Custom metal grille

[JTalley]

I saw this thread and decided to do it!

After removing my stock grille, I took it in to the shop and started scrounging up materials. Using its shape and bolt pattern as a reference, I'm trying to make my own. I'm off to a good start, and hopefully I can have some pictures of my progress tomorrow!

I'd like some advice, though. My plan is to paint the new one glossy black. I'm thinking of putting chrome lettering on it with either "CHEVY" or "CHEVROLET," stretching all the way across. Which should I do and where (middle, top, bottom) should I put it?

[CaptSquid]

We try not to reference the other site here. There's a lot of bad blood.

[MountainManJoe]

We are actually not as anal about posting links as they are. In fact, we poke fun at them for it.

[JTalley]

Hey, I always see links to the other site on here.

Anyway... Does anyone have any opinions/advice on the grille?

[doyoulikeithere]

maybe its just Lumpy's photo, but it looks like his grille has a few nasty lines in the mesh, and it looks like he just layed patches over his stock grill.
I would advise you to use a single sheet of mesh and try not to let it bend where there may be some kind of support bar behind it.
If you do put support bars anywhere behind the mesh think about where they go so it looks good. Basically, look at a stock safari grill and see how the segmented it into 3.
Maybe if you find nice enough material, you could put the support bars on the exterior?
I take it you can weld ?

Its all just depends on the materials you have to work with.
I would think re-creating the top section that bolts up will be the hardest part to fab.

[97CargoCrawler]

I think theirs looks like crap. It might be cool if you do it in one piece and use ROUND hole perforated sheet. I just fab'ed up some tube doors for my FJ40 and used round hole perf sheet to fill in the openings and it looks awesome, in my opinion.

Like this:

[JTalley]

That was just the photoshop. Apparently the picture of the metal wasn't big enough, giving it the patches and sheets look. I'm using one sheet.

I take it you can weld ?

Good enough to get by.

I would think re-creating the top section that bolts up will be the hardest part to fab.

Honestly, that's the easy part; I'm already about halfway done on that after only a few minutes working. What I'm afraid of is the bottom part where it slides into the four screws that make up a mounting bracket.

I have shop 5th hour, so hopefully I'll finish up the top part and get started on the supports. From there I can begin on the bottom part. At that point I'll have a basic grille frame, and I can just spot weld the expanded metal on, making it easy to remove and replace. That way, if I ever decide to try a new look, I can just do a bit of grinding to remove the expanded metal, and I won't have to make another frame.

Once I get everything cut, I can see if I can get measurements of the angles and the lengths, that way other people reading this in the future have those to go by and won't have to wing it like I'm doing. I'm just putting my metal against the stock grille and marking it where I need to cut it.

I remembered my camera today! No promises, but I can try to upload some pics this evening.

[JTalley]

I finally got on a computer where I can view pictures, and I think the round hole perforated metal is definitely a better idea... I wasn't impressed with the preview fit I did earlier today.


I had just cut it and decided to see what it looked like. If I don't use the expanded metal I can use the frame as a base for some other kind, such as the round hole perforated metal.

[MountainManJoe]

It's revealing! Like a pair of fishnet stockings.

[doyoulikeithere]

I would like expanded metal, but of a much smaller cut, and maybe stainless steel, and I would put a 1" solid strip around the border too.

[JTalley]

I would like expanded metal, but of a much smaller cut, and maybe stainless steel, and I would put a 1" solid strip around the border too.

That's exactly what I was thinking! I just got my first paycheck yesterday, so after I buy all the essential things for the van, I can see about some smaller cut metal. The stuff I was intending to use looks absolutely terrible and I think it looks like some moron smacked through a line of traffic and affixed some scrap metal up there because he couldn't afford anything else.

I don't like that look very much.

[brokenwrench]

I would like expanded metal, but of a much smaller cut, and maybe stainless steel, and I would put a 1" solid strip around the border too.

That's exactly what I was thinking! I just got my first paycheck yesterday, so after I buy all the essential things for the van, I can see about some smaller cut metal. The stuff I was intending to use looks absolutely terrible and I think it looks like some moron smacked through a line of traffic and affixed some scrap metal up there because he couldn't afford anything else.

I don't like that look very much.

so how do you like cows now?

[doyoulikeithere]

Ya JT, Hows the cows?

and thinkin bout yur grille, it would look good too if it could cover up a lot of the area around the headlights, and right up to the signal lights but not covering any of the lights.

[JTalley]

I've been thinking about replacing those headlight frames, but I'm terrified of making my own. I'm not that good at fabricating...

Anyway, about the cows, I posted on that thread a few days ago. First day at work was ok, but could've been better. I think I might just keep working there. It's a bit of cash that I didn't have before. I earned $41 and change my first day.

[JTalley]

Grille is coming along, slowly but surely. I got about half the frame done; all that's left is to finish the bottom part, weld up the mounting bracket, find some better faceplate material, get the edging, and grind it all smooth. With the small amount of shop time I get, it's taking a while, and I haven't been working on it every day, either.