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#1
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Stripping TA grills
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?
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BrockB 1973 Trans Am |
#2
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I believe I saw a posting sometime ago where Castrol Super Clean was used . . not positive though.
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71 Starlight Black Formula 455 L75 88 Flame Red Metallic GTA Notchback |
#3
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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
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71 Starlight Black Formula 455 L75 88 Flame Red Metallic GTA Notchback |
#4
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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. |
#5
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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.
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1970 Trans Am 1971 Trans Am 1974 Trans Am 1978 Y88 Trans Am W72/auto 1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am 1984 Trans Am 1993 Trans Am 1999 30th Anniversary Trans Am 2001 10th anniversary Firehawk #104 2006 GTO |
#6
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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.
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1973 Formula 400 4 spd 04C build date Norwood assembly plant. |
#7
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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.
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1970 Trans Am 1971 Trans Am 1974 Trans Am 1978 Y88 Trans Am W72/auto 1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am 1984 Trans Am 1993 Trans Am 1999 30th Anniversary Trans Am 2001 10th anniversary Firehawk #104 2006 GTO |
#8
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Probelm solved
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.
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BrockB 1973 Trans Am |
#9
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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?
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#10
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Quote:
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BrockB 1973 Trans Am |
#11
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Do you use the cleaner full strength or was it diluted?
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#12
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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.
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BrockB 1973 Trans Am |
#13
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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. |
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