[brockb455]

What is the best way to strip old paint off the plastic nose grills on my 73 TA? I have read references to soaking them. What do you soak them in, that won't damage the plastic?

[71formula455]

I believe I saw a posting sometime ago where Castrol Super Clean was used . . not positive though.

[71formula455]

Yeah found it, see page 15 & 16

NJSteve has got some great resto tips. What a great resource

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...433662&page=15

[njsteve]

I work on commision you know! :-)

It can take up to a couple days since that original paint is so tough. Normal spray paint overspray comes off in minutes. Make sure you have a large enough tub to completely soak the grill. It avoids having to keep flipping it over.

And wear rubber gloves. That purple stuff will dissolve your skin after a while.

[3tas4me]

Another option is to blast them with baking soda. I disassembled my 1971 grilles by removing the chrome moulding. Baking soda will strip the paint off the plastic without removing or damaging any of the plastic. It worked great and was easy. A 50lb bag of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) was under $10.

[Pepi]

How do you get the chrome trim off the grills for 73. They don't have the clips like NJSteve's had. The tabs are melted/peened over.

[3tas4me]

I have never tried removing the chrome trim on '73 grilles, but my guess is that you would just mask them off. It might even be worth a test to see if the soda blasting would even do any damage to the trim. My guess is that it wouldn't.

[brockb455]

The purple stuff from Wal-mart worked well. They had to soak for two days and required a little brushing, but did not damage the chrome trim at all.

[firstyearta]

Thanks for the info. I have a set of '73 Grilles to paint also. I was planning just to sand them but would much rather just strip them. What sort of tub/bucket did you end up using to soak them in? Also, what is the correct color of black for these... semi-gloss black?

I hate that the '73 trim is not removable. mine are not bad but I'd still like to have the trim re-plated. I know the 70-72 grilles are not the same but is the shape of the trim the same? Wondering if 70-72 trim could be used on '73 grilles?

[brockb455]

Originally Posted by firstyearta

Thanks for the info. I have a set of '73 Grilles to paint also. I was planning just to sand them but would much rather just strip them. What sort of tub/bucket did you end up using to soak them in? Also, what is the correct color of black for these... semi-gloss black?

I hate that the '73 trim is not removable. mine are not bad but I'd still like to have the trim re-plated. I know the 70-72 grilles are not the same but is the shape of the trim the same? Wondering if 70-72 trim could be used on '73 grilles?

Use a tupperware storage tub like you get at home depot. Do not use metal - it will eat it. I scrubbed the grills with scotch pads after soaking - left clean original plastic. My 73 chrome trim is still good so I will just mask them off when I paint. TA grills are semi-gloss black.

[firstyearta]

Do you use the cleaner full strength or was it diluted?

[brockb455]

Originally Posted by firstyearta

Do you use the cleaner full strength or was it diluted?

Full strength. Also, if your tub is bigger than your grill, fill in the gaps with water bottles so you don't need as much Purple. Purple does not affect plastic.

[njsteve]

And make sure you don't have a pinhole in the tub...

...or you'll end up with a REALLY clean spot on your floor...and a wife that will make you clean the rest of the floor to make it match.