to chrome or not to chrome

[shorty10]

my fog grills are needing attention i already cleaned them off and the still have a good layer of greenish gray dirt i was thinking about spraying them with the chrome paint and i would rather have them re chromed but if getting them re chromed is as much as buying them new id rather spray them

also the (914 1.7) on the back of my navy blue '73 the letters are black should i chrome them or spray them? they are kinda hard to see. or was chrome lettering not an option back then( dont want to differ much from stock)

[Barber Dave]

I have the same problem,mine is black, try to locate metal 1.7 insignia , I think some yrs. the fog light grills were metal ( not positive on that tho) I painted my grill with chrome paint I got at my local FLAPS looks O.K. but i would like to locate metal ones if possiable. Dave

[ruddyboys]

The 1.7 and 1.8 and 2.0 were always black, no says you can't paint them to look better, I plan on painting mine yellow to contrast the black when it all gets painted this summer. As for the front grills, they were metal until 73 when they went to black plastic, makes the car lighter and faster LOL. I know tweeks sells the chrome and painted metal ones. As for the chrome paint, I've never seen any that really look like chrome.

[skline]

I have never seen metal grilles on any of the cars I have had from 71 all the way up to 76. They were all plastic. Does anyone have metal ones?

[norustscott]

Metal ones? not that I have ever seen (and you think the plastic ones are expensive?) ...just cracked worn ugly partially chrome ones... or black I saw a pair of white plastic ones @ Hershey last year. I might try the Chrome paint on a spare really ugly pair I have. The key to sucess will be the prep time no doubt.

[kellzey]

VERY early sixes and some fours had metal grills.

[Bleyseng]

The NOS fog lite kit for 914/6's Korijo got, had plastic grills in it. I have the grills........never seen the metal ones.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Odd, my 73 1.7 has metal ones...

[norustscott]

Check them...I bet there plastic... Thought mine were some sort of pot metal until i took them off....

[norustscott]

The plastic even pits like metal!

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Yes, it does. I don't think I've ever seen metal grilles. The chrome ones are simply plated plastic. But you can't really plate plastic, so I'm not really sure what process they used. You certainly cannot re-chrome them, not with standard chroming processes.

Try hitting the grotty-looking ones with chrome polish.

The early "1.7" badges were silver in color, I believe.

--DD

[Jason Porter]

The early 1.7 badges were silver.

IMHO, the solid horn grilles with no fog light cutouts are the very clean. I don't know that I've ever seen metal ones.

[stratoblaster]

You can chrome plate plastic. It has to first be nickle plated/coated. We have it done it all the time at my work. But I doubt every plating business can do this. We have gold plated plastic, black chrome plated plastic and regular chrome plated plastic. We don't do this ourselves, one of our vendors does it.

[DuckRyder]

Check with some places like Just dashes.

I'm pretty sure I've seen places that can re chrome plastic in the Hot Rodding mags..........

[M. Hendrix]

The plastic grilles can be restored. You have to know a little about finishing.

I use dental tools, and #0000 steel wool to clean, and surface them, dust them with a few very extremely *no you don't get it I MEAN REAL FINE* coats of primer, then a chrome paint called 'Bumper Chrome'.

I have a pair of ugly metal horn grilles stowed away in a box, to be refinished. I took them off a '71.

I don't like foglights.

M

[norustscott]

hummmmm. metal....hey said skeptically....maybe metal for none fog lamp cars? and only platic for those with the option? still hummmmm....

[M. Hendrix]

In 12 cars, I've had a couple pot metal grille sets.

I think the first car I had with fogs had metal, I took them off.. been a long, long time.

M

[M. Hendrix]

here's a metal one



Stolen from 914 club. It's pot metal, as you'd expect.


M

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Originally posted by M. Hendrix
here's a metal one

[Stolen from 914 club. It's pot metal, as you'd expect.

Hmm. Looks like the plastic ones--they can get that greenish cast sometimes too!

--DD

[M. Hendrix]

Sorry, no camera.

I left out a step, you use cotton swabs, and sheets of paper to polish the primer.

The trick of all this is the polishing step.. sorry... damn.. I am thoughtless... err.. forgetful..

Brad said those were metal Dave, but you are right, the plastic ones can get green too.


M