My Custom SSV Grille.....opinions??

[waynebatt]

Hey guys,

Firstly i wanna start of by saying that this grille is an idea i got from someone else on the forum. So credit must go to them. I forget thier name but they will know who they are.....

So ive been wanting to custimise The grille on my 2011 SSV Ute but refuse to put a chev grille on there, even though i do think they look good. And with very limited options out there i decided to go with the custom mod i saw on the forum here a while back....

Finally had a couple of days off over this weekend and decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Was nervous about it as i didnt have a back up grille in case i stuffed this one up, but i think it came out ok....

Anyone wanting to do it themselves will need:

*Philips head screwdriver
*Sheet of grille Mesh from supercheap Auto ($24)
*Hack saw blade ($3)
*Sandpaper (some coarse grit, and some fine grit)
*Selleys Areldite ($15)
*Kebab Skewer to spread the araldite ( lots of other things will work, but that is what i used)
*A couple of small Quick-Grip Clamps
*Small side cutters
*Metal File
*can of black paint (Black was my personal Choice but you could spray whatever colour you want)
*And finally a bit of patience and a couple of hours of your time

So here is the steps taken to get the job done. PM me if u want some more detailed info....

1. Remove current holden grille from the car

2. Use hacksaw blade to cut out all the honeycomb mesh, cut around the inside surface of the boarder that go's around the whole grille and forms the shape of the grille

3. Tidy up all the burring and what not around the boarder caused when using the hack saw blade. Sand with some coarse grit paper then clean up with some fine grit paper (i used 400grit)

4. Use the two clamps (use more if u like) to hold the new mesh down onto the boarder of the grille. Leave extra mesh around the outside which you will trim off later. You will need to have the grille lying in its back with the surface of the grille facing up so as the areldite doesnt run and cause a mess. BE SURE NOT TO LET THE GRILLE FLEX OUT OF SHAPE! its important to try and keep the boarder of the grille in its original shape. if you areldite the new mesh on with the grille boarder out of shape then it wont fit back into position as nicely and you will have gaps around the grille where it meets with the front bumper.

5. With the grille on its back and the new mesh in position, mix up a batch of areldite and begin to apply it around the boarder of the grill so as it binds the grille boarder and the new mesh together. I used a kebab skewer which i would scoop up some areldite with and then run it along the mesh while twisting the skewer around so as to apply the areldite in a nice straight line without leaving large unever blobs everywhere. The areldite go's off pretty quick, so might be best to do a couple of batches and do it a bit at a time. Then once finished, allow at least an hour or so for the areldite to go nice and hard and bind with the mesh nice and strong.

6. once the areldite has gone off properly, use the small set of side cutters and go around and snip off the mesh neatly around the boarder of the grille.

7. Use a file to clean up the edges of the mesh so as to prevent and protruding bits of mesh from scratching the paintwork on your bumper as you re-install the grille.

8. Once all cleaned up, give the whole grille a couple of light coats of paint so that everything is all a consitant colour. The raw edges of the mesh and also the areldite will not be the same colour as the mesh itself so the coat of paint it basically to give it all the same colour appearance. This can be done whatever colour you want.

9. And then finally, add any badges or whatever to give the nice finishing touch to your new grille. I went with the SSV badge as i really like the look of it.

So here's some pics of how it all turned out. Hope you all enjoy, And you're more than welcome to CONSTRUCTIVELY crticise and suggest any possible ways to make it even better.......Unfortunately im having alot of trouble with the internet right now and was unable to put up a couple of other photos, most important of which are the one of the step where i areldite the mesh on, and also the final finished product with the SSV badge applied. I will try and get them up tomorrow when hopefully the internet it working better haha. Finished product with the badge looks awesome. PM me if u want me to MMS or email it to you, as i know that will work.

Cheers

[SV666]

Doesn't look bad at all! I would like to see a head on view but further out as in capture the whole front end of the car not as a close up view. I think there was someone who had something similar to this a while ago I stumbled across on he had his ssv logo offset to one side which i liked. i noticed in the last photo you haven't down the lower grill will that be next on the job list?

[Gravity]

Look forward to seeing more images. You could try putting them on an image hosting website like imgur.com, that might be easier.

[kuzman89]

Looks good... just missing something, have you thought about getting a bonnet extension clip put on?

VE CALAIS CHROME BONNET STRIP MOULD GENUINE GM BRAND NEW SERIES 1 | eBay

[LittleMissVE]

Looks great... Can you do a before & after pic?

[Gravity]

thanks kuz. didnt know you could buy that!

[Bravotwozero]

Looks like ricer mesh seen in front bars of Lancers. Sorry but I vote no.

[BigBoss]

I vote yes she looks good, but you should give it a cote with something over the top to stop the paint from chipping off (this happened to mine).

Evolution of mine so far

[Lumps of cheese]

Not something i'd go for but neat job all the same.

[HUX 90]

I think it needs some sort of surround or lip to go around the grill in my opinion. But I still think looks good, great work.

[MUT4NT]

hmmm they look cool as!!! wonder if could do something like that to a WH haha

[Troy711]

It's neat but it's plain and makes it look like you're missing something off your bumper. I also vote no.

[Xonar]

nice way to wreck nice looking factory grille and make it look like nasty backyard job...

[burleighboy86]

Not sure if it works as well as the stock, but it is definitely something that sets it apart from all the stockies running around. I personally wouldn't do it though.

[glennho]

you should have just removed the lion badge and put the ssv badge in its place. that would look more professional than replacing the grille with ricer mesh but if your happy with your work thats ok.thats what customising is all about.

[waynebatt]

Doesn't look bad at all! I would like to see a head on view but further out as in capture the whole front end of the car not as a close up view. I think there was someone who had something similar to this a while ago I stumbled across on he had his ssv logo offset to one side which i liked. i noticed in the last photo you haven't down the lower grill will that be next on the job list?

thanks mate, yeah i do plan on doing the lower grille when i get a chance. And yes you are right, the one you have seen before is the one i was talking about. With the SSV badge to the right and slightly below centre. I will try and get more photos on soon. For some reason some of the photos are uploading and other just wont.....

[waynebatt]

Look forward to seeing more images. You could try putting them on an image hosting website like imgur.com, that might be easier.

might try chuck em on my flickr and see if i can get them on that way.....thanks

[waynebatt]

you should have just removed the lion badge and put the ssv badge in its place. that would look more professional than replacing the grille with ricer mesh but if your happy with your work thats ok.thats what customising is all about.

well unfortunately that isnt really an option as the space behind the lion badge isnt honeycombed. just a flat piece of plastic. Would look very out of place......

[waynebatt]

So here is the photos that i couldnt get to work on this thread. There is a couple of angles with the grille finished
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[SV666]

Very neat, I like it but it does look that the badge has "just been put there" I mean I like it a lot but that's just my honest opinion. I dunno if whether if the badge itself is too big and or it needs to be offset even more.. or just have it in the center... Can the badge be removed an reinstalled easily? or is it fixed now? other than that looks great and its something different which I like. Good job.

[waynebatt]

Very neat, I like it but it does look that the badge has "just been put there" I mean I like it a lot but that's just my honest opinion. I dunno if whether if the badge itself is too big and or it needs to be offset even more.. or just have it in the center... Can the badge be removed an reinstalled easily? or is it fixed now? other than that looks great and its something different which I like. Good job.

thanks for the kind words.....i do have a couple of friends who rekon i should put the badge further down and to the right. Basically at the moment its stuck on with the 3M tape that comes on the back of the badge when you buy it. I can relatively easily pull it off and stick it back on in another spot. Although i may need to put some new 3M on the back, which isnt too big a problem as i have access to it where i work. Just gonna leave it for now as i do like it alot, and at the end of the day thats all that matters. thanks again...

[BigBoss]

In this pic


It looks like the badge should be moved to the centre or maybe just this

BADGE V SERIES HOLDEN VE SSV PONTIAC G8 - NEW | eBay
and slap it in the middle

[TinSnips]

^^^ I'd actually move it further to the right - maybe an inch from the edge. Dead-centre would also work, but half and half looks like it can't make up it's mind.

Good job with the grille though.

[waynebatt]

^^^ I'd actually move it further to the right - maybe an inch from the edge. Dead-centre would also work, but half and half looks like it can't make up it's mind.

Good job with the grille though.

Thanks mate, i actually didnt really think about it too much when i stuck it on (silly i know haha) really. All i knew is i didnt want it in the centre, i think that the style of the badge how it slants over to the right lends itself to being off centre ad to the right, could go further maybe. Will think about it more, wont be too hard to move later on.

[SV666]

Could also have the ssv badge dead center and the ve badge to the right of it.. the more i look at this the more this becomes appealing..