Fortunately, our '70 Duster grille was in good overall condition, although the paint was well worn. These grills were available in either silver and argent, as shown here, or black and argent. We decided to redo ours in the latter scheme.
Wouldn't it be nice if when restoring or fixing up an old Mopar, we could saunter over to the local dealer and pick up what we need in brand-new condition? When it comes to Mopars, the mechanical hardware can often be acquired just like that. Need a U-joint, a driveshaft, or even a transmission to hook it up to? Someone out there can set you up, even if it's an up-rated aftermarket piece.
U-joints, rears, and even engines are being built every day, but nobody is making many of the critical body parts needed to keep our Mopars looking good. The aftermarket has stepped up in producing some of the special body parts-but not grilles. N.O.S. is an option if you can find it, but there is a limited supply, and following the reasoning of 18th Century philosopher and economist Adam Smith, where supply is tight and demand is high, the bank balance takes a hit.
The front grille is one of the most visually distinctive items that define a body style. Imagine a '70 Bee without that snarling grille. At best, we need to work with used parts, so restoring a grille is an unavoidable part of fixing up a Mopar musclecar. We needed to fill the gaping hole between the bumper and hood of our Duster. Sure, if they were falling off dealers' shelves, we'd have it made, but in reality, we needed to work with what we had. Fortunately, we had a decent piece, so making it shine was just a weekend's elbow grease. Although it's 30-plus years old, the gleaming final product didn't let us down.
Fixing It
Although we were fortunate our Duster grille only had a couple of broken mounting tabs, often a grille will need some repair. Many Mopar musclecar grilles were made of molded plastic, so sometimes there are structural breaks to repair. With some time and patience, hopelessly fractured pieces can be brought back. Here are a couple of examples of what can be done.
