Question: So I follow all your threads and stuff and Im starting a project I figure you'd be a subject matter expert on. Im removing the pillars(for lack of better word) that I marked with the yellow lines, and I need to patch up the holes where they connect to the outside of the grill, what BRAND and type of body putty would you suggest would adhere to this hard plastic my grill is made out of? Thanks!!!
Answer: There's a couple of ways to skin this particular cat and what you could/should do depends entirely on your personal cost vs. pain in the ass vs. repair quality equation. I am going to assume that the grill is made of hollow plastic (think of a car bumper) and therefore can't be carefully sanded down to achieve the desired look. I can't tell from the picture, but if the grill attachment points are towards the middle of the piece (rather than the very back side) then good. If they're at the back then things get a little more interesting.
The general product category that you're looking for is a Flexible Bumper Repair kit. Normally these kits look like a tube of epoxy (because that's what it is) in that they have two syringes on the same plunger. You can get these at pretty much any auto parts store, and as near as I can tell they all work the same. I've tried several from several companies and have never thought "damn, that was way easier than last time".
The cheap/easy/not as good way to do this is to glue some material on the underside of the grill, then add that flexible bumper repair expoxy till you're just above the desired height, then carefully sand down with 120/180/220/400 grit sand paper until it's smooth, them primer and paint it (be sure to use a good plastic primer like Bulldog). This will work, but probably won't last an eternity. I've had repairs like this last for 2-3 years so if that's your time horizon go forth and mod. If you're painting the grill the same color as the rest of the car with quality paint, I wouldn't do this. If you're just going to rattle can the grill with some Krylon flat black, have at it.
If the attachment points are at the back, then things get a little more interesting. You can just do the same thing and glue some material on the underside, but the problem is this will crack resonably soon after you've completed the repair. Don't ask how I know. What I did to fix this was just fill the entire area of the repair with the bumper repair material. Basically I blocked off a "channel" on either side of the repair with some wadded up tape, mixed up some matieral, gunked it in, lather, rinse, repeat till it's time to sand. This works because it's a more solid repair but does use exponentially more raw material than the previous method.
The absolute right way to do something like this is to go to http://www.evercoat.com/ and take a look at their Maxim line of plastic repair fillers and pick something you think will work then search the web for someone who sells it. Evercoat is to body filler what Garrett is to turbo's. I don't buy any other brand of filler product: it's just not worth the aggrevation. I've never looked for the Maxim stuff, but my usual body filler stop (http://www.caswellplating.com/) doesn't appear to carry it.
I'm not going to describe how to use this stuff because I don't need to. Evercoat has kick ass tutorial video's on their site that give you step by step instructions. Either way, let me know what you decide to do and how it works out.
