Has anyone had the grille welded and Chromed? bolts were a pain to get loose and i popped to pieces of the grille at the bottom. A new grille is around $600, is it possible to fix?

 

Is it the steel painted grille or the aluminum?

 

No it's just aluminum

 

It is possible to both weld and chrome aluminum. You might want to check prices on having that done. I know chrome shops vary a great deal in price from area to area and some are more plagued by environmental regulations than in other places. (Compare, say, CA to Louisiana, for instance). The cost of getting rid of any hazardous materials is usually passed along to the customer. Plus their guarantees vary a lot. The more expensive places guarantee the chrome for the life of the part. The cheapest guarantee it until you leave their shop.


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Post pictures of the damage. Aluminum can be welded as long as you find a good welder. The grilles are pretty thin but a good welder can weld it. Before any welding the anodizing needs to be stripped off.
A good polishing shop can strip then have it welded then polish it.
Lets see what you have before I say more.

 

I've never attempted it myself, but King of Trim website says


2. Repair and straightening: Nicks, dents, bends and so on are fixed and straightened and the part is restored to its original shape. If necessary, alloy welding is used to stitch cracks and fill holes. (Note that welding in a visible area will manifest a milky discoloration on the finished restoration.)




FAQs | King of Trim


If it's not in a visible area the discoloration would probably be a non-issue.


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I've repaired dozens of grilles, all welding is done from the backside. As I said the anodize needs to be stripped off first. Once that's done the welding and grinding/sanding can take place. Sometimes the only way to see the repair, is a slight raised area where the weld is. No other discoloration is present. Of course I'm polishing the whole grille when repairs are done.

 

If able to find a shop who anodizes likely find it can be expensive. Considered chroming grille on the 65 and platter said it would not be advisable; explaining the original grille were anodized to a dull sheen for a purpose, and that within a relatively short period of time a high sheen/gloss chrome surface tends to show marks, dents, etc., cause by road debris due to the soft alloy aluminum and that a steel grille would be better? Ended up stripping the anodize off the 65 grille; there is a 'anodize stripper' or other compounds for that purpose, then washed the anodize off and removed minor dents before sanding with a series of very find sand paper, keeping in mind the finer the paper the less work is involved in getting to a smooth surface. I chose to sand to a dull sheen similar to the original, then applied a couple of coats of clear to seal the alum. alloy grille, this was several years ago and still looks okay?? There are knowledgeable members more familiar with the process and can provide better info.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...IMG_0002-2.jpg

Found removing as an entire unit: the grille, upper/lower valance, grille support, and bolts attaching the grille to fender work best for me; particularly when it came to removing the U and or J nuts that a majority of the time are rusted attaching the grille to the lower valance.

As already noted; welding low grade alum. alloy requires experience so suggest best to have an expert welding shop, or knowledgeable auto body shop person, quote what it would cost; shop around. I was fortunate to find a great welding shop who has done work for me at a very reasonable price.