Grill tabs on 71 challenger broke off.

[Kevin71]

Does anyone have a fix for the tabs broken off on the left and right of the grill on a 71 challenger.  Paint shop broke both off.  Very dissapointed.  Now the grill is loose on each end.  Or should I just leave it alone?

[jimynick]

There are various epoxies or plastic welders that should/could fix your grille and I'd be talking to the boys in the shop as to which they prefer to pay for. 

[70chall440]

I used a wood burner (looks like a big soldering iron but has a knife type tip). You can use it to melt the plastic from each side and basically smear them together which welds the 2 pieces together. Given that the pieces are broken off, I'd try and go deep on the back side and move as much plastic as you can without breaking through the top side (the side you would see) and meld them (the 2 pieces) together. If done carefully the end result can be almost invisible.

[Kevin71]

Oh there is nothing on the either end.  Like they just broke them off to get them out of the way.  I was thinking of expoy a metal strip on the end, but I don't know if that would hold.  The car is back together, but I found this when the headlights were replaced.  That is a good idea with the wood burner if I had the ends, but I don't.

[jimynick]

And you don't have any recourse to go to the idiots who broke your grille, regarding their resolving this? Maybe you need to take your two friends Smith and Wesson with you to help them see the error of their ways? Otherwise I guess you've got to do what you've got to do and if glueing/screwing metal (I'd use aluminum) is the only way out, then so be it, I guess.