Front grill repair

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Joined
Jul 6, 2015
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Location
Iowa
My Car
1973 Mustang Grande 351C 2v
My front grill is in good shape with a few exceptions. I have a crack at the top near the hoop opener. See pic. Any advice on a good way to repair this before I refinish it? Also is the chrome trip around the grill available? I haven't been able to find it. Mine is beat up. And advice/help is much appreciated as always.

image.jpeg

 
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Epoxy plastic glue and clear plastic tub, like you can get screws in, cut up strips to fit and glue away. I did this on my 73 grill and have no issues!

Mustang7173

 
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Ive repaired several to varying degrees. I've used fiberglass cloth with resin in certain areas and two part plastic epoxy glue with pieces of black plastic I got from various things laying around the house for the repair. Best thing I've found is when using either, you need to scuff up the grille matting surface some for best adhesion. The glued on parts need to bite onto something. My brothers mach grille is still intact after I made some major repairs about 15 years ago.

 
I had mine break in the same place. I used a little dremel wheel and made a v groove. Used 3m expoy and glued it back together. then sanded down the excess. After paint you can hardly tell I was in there.

 
My front grill is in good shape with a few exceptions. I have a crack at the top near the hoop opener. See pic. Any advice on a good way to repair this before I refinish it? Also is the chrome trip around the grill available? I haven't been able to find it. Mine is beat up. And advice/help is much appreciated as always.
You can also go with the Mach 1 grille - they are reasonably priced

Item #D3ZZ-8200-B/KIT

73 MACH 1 GRILLE AND TRIM KIT

Grille made on the Original Ford Tooling, stainless steel trim set (rh, lh, upper, lower and 16 clips), Mach 1 grille emblem and hardware kit.

Price: $229.95

 
Like Don has said the repo grills fit and look same as original since they got the Ford tooling. I did have issues with the new Daniel Carpenter trim clips that hold the stainless on. I actually had to deform my NOS trim by closing it up for the clips to even hold anything. I used the windshield sealer to hold them in place while I got the trim on.

Now to answer your question. The grill is ABS plastic just like your console. You can use the glue from hardware store for that type pipe. The glue does melt the plastic like doing a model so be careful. I think one of the members has a thread on here about doing a repair to the A-post trim which is also ABS. They used I think acetone to mix with pieces of the plastic to make a paste to fill in broken areas. Do a search and see what you find.

I have also found that blasting the grill with walnut shells cleans it up nice and makes it look almost new. Lower the air pressure so not to eat the plastic away.

Always be on the lookout for the grill trim I got a couple sets for $25.00 but that is not normal. It is stainless so buffing is easy and looks new.

I warn you that once you get the grill out the headlight buckets, grill brackets have to be stripped and reworked, lol. Some of the parts are Slop gray and some semi gloss black. The hood latch is phosphate. It is one of those projects that just keeps growing once you are there. Only pic I had on computer was before the phosphate hood latch was on and no trim was waiting on the clips. I also got a bolt kit and replaced all the bolts also not in the picture. The grill is one I had in my hoard in attic for years.

It will make the front of the car look much better for sure. When someone walks up to the car with hood open it looks much better.

 
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