Restoring a Saab 99 Grille

The Saab 99 Grilles from 1975 to 1980 are a hard to find piece nowadays. Most pristine examples are unobtanium, and the grilles that are available are usually in fair condition. This is because the plastic used on these early grilles is very thin and brittle. The plastic rungs snap easily, and most 99 grilles (usually) have at least one area that is cracked. 

From Roger Harris in West Springfield, MA, I was able to locate a decent grille that didn't require much work to restore. It was a base model grille, meaning it did not have the accents found on the GLE, EMS, and Turbo models. However, swapping out badges and trim is a simple process. 

In this entry, we're going to restore the grille, and make it look like my original grille that was cracked in my accident several weeks ago. If you have a 99 grille in need of restoration, hopefully this helps you as well. 

Here are two 99 grilles. The top grille is my old one, which as you can see, has cracked. The bottom grille is the better one I got from Roger. Note the corrosion and dirtier plastic, as well as the different color SAAB badges.

1. I started by spraying off the grille, to remove the excess dirt and grime that had adhered itself over the years. 

Then, I gently scrubbed the plastic rungs with soap, being very careful to not apply too much pressure, which could snap the plastic. Remember, these parts are hard to find and break easily!

2. Now, once the grille was clean and dry, I removed the front SAAB badges. A little known detail between standard 99 and higher trim 99 grilles are the color of the badges. GLE, EMS, and Turbo 99s featured gold badges, while basic GL models had silver badges. 

I was able to remove the badges by undoing the brass fasteners on the back of the badge area on the grille. I'm glad I was able to keep my original gold badge in this process. It's a hallmark to the originality of the car.

3. The most rewarding part of this process was using wet sand paper to remove the excess corrosion off the metal trim around edges. When I got the grille, it was heavily corroded, and the silver metal had started to turn a Coca Cola color. Using a fine grit sand paper, I effectively removed the corrosion, while preserving the appearance of the metal.

4. Complete! As you can see, this came out really well, with just a little bit of effort. I'm very happy with the results. I may respray the silver areas to bring the finish out a bit more, but that might not be for a little while. I really can't wait to see this grille back on my car.