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Howdy,
Are all 1966 for pickup grills aluminum? Mine is painted gray and would like a chrome or polished aluminum grill. If so, it'll save a ton of money and I won't have to purchase one.
Thanks
They came two ways. Shiny bright anodized aluminum or painted steel. If you have a painted steel one they can usually be stripped and chromed with good results. Some places will chrome aluminum, too. Take a magnet to it if you're not sure. Since it's a Custom Cab I'd expect it to be aluminum but it could have been replaced.
Aluminum can also be stripped, polished and re-anodized.
I just had a 62 steel grille chrome plated. its important to start with something very straight as it is very expensive. if you can rework the grille you have , that will be your best option. good luck with the project
The 66 grilles are reproduced but they have gone up $250 over what they were a couple of years ago. GRILLE, RADIATOR - #F-8200-3 - National Parts Depot (npdlink.com) The aluminum grilles were bright dipped anodized. Other than a few places that do restorations you will not find a place that will do personal items. The bright dip process uses some very toxic acids, "think red fuming nitric" very bad stuff. So, all they want to take in is stuff like 5000 shower doors. You can strip the anodize and polish it. You could have it anodized but it will not be as shiney as the bright dip was. Good luck, I have been walking around 2 good 65 grilles for 3 years now dreading the work it will take to polish even one of them.
I suspect the new ones at 750 to 850 plus freight would be cheaper than a resto shop. There is a place here that dose restoration on chrome and pot metal parts they also chrome a lot of parts for carpenter. But they don't do brite dip. They said they could polish my grille to look like chrome for a measly $2500.00. I passed on that. Someday I'll get around to polishing one of them myself, maybe.
Thanks for the info. There's a place here in the SF Bay Area where my dad used to go to chrome his Harley parts. I may go that route, if needed.
If your grille is steel, it can be chromed but you can't chrome plate aluminum the chemicals will dissolve it. But it can be nickel plated. Still expensive.
If your grille is steel, it can be chromed but you can't chrome plate aluminum the chemicals will dissolve it. But it can be nickel plated. Still expensive.
Many of you know me, some of you may not. I did grilles for a long time. Getting a steel grille chromed is not cheap. Getting an aluminum grille polished and anodized is not cheap either. Prices have gone up considerably. If you have a local chrome shop that's your best bet. Even shipping is insane. I did grilles on the 61-69 trucks always a crowd pleaser. Now I'm older, and in poor health, I can still do certain things. So I say find some company local.
If your grille is steel, it can be chromed but you can't chrome plate aluminum the chemicals will dissolve it. But it can be nickel plated. Still expensive.
Yes mine was aluminum. The chrome shop did a fantastic job of plating it and over the past several years now, it has held up perfectly. I was happy to find that the chrome plating process even added a little weight and sturdiness to the grille. It may be that plating the steel grill that the OP mentions, might be less expensive, if there is such a thing. My grill was in perfect shape with no dings or dents, that's why I decided to use it rather than source a steel grill. As Robert mentions....in either case expect expensive.
Yes mine was aluminum. The chrome shop did a fantastic job of plating it and over the past several years now, it has held up perfectly. I was happy to find that the chrome plating process even added a little weight and sturdiness to the grille. It may be that plating the steel grill that the OP mentions, might be less expensive, if there is such a thing. My grill was in perfect shape with no dings or dents, that's why I decided to use it rather than source a steel grill. As Robert mentions....in either case expect expensive.
I stand corrected. I was thinking of something else. How much did they charge for that?
Many of you know me, some of you may not. I did grilles for a long time. Getting a steel grille chromed is not cheap. Getting an aluminum grille polished and anodized is not cheap either. Prices have gone up considerably. If you have a local chrome shop that's your best bet. Even shipping is insane. I did grilles on the 61-69 trucks always a crowd pleaser. Now I'm older, and in poor health, I can still do certain things. So I say find some company local.
Are you still planning to move to the sunny south?
Crop....I don't recall exactly (probably close to 1K.) but I was prepared for sticker shock when I went to pick it up....but not prepared enough. That was five years ago, so I imagine it would be even more now.
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