Abrown3mtg

I'm looking for 1 or preferably 2 w212 grills for a 2 part project. I want to try two things.

1.) Trial and error the most effective way of removing the chrome plating to allow a better surface to paint match to the rest of the car. Depending on the condition of the surface below the paint this could be a single grill project.

part 2.) I want to remove the badge from the grill and attempt to render a replacement "plug" that matches the contours of how the grill would appear without the badge in place that could be secured into the hole and allow a body filler to hide the seam and than be painted. I do not like the "two badge look" when you remove the hood star. I feel it is tacky and redundant. I have a friend with a cnc lathe that could produce these plugs cheaply for forum members if all went well. If it didn't, I want to attempt to use body filler to form/sculpt the shape and determine if it can be done in a manner that looks factory.

Both are exploratory in a sense and I will only undertake the process which I anticipate to be time consuming if I can find a grill or two at a low cost. I know a ton of you have picked up the star grill and hopefully have the factory ones laying around collecting dust!

Thanks in advance.

BrianE

I have one that I just removed from a low mile 2012 E550. Shoot me an offer

Abrown3mtg

pm coming your way.

Abrown3mtg

I have had 2 members contact me. Both of which offered great deals that make this undertaking very worthwhile. Being able to try several "aggressive" methods of plating removal on one of the grilles to see which method works the best/with the most ease while not being fearful of the results or damage is great. Grill number two can be finished at a more relax pace allowing for full drying in-between coats of primer, etc.

I'm going to try a couple methods. Perhaps even if the first one works flawlessly simply to determine results/outcome.

1.) My most hopeful... Blowtorch: using a propane torch at medium flame, you pass the tip of it over the chrome at about the same speed as if you were to spray paint an item. Apparently the chrome will bubble up quickly but the "plating" protects the plastic from being deformed. It is important to not let the flame sit too long on any single spot. Video will be taken of this for sure.

2.) Razor blade. (cut along a seam, apparently you can get a blade underneath and work the plating free and peel off as a single sheet)

3.) Brake fluid bath - Curious about the plastic used by MB and if the brake fluid will damage the plastic. (hit and miss from what I've read)

All the above mentioned methods work on Domestic vehicles... I'm curious if/how these cross over to the higher quality MB parts/finish.

After step 1 is complete, the less destructive and likely more involved process of filling in the badge will no doubt be a challenge.

Abrown3mtg

Bringing this back to life! Due to having a lot going on over the past year I didn't find the time to pursue this when I Initially posted it. I also had a laser jammer setup dialed in that would have been a huge hassle to remove, reinstall, and readjust the heads.

That said, I have some spare time now and am upgrading my laser jammers so feel it is a good time to revisit this. I shot PM to Brian to see if he still had his available. My fingers are crossed!

If anyone else has pulled off their factory w212 grill and has it collecting dust, please pm me. I know a ton of people here like to black out the grill and paint matching could be great as well for other colored cars. Getting the grill down to plastic will be key to longevity in the finish.

Thank you all and happy holidays!

b6tbfmp

PM sent

Youngd

PM sent

Abrown3mtg

I want to give a public shout out/thanks to Youngd. He donated his grill to this project. Literally would not take payment even for shipping!

I'm addressing a few annoying issues with the car in between trips that have been taking up my wrenching time. Also, my car is going to go in for some body shop love to touch a few things up, pdr, etc to get it 100% for summer. While they do this, I'm going to have the new grill paint matched.

My plan is to pull the existing grill which has been notched for my remote radar detector and laser jammers. Once it is off, I'm going to experiment with the original methods. If none of them yield the outcome we would all want, I will try having a local plating shop try stripping the replacement. If it does not fare well, I will pick up a third and simply wrap it. I will report back with pictures as soon as the games begin!

belarus27

i would wanna try and wrap it , grill concists of two pieces , one is glossy black on the inside , and chrome on the outside , now that you mentioned it , and i have better skills in wrapping i might try it , and make my matte grill glossy black.

good luck with all your ambitions , sounds like you gonna put it some time in it , props for trying.