Hello All,
I am looking to clean up my Hood Grille Emblem. I see that WCCC sells the “7” Decal without the letters which need to be removed before adhering the decal. My letters appear to be pop riveted on…is that normal? Should I bother trying to get them off?
Alternatively, I was just going to repaint the red “7”…any recos on the best/exact paint to use?
Thanks in advance.
Joe V.
Hello Joe, The chrome ‘X’ & ‘R’ letters were assembled to the hood grille with a process known as spin welding at time of manufacture. Not really a weld so-to-speak… The die-cast studs on each letter are peened over with a spinning tool that creates the domed heads seen on the back side.
If you wish to remove the letters, you would need to grind the heads off and then pop the letters off.
The diecast material is relatively soft, and can be ground away with minimal effort.
Reassembly of the letters would require epoxy such as J-B Weld or Gorilla epoxy.
IMO… the foil background on your grill is very presentable. You might consider just repainting the ‘7’ with a hobbyist paint brush, without removing the letters. If that process doesn’t meet your expectations… you can always resort to the next step
Hey look here!
Here’s a guy that has been "in it " from nearly the beginning! John Bauman. Know for these exact items for out Cats. Worth the money, and look around for a few more items!
BTW I’m still looking for a set of letters for my 428 CJ Cat! let me know if you have some!
Thanks!
Nice…thanks…I also saw that on WCCC but removing the letters is what I was wondering about to install that…thanks!
Joe V.
Thanks…just went the paint route…not great but better than it was! Will touch it up a little more today to even it out.
Joe V.
I removed the letters, restored the backing and tapped the old letter bosses using #2 screws. Can take them apart in the future if needed.
Looks great! Just a hint of patina looks even better than factory fresh imho!
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh I half assed it but looks better than it was…thanks!
Joe V.
I did the same with #4 screws. You have to be careful not to drill through, it’s soft material. The #4 are small, #2’s must be a challenge. Most of the hardware stores have 4-40 taps I got two and ground one down to be a bottoming tap. Used the same approach on the XR7 side and gas cap emblems.
