#21  
Old 05-06-2022, 08:15 PM
78w72 78w72 is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: iowa
Posts: 4,683
Default

yes, comes in different widths, i think i used 1/2" or 3/4". clean the inside of the bumper where the tape will sit real good & it should hold the grille down, clean the grille where the tape goes too, i put tape on all 4 sides of the grille for the most part. the tape was so sticky you had to be careful to get the grille all the way in the opening without the tape touching or it would grab anywhere it touched. if it still needs a little fine tuning try a heat gun carefully as mentioned above.

if its still off that bad, it could be the shape of the nose in that area is deformed. with the grille installed as shown in your pic, can you push that raised area down by hand to fit right? if so then the tape should do its job.

  #22  
Old 05-06-2022, 09:15 PM
abefromen's Avatar
abefromen abefromen is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: a van down by the river
Posts: 1,688
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 78w72 View Post
yes, comes in different widths, i think i used 1/2" or 3/4". clean the inside of the bumper where the tape will sit real good & it should hold the grille down, clean the grille where the tape goes too, i put tape on all 4 sides of the grille for the most part. the tape was so sticky you had to be careful to get the grille all the way in the opening without the tape touching or it would grab anywhere it touched. if it still needs a little fine tuning try a heat gun carefully as mentioned above.

if its still off that bad, it could be the shape of the nose in that area is deformed. with the grille installed as shown in your pic, can you push that raised area down by hand to fit right? if so then the tape should do its job.
Thought about using the heat gun but pretty much the entire lower section needs to be heated and pulled down evenly. Even with the grille off the car and on the bench it's gonna be tricky to get it all even.......I see a warped lower edge in my future knowing me.

Yes, I can push the lower edge down to make it all even problem is the plastic is really stiff and that 3M tape really needs to be sticky to hold it in place for good. There is such pull back on it from the wide gap it may just pop back up over time IDK. There is thin sticky tape on it already from the mfgr but it's very thin and nowhere near strong enuff to hold anything down. The bottom is the only issue, all other sides are ok.

Second set of grilles I got as a replacement are just as bad as the first which leads me to believe the bumper may be the issue but I just can't see that. Setting the grilles on a flat surface they both have an upward curve on the lower edge, not flat straight across whatsoever.

Thanx for the help

  #23  
Old 05-07-2022, 08:59 AM
Skip Fix's Avatar
Skip Fix Skip Fix is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Katy,TX USA
Posts: 20,541
Default

Heat gun the bumper too they often are a lot of the issue.

__________________
Skip Fix
1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand
1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project
2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4
1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs
  #24  
Old 06-05-2022, 08:03 AM
BDH79TA's Avatar
BDH79TA BDH79TA is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Springfield MO
Posts: 63
Default

So am I missing something here? I have 2 sets of original 79 grilles and both sets are rubber. Not plastic. The grilles Ames offers are also rubber but I see these ABS grilles advertised all the time. I figured it was a cost savings thing. Did the later cars come out with plastic grilles? Seems to me the rubber would conform better to mild imperfections.

__________________
[/SIGPIC]

Two marriages and one long term relationship later and it's the T/A that's always still there.

When referencing gas, "regular" used to have an entirely different meaning.
  #25  
Old 06-05-2022, 10:43 AM
Skip Fix's Avatar
Skip Fix Skip Fix is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Katy,TX USA
Posts: 20,541
Default

The GM ones I first used are a "rubbery plastic" that got brittle with time and would fall apart.

The newer repop ones are a little more "plasticy"

__________________
Skip Fix
1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand
1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project
2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4
1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs
  #26  
Old 06-05-2022, 10:53 AM
BDH79TA's Avatar
BDH79TA BDH79TA is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Springfield MO
Posts: 63
Default

I see. I haven't ordered any yet, but I do know Ames advertises theirs as being rubber like originals while other suppliers advertise ABS plastic pieces. Being a urethane front bumper supported by a foam filler I'd expect some amount of sag and distortion after 40 plus years. Seems to me the rubber originals would be a little more forgiving than a rigid ABS piece. I guess it all depends on how much you want to spend versus what you can accept when it comes to the fit.

__________________
[/SIGPIC]

Two marriages and one long term relationship later and it's the T/A that's always still there.

When referencing gas, "regular" used to have an entirely different meaning.
  #27  
Old 06-05-2022, 11:27 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: iowa
Posts: 4,683
Default

the original & repros grilles are more of a flexible plastic as skip stated, they weren't made out of rubber like a tire. & the repros being advertised as ABS arent rigid, they are a very flexible material more like the nose than hard plastic.

  #28  
Old 06-11-2022, 08:59 AM
abefromen's Avatar
abefromen abefromen is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: a van down by the river
Posts: 1,688
Default

The repops I got were from OER and they were hard plastic with hardly any give at all.
To get them to fit correctly along the bottom and look ok it took some careful creative bending after using a heat gun.
If Ames says the ones they sell are flexible, I sure would like to know who's making them.

My bumper was not the issue, it was they lower edge of the grilles that curved upwards too much.

  #29  
Old 06-11-2022, 07:39 PM
3tas4me's Avatar
3tas4me 3tas4me is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,252
Default

I still have the original grilles in my TATA with 57k miles on it. They are most definitely not flat black. I would say they have the same sheen as the windshield and back window trim does from the factory. I removed them to clean them up and they were still held in place by the double sided tape. I used a heat gun to help remove them.

__________________
1970 Trans Am
1971 Trans Am
1974 Trans Am
1978 Y88 Trans Am W72/auto
1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am
1984 Trans Am
1993 Trans Am
1999 30th Anniversary Trans Am
2001 10th anniversary Firehawk #104
2006 GTO
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:11 AM.

 

About Us

The PY Online Forums is the largest online gathering of Pontiac enthusiasts anywhere in the world. Founded in 1991, it was also the first online forum for people to gather and talk about their Pontiacs. Since then, it has become the mecca of Pontiac technical data and knowledge that no other place can surpass.

 




Copyright © 2017