Freshening up the P38 Radiator Grille

Hi, the radiator grille on my 2001 P38 is looking a little dull and tired. Can anybody recommend a treatment to give it a bit of a cosmetic facelift?

Cheers, Martin

Hang a couple of chavs off it.

A good scrub with some degreaser, a wipe with some bumper prep, and then respray. Did my A-bar a while back and it looks great, paint bonded well and texture shows just like new.

i have read somewhere peanut butter smooth give i good rubbing in, need to do mine but not got round to it yet

mad murphy said:

i have read somewhere peanut butter smooth give i good rubbing in, need to do mine but not got round to it yet

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Are you sure that wasn't for your regular girl, not your radiator grill?

kernowdragon said:

Are you sure that wasn't for your regular girl, not your radiator grill?

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sorry dont go kerb crawling so wouldnt know what they like

Hi! Marnewton,
I have recently refurbished my tired old front grill (don't like the "sports grille" updates found on ebay....naff and expensive), so I found a great product on the net called "Plasticare".....it comes in a small bottle (enough for a few grilles), and costs about a tenner. It is a "thin paint" for want of a better description, and after thoroughly washing your grill (take it off the car), you apply the liquid with a soft cloth and/or a small paint brush to get in tight areas. It is available in several colours (I used black), and I also restored my black bumpers too....brilliant stuff, and does exactly what it says on the label. email them at: [email protected] type "plasticare" into ebay.
I've got to say, it really works, and my grille still looks like new 3 months later.
Hope this helps.
Regards

just take off the grill, clean it, get any grease/flies off and then respray it with plasticote matt black rust not paint, about 3 quid a tin. dont forget to mask the badge



comes up like new!! you can also touch it up in situ if yer careful.

used heat resistant matt black bbq paint on mine works a treat

i done mine yesterday, cleaned it, very light wipe with scotchbright, arsehole can of satin black, mask off badge and painted trim at bottom, if your doing it in a cold garage or somewhere else, get a heat gun/hair dryer to help dry after a coat, few coats and will look lovely, do the trim under the headlights as well to match

I used black liquid shoe polish on mine, it was pretty grotty gery looking, now nice and black. Its lasted over a year.
Nice low cost solution.

Very many thanks for the ideas guys (and apologies for the tardy response...intermittent internet...AGAIN) exactly what I was looking for. I'll let you know which way I go and how the results look. If I can tart up the light guards by the same method, so much the better

(I'm not keen on the 'sports grilles' either...or the Simmonites style 'upgrades'...original is best!)

Cheers, Martin

If the badge is looking a bit tired, it would be a good idea to replace it at the same time.

Apply a wee bit of heat to the old one and prise it off. new one will come with adhesive pad.

Use a heat gun ,heating it up will bring it back to show finish but dont over do it