Dead end and more dead ends

[Jody97862]

So reaching out here. I have been looking for grill pieces, car has 6 individual pieces, for my 75 Pontiac Grand Lemans. They are, from what I'm seeing, specific for my year and model.

Also need the breather hose for this old girl. Parts houses just been shrugging their shoulders. Looking around at wrecking yards locally has been a dead end as well. 

Would appreciate a point in any direction for these 2 items. Internet seems to be dead on these parts as well

[Frosty]

Have you tried Franks Pontiac Parts in 29 Palms California? It may be hit or miss on what they have at the moment. However they do say they cover your year of Lemans. Right now they appear to have a left hand grill assembly.

https://www.frankspontiacparts.com/

[Jody97862]

I do look there frequently and have not seen anything posted. Guess I will call ,see what I can find out. Thanks

[Frosty]

Let us know how you do. I can think of some other salvage yards out west but I like to start with Franks.

[Frosty]

On 1/26/2022 at 11:20 AM, Jody97862 said:

I do look there frequently and have not seen anything posted. Guess I will call ,see what I can find out. Thanks

Is this something you are looking for? It is posted on Frank's website at the moment.

[Jody97862]

No, my grill is totally different, I will post  a picture

[Frosty]

Oh you have a Grand Lemans! That explains the difference in the grilles.

I assume you are looking for the one busted piece?

This will be tough since it is a one-year only, up-option grille. The GT Lemans and base Lemans had the other style grille. Not impossible but the search becomes that much harder.

Worst case and most expansive scenario would be to send it to a skilled chrome shop that can do pot metal part repair too. I'm thinking of places like Advanced Plating of Nashville TN or Paul's Chrome Plating in PA. Of course, there maybe some place(s) closer to you, but I know of these places simply by commercials and ads I've seen on shows like My Classic Car.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Frosty

[Jody97862]

That's great, by the way, your the very first person I've communicated with who actually recognized that grill. And yep I desperately need the busted one. The car was stolen at one time, not when I owned it, and that's how they got the hood open. 

[Frosty]

Not sure how easy it will be to find one. I’ll keep my eye open. 

Other wrecking yards to try are: 

 

CTC Auto Ranch - Denton Texas

Turners Auto Wrecking - Fresno California 

Desert Valley Auto Parts - Phoenix AZ

Be sure to keep checking eBay, Facebook marketplace, and Craigslist. Guys part out old cars all the time. You might get lucky. Pomona swap meet is also another possible opportunity.

Edited January 30, 2022 by Frosty

[Jody97862]

Thx, I will see what I can find

[Frosty]

Some interesting information - here is the total 1975 production figures for the Grand Lemans. Since your photo does indicate if you have a 2-door or 4-door Grand Lemans or even a wagon, here is how small the Grand Lemans was in 1975.

Model year 1975 - Pontiac Grand Lemans 2AG, 4-door Hardtop, G29 - 4,906 units

Model year 1975 - Pontiac Grand Lemans 2AG, 2-door Hardtop, G37 - 19,310 units

Model year 1975 - Pontiac Grand Lemans 2AG, 4-door Station Wagon-9p, G45 - 1,501 units

Model year 1975 - Pontiac Grand Lemans 2AG, 4-door Station Wagon-6p, G35 - 1393 units

Total Lemans production for 1975 was 92,919 vehicles. So about 30% were Grand Lemans.

[Jody97862]

Well that is interesting, mine is a 2 door hardtop. So 19,310 were made. Wonder how many are left. I have tried to get past history on mine as it is interesting to find out. Have had very little luck. A friend of mine found it at an auction in pieces in Albuquerque N.M., it had been stolen/recovered and partially disassembled. He partially reconstructed and I'm trying to complete. There is a socal car club sticker in the window so at one time it was there

[Frosty]

Thanks for sharing the picture. It truly reminds me of my '73 Sport Coupe from the side profile.  Your car looks very clean. My '73 was my first Pontiac, right out of high school.

I doubt very many still exist. Of the all the Colonade era cars (73-77), the GTO ('73 only), the Can Am ('77 only), and the Grand Ams show any desirability in the market place today. The other Lemans models were throw aways for the most part or used as parts cars.

As I said, the worst case scenario would be to find a chromer that does pot metal repair. Depending on how long you are willing to search for a replacement, you may end up that route. Also if you find a replacement piece, will the seller expect you to buy the whole / all the grille pieces? Or can you just buy the piece you need?

[Jody97862]

All good questions...to be continued. 

We really have a lot in common.  like you, my very first Pontiac was a sport coupe Lemans and is was also a 1973. Picture included. 

Also included is a picture of what my current Lemand looked like a year ago

Really is a small world 

[Frosty]

You have come quite a long way. I congratulate you on your determination. You will have to tell us the story behind the car some day.

Just another idea. Would you consider getting another front grill assembly, i.e. the base or GT grille and grill inserts, even though it would be incorrect for the Grand Lemans, until you can find the part you need? Most folks would not know the difference between the Grand Lemans and GT Lemans grille for '75 anyways. It may cost more money, but I suspect the parts for the base/GT Lemans are a little more readily available.

[Jody97862]

That is a thought, a guy would have to replace the whole nose assembly though... correct?

The current grill pieces are individual and the nose piece corresponds with that... ie houses/frames in each piece individually. 

[Frosty]

That’s correct. You would want to find an entire front grille assembly.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Frosty

[Jody97862]

Well, I found the grill pieces. Not real happy with the price but it's something to work with. They will have to be re-chromed. They are plastic so that's a different process and also a limited amount of people who can do it.

I'm grateful for the help and comments. Hopefully when the grill pieces get here they are at least what I see in the pictures.

[Frosty]

Congrats on finding the set. I assume you had to buy the entire set to get the piece you needed? Where did you find this grille assembly?

Re-chroming anything is never cheap. So now you need to find a chromer who can re-do chrome over plastic. So take your time and do your research. Another thing to consider is do you need to think about re-doing the entire grille set so everything looks the same? More money I know, but it will be gorgeous in the end. Something to consider.

 

[Jody97862]

Oh yeah, I had to buy the whole set. In the set 2 have a couple broken fins. I will have to do some serious thinking on how to repair/fabricate these broken fins. Luckily I have some machine shop experience. I intend to send in 6 pieces to have a complete set reworked. 

I found this car in Vegas. I got a tip from a guy who knew a guy.... you know how those situations are.

I have started looking into vacuum chromeing,(simple term) which is the process used for plastic. I have found 4 company's that do it so far. Have gotten quotes from 2. A company in  Detroit gave 2 quotes. 500 and 700. The higher quote the do a undercoat that apparently gives a truer chrome reflection and it has a ceramic coating that helps with heat???. The qoute from California was just flat out of line. 2500 and they would only chrome the flat surfaces with chrome and the balance in paint. I get the feeling they don't know what their doing. Still waiting on a couple more quotes so we will see where it goes. Irregardless it's a great learning experience for this old fat man!!

[Frosty]

Glad to see you doing your home work. What is the name of the Detroit company? Just curious in case I ever need them too.

[Jody97862]

The name of the company is Insane Paint and the guy I'm dealing with is Dan Gokey. If I do end up with these guys I will let you know how the project turns out. I mislead you though. The company from Detroit has not responded yet. The above mentioned guy is in Suamico Wi.

[JUSTA6]

Looks like we have a bunch of shops in SE Mich.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Plastic+rechroming+Mich&cvid=f2e2ffb53f124af29984175ef5adf8cb&aqs=edge..69i57j0.14185j0j4&FORM=ANAB01&PC=HCTS

[Jody97862]

Thanks, appreciate the heads up. The more options the better

[Frosty]

Interesting list Justa. 

The Lapeer Plating + Plastics is about 10 miles or less from my place. Looks like they try to sell to the Big 3.