There is a crack in my plastic grill! HELP !!!

[TinCuda]

LOL, OK, there is no hurry...

I have a crack in my 1971 'Cuda grill.  It runs top to bottom starting at the top and runs about 2 inches down.  What would be a good way to fix this crack.

I hate to stop drill it but I will if I have to.  Then what to do to fix the crack its self?  Some kind of glue?  Wet fiberglass layup?  If I do have to stop drill the end of the crack, do you guys fill the drilled hole with something? 

40+ year old plastic scares the heck out of me.

Thanks for your help again.


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[Giveitawack]

Some car paint thnner laquer will actually melt the plastic. If the crack is not too wide, the thinner will fill the crack by itself and weld it shut. If you need filler, grind some plastic off and mix the dust with thinner. It becomes a paste that can be filled in the crack.
Just to be safe I would use a piece of thin sheet metal (stainless, brass) on the back as reinforcement. If it has cracked once it can crack again.

[mopar12372]

plastic repair is sold at oreillys or autozone. worked on my grill . its the same plastic for nails.

[dodj]

Moparclown told me to use Devcon plastic weld. I used it on the front valence plastic insert of my Challenger and it held up well. No sign of cracking again.

[TinCuda]

ok,  thanks guys, I'll take a look at some of those.


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[DocMel]

Im a self made learner from repairing my 71 Cuda grille.  You are correct:   That plastic is as brittle as it comes.

I learned from repairing all sorts of composite grilles.  And the absolute best thing I have EVER used to repair, to inlude my 71 grill, was plain fiberglass repair resin, WITHOUT the matting

To do this right, you need to remove the grill:

-Remove front valance, remove front bumper.  Then loosen the center front bumper mounts that attach to the frame   (You will need to for the extra inch or so clearanace to remove /reinstall the front grill)

You DONT have to remove the headlight bezels.  Reomve all bolts holding the grill on.  Dont forget the one on each side, bottom corners of the grill

Remove grille carefully

On all my cracks, where the crack stopped, I did drill a hole, very very small so the crack would not extend any further.  Repairing one crack at a time is the key= taking your time

I did my repairs on the blind side, not visible from the outside world

After drilling the small hole, I took 600 grit and lightly sanded on the crack and about a half inch out on the surface that I would repair.  Apply a piece of tape on the other side of the crack:  Mix the resin, and apply to the crack:  Use gravity to help you as you apply this stuff:  It will run if you dont, (Thats why you have the peice of tape on the down side): Position the grill so that you leave a "pool" of resin over the crack:  Let it cure about an hour  I didnt even sand the resin when cured

But on the side that you can see when the grill is mounted, youll need to use some glazing compound to fill the crack for cosmetic reasons, then paint over the repair

I then painted my grill with the closet match that I could to the original "silver"

When you have the grill off, look VERY carefully for other cracks.  I gaurenntee you have more than one crack present


 

[bentpshrods]

  I had to repair the grill on my 71 from a little mishap I had. It was cracked right down the middle and the lower left corner was broke off. I used my dremel with a small cone shaped cutting bit to V out the cracks a bit and then used SEM problem plastic repair material (39768).  It is a two part epoxy that you mix together and apply like bondo. After it dries you can easily sand it smooth and then paint over. 

[TinCuda]

I don't want to sound like I am going to do this half way,  but I really want to fix this crack without taking the grill off the car.

I could see doing more damage removing the grill.


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[usraptr]

Here's a link to any article in Mopar Mag regarding doing grill repairs.  Good luck./ 

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/body/mopp_0011_plymouth_barracuda_grill_repair/index.html

[GranCuda1970]

Thanxs,  I will be using that article!!

[GranCuda1970]

I gonna have to do the steel splint !!

[TinCuda]

I do a lot of forum surfing on my cell phone.   That article won't load right for me but I will check it out when I get home.


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[GranCuda1970]

It is a great article and layed perfectly in steps and should be relitively easy to do, getting the gutter v for the filler will be the hardest part as I will have to cut from another grill I have for the peice to fit / seal proper flush. Gotta get some SEM plastic weld kit.

[killerfish]

I used a product called Plastifix http://www.urethanesupply.com/PlastiFix/  Works really nice and simple to use. Also works great for making tabs. I bought the white kit but you can buy  black  or clear too. There is a video on their site that will give you an idea on how it works.  I have used this stuff on a 71 cuda grille and  fixed a missing tab on the a pillar piece both came out with good results

[Jamiez]

I used Plastifix to repair my front extension shield:
Before

After (not yet painted)

I recommend using a scrap piece the first time so you get used to working with it.  You can sand and paint it when done.