-Rich Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Ok, so now I've had the radiator re-cored, and the heater core checked out. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'm going to use a borrowed pressure washer to clean out the block.Tonight I pulled off the grille. It's not it bad shape, but could use a good reconditioning. So what's the best way to go about it? I'm guessing it's made from pot metal, and it does have some light pitting. Should I just take it to a chrome shop and have them do it?And how does one paint the recesses black, as well as the the thin stripes? Again I'm just guessing, but I'm betting paint doesn't stick well to chrome - right?Sorry for all the questions, but this car was owned by my dad for 35 years before he passed away and the car came to me. And since he's not around any moe to ask for advice, I'm turning to y'all..Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egor Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Southern 38:The grill is pot metal, and the only way to get rid of the pitting is to get the chrome stripped off to get at the pits. I had a grill re-done a couple of years ago, and if you let the chrome shop do all the work, it can get real expensive. I was told, by folks that seem to know, that the pits will tend over time to cause the new chrome plating to bubble, so you want to get as many out as you can. Whether you want all the pitting out, or keep it simple and just go after those on the parts that won't be painted, it'd be worth your time to have the shop strip the chrome, take the grill back and and do the sanding yourself, then give it back to the shop for re-plating. I never got around to painting the grill before I sold the car (I already had another '38), but I did a web search for "painting chrome", and there were lots of resources. Don't forget to check out the back issues of the former'37'-'38 Buick club magazine, Torque Tube, at http://www.1937and1938buicks.com/.Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Buick 80C Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I had by grill chromed by Paul's Chrome. They did a great job. As for painting. I masked off all the areas that I didn't want painting including the small black line areas I got those later. Then I just used a spray can and did a couple coats front and back. It was pretty simple really. I just used 1/2 masking tape and was patient and precise to make sure the edge of the tape stays on the edge of each grill horizontal. You could probably use wider tape and then use an exacto knife to trim the excess but I'd be wary of knifes by my freshly rechromed grill. As for the little black stripes. I went to my local hobby shop and got Testors Model Enamel paint, black of course, as well as a small modelers brush. Make sure to get paint thinner as well. I painted each line carefully. If I got any out side the line I used a paper towel with a little thinner dabbed on it and wiped the excess off carefully. If you do it gently you can wipe the high spots of the chrome while leaving the indented black stripes as is. The thinner leaves a little residue so when the paint is dry clean up with window cleaner to remove the residue. You'll need to wax to prevent more pitting so just be real careful with it. I keep a small house painters paint brush around to keep wax build up out of my black stripes. Good luck.Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OLBUICKS Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 38 BUICK 80 C How much did it cost to have Paul's to do the grille? He does good work, and has done some small peices for me.. I also need my 38 recromed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egor Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Great painting info, Brian.We west coasters, whether for our classics, hot rods, low riders, whatever, have had good luck with Superior Chrome in San Jose CA. Any other success stories out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Buick 80C Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I'll send a private message on that, cause I'd rather not tell the whole world. Paul's did excellent work and they will continue to get all my chrome work, but they are not inexpensive. I've heard horror stories about chrome plating shops and I feel I will never have a horror story with Paul's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Rich Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm not restoring mine to be a "show car" by any means - she'll always be a driver - so I'll probably look for a good local shop to do the chrome.I like the idea of having them remove the old plating, and then me doing the pits myself. Never would have thought of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelsBuicks Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 So if you do the pits yourself, what is involved? Do you sand away until they're gone? Or do you fill them with something? I've heard of copper plating the piece and then using regular solder to fill the pits. Does anybody do the pits themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Copper plating, sand, copper plating, sand, etc., until the pits are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AmerMidChrome Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Hi, I see that you will look for a chromer that is local. I do not know if you have anyone close by your home, but when you are in the market for chrome, you can try us out. We are located in Chicago Illinois. We will be happy to do business with you. We are reasonable too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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