VY Berlina Grille Mod

**warrick** · 07-04-2007, 04:25 PM

hi
decided to change the look of my grille today so i grabbed the trusty dremel & attacked!!this is the result.got to get some mesh for behind it yet but i think it looks great.opinions?
cheers
warrick

**kave1** · 07-04-2007, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by warrick

hi
decided to change the look of my grille today so i grabbed the trusty dremel & attacked!!this is the result.got to get some mesh for behind it yet but i think it looks great.opinions?
cheers
warrick

The next step would be to add the fog lights & mesh that is fitted to the vy calias to your bumper to finish the job off. What do you reckon.

**warrick** · 07-04-2007, 04:34 PM

yep thats on the list,already priced the spot light grille.
cheers
warrick

**kave1** · 07-04-2007, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by warrick

yep thats on the list,already priced the spot light grille.
cheers
warrick

Are you going with the calias headlights as well ?

**SinisterVY** · 07-04-2007, 04:37 PM

Nice work mate

**warrick** · 07-04-2007, 04:40 PM

not at the moment.think i'll stick with what i have.changing the rear lights to vz calais though.thanks for the interest guys.
cheers
warrick

**warrick** · 09-04-2007, 09:23 AM

i put the mesh in yesterday,turned out pretty good i think?
cheers
warrick

**batemada** · 09-04-2007, 01:15 PM

Very smart looking might have to look at doing the same on my vy exec when i get my new grill insert from a vt S2 Calais

**fabz** · 09-04-2007, 01:30 PM

you wouldnt happen to have gold mags would you? Maybe live or had the car parked in duet drive today?? If so clean your car hahahaha Looks sweet.

**warrick** · 09-04-2007, 02:39 PM

nah,live brisbane northside.no mags at present,on the list.should look like this when i'm finished.only not quite so low.these are the wheels i'm getting.
cheers
warrick

**hsv_punk** · 11-04-2007, 09:40 PM

That looks good. Do you happen to have a full frontal pic like the first one, but with the mesh in there?

Also what did you have to do exactly? hmm i'm considering it, I don't like the horizontal bars in the stock grill.

**warrick** · 11-04-2007, 10:09 PM

yeah, just had to cut the bars out,smooth out where they were attached,cut back a lot of the moulding behind the holden emblem & do some reshaping above & below the lion.heres a front on,you cant see the mesh that much though so it tends to make it look like the lion is floating.still got a little more smoothing off to do where the bars were attached but will have to wait till next week on my days off
cheers
warrick

**hsv_punk** · 12-04-2007, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by warrick

yeah, just had to cut the bars out,smooth out where they were attached,cut back a lot of the moulding behind the holden emblem & do some reshaping above & below the lion.heres a front on,you cant see the mesh that much though so it tends to make it look like the lion is floating.still got a little more smoothing off to do where the bars were attached but will have to wait till next week on my days off
cheers
warrick

Cool, thats looks good. Thanks for the info and putting the pics up. I might have to have a look at doing it when I get a chance.
Cheers.

**klaw81** · 13-04-2007, 09:04 AM

Looks sweet - nice job.

**Clinster** · 13-04-2007, 10:00 AM

****! Thats nice!! =)

**flogg** · 13-04-2007, 11:38 AM

very creative!! gotta love being bored!!
she will look mint with those mags on her too!
good luck

**warrick** · 16-04-2007, 08:38 PM

thanks for all the positive comments guys!just need to finish the end bits a little, once i buy a new dremel.old one gave up the ghost while i was removing the guts of a maf i'm using for my mafless tune eventually.
cheers
warrick

**krossbones** · 01-08-2008, 03:10 PM

GDAY MATE

nice work on the grille!!

i have the same front bar and i was just wondering if you or anyone knows whether or not you can fit fog lights to that particular bar???

is it just a simple cut out job, mount, then wire it up?

does anyone kno wat a body shop would charge or how hard it would be to do yourself?

thanks, -marcus.

**warrick** · 01-08-2008, 04:01 PM

thanks for the comments.you can buy a vy calais or vy series 2 berlina insert to replace the series 1 black insert from holden or wreckers.just unclip the existing one & clip the new one in.they insert from the back of the bar.
cheers
warrick

**Calaber** · 01-08-2008, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by batemada

Very smart looking might have to look at doing the same on my vy exec when i get my new grill insert from a vt S2 Calais

Batemada

If you are intending to fit a Calais grille from a VY Series 2 (although you mention VT S2 which I'm sure you don't mean,) you will find that the grille will not fit the Exec grille opening. I tried exactly that swap recently and the Berlina/Calais grilles are narrower and deeper than the Execs. The width is about 25 mm difference, depth is similar.

Of course, you might try cutting the centre out of the Calais grille and fitting it to the Exec surround, but the chrome trim still wont fit.

I am in the throes of converting my VY 2 Berlina to a VY 2 Calais. I recently bought the upper and lower grilles and will be selling off the Berlina parts when I have finished the conversion. The lower grille has the recesses for the foglights, but the lights will be remaining on the car. Unfortunately, today I found out that swapping the lower grilles between the two models is much more involved than it seems so the job will be undertaken when I can find the time.

**krossbones** · 02-08-2008, 12:26 PM

well i've got myself a series 1 berlina i believe

its the same bottom black insert as warrick used to have

how much is the fog light black insert worth anyway???

and am i going to have to do much wiring or is there an extension off the loom for me ready to go?

-marcus

**krossbones** · 02-08-2008, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by VYII BERLINA

Batemada

I recently bought the upper and lower grilles and will be selling off the Berlina parts when I have finished the conversion.

sell me your S2 berlina bits? they have the fog lights holes dont they?

**Calaber** · 02-08-2008, 08:49 PM

Hi Krossbones

Yeah, the Series two grille has the fogs. The chromed surrounds are part of the grille but the lights will be staying with the car. As far as I know, the fog light assemblies fix to the back of the grille assembly. I'm not sure whether the Series One VY Berlinas have the wiring already installed ready to take the fogs. Just look behind the grille and see if you can locate a pair of wires with connector, clipped to the extreme front of the left and right hand chassis side rails. That's how they are fitted on my sons VZ Acclaim, which doesn't have fogs fitted.

At this stage, I haven't started to convert the grilles over. I must admit, I have already purchased the Series 2 upper and lower grilles, but the modified series one OP is bloody neat - I might consider making that modification instead.

Once I've done the work, I will probably advertise in the trading section.

**krossbones** · 03-08-2008, 01:44 PM

no worries mate

cheers for the wiring info

**Calaber** · 15-08-2008, 12:59 PM

I've just completed a grille modification very similar to Warrick, but fitted the mesh at the rear of the modified Berlina frame, rather than inserting it behind the Holden insignia. At this stage, the mesh remains in its natural metal finish as I can't decide whether to leave it natural or black it out. What do other members of the forum think?

I've already purchased a Series 2 Calais lower grille, but they don't just "drop in" and it would require a lot of work to fit to the Berlina bar. I'm now considering doing a similar conversion with mesh to see how it looks. Photos will be posted when finished if I go that way.