Cost of reanodizing '60 grille

[David Greenburg]

I've been looking for a still shiny used grille for my '60 without success.  I'm now looking at getting mine redone or getting one already restored.  I know it ain't cheap, but prices seem to be all over the place, all the way up to $4000. Anybody had this done recently?  Are there different types of qualities of the anodizing process I should be aware of?

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

David,

You may want to contact Industrial Metal Plating, Reading PA 610-374-5107, ask for the owner, Jamey Maack. They did all the bright aluminum for my Brougham with beautiful results and they were great to work with. It’s a batch process with one charge for as many pieces that fit in the tank……. Here’s the bad news: you should disassemble the grille regardless otherwise there can be some staining at the joints due to residual chemicals. Additionally, you must remove any steel clips or fasteners. They will be destroyed by the process.  If the parts are corroded or pitted, you should have them stripped and buffed before anodizing. The better the finish you start with, the better the results.


The process is known as Bright Anodizing or Bright Dip Anodizing. The parts are first treated in an electro-chemical polishing process that levels and smooths the surface increasing the reflectivity. The parts are then anodized â€"they are made the anode of an electro-chemical bath -  which produces an tenacious oxide coat on and in the surface to the aluminum. The oxide layer is tough and hard but only several microns thick. Depending on the chemicals and process parameters used, the coating can be clear (think of it as clear coat) or colored by the addition of pigments (think gold Sabres)

[David Greenburg]

Ralph-

Thanks. A recommendation from you means a lot. I never saw your car but from the descriptions I heard, the work was incredible.

[76eldo]

His cars are fantastic.

How about a good source for Cad plating for all of the underhood stuff?

Brian

[Highwayman68]

The grill on my 68 is horrible looking. Is this the best method to follow? The side panels will need cleaned too, will I be able to repaint the black sections again after having this done?

I have to look at the grill this weekend to see how to disassemble it. Any hints on how to do it?

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

David & Brian,

Thanks guys.

The four Cadillacs I’ve restored all had silver cad plated bolts. I could not locate a vendor that I’d trust to handle and plate a small box of original nuts, bolts and clips.  I found a vendor of automotive stainless steel fasteners and substituted stainless steel for all but the high strength, functional bolts in places like the exhaust manifold.. Apple Valley Fasteners (applevalleystainless@yahoo.com ) offers a complete range of bolts (including SAE indented heads), thick flat and lock washers, nuts, and hex head (no slot) sheet metal screws. Unlike silver cad plating, the SS finish doesn’t degrade over time and cleans up with soap and water. I use them as received. Don’t clean or polish them as they will shine like chrome. Replacing all fasteners under the hood of my Brougham cost something like $150.

HTH,
Ralph

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Mark,

I'll try to reply later today.

Ralph

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Mark,

I’ll describe the process for a ’66 which should be similar to ’68. Because I don’t know what you already know, this may be telling you more than you wanted to know.

If your center grille doesn’t have any bent or chipped vertical bars or horizontal slats, I would explore having it processed as an assembly. Unlike ’58-60, there are no bullets that would hold tank solutions. Just be certain to remove any steel (ferrous) fasteners.

Grille disassembly: The grille is held together by “tangs“ at the junction of the horizontal slats and vertical bars. The slats have grooves in them to accept the bars. On both sides of the grooves are small cuts that form the “tangs” that are pressed against the vertical bars to make a rigid assembly. I used a small sharp gasket scrapper to gently pry the tangs away from the vertical bars. Work one bar at a time. You’ll likely find that you’ll need a wood fixture to hold the grille during disassembly and assembly. You may want to number the parts if there’s any question about location. It’s best to have the old anodizing removed before trying to buff the parts. A chrome plating shop can do this for a few dollars. While aluminum is soft, the anodized surface is hard and will result in a blotchy surface if you try to buff it off. To get a feel for polishing test the underside of a slat with a combination of wheels and compound. Once you’re comfortable polish the slats and bars.

The sides panels are not difficult but it will test your patience. Remove the headlights and headlight buckets to gain easy access to the bolt attaching the side panel to the bumper end. Remove the other two bolts on the long edge of the panels. Strip the black paint from the panels using paint remover that does not contain caustic chemicals which will destroy the aluminum surfaces. Again it is helpful to have the anodizing removed before polishing. Sand and polish the slats and bars by hand using 400 grit or higher sand paper, and a Dremel with a flexible sanding ball, not the flat sanding disks. Polish with a small (3-4” cloth wheel and compound.

The polished aluminum surfaces are easily scratched so protect the surfaces for shipping.

Assembly will require some wood fixturing and another two hands to start installing the bars in the slats. Once three or four are in place the grille will be stable. To capture the vertical bars in the slats push the gasket scrapper into the small groove that forms the tang and tap lightly to bend outward pinching both sides of the vertical bar. The black background on the side panels is best done with 3M XXXX tape. Adhere it to the surface and trim the excess with a pointed Exacto blade using the raised edges of the bars and slats as your guide.

Bright anodizing will produce a shiny reflective surface but not the same as chrome. The process will also reveal material defects as white specks. These parts have been exposed to 50 years of road stones, weather, and corrosion, so expect some tiny pits to show.

HTH,
Ralph

[David Greenburg]

It sounds like I could save a significant amount of money by disassembling the grille, sending it out for anodizing and reassembling myself.  But I'd like to hear from folks who have actually reassembled a '59 or '60 grille as to how difficult it is to get it back together correctly and without rattles. I know it's tedious and that the stars and rubber anti-rattle pieces should be replaced, and that I should invest in the grille assembly tool to preserve my sanity.

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

David,

I've not done one myself but have been told it requires more patience than rocket science skills. There's a episode of "Bitchin' Rides" on Velocity called "Copper Cadillac" that shows a few problems assembling a '60 grille. You should number the bars and slats and make a diagram for proper location. You definitely need the tool if you're fond of your finger tips. One last precaution is the quality of the stars. I recall hearing  complaints about quality of some suppliers, but don't recall the specifics.

Hopefully some one will comment.

[gene harl]

just finshed my 59  . took It all apart , buffed each peace , and back together .. a wood dowel to hold the bullets  and install the clips  works great.. be sure that each bar is in its correct place, they only work one way.... take LOTS of pictures...its doable , not that hard..
Gene Harl    clc22406

[Chuck Swanson]

His cars are fantastic.

How about a good source for Cad plating for all of the underhood stuff?

Brian

I use the CopyCad kit from Caswell Plating

[P. Manoogian]

It took me 13 days (not full days) to do my 61 grille. The slats were numbered. I used the TSM and had a complete grille from my parts car as a guide. I wet sanded and buffed the horizontal slats and polished the vertical slats. Where they had staining I lightly touched up using Krylon mirror paint. I buffed each of the 60 bullets by placing them on the eraser tip of a pencil with masking tape wrapped on the pencil end for a firm mount. I then mounted a cut acid brush in my drill to polish the depth of the bullet end.

To replace the brittle U shaped rubber cord I used screen cord available at any hardware store. I reused 95% of my star clips by bending the tabs to remove and re-bending them before install. I did buy the install tool from a guy on E Bay who makes tools for Cadillacs.

My total investment is under 150.00 and the grille looks quite good.

[john henderson]

 Hi guys-I tired of trying to polish my 65 grille and showed it to my chromer.it wasn't real bad,but it wasn't "nice".  I asked if it could be dipped to clean it.He said it could,but it would remove the anodizing.We did it ,and it came back spotless with a slightly lighter color. I painted it with semi-gloss clear paint and it looks awesome! I'll try to figure out how to post a pic! thanks,John Henderson-65 Barnfind

[Jeff Wilk]

Hi David it's really not a hard job....just a tedious one.  We did it on our '59 Fleetwood over about 2 weeks.....or should I say my SON did it......ALL......we spent a little money on AUTOSOL polish which has been recommended on this and the AACA site by many people.....expensive but worth every penny and it goes a long long way.

We did not need new stars either....patience and good needle nose pliers is all you need....."simply" pry/twist one prong at a time and once the third one is free the fourth lifts right off.  In terms of the rubber anti-vibration u-shaped bits.....the earlier suggestion of screen grommets is EXCELLENT as it is the right size and very flexible.

As far as the outcome.....ahhhhh......here are the three most important questions ......what shape is the anodizing in that was on there and how "factory fresh" do you want it to look, and for how long......

First the anodizing.....it is very very thin to begin with and is really there to protect the underlying aluminum if it is gone or so think that polishing it will remove the rest your protection coat will be gone too and the underlying gleem you get into the aluminum will oxidize rather quickly.....

Second, what do you want it to look like when done?  Factory anodized is NOT a bright bright chrome like finish its a sort of shimmery gleem uniform in it's color on the grill bits.  Polishing the existing anodizing if it is still there with autosol will not remove any of it and will leave that factory look.  Polishing the aluminum will give a nice shine, but see the first item above.  Chroming the parts will look nice, but not original and will actually show more imperfections than not.  Another problem with sending out for buffing and polishing is that the edges are so accurately a clean 90 degree flat edge and when they come back they are rounded.  Not only does that not look original, if that happens too much you will have a rattle problem no matter what.

Third, how long do you want this to look good without having to do it all over again?  The anodizing will last for many many years and not need much more than a wash and dry.  Chrome will pit if not kept waxed.  Polished aluminum if the anodizing is gone and you don't re-anodize it.....will oxidize and dull gradually within a year.

In terms of the smaller engine parts and bolts.....CASWELL COPY CAD is an awesome kit which I've posted about here before.  Not really expensive and gives you full flexibility to plate a part or two at a time as you work under the hood.  My son and I did every single nut bolt washer and bracket on the entire front clip of the Fleetwood.  Hardest part is calculating the surface area of each part being plated so that you can calculate the amount of voltage needed for a batch.  Sounds complex but it is not....just some tedious measurement and basic basic math.  You are basically plating with ZINC, and then dying the zinc to look just like cadmium plating (silver or gold) hence the name (COPY cad).  Here are some pictures of all the above.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Jeff & Noah