5 slat kidney grille reproduction in stainless
- Thread starter nosmonkey
- Start date
CTD
Well-Known Member
Confident these will be very good in the end.
nico13
Active Member
Interested too
Still interested
Jan Gullett
Well-Known Member
Interested in one with five black slats as well. Email me at abmwcs@gmail when ready.
Test grille is now on the way eta end of next week.
So the prototype is here, first things first it is heavy!
Finish is good at the front , there is an obvious kink in the top which needs to be sorted for the next ones and make sure that the kidneys are both equal in shape.
The studs at the back needed some adjustment/tweaking, 1 not welded on centrally in the bracket and another about 3mm or so off. Mine had a shunt at one point and although straightened up as best I could, I will be popping over to @Paul Baker and test fitting on a NOS front panel to see how it compares.
The gaps top and bottom are quite good, around the sides it's a bit wide at the back and does rub in spots on mine even without paint and clear, they widen at the back so this will need to be narrowed at least 2mm on each side and also helps to account for variations people may have. The slats are welded into place so really would like to see revision 2 with narrowed sides. I also think that on the body the mounting holes will need to be opened up a mm or 2/elongated as needed, there will be variations on the screw mounts. With a few tweaks should be good!
Finish is good at the front , there is an obvious kink in the top which needs to be sorted for the next ones and make sure that the kidneys are both equal in shape.
The studs at the back needed some adjustment/tweaking, 1 not welded on centrally in the bracket and another about 3mm or so off. Mine had a shunt at one point and although straightened up as best I could, I will be popping over to @Paul Baker and test fitting on a NOS front panel to see how it compares.
The gaps top and bottom are quite good, around the sides it's a bit wide at the back and does rub in spots on mine even without paint and clear, they widen at the back so this will need to be narrowed at least 2mm on each side and also helps to account for variations people may have. The slats are welded into place so really would like to see revision 2 with narrowed sides. I also think that on the body the mounting holes will need to be opened up a mm or 2/elongated as needed, there will be variations on the screw mounts. With a few tweaks should be good!
Looks good! I'll buy one through Don when the final adjustments are made.
it does not look bad to my untrained eye, but probably that is one of the easiest things to adjust in production
not complaining, excellent job, but to me one of the odd things of this version is that the slats seem to have more rounded edges
the alu verision has more sharp, edges IMHO
To many, this grill is the fingerprint of our cars - the first and most identifiable piece. Despite some ongoing tweaks and not withstanding the comments above, this is looking sharp. We all like shiny things. 
To many, this grill is the fingerprint of our cars - the first and most identifiable piece. Despite some ongoing tweaks and not withstanding the comments above, this is looking sharp. We all like shiny things.
i agree, my comment is most respectful to the great job and dedication that anything like this requires.
super nice and very needed, most important, in the long run, is the hardness of the SS when compared to Alu, so great !
CTD
Well-Known Member
Impressed by the prototype. Very interested after final adjustments have been made.
As you have all noticed, definitely some improvements to be made! The company so far have been quite keen for the feedback. @teahead the grille sits proud as it is slightly rubbing against the sides preventing it from being fully inserted into the hole (stop sniggering in the back). My main concern with these will be consistency as they are handmade so tolerances for what is a rather prominent feature on our cars need to be large enough to account for the inevitable differences between different grilles and cars.
I would also like to see rev 2 with black slats as this seems to be what 80% of us will want and i'm itching to see how the finish will be, alongside narrowed sides, equal kidney shapes and moderately repositioned studs. May also be worth to set the mounting stud tabs slightly deeper in the grille so that it can sit further in and be spaced out of needs be.
Hoping that we should need no more than 2 or 3
I would also like to see rev 2 with black slats as this seems to be what 80% of us will want and i'm itching to see how the finish will be, alongside narrowed sides, equal kidney shapes and moderately repositioned studs. May also be worth to set the mounting stud tabs slightly deeper in the grille so that it can sit further in and be spaced out of needs be.
Hoping that we should need no more than 2 or 3
I am interested!