Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 I haven't forgotten about my truck.

It's hard to discern what this picture illustrates, it's the end panel of the windshield cowl grille. This screens the air intake for the ventilation system. The grille is made of black plastic and the ends have deteriorated from UV light exposure and crumbled into pieces. Modern cars have lots of plastic panels that not only are used as trim, they sometimes make up significant portions of the exterior bodywork. It behooves current owners to keep these parts well protected by applying preservative coatings. Unfortunately, large trucks usually don't have the luxury of living in a garage or being parked in a carport. The remainder of this grille is still in pretty good shape so I plan to step up my maintenance process.

Due to the popularity of these F150 models I had expected to find an aftermarket billet grille to replace the plastic piece. I didn't find any online, and the cost to replace it with a new OEM unit was more expensive than I wanted to pay. I previously used duct tape to fab up an end piece. A year or so later I covered the duct tape with black electrical tape. A much more professional looking repair! This has held up pretty well for at least a year. 

Surprisingly, these replacement plastic end pieces showed up as an internet notification in an E mail from American Trucks. The price was under twenty bucks, so I decided to order them. When they arrived I was surprised that it was a packaged Dorman product. These are often for sale in local auto parts stores.

First off, I had to remove the earlier tape repair, then clean off the area. I would use Meguiar's Cleaner Wax to remove glue residue then scrubbed it down with rubbing alcohol. I would use clear silicon caulking to help attach the replacement pieces to the plastic and metal panels. 

I used these three products.

After I cleaned off the residue I test fit the replacement piece. It wouldn't sit as tight as I would have liked. So it appeared that using the caulk would certainly be a good idea. 

The duct tape stuck quite well.

All cleaned up. 

The end piece is only attached to the edge with some snap in pegs. Even if I used an adhesive I was concerned that it might not hold for very long.

I applied two beads of silicon, and don't be concerned, the caulk will turn to clear as it dries. 

This is what the finished project looks like. I'm pleased with the results. As I mentioned earlier I plan to treat the plastic grille with preservative every couple of months. I thought that the plastic should have held up better, but it has been 16 years of the truck sitting outside exposed to the elements. 

What's that 2x3 board doing lying across the threshold? I had decided to wax the hood and top after finishing the cowl repair. I could reach most of the roof by standing in the bed of the truck, I couldn't reach the area at the front near the windshield. I have used stepladders to reach that portion. I could stand in the open doorway, but it was really difficult to balance there and actually wax the top. My truck doesn't have running boards, so I came up with an idea. I laid the 2x3 across the threshold and I could plant one foot behind me to brace myself as I leaned back. It worked like a charm. 

I still have a few projects to do with the truck. The tail gate cap, the steering wheel cover, and maybe even the driver's seat upholstery. It's also probably time for an ignition tune up. New plugs wires and coils should perk it up a bit. It's been a good truck and I still enjoy driving it. At this point, preservation is the name of the game.