1969 Painted Grille???????

[plumber36757]

Any one Paint there 1969 Grille???? Lets take a Look At Them. I cant seem to find any one who can Restore it here in Texas go Figure.

[bcj67chevy]

Chevy or GMC

[Mister-B]

Why not just restore yours yourself properly, rather than painting over it? Here's my thread on how to do it

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...le+restoration
Posted via Mobile Device

[bobs409]

I just recently did the one for my 69 wrecker. I went through years thinking these were black but learned they were actually a gray color.

I matched the gray color of my original as closely as I could to what was on my shelf. Summit stainless steel was the winner. (no longer available btw)

The ends were painted black so I redid those in semi-gloss Krylon.

I think it looks pretty sharp.

[Sicklajoie]

^^Nice job Bob!

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by bobs409

I just recently did the one for my 69 wrecker. I went through years thinking these were black but learned they were actually a gray color.

I matched the gray color of my original as closely as I could to what was on my shelf. Summit stainless steel was the winner. (no longer available btw)

The ends were painted black so I redid those in semi-gloss Krylon.

I think it looks pretty sharp.

Looks really good. My research led me to believe a little differently about the grille insert original colors. I found that the upper and lower flat edges of the insert (as well as the right and left edges like you have it) are supposed to be black, while the squares are more of a metallic gray. What happens, is that those flat edges get a lot of sun, and they fade to a gray over the years. The 70 grille is identical, except for there are vertical channel indentations that were black to create a vertical bars look
Posted via Mobile Device

[GASoline71]

That looks factory mang!

Gary

[Mister-B]

Oh, and to further complicate things, reproduction GM outer grilles were painted differently than factory grilles that came on the trucks. On the reproduction grilles, there was a black square painted just outside the marker lights on either side, as you have done. On factory original grilles, there was no square, and instead the lines carried over. Also, the upper and lower vertical line paint stayed inside the indentations, rather than filling it and creating an edge above and below.

What you did looks awesome! Just clarifying for anyone trying to get it exactly as it rolled off the assembly line
Posted via Mobile Device

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Looks really good. My research led me to believe a little differently about the grille insert original colors. I found that the upper and lower flat edges of the insert (as well as the right and left edges like you have it) are supposed to be black, while the squares are more of a metallic gray. What happens, is that those flat edges get a lot of sun, and they fade to a gray over the years. The 70 grille is identical, except for there are vertical channel indentations that were black to create a vertical bars look
Posted via Mobile Device

Not quite correct.

Every original 69 inner grille I've seen (as well as mine when the truck was new) had the "upper and lower flat edges", as you refer to them, painted silver/gray to match the egg crate portions as bobs409 has done. The 70 inner grille was all black plastic (not painted) with 6 raised sections on each horizontal egg crate bar which were silver or chrome.

The outer grille Bob shows is as you describe in post #8, but factory replacements as early as 1972 were, as you correctly noted, different from the originals. I know this as a fact since mine had to be replaced in 1972. This was/is not just the reproductions currently being sold.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

Not quite correct.

Every original 69 inner grille I've seen (as well as mine when the truck was new) had the "upper and lower flat edges", as you refer to them, painted silver/gray to match the egg crate portions as bobs409 has done. The 70 inner grille was all black plastic (not painted) with 6 raised sections on each horizontal egg crate bar which were silver or chrome.

The outer grille Bob shows is as you describe in post #8, but factory replacements as early as 1972 were, as you correctly noted, different from the originals. I know this as a fact since mine had to be replaced in 1972. This was/is not just the reproductions currently being sold.

Well, here's a pic of a supposedly new in box insert, and as you can see, the edges are black as I described


Also, here's a close up of an original '70 grille insert, that shows both the channel grooves, and the black paint. I've verified this on a couple occasions with '70 grilles I've seen at the yard or purchased from the yard. Also note the black edges

Posted via Mobile Device

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Well, here's a pic of a supposedly new in box insert, and as you can see, the edges are black as I described


Also, here's a close up of an original '70 grille insert, that shows both the channel grooves, and the black paint. I've verified this on a couple occasions with '70 grilles I've seen at the yard or purchased from the yard. Also note the black edges

Posted via Mobile Device

We are way off the Op's question at this point which I THINK was a request to see pics of completely painted grilles, outer and inner.

But, since we are on this topic...
As I said in my previous post I agree with everything you said about the outer grilles. I was only noting that as early as 1972 GM had changed the tooling and paint application on the outer grille service replacements. I also tried to describe the inner 1970 grille exactly as the picture you supplied.

However, where we differ, is what the original 1969 inner grilles looked like. In 1972, after some clown took out the left front of my truck with his car, all GM could supply for the repair was the incorrect outer grille service replacement and a 1970 inner grille. I suspect that the inner grille in the picture with the box was a later GM compromise between the 2 years. It appears to be just like the current reproductions, which are also incorrect for either year. In fact, I bet if you look closely you'll see the raised areas on the horizontal bars are present which were silver on the 70s. I believe, and can verify with a quick junkyard check on Monday, that the 69 did not have the "steps" in the horizontal egg crate bars. I'll take a camera with me to get some pics. Also, I think if you look more closely at an original 69 inner grille, you'l see that what you thought was weathered black plastic was, in fact, weathered silver paint which is allowing the black plastic to show through.

[plumber36757]

Painted outer grilles. Sorry guys.
Posted via Mobile Device

[GoaterAz]

I don't have any straight on shots saved, but hopefully these help.

[bobs409]

Originally Posted by plumber36757

Painted outer grilles. Sorry guys.
Posted via Mobile Device

No problem, I got to show off my new grill anyway.

Just to be "politically correct", the part your asking about is the "grill surround" which is the aluminum part.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

We are way off the Op's question at this point which I THINK was a request to see pics of completely painted grilles, outer and inner.

But, since we are on this topic...
As I said in my previous post I agree with everything you said about the outer grilles. I was only noting that as early as 1972 GM had changed the tooling and paint application on the outer grille service replacements. I also tried to describe the inner 1970 grille exactly as the picture you supplied.

However, where we differ, is what the original 1969 inner grilles looked like. In 1972, after some clown took out the left front of my truck with his car, all GM could supply for the repair was the incorrect outer grille service replacement and a 1970 inner grille. I suspect that the inner grille in the picture with the box was a later GM compromise between the 2 years. It appears to be just like the current reproductions, which are also incorrect for either year. In fact, I bet if you look closely you'll see the raised areas on the horizontal bars are present which were silver on the 70s. I believe, and can verify with a quick junkyard check on Monday, that the 69 did not have the "steps" in the horizontal egg crate bars. I'll take a camera with me to get some pics. Also, I think if you look more closely at an original 69 inner grille, you'l see that what you thought was weathered black plastic was, in fact, weathered silver paint which is allowing the black plastic to show through.

We're getting closer. Yes, the 70 inner grille has the notches, where they then painted them black. The '69 does not have the notches. My inner grille is an original '69, and it does not have the notches in the plastic. I think part of the confusion came when somebody got in an accident and purchased an inner grille for their '69 or '70. Apparently GM's repro supplier decided to take a '70 inner grille with the notches in it, and paint all the squares a metallic gray, thereby ignoring the black vertical line it created for a 70, and adding the notches to a '69 that shouldn't be there.

I'm also not sure about the theory that faded inner grilles turn black. Here's my original '69 grille before and then after.



Here's the after shot


Posted via Mobile Device