Hi All, Not been here for 4yrs so I may have missed a really good thread on this but..... I have just bought a 1948 Nash 600 and the grill has a chunk broken out of it. its a good fit back in to it but I want to know how is the best way to bond it in permanently and if I can then polish it up at all? I also have the same issue on my 53Buick but that has cracked in half. Cheers in advance, Spence (UK)
Cecil N. Muggy's Super Alloy www.muggyweld.com You may need to re-chrome the grille after you have repaired it otherwise exposed pot metal will corrode again....
If it is a clean break and no pieces missing you could glue it with JB Weld then polish. There might be 2 fine lines of black but not too noticable. If it has to be perfect you might better take it to a good chrome shop and let them do the repair.
Don't try to have JB Weld hold it just on the ends. Remove the grille, make a backer piece from aluminum longer than the broken piece. Sand the backside of the broken piece, backer piece and the grille where the backer will fit. Use plenty of JB Weld on the back side where it won't show. Clamp it in place with plastic faced spring clamps. A light hit with a hair dryer will make the epoxy kick. jack vines
Hey, If yer gonna give the '' weld it your self '' route a whrrel, locate some other broken die cast parts to work out your repair method on prior to working on the Nash's grille! Some die cast will melt and flow no problemo, some goes from solid to oh, shit inna New York minute
True it took me a few scraps to get the teqnique down. If you do go the route of the Aladdin rod practice and read the directions on the package. It doesn't take much heat to make a mess. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Clean the chrome off of the pot metal, Vee it out if it is thick, T.I.G. weld using AC, boot the Argon up to 30 CFH instead of 15. I've found it handy to have a variety of pot metal rods, I strike an arc on the part, check the color and then try to choose the best rod based on the color of arc they put out. Pot metal goes from solid to liquid very fast, so take it easy, let it cool if you have to. Don't get in a rush. Practice on something disposable if you haven't done it before.
Well I dont have a tig, only mig so unless a lotto win come soon I may try jb weld. There is a guy on here parting out a 48 nash and the grill looks good so just waiting for his reply. If I get that one then I could keep back this one to experiment with once a tig has been aquired! Cheers buds Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I had several broken pieces on my '46 Austin's grille, but fortunately I had all the pieces too! I pulled the grille out and cleaned it all up good, then fitted the pieces in with JB Weld at the joints. Once it set up, I used more JB Weld on the back side to build up some strength. The grille was repaired 3 years ago, and is holding up great! Have to really look hard to see the tiny thin crack line on the grille bars.
pretty sure I have one of those grilles here Spence...let me know if you want, I'll find it and post a pic for you.
Hey Fleet-master, depending on cost as obviously getting a grill shipped to the UK isnt cheap compared to JB Weld. PM me a picture and a price and I will see what I can do. A couple of mates have shipments moving back and fore across the pond so may be able to slip it in. Cheers.
Give these guys a call. http://www.alumiweld.com/index.html I use it on a 1938 Caddy tail light housing made of "pot-metal". Worked for me. One thing to keep in mind when welding ;Practice, Practice, Practice and more Practice. my .02 Good luck
No probs. Have sourced a couple but need to see how financially viable it is to replace over repair. Thank for looking though.
Using splints like this works. You could even drill and bolt splints in place depending on whether the bolts will show or whether you care that they show. This truck ended up with a lot of spints in the grill.
The Jalopy Journal
