Grill

[JOEGMC]

Hey,
well i'm wondering if there is anyway to restore the grill in my 1977 gmc? it is in very good shape but its a little faded. Thanks guys.

[old Rusty C10]

they sell spray bombs that will kinda match it looks better for a daily driver but wouldnt work for a show truck

[spinem]

krylon fusion plastic paint.... highly reccomended.
krylon metal paint..............crapy, watery

[JOEGMC]

Does the paint hold up descent? I just wanna make it look a little better, but its in such good shape i'm not replacing it with a cheapo aftermarket, oh yeah thanks for the help guys

[big10ratrod77]

well on my duster i repainted the grill with the krylon plastic fusion paint and it turned out realy well


the only thing make sure its clean i used a scotch brite pad and ran it over the hole grill and then ran it over with some paint thinner and blew it off with compressed air and sprayed it in the shed to keep a lil dust off of it (it was realy windy). good luck man

[Keith Seymore]

I used Duplicolor FM-149 on the grille and headlight bezels and I thought it turned out great.

K

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

The grille itself was used, purchased from ScottH (thanks again, Scott). I sprayed it with Duplicolor Argent silver (FM149), along with the headlight bezels. I reused his parking lamps and stainless, with the exception of the center bars (new) and I also replaced the stainless around the grill opening.



I repainted my original bowtie while I was at it, retouching the black border around the chrome and then the "gold/yellow" in the center



This shows the center bars, painted body colored (Duplicolor red WA 7475, code 72).

[2badgn]

Where did u buy the stainless steel grill trim?

[Keith Seymore]

Cheyenne Pickup Parts.

K

[chevyrestoguy]

I've had my best results using SEM products, which are usually found at auto body supply stores. They have a bunch of shades of greys and silvers with the right amount of metallic to duplicate the factory finish and come in spray can form.

For the grille, you have to make sure that it's completely clean of waxes and oils before you attempt to paint it. Armor-All can wreck a paint job even if it hasn't been applied in years. It can penetrate the plastic and rear it's ugly head after the paint is applied and fish-eye the entire part. It's nearly impossible to get in all the cracks and crannies and sand it all back out. Wash the part thoroughly in dish soap, blow it off with a blow nozzle, and give it a really good going over with a red scotchbrite. If you can, go to the same supply house and buy a container of Ting and wet the scotchbrite and work the part over. Once you've got it where the finish looks like it's been thoroughly sanded, wash it off again in dish soap, and blow it dry. Mask off the areas that you don't want to get painted. For added protection, buy the SEM primer made specifically for plastic parts and give it a LIGHT coating. Don't go nuts with the primer. Knock off the nibs with the scotchbrite, wash the part again, and give it a coat with the SEM paint.

For the headlight rings, work the insides with 200 paper and knock off the high pits. Work your way to 400 paper and blend out the sanding marks. Wash the part in dish soap and blow it dry. Mask off the outer edges (chrome area) and give the part a LIGHT coat with SEM Metal Etch Primer. Let it dry for an hour, knock off the nibs, clean it again, blow it off, and spray it with the same SEM paint you used on the grille.

ANOTHER THING! If you decide to use different manufacturers between the primer and the paint, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE LABELS. Some vendor's products are lacquer and some are enamel. If you use a lacquer primer and an enamel top coat, it'll lift the primer ("crinkle it") and make a HUGE mess.

It costs a little more for the SEM products, but the results are worth it. SEM products are awesome, and if you don't glob on the material, you can get alot of use out of each can.

[JOEGMC]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, really good info thanks a lot

[Panelman55]

I just finished my 86 GMC grill. I used cheep o Wally world gloss black and Auto zone Medium silver. I think it looks nice for an old grill. Sorry no Photos!!!