autonut Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Does anyone have a partial grill which I could perhaps use some of the pieces to repair my grill? I do not need the center piece. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Trying to repair the grille sides is an almost impossible task as the flutes are welded to the brackets. The real problem lies with the stainless caps on the flutes. Once damaged, they are very hard to replace. I have replaced a couple on my grill but once removed , they have a bad tendency to curl outward and if you manage to get one back on they are hard to recrimp. Even trying to take any pitting out of the flute backs is difficult due to the narrow spacing. Can you give a photo as to how bad the panels are, that might give a better idea as to how to go about restoring them. And, believe me, masking all those stainless stripsf or paint is a very tedious job, I've done it twice now and am still not satisfied with the final paint! Probably your best option is to continue looking for better parts. They will come at a high price though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autonut Posted June 22, 2018 Author Share Posted June 22, 2018 Thank you for the reply. Yes a very insurmountable task. When you mention masking off the stainless strips, are you talking about painting the metal strips on which the stainless is mounted on? It appears that masking, would be a very difficult and a time consuming task etc. To ask anyone to repair a grill like this would be very time consuming and spendy. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 (edited) When I was building my 36 coupe I found a 37 grill. Being not an original car I went with it. It fits perfectly. I have since scored the crank cover and I don't depend on the original clips to hold it on like I did the first one. Edited June 22, 2018 by JACK M (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 They are an amazing looking grill. It would be a huge job to rebuild one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autonut Posted June 22, 2018 Author Share Posted June 22, 2018 I agree totally! Wonder why they created such a complicated grill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 If the strips could be cut loose from the brackets it would be possible to change out damaged parts for good ones but it still would be a difficult task. I have enough parts to possibly build 2 sides if I could figure out how to get them apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptowndodge Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 You got nothing but time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) My grill was complete and needed refurbishing. If you have all the pieces and can make them look straight, the problem is stripping the rust off the metal fins.. I first attacked the fins with a Dremel tool and tiny wire brushes to get off the loose rust. I DID NOT remove the stainless ribs. Then found a plastic tub large enough to submerge one section in Evapo-Rust for a few days. Rinse, buff off the residue with the Dremel . Masking is not fun and tedious. You need tu buy 1/4" masking tape. DO NOT try to cut your own. A paint shop should have some. Shoot the fins with a good primer, Let it cure, then finish with black. I used a rust paint. Finally stripped off the masking tape and had a nice job. This will take a lot of time but can turn out nice if you have all the pieces to start with. Instead of Evapo-Rust you might try a water/molasses solution. The recipe can be found elsewhere on this forum. Hope this helps. Edited June 25, 2018 by 36 D2 Coupe more info (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autonut Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 Well thank you Jim for the info. I will have to investigate and see if I am able to tackle the job. I am in my 80's and don't have that much time left. I have some bottom fins that are pretty much gone. I thought perhaps I could somehow cut them out and put new ones in and tack weld behind the cross pieces. Do you think that would be a solution since as you say separating the stainless from the fins would be a tough job. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Here's an idea. If you can strip what you have as above, perhaps there is enough left of the lower parts of the fins to allow you to glue on thin strips cut to match the missing sections using something like JB Weld. Once they are painted black, it would take a sharp eye to spot the repairs on the lower part of the grill. This would be easier than trying to weld this thin material and JB Weld won't let go if the surfaces are clean. Anyone else want to comment on this idea? Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 The fins are also held together by thin strips of metal that pass through slots in each fin and are twisted a bit to hold each fin in place. No matter what you might try, it's still going to be a job. I was told that many years ago, there was a fellow that repaired them but he too apparently is long gone! Even with all the work to replace the fins, I have not seen any used grille sides that didn't have some dented or mangled stainless caps. Even my NOS part had some small dents in it. The stainless is really soft. I've often been tempted to try a more drastic repair on some of the sides I have but I'm not sure that I have enough good reusable fins. If you could give us some photos to see how bad they are and what might be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Yes jpage if the cross strips need to be replaced, that would sure complicate things. I agree, no simple fix. I don't know how strong your invective is but working on these grills is sure to develop it to a high level And yes, my stainless ribs are pitted with stone dents too. No cure, just polish and stand back a few feet and they'll look OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas G. Brown Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 On 6/22/2018 at 11:09 AM, JACK M said: When I was building my 36 coupe I found a 37 grill. Being not an original car I went with it. It fits perfectly. I have since scored the crank cover and I don't depend on the original clips to hold it on like I did the first one. It looks very nice. Good to know the 37 grille sides fir in the 36 shell. Those external air cleaners look pretty cool, too. On 6/22/2018 at 11:09 AM, JACK M said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas G. Brown Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 It looks very nice. Good to know the 37 grille sides fit in the 36 shell. Those external air cleaners look pretty cool, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Thanks, I've been driving this car around since 1982. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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