea will work. If I cut them precise enough, they should remain firmly in place while I paint the rear side of the grates and pop back out when paint has dried sufficiently. Then use for the last half of the Grill to finish. Hopefully, the material I select will be reusable of course. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 Just a FYI - I found me suitable material to block out the grill face yesterday and came up with suitable measurements. Today I setup a work area to start cutting my grill insert pieces. Overall, I spent roughly 3 hours filling in the grill half. Tomorrow should go faster now that I have everything in place and know what I am doing. I ended up using a slim sheet of plastic that was firm enough for this job. I used a paper cutter to cut that sheet of plastic into pieces for the grill. There was still a little trimming on most for the fit I was after and figuring that each grate is not necessarily typical of the others. I left each slightly longer and wider purposely. Even so, there are a few that are curling on the ends that I figured a little toothpaste would hold down. Here is a couple pic's where I ended up today. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boyte Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Damn smart. I like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Finished fitting the plastic inserts this morning and ready for the next phase, Taping for the black paint trim on face and anywhere needing covered prior to the paint is next. Will use bumper chrome paint for the turn signal cavities and black for the trim. Pin Stripe tape probably for the face trim in particular. I also bought a tube of cheap toothpaste in the form of a Gel. Due to minor curling on some of the inserts, this will be applied to the face where curled to hold insert(s) in place (I hope)! Don't care if it dries and will clean off easily with water once painted. I think it will do what I envision and multi purpose as the toothpaste will ensure No Cavities going forward................ No, I didn't buy Floss Getting closer to the actual painting and hope I don't screw that up considering the effort so far. Here is the Grill with ALL plastic inserts in place. I marked their location as I trimmed each one to fit that pocket and in case of an accident, well, you get the problem if they all blew out. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 Okay, finished prepping front of Grill for Black Trim paint and the Turn Signal cavities get Bumper Chrome spray paint tomorrow. The Gel Toothpaste is what is holding in the plastic inserts. I am hoping it will cure some over night for better holding power. Once front of Grill has been completed, will finish spraying back side with the Argent Silver. When satisfied all is done, I will pop out the plastic inserts with the expectation that Grill is now ready to install turn signal frame & lenses, then replacing into car. I am roughly a couple weeks away from annual Portland Swap Meet and am attending, so not sure if I will be done installing Grill. Before it goes back in, will recondition Core Support in place along with area between Grill and Radiator. Retirement makes these projects less urgent to complete on a schedule. Will show finished Grill before she goes back into car. (I hope) it's finished Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Here she is after paint and washed. I did not get the result I was after. After spraying the Grill from the rear, the plastic Insert(s) moved from the velocity of the spray. I had the front side covered and was unaware until removal of the cover where I saw evidence of leakage of paint onto front Grill surfaces. Wasn't an absolute mess, but will require some razor blade work to clear those places on Grill face. Also, I had hung the Grill with the weight distribution causing Lower Rear Grill to lean back, making forward side slant down. That allowed the excess paint to drip toward the front and I did not consider that during painting. The paint spray was difficult for me to aim (getting old) and due to detailed features of Grill, I should have done lighter coat(s) to start and finish with one final coat. Maintaining a proper distance from the painting area was an issue for me also. Such intricate passages, angles I simply lost focus and kept trying to correct myself. Long story short, I should have put a piece of adhesive tape on each plastic insert, and adhere it once insert is in place to seal off the front plus hold insert snug in place (so much for the toothpaste idea). I underestimated the spray pressure coming from the spray can. Had I done that, I am sure the result would have been excellent with little clean up. Then when Grill is suspended for paint, make the lower rear of Grill slant forward so the Grates lean back and any excess paint would flow to the rear and easily taken care of. So, for the next day or so, I will be detailing the Grill face to remove paint from unintended Grill surfaces. Should I do this again, I would follow the same path with those improvements I mentioned need incorporated. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Doug, it would be interesting to see it without the water still on it. Personally, without the water on it I think it would look fine. Please keep in mind nobody will be as critical as you are on your work, we are always more critical of ourselves than others are on us. If they were to get down onto their hands and knees to inspect it shame on them. Don't point out the mistakes and nobody will see them. rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Appreciate the advise Rob. I was disappointed in the result but learned from it. I think was it said "it's not the destination, but the journey". I'm a work in progress Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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