Hi - 84 380 SL - I bought a new left side (drivers) grill piece - the grey plastic piece that runs above and below the 'chrome' trim piece in the middle. Anyway, I cannot get to the screws running vertically from (under) the front of the hood. Does the large chrome piece that goes around the whole grill have to come off? If so, how? Apologies if this has been covered. Thanks, MKMc
Help with install of grill, please
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2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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I'd love to help, but I haven't gotten this far yet. I'm going to be buying both sides (cracked on one side, broken on the other) but I haven't gotten that far yet. I'll watch this thread with interest, though.kca555 said:
I don't think so...kca555 said:
I took my grey grills out to paint them. Seem to remember it was a bit of a bitch - there are loads of screws - but they came out. Unless maybe I muscled it out when I shouldn't have - the chrome bit should stay. Some of the guys will tell you if an '84 is any different from my '72.
G'luck!
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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6,080 Posts
That's one of those personal things. My neighbors like Cape Cod/eastern beachy stuff. And that's cool. I prefer something between Industrial and Minimalist. I can look at something and say "Yeah, that would go really well in your house." But I would never, ever want it in mine.ussun said:I just hope you all sent them out to get chromed first
It's worth the wait and money!!!!
This is the kind of stuff I put in my house:
This is what i spend my "art" money on. Be the first to pick out the two 107 item on the bench top.
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2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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You mean the glovebox and the bracket?Nascar Fan said:
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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6,080 Posts
BTW, I got a little chubbie when I saw the tool chests. I don't have the space for that, my garage was a woodworking shop before it ever saw my convertible. I still build stuff, there's not enough room for both, and the woodworking stuff was here first, so....Nascar Fan said:
Good eye there, new used servo & pump in the mail. Woodworking huh? I have an idea to make me some nice new sun visors out of pretty wood. Maybe old fan blades? Looking for a cheap way out. Any thoughts?
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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Fan blades are usually pressboard and wouldn't hold up to the great outdoors, even with the best varnish. Unless you managed to find some old blades off a very high end fan.Nascar Fan said:
Your best bet would be to go to a (yes, I'm serious) doll house craft shop. They sell thin pieces of solid exotic and hard woods. When I've wanted something to use as an inlay, I go there. A good one will have thicknesses anywhere from 1/8" to 5/16", in a variety of styles.
The tricky part would be getting it mounted to the bar in your car. I definitely wouldn't try drilling a hole that long, and you'd need something that would give you a good friction fit.
Unless you just wanted the look, and then you could use some 1/8" plywood (usually available at a hobby shop that sells model plane supplies) to sandwich the framework of the visor, and then laminate some good quality veneer over it. Then you could use the existing friction fittings. Just steam the hell out of the veneer before you try to force it around that bend at the top. And then many layers of marine varnish. And patience. Lots and lots of patience.
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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And I wouldn't even try this unless I have a very good scroll saw or band saw. A scroll saw would be better - you'd have better control around tight corners. Make the plywood covers a little bigger than the metal framework so you can fill the space between with wood and then run it through the scroll saw to give yourself a good edge. Use more of the veneer to go around the edge so it'll match.
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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I thought about this on the way home, and I think I've come up with a way it would work.
You need the 1/8" plywood from a hobby shop. Find someplace that sells what you need to make flying model airplanes. They'll have it. You'll also need a dowel long enough to completely cover the top edge of the sun visor. Diameter TBD when you get the rest of the assembly put together. And last but not least, you'll need some wood filler epoxy and the veneer you want to use.
It would be best to try this on something sacrificial so you can work the kinks out before you do your actualy visors. You could make a mock-up of the assembly with a stiff wire hanger and a properly sized metal rod of the right length.
First, create the pattern you want for the sun visor on the plywood. Make sure you place the plywood so it covers 1/2 of the rod at the top edge of the visor on both sides. You should make one side of the pattern (it doesn't matter which) about 3/4" larger than the visor along the bottom edge. The other pattern should be the same size as the visor. Use plenty of epoxy to hold the pieces together through the wire frame of the visor. Let it cure overnight or longer to make sure it's set up properly.
Then take the assembly and fill the space between the edge of the smaller pattern and the larger pattern with the wood epoxy. Don't worry about getting it smooth and pretty because you'll be doing some shaping with a sander before you apply the veneer. The left and right sides will show some gaps, and you'll need to fill the gaps with more of the filler. Once you've got that done, set it aside again and let it cure per the directionsx2. You're going to be using more than any wood epoxy manufacturer anticipated, that's the reason for going twice as long as directions. While you're cutting the patterns, be sure to locate and drill the screw hole used to tighten the visor and keep it from flopping up and down.
Then dig out some 80 grit sandpaper and your trusty orbital sander and shape the edges. You're going for a smooth curve down to the bottom edge of the visor. Take this slowly. Better to take longer to shape than to try to do it too fast and have to start over again, but if you do go too deep in a spot you can apply more wood filler epoxy and start again. Once you've got that edge shaped, start on the left and right sides of the visor. Here you're going for right angles and a smooth surface from front to back. Once you've got all three sides done set it aside and start working on the dowel. To find the dowel size, measure the thickness of the assembly at the top edge - the metal rod and both pieces of plywood. Get the dowel size just slightly larger. It's going to wind up being something like 1/2" or 5/8".
Now find the size of the rod. It's going to be something like 1/4". Find out how deep a hole you can drill with your drill press (really, don't try this with a handheld drill) and cut the dowel into pieces just slightly shorter than that. Drill all the dowel pieces, one at a time. You'll wind up with something that looks like a wooden straw. Now cut them in half with your bandsaw. You should be able to use each side of the dowel. Glue the dowel all along the top, so you've got a nice round edge. Sand off the lip with your orbital sander and shape it to smooth.
Now, take your veneer and the contact cement you're using and apply the veneer per directions on the cement. Because you've shaped the bottom edge with smooth curves down to a sharp edge, the veneer shouldn't show any gaps. You'll need to trim the edges flush and apply small pieces of veneer on the right and left sides. If you're like me, match the grain direction and pattern carefully so it looks like a solid piece of wood from all angles. Trim the left and right veneer flush and gently sand the corners with a fine grit paper to meld them together.
Stain and finish with whatever you want, putting on many layers of marine varnish.
You need the 1/8" plywood from a hobby shop. Find someplace that sells what you need to make flying model airplanes. They'll have it. You'll also need a dowel long enough to completely cover the top edge of the sun visor. Diameter TBD when you get the rest of the assembly put together. And last but not least, you'll need some wood filler epoxy and the veneer you want to use.
It would be best to try this on something sacrificial so you can work the kinks out before you do your actualy visors. You could make a mock-up of the assembly with a stiff wire hanger and a properly sized metal rod of the right length.
First, create the pattern you want for the sun visor on the plywood. Make sure you place the plywood so it covers 1/2 of the rod at the top edge of the visor on both sides. You should make one side of the pattern (it doesn't matter which) about 3/4" larger than the visor along the bottom edge. The other pattern should be the same size as the visor. Use plenty of epoxy to hold the pieces together through the wire frame of the visor. Let it cure overnight or longer to make sure it's set up properly.
Then take the assembly and fill the space between the edge of the smaller pattern and the larger pattern with the wood epoxy. Don't worry about getting it smooth and pretty because you'll be doing some shaping with a sander before you apply the veneer. The left and right sides will show some gaps, and you'll need to fill the gaps with more of the filler. Once you've got that done, set it aside again and let it cure per the directionsx2. You're going to be using more than any wood epoxy manufacturer anticipated, that's the reason for going twice as long as directions. While you're cutting the patterns, be sure to locate and drill the screw hole used to tighten the visor and keep it from flopping up and down.
Then dig out some 80 grit sandpaper and your trusty orbital sander and shape the edges. You're going for a smooth curve down to the bottom edge of the visor. Take this slowly. Better to take longer to shape than to try to do it too fast and have to start over again, but if you do go too deep in a spot you can apply more wood filler epoxy and start again. Once you've got that edge shaped, start on the left and right sides of the visor. Here you're going for right angles and a smooth surface from front to back. Once you've got all three sides done set it aside and start working on the dowel. To find the dowel size, measure the thickness of the assembly at the top edge - the metal rod and both pieces of plywood. Get the dowel size just slightly larger. It's going to wind up being something like 1/2" or 5/8".
Now find the size of the rod. It's going to be something like 1/4". Find out how deep a hole you can drill with your drill press (really, don't try this with a handheld drill) and cut the dowel into pieces just slightly shorter than that. Drill all the dowel pieces, one at a time. You'll wind up with something that looks like a wooden straw. Now cut them in half with your bandsaw. You should be able to use each side of the dowel. Glue the dowel all along the top, so you've got a nice round edge. Sand off the lip with your orbital sander and shape it to smooth.
Now, take your veneer and the contact cement you're using and apply the veneer per directions on the cement. Because you've shaped the bottom edge with smooth curves down to a sharp edge, the veneer shouldn't show any gaps. You'll need to trim the edges flush and apply small pieces of veneer on the right and left sides. If you're like me, match the grain direction and pattern carefully so it looks like a solid piece of wood from all angles. Trim the left and right veneer flush and gently sand the corners with a fine grit paper to meld them together.
Stain and finish with whatever you want, putting on many layers of marine varnish.
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
Joined
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6,080 Posts
Yeah, we do seem to have trouble staying on topic, don't we?smack said:
Man, that got over my head fast. I was thinking more on the line of some stainless steel marine hardware to make some simple loops to go over the rod with some small bolt/nut combo to set the friction on the rod. I can see where what your describing would look much better than my plan. I'm just not too handy with wood.
On the other subject, my grill is junk also. Are all grills the same? Mine has chrome tipped slats all the way from top to bottom. Some are broke and some are bent somewhat. Might just remove it and see if I get mistaken for a AC Shelby Cobra.........
On the other subject, my grill is junk also. Are all grills the same? Mine has chrome tipped slats all the way from top to bottom. Some are broke and some are bent somewhat. Might just remove it and see if I get mistaken for a AC Shelby Cobra.........
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 1993 BMW 325i convertible
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Yeah, after I posted it I thought I don't think this is going to work for him. I just get something like that in front of me and I stew on it until I think I've found a way to do it.Nascar Fan said:
I don't even want wooden sun visors, but I might make a mock up and try this, just to see if it can work. It's an interesting question.
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