Does anyone know where to get uncut steel or aluminum grill material? All the sources for grills I've found are prefabbed for specific vehicles, and most metal suppliers only have that really heavy stuff that's not meant for automotive use.
Thanks.
So go cut up a shopping cart and use that. HA HA Just Kidding!
No seriously, are you looking to weld it up yourself? I'm surprised that metal suppliers don't have what you want, or at least can't order it in. Some welding shops carry metal stock too, in case you haven't checked there yet.
-phaeton
I've been to a bunch of metal places and they just have heavy wide-gauge stuff the likes of which you'd use to keep raccoons out of your basement or something.
After Googling "hex mesh" and "perforated sheet metal" instead of anything with the term "grill" in it, I did come up with this place, which looks to have several viable options:
I rather like that hex mesh stuff, actually, along with some of the pultruded bar grating.
What kind of car or truck would this be going on, btw?
-phaeton
Look in your area for a company that specializes in custom commercial kitchens or hospital equipment. If they don't have what you are looking for, they will know where to get it. As well, they can do any cutting or bending you need. Dan
(This account is not used for email.)
Try on rec.crafts.metalworking for good advice on how to machine/fab it and how to achieve various finishes afterwards, as well as sources for raw materials.
My guess is that a lot of the "billet" grilles are based on the use of a press to get a near-net shape for a specific make, model, and span of years, and then a CAD-system-fed CNC machining center, but I could be wrong. The latter technology, in particular, has greatly democratized customization and low-run builds of all sorts of products.
You might find this a convenient time to take a vo-tech course or two, both for the knowledge and for the shop access.
Best of luck,
--Joe
I've seen some bulk grille material sold by one of the "ricer" companies
- APC? - and it actually looked pretty good. Kind of like what used to be called "stretch metal" but smaller and lighter. Thought about buying some to make a stone shield for the radiator on my '55 Stude, but the pieces sold were too small to be used for that app. I think I actually saw this stuff on close out at "Ollie's" - a chain similar to Big Lots, so it wasn't expensive at all.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I was leafing through some back issues of Excellence while waiting for an oil change/safety inspection on my company car this AM; there was an article on some new gravel shields custom made for the openings behind the front wheels of the Carerra GT. They were laser cut from a CAD program and the little hexagonal openings in the sheetmetal perfectly matched the pattern of some other grille on the car. I don't remember the price of those parts but I imagine I couldn't afford to have something like that done :(
nate
(can't afford a Carrera GT either, sadly.)
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