Project RocKready Custom Grill

May. 01, 2000 By Glenn R

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Are you ready for a new look, or is your current grill in need of replacement?

I had the notorious "Egg-Crate" grill in project RocKready. I had looked at several different style's of grill's in different catalogs, even the stock replacement one's (OUCH!) talk about expensive!

We'll read on, I broke out the tools and some expanded metal I got from the local sheet metal shop and went to work. It took me a full day of tinkering, not to mention having to watch the rug rat's while working on it, but it was well worth the effort. This worked great for my 77 K-5 and I imagine it will work for quite a few other vehicles of all make's and model's.

First off I removed the stock grill and laid it out on a piece of 3/4" plywood. Traced the outline of the grill and cut it out with a jig saw. Next I took some scrap 2x4's and created a frame on the back of the plywood that was an exact match to the shape of the plywood, I screwed these all together with some long sheet rock screw's.

That's one of the rug rat's being daddy's little helper, he loves to wheel as much as I do. All he says is "let's go in the big truck." I will ask him where he wants to go and he say's "4wheelin." That's my boy!!!

O.k. back to the grill business, next thing that I did was to lay the expanded steel onto the wooden template and position it were I wanted it so that I had enough overlap on all 4 edges to get a good bend and to be able to weld the sides together. I used flat wood screw's to hold the expanded steel flat to the wood, did not want it flexing or moving. I ran a line of them down the center of the grill long way's and then about every inch and a half on the edges about one inch from the edge.

Once it was secured and would not move, I took a body hammer and tapped the long edges of the grill down and folded them over to the edge of the plywood and 2x4 frame. I made several passes and bent it a little at a time, that way keeping out kinks and making for a very tight bend. Once both long sides were bent I secured them with more flat wood screws. Then I cut the expanded metal right at the corner and right on the bend, I cut it right up to the edge of the plywood template. I used tin snips, but if you get thicker metal you may have to use a hack saw.

Once the long ends were done and screwed down to the frame I bent the short ends in the same fashion. After they were bent I attached them to the wooden frame, but in the center only, leaving about 5 inches loose on both sides. After that it was a matter of eyeballing and cutting the metal so that it would join up flush and could be welded together.

After all four corners were welded, I took a file to them to clean them up a bit and get rid of the rough edges, then I removed the grill from the framework. After removing it I trimmed all the edges to make them smooth and even, then took it to the K-5 and gave it a trial fit. Once held into the K-5 (by my 2 helpers :-) I marked 6 spots where I would need to attach mounting tabs. I also marked out the spot where I would cut out the hole for the hood release. I made the mounting tabs out of one inch angle iron, and took some one inch thick flat steel and bent it into shape for the hood release cut out. After drilling holes in the mounting tabs I welded all 6 in place as well as the hood release guard.

Ha Ha, the older of the two in the pick is kinda a chicken, we went wheeling here at a local spot, it has a very large u shaped ditch, I drove through it one way and he got scared. I went to go back through it another and he asked if he could get out. I let him out and his little brother looked at me and said "go 4wheelin da da" he was only two at the time.

Once it was all welded together I painted it black and installed it in the truck, then later the next day I made some brackets that I welded inside the grill opening and installed 4 off-road lights that I had left over from a previous truck. I was very pleased with how this project turned out and like the looks very much. I got rid of a broken old plastic grill and replaced it with one that flows more air, and gives the front of the old K-5 a no nonsense mean and nasty look.