ABS plastic grille

saudivette

saudivette

Clueless In Sandland
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
2,631
Location
Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
I'm still trying to find the "right" grilles for the front end. I want to go with the diamond or honeycomb ABS plastic but I can't find anyone that sells just a square (or piece) of it.

Do any of you guys know anyone that sells it? PITA being out here as I can only use the internet. Pulling my bloody hair out here :cussing: :banghead: :suicide:
 
I have a Loews/HDespot stores near me, I can look, but need a pix of what you want.....
they about a mile from me, so no sweat.....

I dunno about other sources here in town, ....never needed anything like that...

:cool:
 
Ok, thanks for the input guys but I finally found something that I like without resorting to buying an existing grille and chopping it up.

KM44209_01Z.jpg



Now I have to decide whether I want to mount it behind the bumper openings or cut it nice and precise, run a piece of trim around the edge and mount it in the opening...
 
Looks like a Loews Despot type thing I could find....rather than the custom grills above....

:harhar::rolleyes:
 
saudivette -- I like both! The idea of it recessed (behind the opening) with the trim out to finish the inside edges seems pretty finished look.

mrvette - gotta a SKU or id for the piece at Lowes? ARe they in the metal products section -- or garden spaces?

The Kamei is pretty dear even on eBay - and I might need a bigger piece or 2!
Cheers - Jim
 
phantomjock said:
saudivette -- I like both! The idea of it recessed (behind the opening) with the trim out to finish the inside edges seems pretty finished look.

mrvette - gotta a SKU or id for the piece at Lowes? ARe they in the metal products section -- or garden spaces?

The Kamei is pretty dear even on eBay - and I might need a bigger piece or 2!
Cheers - Jim
Click to expand...

It was a hip shot comment, but I seen that type stuff around....and not so long ago, either....if not Lowes Despot, another supply house...

the stuff in that elongated hex pattern is not all that hard to find....

:beer:
 
I got my headlight buckets primed on the weekend so they can go back in any time now. But the buckets out makes for better access for making the grilles.

Anyway, this is what I came up with this morning. Bit hard to see them with the light and grunge behind them but I'll take some more once I mount the indicators behind them.

354b80fd52a5521.jpg

354b80fd53c02fc.jpg
 
Wayne - Those look GRATE -- did you pick those up locally or ship in?
Got a POC on them - nice looking. Plastic/ABS - or metal?

Coming along nicely.

Cheers - Jim
 
phantomjock said:
Wayne - Those look GRATE -- did you pick those up locally or ship in?
Got a POC on them - nice looking. Plastic/ABS - or metal?

Coming along nicely.

Cheers - Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks Jim. Ages ago I bought this sheet of ABS plastic grille material:

KM44209_01Z.jpg


I made a quick template by tracing around the bumper opening and then copied that slightly larger onto the grille then cut it out. I'll have to fab up some little aluminium brackets to hold them there but that shouldn't take long.

I chopped up the mounting brackets that were part of the original 82 grille/louver so I could still mount the indicators and I ground the "fake" fins off the indicator lenses and polished them almost flat. I'll have to shim the indicators rearwards by about 1/2 an inch so they don't contact the new grilles.

What's POC?
 
POC = Point of Contact - URL/link/telephone, etc --
Looks great - my Solstice (the red "mini-vette") has a similar honeycomb mesh for its grillwork. Its got about 1 inch depth in its construction.

I'm going to be looking for some. I have seen some metal grating that is similar - but would like to hold out for some ABS too.
Thanks - Jim
 
phantomjock said:
POC = Point of Contact - URL/link/telephone, etc --
Looks great - my Solstice (the red "mini-vette") has a similar honeycomb mesh for its grillwork. Its got about 1 inch depth in its construction.

I'm going to be looking for some. I have seen some metal grating that is similar - but would like to hold out for some ABS too.
Thanks - Jim
Click to expand...

I bought mine from this guy on eBay:
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=autohaus24&ftab=AllFeedback

He doesn't appear to have any of the ABS mesh listed though.

Here's another place online:
http://www.electrodyne.cc/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?store_code=ED&screen=PROD&product_code=44209

The mesh piece is 33.75" x 16" and about 1/4" thick. It's reasonably flexible too...
 
Wayne, this is one great looking Vette. I like all the custom work you did. What color are you going to paint it?
 
Thanks Arthur. I have a dark red interior so pretty limited to what colour I can go with. It was originally (factory) white, which I don't particularly like. Before I went silly, it was the 2 tone silver, which is ok but to answer your question, I'll probably go with a dark charcoal metallic with some ghost stripes, slightly darker, in a bastardized Motion kind of way.

Of course, that may all change yet :lol::lol:

Someone suggested a reddy/gold that would probably look ok with the dark red interior...
 
I finally got my grilles finished. I spent yesterday fabbing up brackets and getting the grilles and indicators to sit right. I re-painted the indicators last night and got the brackets all powder coated today. I then spent a few hours getting the headlight buckets back in and rigged nicely so that they won't bark the paint. I finished up for the day just on dusk, so the pics aren't the best. You get the idea though...

354b87e90885227.jpg

354b87e909a4dec.jpg
 
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