1966 Dodge Monaco grille detailing

[TWAMONACO]

One of the last sub-assemblies on my 66 Monaco to restore is the grille - 5 Pieces in total; the Two outer gille surrounds, the middle "toothed" center insert and two "toothed" headlight bezels.

I have come up with the best complete setup out of my stash of several grilles and NOS bezels where I won't have to have any re-chromed, but the silver and black paint on the outer surrounds and headlights bezels and the black on the "toothed" center will have to be re-done.

See attached pictures - Any ideas?

I assume that when the grille surrounds were made new the pot meal was chromed and masked, and then the silver was sprayed, and then the black as the pattern and overspray is pretty easy to make out, but how the heck did they paint the black on the sides of each tooth in the center and head light bezels? Chrome, paint the entire thing black and then wipe off the part that was to stay chrome with thinner? There are paint runs on all of the headlight bezels in the same spots which means maybe they were dipped? I can see on the portion that surrounds the headlights a spray fan pattern, so those must have been masked?

I was going to mask the chrome on the two grill surrounds, beadblast/prime/paint silver, then mask/paint black, but the center and two head light bezels I really don't know if scuffing with scotchbrite and painting and wiping the excess to reveal the chrome will leave a prof result

Any help would be appreciated -Thanks

 

[tbm3fan]

The headlight portions are exactly like a Cougar along with our tail light sections. The chrome on the front does detach for us to make it easy but not the rears. We know Ford actually sprayed the parts with the black paint. Since we don't have what the manufacturer used we had to improvise. Some have taped off the chrome portions while others sprayed and then used lacquer thinner on a rag and wiped down the chrome portions. It is tedious and takes time. Many have scuffed. The paint on ours is tough enough to laugh at brake fluid.

All recommend a good self-etching primer. Many recommend SEM Trim Black as regular rattle can paint won't stand up. Some used single stage urethane with a touch up gun. You can even used an airbrush if you are good and have a good airbrush. I saw that Wednesday when the guy in charge of the FM-2 Wildcat restoration painted the inside of the cowl surround.

If you tape off, which is what I would do since I have the stuff, is to use 3M Fine Line Tape.

Fine Line Masking Tape - Masking - Products

 

[jollyjoker]

I have used Plastikote #230 engine enamel on detail trim for years - it's cheap, the amount of gloss is just about perfect, and it holds up well.

It's a real pain, but don't know any way around careful mask and spray. (I've always wondered exactly how the factory did this quickly, on a mass-production basis).

 

[Big_John]

X2 on the Fine Line tape. A sharp Exacto knife will help too.

I wouldn't bead blast the parts. I think the risk of the masking lifting and ruining the chrome outweighs any benefit. The bead blasting might also remove enough of the chrome layer (the clear over the nickle) that it might start peeling. That could migrate over to the unpainted chrome and you'd have a mess.

I've done that stuff a few different ways and they are all a PITA. I think I would do your surrounds by masking the chrome. Since the Fine Line tape is available in different widths, you might get lucky and get a width to match.

The grille could be done a little easier. I would try using a wider tape over the grille "teeth" and then spray from the backside. The alternative might be to spray and then remove the paint from the chrome.

I think you would be better off keeping the film thickness of the paint as thin as possible. FWIW, I believe that when they were made, the paint used was a lacquer with no primer.

 

[TWAMONACO]

Thanks for the suggestions. The tip about the Mercury Cougar having the same design never even occurred to me and brought about some more interesting reading over on the Ford forums.

I have some of the 1/8" 3M Fine line tape and it's a dead match for the width on the chrome teeth so I try that as a way to protect the chrome when I scuff and paint

Appreciate the help

 

[LocuMob]

Your grille is so much better than anything I have, I'd run it just as it is. But if your car is done and repainted I understand the need to detail everything else to the same level.

 

[TWAMONACO]

In the end I used all of the above suggestions and I think the grille and surrounds turned out pretty good. Start to finish to do all 5 grille/headlight pieces took me 50 hours. The key was the 1/8" 3M Fineline blue plastic making tape as suggested above to mask off the grille tooth chrome and using course and medium to scuff the original paint, and then the 1/8" Fineline plastic tape to mask the chrome when it was time to paint - that tape was the exact width of the teeth and with a little practice I could get it to lay flat and not overlap on the edges and make nice corners around the headlight chromes.

Every piece had to be washed/IPA'd/Polished/re-washed/re-IPA'd/masked/scuffed/re-washed/re-IPA'd/re-masked/etch primed/painted/masked for the sliver + black pieces/and the large outer surrounds re-masked over the paint to give a final power buff on the outer chrome.

I used SEM Bumper paint (#15013 Landau Black and #39283 Ligth Titanum Metallic) as it seemed to stick the best to both bare chrome and the existing scuffed paint after I applied a good self-etch primer

 

[300rag]

Well done.

 

[rexus31]

More pics of the car/restoration, please.

 

[tbm3fan]

I bet that was one intimidating job looking at that grille. Congratulations!

Luckily I don't have to worry about my Cougar grill as it has always been a garage car all it's life.