Here ya go, Bruce... Im always willing to share info with my fellow Buick friends. I sadly sadly regret that I didnt take pictures. I usually do write ups on things like this. Have done a few on the Syclone forum and people loved them. The repair to the grill when done correctly is super strong and almost good as new. Damn I wish I had picture but here goes.
If you have a grill that has the bottom where the springs mount break off, heres a procedure to repair it and save you some money.
First off your gonna spend about $35 on a few items all of which can be bought at the home depot or lowes and a local drugstore.
1 can of universal clear abs primer (plumbing section)
1 can of ABS adhesive (plumbing section)
1 can of 3M Fiberglass resin or equiv (paint section)
1 pack of fiberglass cloth (paint section)
1 roll of masking tape
some acid brushes
a small turkey baster style dropper or medicine syringe for children (drugstore)
latex gloves
220 grit sandpaper
1. Lightly sand with 220 grit sand paper the mating surface where the grill seperated and an inch beyond on both the grill and flange. Not on the grill face that you can see when installed.
2. Clean the grill and flange very good with a general purpose cleaner. Simple green or something like that and dry off completely.
3. Use the universal primer on all the sanded surface and mating surfaces being careful to not get this on the face of the grill that is visible when installed and allow a few minutes to dry. Taping off all around the repair area helps.
4. For this step its good to have a helping set of hands. Using the ABS adhesive, spread it liberally on the entire mating surface area where the two pieces broke apart on BOTH pieces. The ends and completely accross the front. Again be careful not to get any on visible parts. IMMEDIATELY line up and put the pieces together and hold/clamp in place. Hold for a few minutes. It doesnt take long for this to set up. WHat youre doing is almost creating a weld type bond of the ABS plastic grill.
5. Once it is set up a few minutes, spread a little more glue over the repair areas for added support and then set aside overnight.
Now at this point the repair is gonna feel very strong and you will be inclined to believe you are done but alas, round 2!
6. Lightly sand the repair areas again with 220 sandpaper and clean with more general purpose cleaner and allow to dry.
7. Stand grill on its nose so that it looks like a V if you look at it from the side. Again an extra pair of hand helps here or prop it up with something. what you are going to be doing is filling the inside corner of the flange and grille with fiberglass resin almost creating a fillet or gusset to strengthen the repair. This may seem like overkill but youre only getting one shot at this repair and id rather be safe than sorry.
8. ok mix up resin per instructions and work fast. Using the baster/syringe, fill the whole inside corner completely across the grill and in the corners at each end. The resin will self level out. Work fast but be careful as the resin will stay liquid about 10 minutes. Again, keep it off the visible areas.
9. After the inside is set, flip the grill over and hold/prop so its inverted.
10. Cut some fiberglass cloth to overlap the crack repairs by 1" on both sides. Cut enough to cover the whole length of the crack. The middle section can be done in 2 pieces and the ends in a few small pieces. (this should be the areas you sanded earlier. if you didnt stop and scuff these areas up)
11. Mix up some more resin and brush liberally out over the crack area extending 1" beyond on each side. Do this in sections remembering to keep in mind the resin is workable about 10-15 minutes. Immediately, imbed the fiberglass in th wet resin making sure to center over the original ABS repair. Then brush on more resin on top of the mat untill its saturated with resin. Again work quickly. If you have to, mix enough to do half the grill, then mix more and do the other half.
12. This will set up quickly and get hard as a rock. If you want extra strength, repeat steps 10 and 11 one more time. I did this extra step. Like I said, you only get one chance.
Thats it guys. It sounds like alot of work I know but in reality, I only had about 30 to 45 minutes tied up in the total repair and it beats paying anywhere from $300 to $400 for a new grill. If you like you can lightly sand the bottom and paint it but you dont have to and once installed, you cant see it. Also make sure to work in a well ventilated area and wear latex gloves as this resin can irritate skin. Man I wish I had pics to go with this but this car has been nothing but work for me since I bought it and alot of times I just want to git'r done. Please feel free to ask questions if not sure about something. Im always willing to help. Good Luck!
If you have a grill that has the bottom where the springs mount break off, heres a procedure to repair it and save you some money.
First off your gonna spend about $35 on a few items all of which can be bought at the home depot or lowes and a local drugstore.
1 can of universal clear abs primer (plumbing section)
1 can of ABS adhesive (plumbing section)
1 can of 3M Fiberglass resin or equiv (paint section)
1 pack of fiberglass cloth (paint section)
1 roll of masking tape
some acid brushes
a small turkey baster style dropper or medicine syringe for children (drugstore)
latex gloves
220 grit sandpaper
1. Lightly sand with 220 grit sand paper the mating surface where the grill seperated and an inch beyond on both the grill and flange. Not on the grill face that you can see when installed.
2. Clean the grill and flange very good with a general purpose cleaner. Simple green or something like that and dry off completely.
3. Use the universal primer on all the sanded surface and mating surfaces being careful to not get this on the face of the grill that is visible when installed and allow a few minutes to dry. Taping off all around the repair area helps.
4. For this step its good to have a helping set of hands. Using the ABS adhesive, spread it liberally on the entire mating surface area where the two pieces broke apart on BOTH pieces. The ends and completely accross the front. Again be careful not to get any on visible parts. IMMEDIATELY line up and put the pieces together and hold/clamp in place. Hold for a few minutes. It doesnt take long for this to set up. WHat youre doing is almost creating a weld type bond of the ABS plastic grill.
5. Once it is set up a few minutes, spread a little more glue over the repair areas for added support and then set aside overnight.
Now at this point the repair is gonna feel very strong and you will be inclined to believe you are done but alas, round 2!
6. Lightly sand the repair areas again with 220 sandpaper and clean with more general purpose cleaner and allow to dry.
7. Stand grill on its nose so that it looks like a V if you look at it from the side. Again an extra pair of hand helps here or prop it up with something. what you are going to be doing is filling the inside corner of the flange and grille with fiberglass resin almost creating a fillet or gusset to strengthen the repair. This may seem like overkill but youre only getting one shot at this repair and id rather be safe than sorry.
8. ok mix up resin per instructions and work fast. Using the baster/syringe, fill the whole inside corner completely across the grill and in the corners at each end. The resin will self level out. Work fast but be careful as the resin will stay liquid about 10 minutes. Again, keep it off the visible areas.
9. After the inside is set, flip the grill over and hold/prop so its inverted.
10. Cut some fiberglass cloth to overlap the crack repairs by 1" on both sides. Cut enough to cover the whole length of the crack. The middle section can be done in 2 pieces and the ends in a few small pieces. (this should be the areas you sanded earlier. if you didnt stop and scuff these areas up)
11. Mix up some more resin and brush liberally out over the crack area extending 1" beyond on each side. Do this in sections remembering to keep in mind the resin is workable about 10-15 minutes. Immediately, imbed the fiberglass in th wet resin making sure to center over the original ABS repair. Then brush on more resin on top of the mat untill its saturated with resin. Again work quickly. If you have to, mix enough to do half the grill, then mix more and do the other half.
12. This will set up quickly and get hard as a rock. If you want extra strength, repeat steps 10 and 11 one more time. I did this extra step. Like I said, you only get one chance.
Thats it guys. It sounds like alot of work I know but in reality, I only had about 30 to 45 minutes tied up in the total repair and it beats paying anywhere from $300 to $400 for a new grill. If you like you can lightly sand the bottom and paint it but you dont have to and once installed, you cant see it. Also make sure to work in a well ventilated area and wear latex gloves as this resin can irritate skin. Man I wish I had pics to go with this but this car has been nothing but work for me since I bought it and alot of times I just want to git'r done. Please feel free to ask questions if not sure about something. Im always willing to help. Good Luck!
