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  1. #1
    FEP Senior Member cb650's Avatar
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    Default Fan shroud rejuvenation

    I was fortunate enough yo find a good shroud but it is all dried out and gray looking. What does everyone use to make them brand new again. lol

  2. #2
    FEP Super Member webestang's Avatar
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    Don't have a photo on hand but for the shroud on my 88 5.0 I took it out, scuffed it with 500 grit sandpaper, washed it, wiped it off with paint prep and gave it 4 coats of trim black rattle can paint and it looks great.

    Scotty
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  3. #3
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    I washed mine with soap and water and a scrub brush then let it dry. Scuffed it with a scotch brite.

    i used JB weld epoxy to handle a crack and fill in some pits, sanded it back with 220 then 320. Tack cloth then hung it. shot it down with brake clean to make certain it was as clean and no finger prints, etc- also helps get it as dust free as possible. primered it with rustolium grey primer, let it dry. 0000 steel wool then tacked and shot with brake clean again.

    Once dry (takes about 5-10 min) I sprayed mine with satin black enamel. Same stuff that’s often used on suspension. Has held up nicely.

  4. #4
    FEP Power Member smitty54's Avatar
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    Cleaned it up and put clear coat on it.
    Attached Images Attached Images  
    "Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac."
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    Rick
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  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member cb650's Avatar
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    Thanks I was thinking of rejuvenating it and leaving it natural but I guess some paint is the best.

  6. #6
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    Sorry I don't have any suggestions to add and I apologize for the minor threadjack here... Great looking engine bay smitty54!
    '85 GT

  7. #7

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    Most plastics are oil based. With interior stuff, I will often wipe it down well with regular old soap and water, then once it dries, cover it all with vasoline and let it sit overnight. The plastics will take in the oils and will actually fill in some small holes and cracks and bring back the colors when faded or sun damaged.

    You can sorta do the same thing by hitting it with a heat gun, but that really just pulls more oils towards the surface. Doubt it would work all that good long term on a fan shroud if you drive it alot though.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  8. #8
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    Not sure about the early ones. The 86 and up are slightly gray in color. I used semigloss black, Rustolum Plastic paint. It came out ok considering it had a heavy coated botched paint job to start with. In the end, too black and too glossy but much better than what I started with.
    Fox Body/3rd Gen MCA Gold Card Judge
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  9. #9
    FEP Senior Member cb650's Avatar
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    Yes it does look nice. If this shroud was that nice I would just clear coat it too.

  10. #10
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    I had to replace a shroud and the only one I could get had some deterioration. I used a Meguires product for shining up the plastic.

    Good luck!

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...tion-questions

    Quote Originally Posted by 82GTforME View Post
    I never thought about it to realize these shrouds were ABS and I also have never really seen this severe of degradation before. I had also never paid attention and seen the over the counter products like Brad noted and in the links shown by gr79.

    As this will be going in more of a "show" car versus a fixer-upper, I needed to do something to improve the appearance.

    I followed the advice in this link to utilize an applied product http://www.detailingspot.com/?page_id=21

    "In the end, if not cared for properly, what we end up with is a material that suffers from cracking, chalking, color changes, bleaching, and loss of its physical properties.
    For plastic/trim/molding/cladding/etc. that is faded due to degradation, i.e. the plastic has changed its appearance permanently, you have a few options: You can:
    1) apply a dressing to temporarily change the appearance – this will darken the polymer and probably last a few weeks before you will have to reapply it,
    2) use a dye (e.g. Forever Black),

    3) replace the part that has degraded, or
    4) paint it with a polymer specific paint.
    Options 1 and 2, in my opinion, are the best options depending on the size of the part you are trying to restore. Applying dressing is the easiest; dying the polymer will provide a very nice finish, is easy, and will last a long time; replacing the part is costly; and painting it, while a viable option, is difficult to do. Hence, we are conveniently left with options 1 and 2!"


    So after a few applications, it darkened the ABS enough to me that it did not stick out as super obvious. You can see in the one picture before application where the deterioration will somewhat scratch off with a fingernail. It would be challenging to find a way to do that to the whole area. I will do as they recommend in point 3 above to look for a better replacement.

    I used a product that was on the top 5 list of the procarreview link, plus it was off the shelf available locally http://www.detailingspot.com/?page_id=21

    Attachment 121178

    Fingernail scratch tests.
    Attachment 121179

    First layer of application where it started to have fading.
    Attachment 121180

    Here you can see up close how it's really lipstick on a pig as you can still "see" the deteriorated substrate.
    Attachment 121181

    In the side by side to compare with the original and against the first photo above. The results were better than I expected for the limited effort it actually took.
    Attachment 121182

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