Reconditioning the front grille
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:51 am
A quick Sunday afternoon project...
My Plus 2's front grille had nearly rusted away, held together with tie-wraps and the number plate letters were falling off, so I decided to have a go at reconditioning it. A new grille costs about ?50 with VAT and shipping so i figured I had little to lose!
I got some fine square mesh from a local DIY store (Wickes in the UK) for ?5, galvanised. This stuff is finer than the original mesh but I doubt it will be noticeable. Then I cut the old mesh off the frame and tack welded a piece of the new stuff to it. Tricky, as the welding wire in my MIG is thicker than the mesh wire, so it has a habit of burning through, leaving a hole. Once done, I ground the leftover mesh away and peened over the stubs.
To painting, then - with rattle cans - one coat of grey primer and a good coat of Plasti-Kote gloss black.
The letters are secured with 5mm Star-Lock washers per lotus-chassis-f36/number-plate-letter-fixing-spring-washers-t42130.html
-- End of part 1 --
My Plus 2's front grille had nearly rusted away, held together with tie-wraps and the number plate letters were falling off, so I decided to have a go at reconditioning it. A new grille costs about ?50 with VAT and shipping so i figured I had little to lose!
I got some fine square mesh from a local DIY store (Wickes in the UK) for ?5, galvanised. This stuff is finer than the original mesh but I doubt it will be noticeable. Then I cut the old mesh off the frame and tack welded a piece of the new stuff to it. Tricky, as the welding wire in my MIG is thicker than the mesh wire, so it has a habit of burning through, leaving a hole. Once done, I ground the leftover mesh away and peened over the stubs.
To painting, then - with rattle cans - one coat of grey primer and a good coat of Plasti-Kote gloss black.
The letters are secured with 5mm Star-Lock washers per lotus-chassis-f36/number-plate-letter-fixing-spring-washers-t42130.html
-- End of part 1 --