Painting 69 grill edges...

[Greg L.]

I was wondering if I could get some advice on painting my 69 grill edges the proper silver that should be on them?

Is there a certain way to prep them so that the paint will stick and is there a particular color that is needed or did this silver vary somewhat? The car was built at the end of Jan 69 if that maters.

Thanks

[Greg L.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

I'll try again as I'm sure someone has had to do this for their 68-early 69.

[Edward J.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Greg, it will surely be a long tedious job taping the areas off. I know that the finish was more of a chrome type finish, I would use a etching primer first, and use a chrome finish spray bomb(Its more of a bright silver), that can be had at home depot.Its likely as close as you get. Good luck, Ed

[Lawrence M.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Greg,
I can't help with painting the grilles. How about checking on the Camaro forums ? The 1967 Camaro grille had painted edges like the 68 Corvette. Maybe someone on the Camaro forum has a solution. Just a thought.

[Floyd B.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

The car was built at the end of Jan 69 if that maters.
Thanks

Greg,

I am in a corp. apartment 850 miles from my books and cars so I don't have a TIM&JG handy, but I *think* the change from painted to unpainted grills was near the end of January. If your grills are currently unpainted I would bet they came that way from the factory. If they show evidence of prior paint then I think you could probably get away with either so I would first try to remove the old paint cleanly and leave them black. Just my 2 cents worth.

If I had to paint them, I would probably try to cut 3 flat pieces of cardboard so they fit inside the front grill area with just a little relief on the edges. Then spray a medium-heavy coat of paint onto the card board. Then carefully set the painted cardboard into the grill area and press gently. This should leave an even coat of paint just on the edges of the grills. Then touch-up any missed edges with a small brush. The only caveat is that I can't remember what the over-spray pattern (if any) looks like and whether it extends down the side of each slat.

-Floyd-

[Jeff P.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Greg, Use a Metallic Silver Sharpie Marker. Its a perfect match.

[Terry B.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Hi Greg,

I agree with what Jeff says. I used the same thing. Are your's original or reproductions? If original, like Floyd said, you should hopefully be able to see where the paint is or the ghost of some faint paint. Check the TJM for exact location of paint on the grills.

Terry

[Greg L.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Great advice, thanks guys. I'll check the Team Camaro site too just in case they have some other ideas. I never would have thought of the sharpie, would that cover evenly though? The coverage is from the lip to about half way back to the first "ridge".

Floyd, had thought of just leaving them back and I'd probably get away with it seeing as the change was some time in late Jan. The problem is that my car had the silver tipped center grill. I didn't have the end ones when I bought it so I bought them from the dealer and just painted the center one to match. I had actually forgot that my center one was original until I was cleaning it and some of my old paint rubbed off showing the silver. I like the silver look and since my car had it I'll make it that way again...even though leaving them black would be easier.

[Anthony S.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

I know this will make some people cringe, but as a quick solution I used thin (1/16”) silver pinstripe tape. Someday when I’m in the U.S long enough I’ll paint them, but for now the tape did the trick.

[Greg L.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

The pinstrip tape trick sounds like a good idea but I'll bet it won't fool the judges.

Terry, my center one is original but the ends ones are old GM. I also have a set of repops that I bought from Corvette Central and they look bag-on so I may just use those instead. I've taken several pics of original 68 grills so I know more or less how they should look once I'm done. I'm sure it will be an all day job but knowing me I won't be happy if I don't do it right.

[Terry B.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

Hi Greg,

Those are great looking '68 grills. A lot of people do not know the difference between 68 & 69 grills. For those who might not, '68 horizontal slats cantilever out from the vertical end and 69 are flush with the edge. It is said that it made the grill stronger and is probably correct. 68 grills are not being reproduced, which makes them a prized possession for '68 owners.

You have a good example to copy. You will need to do some taping off off your grills as it is nearly impossible to get into the corners if you decide to use the sharpie style method. I had a couple of grills to practice on and did not like the results I was getting. I decided to just paint the outer most edge of each grill (leaving the top one black). For me it was a much cleaner look than what I could do otherwise.

Good luck with your efforts and please show a picture with your finished product. I hope to see your car on the judging field sometime soon.

Terry

[Mike K.]

Re: Painting 69 grill edges...

I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Jeff (for the sharpie concept) and Gregg for the pictures.
I am in the process of completing a nut and bolt restoration on my 68 and was wondering how to get the silver color back on my grills - original.
Must say that the sharpie does the edges very nicely with little mess.
Thanks all.
Mike