The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop aftermarket grill doesn't fit?

I got a chrome grill from truck shop at a car show, it looked great when sitting on the floor, but when I tried to install it the bars slant down towards the center like a "V" shape. It's several inches at tne center probably, it won't even line up with the bolts on the top of the fenders. I tried looseing all the bolts but there isn't much slop for movement of the bars. Anyone else have this experience? Are all the vendor's grills from the same place?

I believe all the vendor grills are from the same place.

Fit and finish of the grills is only so-so at best. Can you post a picture?

And that place would be Taiwan. I have always thought this repro stuff is pretty poor. The way to go is find a halfway decent original grille, and have it's dents straigtened and rechromed. Expensive, but it will actually fit when you want to install it.

The best candidates for chrome are the painted grills in good shape. Ask a plating shop which they would prefer. Then be patient while you look.

I looked at 3 rechrome grill places around my area (at car shows, not at their shops) which did exchange for my year grill. They wanted around $400-500 and they had a couple at the show. Most had plastic wrap around them, so I unwrapped them and every one had dents in the rear black part of the bars or something else wrong (and this is the ones they're displaying at shows). I decided the aftermarket one looked the best.

It looks good off the truck:
http://users.cwnet.com/~kevmor/new/grill.jpg

But on the truck, you can see it's shaped like a V, theres a couple inches between the hood and the top of the grill, and even the top sides aren't high enough to reach those bolt holes:
http://users.cwnet.com/~kevmor/trialfitfrontend/pdrm0030.jpg

I can't believe all these aftermarket grills won't even bolt on? I must be missing something...

Kev - looks like your core support is low, also, I don't see the lower baffle, not sure if it is the angle or what, but it there are usually tie rod supports from the lower baffle to the core support and the grill frame attaches to this lower baffle to give it stability and stiffness.

The grill is not designed to hold the fenders apart, the baffle does this, once it is in place the grill should fit much better.

Kev - If you mean "The Truck Shop" out of California then I also have one of their crappy grills.

I spent 4 months trying to get a refund on a grossly overcharged freight bill from these folks. When the refund finally arrived I began to put things together on the grill. My turn signal buckets won't even fit between the bars - even with the lens and bezel removed. I was so fed up with these guys that I just put it back in the box and stored it in the basement. One of these days I'll compare it to the original and see if it's as screwed up as yours looks in the picture. Just for grins try putting the turn signals in it.

Take it back and cut your losses.

Paul R. Wisner

How about framing the grille, hang it on your garage wall, and use it to hang your ball caps on?

They do look good hung on a wall! Even an old dented one looks good.

Here is a after-market that fit very nice.

I'm not able to view the photo, and I am keenly
interested in this thread. I am getting ready to buy a chrome grill and want to get one that fits and looks good.

shoeless

I'd like to see your grill also and compare it to mine

How do you mean the parking lights don't fit? I've put just the housing in the grill and it fits ok (studs go through the grill), I haven't put the lens/bezel on yet.

I'm going to try using the lower splash pan to see if that helps.

I've heard sooo many horror stories about the after market grills that I've got my wife thinking I'm CRAZY. I've bought and sold 4 1/2 grills now and continue to upgrade each time. As it sits now, I have a NOS upper that has never been chromed and a lower that is perfect (came off a fire engine that was garaged most its life). I'm with the belief that it's worth it to hang in there looking and be patient. It paid off for me but I'm so far from completing my trck, time is one thing I have.

How do you mean the parking lights don't fit?

Kev-

The back bars (not chrome) are so close together that you can't get the turn signal bucket in, studs won't go in the holes. Would have to force it in by spreading the bars apart (up and down). Maybe what I call "bars" are baffles, the cross pieces that the chrome bars attach to.

I could go down and take a picture but it's making me mad just thinking about it! I think I'll have a sip of Early Times and go out and continue the rebuild on the rear end (4.10 to 3.55).
Paul R. Wisner

shoeless, click on the "after-market" in my post and you should be able to view it. "after-market" here and you should be able to view it. Now, I don't thing that looks too bad for a after-market or a factory re-chrome. Try doing this, take the inter fenders from the external fenders from the radiator support and the grille. Now, try putting all of the same back together. In my experience in doing this, nothing wants to go back together as it came apart. It takes a lot of time, thinking and a loooot of patience!!

The "aftermarket" link doesn't work.

OK, let's try this one !! John, that is one nice looking truck that you have saved!!!

That link works, and THANKS, but yours has a better shine!!

ad-53-3100, where did you get your grill (chevy duty,etc)? I still got the box and packing from mine, it says 47-8200C in big print on the side and what it fits.

kevmor99, here is where I got my grille. The box is long gone so, I don't know what the text was on it.

These shots are of an aftermarket grill. It looks quite nice but, of course, they are no where near the quality of the original.
I don't think it matters much where you buy them, the source is probably all the same.

Regards, George

[img]http://www.mts.net/~gmills/Jarge/frntview.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.mts.net/~gmills/Jarge/biggrill2.jpg[/img]