grille woes (rant)

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spikekid999

MOPAR OR NO CAR!!!
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well the big brown truck showed up today, i knew what it was,but was disappointed in the box it was shipped in :wack:
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so i continued and opened it up and pulled out,,,,,



my 80 lebaron coupe grille
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i knew it had to be rechromed, but didnt think it was in this bad of shape, the top is all pitted to hell
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but for the hell of it i wanted to see how itd look on the TDC, even though i was sorely disappointed i couldnt put it on due to its condition:pale:

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and when i was carrying it back to the garage i notice it was bowed in the middle #-o

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then on closer inspection i noticed the bottom was broke loose on the one side
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and lookin at it some more, i notice that all 3 parts were broke on the one side ](*,)

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do you think a chrome shop can repair this? or did i just waste $65 on a POS grille?:angry7:
 
dude you got hosed 65 bucks on that? I can pick those grilles up for 5 bucks each at a local yard. I don't think I've found one like that in my travels but 65 bucks seems way to much. It really depends what the grille is made of, you can fill in the pits with a quality metal filler and the broken pieces likely need to be tig welded back together.
 
Damn, why do people do that to people? World is going to hell in a handbasket . . . . did I say that?? What a rip, will they guy take it back?? I'd send it back . . . Rog
 
Neat grille, I am sure it can be fixed but probably pretty spendy item after all is said and done!
 
CanadianGT said:
dude you got hosed 65 bucks on that? I can pick those grilles up for 5 bucks each at a local yard. I don't think I've found one like that in my travels but 65 bucks seems way to much. It really depends what the grille is made of, you can fill in the pits with a quality metal filler and the broken pieces likely need to be tig welded back together.
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Hosed? I have never seen one like that before! If you really wanted it and it is rare and different, the price is fair. I don't think you got hosed!
 
There used to be a guy in Tacoma, WA that would fix, weld and rechrome pot metal but he packed up and moved to Florida. I have been told that he still does it...$$$$$$$$$. Was that an Ebay item? If it wasn't as described I would raise hell.
 
i bought it off a guy on the M-body website. he said when he pulled it it wasnt bent or broken so he's fileing a claim with UPS tomorrow. he said if they dont refund my money, he'll do a partial refund on it since i wanna keep it cuz its cool and different. so im gonna try and find a place that fix,and rechrome grilles and trim.

canadiangt- id like to see you get this grille for $5. they only made these grilles for one year, and that was on the 1980 lebaron ls coupes, which they didnt make too many, and sadly there aint to many around. these grilles are extremly rare.

and yes its pot metal where its broke, unfortantly.

if it was an ebay item, you bet your *** id raise hell. but he's doin what he can which makes me happy.
 
I will give my dad a call and see if he can dig up the guys number. He said that he had it in his office...somewhere. Try doing a search for "pot metal repair" and see if anything usefull comes up, I know it's not cheap though.
 
At least UPS will honor claims unlike the USPS or Greyhound. Don`t get me started!!!! If the grille is only seen from the outside maybe you can clamp it in place where it should be and JB-Weld it in some unobtrusive place?
 
scamp, if your dad can dig up his number thated be great!i know it wont be a cheap repair,but its gotta be done lol.

i looked up pot metal repair and havnt found anything useful except not to use solder-It paste
 
Yikes ... I'm glad that's not coming here!!! < duckin

UPS will conduct its investigation and if they determine they're at fault for breaking it, they'll send THE SHIPPER a check for whatever amount he insured it for when he shipped it to you. Most people don't buy extra insurance and the minimum is $100.00 in coverage.

If he tries sending you a smaller refund than that, I'd complain -- loudly. You can use the extra cash to soften the blow and help offset the cost of all the repairs you're going to have to get done.

Just my .02 worth. :-D


P.S. Just for future reference, if UPS or FedEx show up with a package for you and it looks like the contents may be damaged, ask the driver to wait while you open and inspect the shipment. Most times the driver will file a claim immediately and save you a phone call, and they make great witnesses on your behalf. Here's the PowerGlide that showed up a couple weeks ago from Michigan.
 
spikekid999 said:
ouch im glad i didnt get a tranny that looks like that. ...
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Spike, it gets better (worse??) than that. Two dog ears are broken off and it has a HUGE hole on one side too. The worst part is that the guy who traded it to Billy -- for a $750 dual quad tunnel ram / Holley carbs setup -- only insured his friggin race PowerGlide for A HUNDRED BUCKS.

Billy's still waiting on the check too, although UPS's investigation was concluded (and the shipper got paid) almost a month ago. That's why I shared all of that with you so you'll know what to expect and how to deal with it when/if it ever happens again.
Gotta do what I can to help take care of the young guns here!!!!!!!! :love7:
 
ya i can see one of the ears sittin on top the tranny (that aint right!) and why would you only insure somethin like that for $100!?!?! i'd be really pissed if that happened

and thanks leanna. hopefully it wont happen again but ya never know i guess
 
Cool grille. Too bad it got damaged in shipping.

I've done some pot metal repair by fitting the broken pieces together, clamping them down, and use a dremel tool with a cut-off wheel to cut a narrow trench across the pieces. I try to go at least a half inch on either side and if there is an opportunity to make a bend at the end, I do that too. Then I fashion a length of paper clip to fit into the trench. Keep bending on the paper clip until it is as good as you can possibly make it. Paint the entire length of the trench with the paper clip in it with JB Weld. Make sure that you don't JB Weld the joint to the clamps or surface you're working on. After the JB Weld has set up a couple of days, I come back with the cut off wheel to grind off any JB Weld that has built up in places that need to be smooth.

I doubt the JB Weld will electroplate. I've used the technique on trim pieces like fender insignia where I had a working surface that would be hidden from view when the part was re-installed. The paper clip wire acts as a gusset so the repair isn't solely dependent on JB Weld alone.
 
ya i dont think JB weld can be chromed over. so i think im gonna go with that muggy weld stuff since that can be chromed over. i was lookin at the steps for different repairs on there site and it looks fairly easy with there product. its not the cheapest but itll still be cheap if i do myself thatway i dont have to pay for labor lol
 
CudaChick1968 said:
Yikes ... I'm glad that's not coming here!!! < duckin

UPS will conduct its investigation and if they determine they're at fault for breaking it, they'll send THE SHIPPER a check for whatever amount he insured it for when he shipped it to you. Most people don't buy extra insurance and the minimum is $100.00 in coverage.

If he tries sending you a smaller refund than that, I'd complain -- loudly. You can use the extra cash to soften the blow and help offset the cost of all the repairs you're going to have to get done.

Just my .02 worth. :-D


P.S. Just for future reference, if UPS or FedEx show up with a package for you and it looks like the contents may be damaged, ask the driver to wait while you open and inspect the shipment. Most times the driver will file a claim immediately and save you a phone call, and they make great witnesses on your behalf. Here's the PowerGlide that showed up a couple weeks ago from Michigan.
Click to expand...

Cudachick,FYI; last time I shipped with ups I asked for insurance and was told that insurance was automatic and included up to $100 per parcel...

Spikekid,who did you get that from? I used to spend lots of time over at Farleys..

It can be repaired. Brazing will work. Rechroming will cost you lots though...
 
Needsaresto, you're very right ... Every shipment UPS handles is insured for $100.00 unless the shipping party requests and pays for additional insurance. But if you can find any built race PowerGlide out there for a hundred bucks, you better snag that sucker!!! LOL

I ship parts out constantly all over the country, and some of the stuff people send me to work on is extremely rare / high dollar. I always get overly personal with my customers by asking them how much a particular part is worth, or how much they paid for it. I'm not doing it to be nosey; I'm asking because I add whatever my powder coating bill is to the cost of their parts and insure the box for the full amount, and frequently for a lot more depending on the rarity of the part.

<knockin on wood> : If something bad ever happens to anyone's parts during shipment from my shop, I want my customer to be dang sure of getting back every penny he's spent and then some, including what he paid me. I've been in this hobby for long enough to know that some of those parts are irreplaceable or very hard to find, and having one of them get damaged or lost would be devastating to me. I can only imagine how the customer would feel. That's why I always insure my shipments for a lot more than the UPS $100 minimum.
 
needsaresto: i bought it from Art, toyolet23.

as for chroming, my buddy (the one i bought my hydro stuff from for my 5th) knows someone that does chromeing for a decent price. he said i could get the parts from my like new bumper jack (base and painted part) chromed for around $50, which aint a bad price
 
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