When I got my Eliminator, it was missing the original grille. In it’s place was a standard 69 grille in pretty good shape other that a lot of raised pits on the horizontal bars. As these bars will be painted black I am looking to grind or file these imperfections down but am not sure of the best way to do this so I don’t create even more of a problem. Using a flat hand file seems the most safe way but very labor intensive. Using a dermal tool might work but could also leave the surface with shallow gouges. I’m sure others out there have had to go through this process and hopefully I can learn from those experiences on what to and not to do. Finally, once all cleaned up what prep and paint seems to work the best for a grille? Many thanks.
Consider it as a piece of the car’s body: you want it to be perfectly smooth before paint. Grind down any pieces that are sticking up high. If you have to grind below the nominal surface, consider filling it in with filler, then sanding everything to a smooth surface ready for paint. This will likely be very time consuming, so be aware.
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Might try the dual sided flexable finger nail files sold on amazon
Wont dig in like a grinder wheel . Do not use your wifes stash
I refinished mine without making sure the pot metal was perfectly smooth and it shows. I’ll end up having to do it again the right way.
This might be worth trying: https://www.muggyweld.com/
So, I have decided that a rotary grinder has too much potential to cause more damage than saving time. I tried a small vibration sander but it was too thick to fit between the ribs. I tried a fine flat file which got to tips but didn’t touch the base of the pits. So, next will be picking up a couple more aggressive flat files and maybe carefully try out a Dremel grinding stone. Should have the results sometime this weekend. Thanks for the feedback.
Oh, and the Muggyweld might be useful if there are any low spots or if I create any nicks or gouges during this process.
An update. Decided against the Dremel as I’m sure I would end up with scalloped surfaces. Picked up an 8” and 10” medium double cut files. Tedious and need to work at keeping the file flat on the surface. So far the ribs are feeling pretty flat. I plan to shoot some black primer and evaluate if I need to file off the primer to find any high or low spots. Either way after a primer coat will come the flat black. Is there any suggestions on primer over the bare pot metal and the remaining chrome? Is there an appropriate black paint for the grille?
SEM Trim Black of course no primer needed.
Yup, just found this out. Another poster mentioned to use SEM Ultra Trim Black. So based on not needing a primer I’ll throw on a light coat to check for high-low spots and follow up with one or two final coats.