blackrain
06-22-2005, 07:07 PM
I liked the look of this grille more than the others, so I took a chance going with the "cheap grille off E-bay". Overall, I am very happy.
The Grille was $158 including shipping, and included all 4 pieces. It shipped in simple packaging. On first inspection, there were several scratches on the surface of each piece, like someone had stacked them all together and tossed them into a pile. Initially upset, I experimented with some steel wool, and was able to remove almost all the imperfections. The "brushed" aluminum finish will be fixable with steel wool once we get some road debris damage.....cool.
Each piece is actually composed of several smaller pieces welded together. I had to "adjust" a few gaps (that only I would notice) using needle nose pliers. The metal is bendable and responded well to this manipualtion. Cool.
Attaching the pieces with Zip Ties was easy for the Center and Driver's side pieces, and harder for the passenger side. The bottom piece was even a bit more tricky, involving 3/32 drill bits in metal tabs, several dry fits, etc. This little project took 2.5 hours, but I am captain anal about this stuff. You could probably throw it together in less time.
Speed testing up to 70 mph revealed no "whistling" or vibration. There has been a report on this board of a "whistling" issue from this Grille. I can see how this could happen, as there is some flexibility in exact final positioning.
The finish is more subtle than chrome. Not too much "bling" IMHO. As there are 24 horizontal lines on the grill, it is very difficult for anything except a straight on picture not to look to jaggy. The best picture of this grill in the one on E-bay, as it is a 1600 X 1200 daytime shot. I have attached a link to this pic only for visual reference. I have no financial interest in this grille.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=7973970204&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT#ebayphotohosting
In summary: If you are looking for a 15 minute bolt on that looks perfect out of the box, this grille is NOT for you. If you have some time and are looking to save some money, and have no religious objections to Zip Ties and working with hand tools, this might be a mod you are interested in.
Onward and Upward team Armada!
The Grille was $158 including shipping, and included all 4 pieces. It shipped in simple packaging. On first inspection, there were several scratches on the surface of each piece, like someone had stacked them all together and tossed them into a pile. Initially upset, I experimented with some steel wool, and was able to remove almost all the imperfections. The "brushed" aluminum finish will be fixable with steel wool once we get some road debris damage.....cool.
Each piece is actually composed of several smaller pieces welded together. I had to "adjust" a few gaps (that only I would notice) using needle nose pliers. The metal is bendable and responded well to this manipualtion. Cool.
Attaching the pieces with Zip Ties was easy for the Center and Driver's side pieces, and harder for the passenger side. The bottom piece was even a bit more tricky, involving 3/32 drill bits in metal tabs, several dry fits, etc. This little project took 2.5 hours, but I am captain anal about this stuff. You could probably throw it together in less time.
Speed testing up to 70 mph revealed no "whistling" or vibration. There has been a report on this board of a "whistling" issue from this Grille. I can see how this could happen, as there is some flexibility in exact final positioning.
The finish is more subtle than chrome. Not too much "bling" IMHO. As there are 24 horizontal lines on the grill, it is very difficult for anything except a straight on picture not to look to jaggy. The best picture of this grill in the one on E-bay, as it is a 1600 X 1200 daytime shot. I have attached a link to this pic only for visual reference. I have no financial interest in this grille.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=7973970204&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT#ebayphotohosting
In summary: If you are looking for a 15 minute bolt on that looks perfect out of the box, this grille is NOT for you. If you have some time and are looking to save some money, and have no religious objections to Zip Ties and working with hand tools, this might be a mod you are interested in.
Onward and Upward team Armada!