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Has anyone had success slightly straightening the tabs on the grill trim for removal?
And then bending back for reinstallation.
Or is it just about guaranteed they will break?
I would like to remove the trim to recondition these grills.
Thank you
I've removed a number of them but it's been a long time. You are correct....they tend to be brittle and can easily snap off...it's pretty much a dice roll.
For example in your pic above - the tab on the left may be a bit shorter and definitely appears to NOT be bent as much. You'll have a good chance of SLIGHTLY bending that one and getting it through the hole COMPARED TO the tab on the right.
The problem is when you go to bend these (with needle nose pliers, etc) all the force is transferred down to the BASE of the tab where it meets the back of the trim. There's no "give" down there so it just snaps.
So....it's a dice roll. Re-attachment? Some small pieces of GOOD thin two sided tape (ie - 3M auto body quality stuff) can help. I think I even drilled and tapped the backside on one set and used very small screws to help reattach the trim....again, A LONG time ago and probably don't have pics.
Easiest solution....buy the repro trim pieces....but maybe you want to rehab those and reuse them.....I see your point. On the repro trim pieces I recall some of the tabs not being in the EXACT same spots as the holes for the tabs in the grill plastic perimeter. Had to slightly elongate some of the holes in the grill plastic.
Oh yeah...forgot another "method" I think I used to help reattach on at least a couple old tabs. I used those small round "push nuts" and jammed them down onto the tabs. These "push nuts" may be called "Push type spring nuts".....they are used to hold the rounded ends of the AC/Heater control cables at each end where those rounded ends slip over various posts. They come in various sizes but I don't know which size I used on the grill tabs. I did this because I didn't want to risk trying to rebend the tab after having bent it a bit straight. The risk of the thing snapping off GOES UP the more times you bend the tab.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Patton, I don't think the repro trim has the same location for the pins. They definitely do have the 'push nuts' to secure the trim. IIRC the biggest problem is the pin that's on the inside upper edge of the trim where it mounts to the stone shield.
Thank you Patton and Allan,
I was hoping on reusing these because with some light wet sanding they will look great.There's not really any nicks or deep scratches,more of a spotty oxidation that prevents them from shining up well.
I didn't realize the trim was available separate from the grill. I did look around,Fusick does not have them,Year One has them $65 and say the ends will need filed on original grills,OPGI has them $99 and say extra holes will need drilled.
Great tips with the push nuts and double sided tape,but I have never had good luck with the tape,even 3M stuff.
I'll do my best to get them removed without breaking the tabs,if I do I'll wet sand them and try the push nut method to install,if that fails,I'll try tape,if that fails,I'll buy the reproductions.
thank you
Allan - I've installed a few of the repro alum trim sets and my recollection was that the posts were either right on or fairly close. Not a situation where I had to drill new holes. As stated, some elongation of some of the holes with a file but nothing massive.
Big reason to buy the repro trim is THESE ARE ANODIZED. You can't just "sand" or buff out any defects as you are dealing with a "hardened" surface (from the anodize process). You have to either remove the anodized surface chemically (ie - HD EZ Off Oven cleaner with warm temps) or sand it all off which is a nighmare on a piece like this with a shaped/stepped/curved profile. If you just try to deal with certain spots on these the trim will look terrible as you will have spots where you cut through the anodized alum down into bare aluminum and those will have a different appearance.
Wetsanding will just result in the anodized surface laughing at you.......it takes a fairly aggressive paper to cut through it all.
If you strip, sand, etc then you're left with bare aluminum.....it oxidizes fast, etc. So...clearcoat paint?? - not durable, etc. Leave them bare/polished and periodically rub them with something like Mother's Mag Polish??? A mess.....the polish turns black when you rub the bare aluminum and some of the black inevitably gets on your new alum paint on the grills and could cause it to stain, etc.
The new pieces are anodized like the originals and should look great for a long time.
The pieces I installed were from Fusick and are still in their catalog - GM071 ('71) and GM072 ('72) for $75/pr....you should double check w/Fusick (or maybe they stopped offering them....I don't know). I've installed both years on grills I've restored.
Last edited by 70Post; January 3rd, 2019 at 05:14 PM.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Patton, This is the tab I'm referring to. I couldn't find any way to make the grill fit into the stone shield as it sat like that. The pin kept interfering with the alignment tab on the grill and stone shield. I've looked at other grills (OEM) and that pin is just in the wrong spot by about 1/2"
Oh yeah - I remember all the discussion about "the problem tab" on the repro trims......the thread where Rob (I think) was dealing with it.
But....if that tab is in the wrong spot when why isn't there a hole in the grill plastic where the original trim tab goes through??? Repro grill you are showing possibly?
Can't you just "clearance" the stone shield to allow that tab to poke through?...any "clearance" hole would be hidden if the grill sat in the stone shield flush. I'm sure all that was discussed in the long thread but I don't recall what "solution" if any was discussed.
Last edited by 70Post; January 3rd, 2019 at 05:48 PM.
Thank you guys!
With the anodizing issue it does sound like I'll be better off just using the reproduction trim.
Thanks for the part # Patton,with it I did find the trim,I realized the first time I checked their catalog,I totally missed the second page of grills and parts.
thank you
I just pulled mine to redo the grill. I didn't want to take the chance on breaking the tabs (I've heard some bad things about the fit of re-pops). What I tried out was warming the tabs with a heat gun before bending them. I may have just lucked out, but none of my tabs broke off. I will try the same maneuver when I reattach them.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by 70Post
But....if that tab is in the wrong spot when why isn't there a hole in the grill plastic where the original trim tab goes through??? Repro grill you are showing possibly?
Can't you just "clearance" the stone shield to allow that tab to poke through?...any "clearance" hole would be hidden if the grill sat in the stone shield flush. I'm sure all that was discussed in the long thread but I don't recall what "solution" if any was discussed.
That is indeed a repro grill Patton. It shows how badly positioned the pin is. The new repro anodized will be the same pin pattern.. I wouldn't clearance the stone shield, mostly because the line up slot tab for the stone shield is more important. Much easier and better IMO to lose that pin and use either double sided body tape, or contact cement.
January 3rd, 2019, 12:19 PM
