TR2/3/3A Restoring a TR3A Grille?

[karls59tr]

The grille on my car is pretty beat up so I'm replacing it with another that is intact. The only problem with the replacement is that someone has spray painted it with silver paint. Will laquer thinner get the paint off but ruin the finish? A friend of mine had an older grille that he cleaned up with some sort of acid he got from an autobody shop. After neutralizing the acid wash he he polished it to a brilliant shine. I'd like to try that after I remove the paint. Any suggestions?

 

[PeterK]

I'd ask at the autobody shop for their recommendations. They usually know.

 

[CJD]

Lacquer thinner will not damage the metal. It will remove most one part paints well, but not so well with two part paints. Give it a try, as it can't hurt anything...except your lungs!?! I would definitely remove the grill from the car first...

John

 

[toysrrus]

Karl,

I believe It would probably be a heck of alot less "Aggrevating" if you simply went out and bought a new Grille. Getting in between all those slats is just a real pain in the Butt.

If you pay someone to polish it; It`ll probably cost you more than buying one ready to go.

Russ

 

[TomMull]

Depending on the type of paint, lacquer thinner is unlikely to remove it easily but commercial paint strippers will. They will also remove some of the anodizing which is not really a bad thing as it will make polishing easier, but, as noted above, this will be time consuming. Those grills are so thin that polishing will be difficult without distorting or catching the metal. You can get little polishing pads for a die grinder, dremel or drill that will help. Then protect the surface with a sealer.
Tom

 

[Twosheds]

Anodizing is an electro-chemical coating that provides corrosion protection on aluminum. It leaves a dull finish. If you polish your grille, it will look purty for a while, but you have removed the corrosion protection and the grille will corrode.

Anodizing takes special equipment to do. On the other hand, you can Alodine at home because Alodining is a straight chemical (no electro-) corrosion protecting film process. I think auto body shops sell clear Alodine.

Alodine is a trade name like Kleenex. It's probably available under a different brand. It's just a weak acid.

Alodine leaves a dull finish, too.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Replace or repaint would be my suggestion.

 

[TomMull]

Anodizing is an electro-chemical coating that provides corrosion protection on aluminum. It leaves a dull finish.

True enough for the anodized finish on TR3A grills but bright anodizing, which leaves a finish that rivals polished stainless steel, is available.
Tom

 

[TR3driver]

Takes a lot of work, but fine brass wool will polish it up nicely. Keep it waxed with a good paste wax and the shine will last a long time. If not, just polish it again.

You can also use the wool to help remove the paint (dip it in paint remover or lacquer thinner).

There are also commercial products available that make the work easier. Look for "aluminum wheel polish". Mother's is supposed to be a good brand, but I've not tried it myself.

 

[Tinkerman]

I've tried Mother's polish. Works well. Not tried it on a grill though.

Tinkerman

 

[Geo Hahn]

Before you knock yourself out restoring an old grille you might want to confirm that it is an original grille or at least a recent repro. For a great many years the repros had smaller openings than the originals. Apart from possibly restricting airflow, they just didn't look right.

Here are the 2 grilles I refer to, bottom one is the original:

 

[Don Elliott]

You used to see a lot of TR3As where the grille was curved in at the middle about half way up. There were so many about 10 to 20 years ago like this that everyone thought that this was the way the grilles were supposed to be when they originally left the factory and this curve almost got written into different judging guidelines as being the correct way. My grille got mangled along with the front apron when I hit a fence post in a rally in the middle of the night in 1963. The grille never fit properly after that.

When I was doing my restoration in 1987 to 1990, I used a small hydraulic jack and some wood to force the "mouth" open more till the brand new grille fitted correctly.

 

[TR3driver]

If you do have one of the repro grilles with the small openings, it is possible to enlarge them, by carefully pinching the rear edges closer together. The aluminum is really soft, though, so be careful not to go too far.

I've also had the problem Don mentions, although I got the grille to fit pretty good by bending it inwards in the middle. As noted, it looks like it is supposed to be that way (although it isn't).