'72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

[Roger D.]

Here are a few pics of my newlycompleted grille restoration. Man was it long tedious work as I elected to mask off the intricate leading edges prior to repaint. The previous owner had them painted completely black (including the leading edge chrome).

Unfortunately with them painted completed black, it hid the fact that the driver's side grille is not parallel with the bumper (see bottom pic). Appears to me that the grilles themselves are symetric however the bumper is higher where it mounts to the frame on the driver's side. Looking at how it mounts (and also referring to the AIM) there is no real easy way to "lower" the grille to return it to the correct spot to where the grille and bumper are parallel again. Anyone have any suggestions on how to adjust the bumper mount to make it right? The difference between the two sides is glaring to me now that I restored the chrome leading edges to the grille.

[Chuck G.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Well, I can't tell you exactly HOW I did it, but I had a similar issue on my 69 when I bought it.

I "messed with" the bumper brackets under the car, and was able to make it parallel with the edge of the car. I remember putting in some washers as shims, etc.

Could the bumper possibly have been "tweaked"? Has the car been hit in the front?

Chuck

[Jeff W.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Roger, I had to do the same thing as Chuck this winter and tug the one side down a little while I tightened the brackets up. Actually had my wife pull down on the one side while I tightened. I wanted to include a picture of my Bryar Blue. Maybe we should start a Bryar Blue club. See how many are left out there!!
Jeff

[Roger D.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Chuck, I can't tell that it has been hit on the front, however I do know that the car was painted about 11 years ago. So maybe they got it off when going back together? I know there was manufacturing quality issues with the Corvette in some years around then. Could it just be that the bumper being off a little was one of those?

Jeff, now that is a really pretty Bryar Blue!! I have not seen another one of our color (in person) since I have had mine which has been a little over a year. Do you know how many of this color they produced in '72?

[Warren F.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Roger,

1,617 Bryar blue Corvettes. Don't forget to re-install your headlamp shields, they will make your grilles look even better in place.

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Hi Roger,
When I looked at your picture I thought the miss-alignment was a combination of the bumper end position AND the grill being tilted a little. It looks to my eye that an 1/8" 'adjustment' on both would help a lot.
Regards,
Alan

PS: I like the finish on your center grill very much!

[Roger D.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Thanks Warren for that info. I do have the headlamp shields on the "To Do" list.

Alan. Hmmm.... Is there a way to adjust the grille itself? Ok, I will give that a try. Thanks for the positive comment on the grilles. It really made a difference in the way it looks

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Hi Roger,
I believe there is enough 'play' in the position of the grill with all fasteners in place, but loose, to help you get a better alignment of grill and bumper.
Remember, you can only really see the fit of the chrome surround of the grill to the fiberglass valance, if you're on your knees. I'd opt for a poorer fit there than at the grill/bumper.
Regards,
Alan

PS: I might even move the driver's side bumperette a tiny bit if it allowed a better grill/bumper fit.

[Richard T.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Roger nice job on the grilles. I know what you mean on the work it takes to make them come out nice. My 1970 had a L bracket missing on the front bumper, same side, I noticed it when I pulled the grilles out. The bumper was not off on the alignment but the factory missed on the bracket.
There are several brackets on each side. Corvette Central had the bracket I needed and it was an excellent quality part.
Compare both sides to make sure you have all the brackets. The brackets can be moved slightly for adjustment. The grille's are fixed and offer little adjustment. Pull the grille out again to gain access.

[Roger D.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Thanks Alan, I'll loosen it up a bit and see if if will move some. I didn't really try that when I put 'em back on.

Yea Richard, It is amazing how many hours it took to get them masked off not to mention some of the other work, e.g., I broke off one screw in each turning signal lense cover and had to take them to a machine shop to have the broken screws removed and retapped. But the end result is very satisfying. As for the brackets, I kind of wonder if there might be some brackets or something else missing or misaligned since I know the car was repainted about 11 years ago. I'll do a closer comparison between the sides.

[Siegfried K.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Roger, I was wondering what paint/code you used to paint your grilles? Beautiful job by the way!

[Phil D.]

Re: '72 Grilles restored now but look what it revealed

Roger, I was wondering what paint/code you used to paint your grilles? Beautiful job by the way!

Sorry can't tell you a code. I took Roger's old grills to an automotive paint store and a lady there with a good eye just mixed me up something less than half a pint to match the original.