'69-'70 Grille Experts Check In,...

[lolife99]

Quote:
Actually its the other way around. All of the new replacement grilles are molded like '70 grilles. They all have the raised ribs, but on the 69's they paint the grille grey and don't paint the raised ribs silver, and on the 70's they paint them black and paint the raised ribs silver. On original '69 grilles, there are no ribs. They are flat on the face. Here are pics from above again. The top grill is an original paint '69 grille, and the bottom is an original paint '70. I have (3) 69's and (4) 70's here, and I have confirmed this with all of them none. None of the original '69 grills have the ribs. In today's aftermarket or so called new OEM parts, there is no correct '69 or '70 outer grille shell (they were absolutely the same) or a '69 inner grill available. Its a shame GM is licensing this stuff as OEM, but they are not correct restoration parts.

67_C-30,... Thanks for the correction. I apologize for posting incorrect info.

Thanks for getting the facts straight.

[oldgold70c10]

So this grill (without any paint) is the GM replacement grill?
img: http://wkinsler.com/truck/trucks/1970_2b.JPG :img

[tcb-1]

no, that looks to be the factory original. the paint just looks to have worn away throught the years.

[special-K]

[quote=lolife99;3211988]

Originally Posted by 67_C-30

Actually its the other way around. All of the new replacement grilles are molded like '70 grilles. They all have the raised ribs, but on the 69's they paint the grille grey and don't paint the raised ribs silver, and on the 70's they paint them black and paint the raised ribs silver. On original '69 grilles, there are no ribs. They are flat on the face. Here are pics from above again. The top grill is an original paint '69 grille, and the bottom is an original paint '70. I have (3) 69's and (4) 70's here, and I have confirmed this with all of them none. None of the original '69 grills have the ribs. In today's aftermarket or so called new OEM parts, there is no correct '69 or '70 outer grille shell (they were absolutely the same) or a '69 inner grill available. Its a shame GM is licensing this stuff as OEM, but they are not correct restoration parts.

67_C-30.... Thanks for the correction. I apologize for posting incorrect info.
Thanks for getting the facts straight.

Well,at least your paint is correct ...and so is the grille.

I agree GM resto parts aren`t OEM in the same way as a 1969/70-made part.I remember when you couldn`t get anymore for awhile(years).Then came GMRP after the repro market started to boom and show promise.But,I think there may have been a reason to re-tool or something on these at some point back in the day.Because I bought the "second design" as (not so) old original stock (from the dealer) way before GM (or the aftermarket) gave a damn if you could get a part for your old truck or not.Definately still made in the USA for GM only,that`s all I know.I wonder if there are some of the other or "second design" outers on some late 1970 Chevys.

[nobolt]

it's time this information was floated to the top

[muckyp]

I know this is an old post, but what did 70k52wd mean by don't use rivots on the grill? I thought that was how they were put together.
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[sduckworth13]

Nice work Keith, grill looks great.

[Dano69c10]

Original type that came on 69-70 trucks:




Original replacement type for 69-70 trucks:

[lolife99]

Great pics!^^^

[Steve Hafner]

. . . .

Here's the one with 80 miles on it . . .

. . . .

[White70C20]

I'm not sure what mine is (original or reproduction)?

;
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[lolife99]

Originally Posted by White70C20

I'm not sure what mine is (original or reproduction)?

; Attachment 1036216
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Looks like a later version.
Not sure if its a repop or oem.
(now change those headlight bezels to black! ha)

[White70C20]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Looks like a later version.
Not sure if its a repop or oem.
(now change those headlight bezels to black! ha)

That's what I was afraid you'd say.

Yes I'll paint the bezels black when I paint the rest of the truck.
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[69GWC]

So are the repop grills coated or are they bare aluminum?
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[black_sheep454]

Originally Posted by 69GWC

So are the repop grills coated or are they bare aluminum?
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Good question. I'd assume they are coated.
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[ray_mcavoy]

Originally Posted by muckyp

I know this is an old post, but what did 70k52wd mean by don't use rivots on the grill? I thought that was how they were put together.
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Yes, they were originally put together with rivets. I have a feeling that 70k52wd meant to say don't use pop rivets. The originals were solid truss head rivets and the generic pop rivets with a hole in the center of the head don't look correct.

The original style rivets are still available through various sources but they're not very easy to install. Fortunately, you can get small screws with smooth truss heads that closely resemble the OE rivet heads. Here's an example --> http://www.althafastener.com/55-56-C...nut_p_174.html These are very easy to install and in most cases the back side with the nut isn't readily visible for anyone to see the difference.

[lolife99]

I used black pop rivets from Speedway Motors to install the grille to the brackets.

[desertnick69]

Originally Posted by Dano69c10

Original type that came on 69-70 trucks:




Original replacement type for 69-70 trucks:

The first pic is how they did look, can't really say about the other . below is apic of one that was in the family for 43 yrssorry i can't get you a better one, coz it now looks like the last pic. (chaps my hide every time i see an original 69 grill).

[72BlckButy]

Ouch... didn't need to see that last picture.

[sprint_9]

This may or may not be the place to ask this but I was wondering if you can take a 69-70 grill/bumper set up and install it onto a 72? I like the look of the 69-70 front end better than my 72 and really like the blinkers up in the grill where they are more visible.

[desertnick69]

Originally Posted by sprint_9

This may or may not be the place to ask this but I was wondering if you can take a 69-70 grill/bumper set up and install it onto a 72? I like the look of the 69-70 front end better than my 72 and really like the blinkers up in the grill where they are more visible.

I guess it would depend on how "Original" you want your truck! My self I would have the grill that fits that year.

[sprint_9]

Being original doesnt really matter with what I have planned. I would rather have something that I like.

[ray_mcavoy]

Originally Posted by sprint_9

I was wondering if you can take a 69-70 grill/bumper set up and install it onto a 72?

I think it would be pretty much a bolt-on swap if you've got all the necessary parts. The hood latch assembly and center grille support are different for 69/70 vs. 71/72 so you'll have to swap those. And you'll have to swap to the 67-70 outer front bumper braces (71/72 ones won't fit the 67-70 bumper because they bolt on farther out to clear the lights). Finally, I think the sockets where the park/turn light assemblies plug in on the radiator support stayed the same so you shouldn't have to make any changes to the wiring.

[sprint_9]

Thanks for the info Ray. Not sure if I will do the swap yet or not, but I need to buy almost all of the items required so I could go either route