Updating (backdating?) the TJ grille

[NashvilleTJ]

Jeff - to my eye, it may look a bit better if the second and eighth slots were just a bit shorter at the bottom to line up better with the cut out. To me that portion looks a bit crowded.

in other words, creating a straight line connecting the bottoms of the first, second, and third slots, if that makes sense.

 

[jscherb]

Jeff - to my eye, it may look a bit better if the second and eighth slots were just a bit shorter at the bottom to line up better with the cut out. To me that portion looks a bit crowded.

in other words, creating a straight line connecting the bottoms of the first, second, and third slots, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the input. That's why it'll sit on the workbench for the next few days so I can look at it and decide if everything is correct or not.

I was looking in my parts stash for a sway bar cover to see what the bottom of the grille will look like with that and I found it a few minutes after your post. Here's a colorized photo with the sway bar in the proper location:

Might look best if I bring the bottom of all slots 2 through 8 up maybe 1/2" to put some space between them and the sway bar cover. I don't want to change just slots 2 and 8 because the on the original MB/GPW grille those slots are all even at the bottom but bringing the bottom of all 7 of them up a bit is probably the right thing to do.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Thanks for the input. That's why it'll sit on the workbench for the next few days so I can look at it and decide if everything is correct or not.

I was looking in my parts stash for a sway bar cover to see what the bottom of the grille will look like with that and I found it a few minutes after your post. Here's a colorized photo with the sway bar in the proper location:

View attachment 213927

Might look best if I bring the bottom of all slots 2 through 8 up maybe 1/2" to put some space between them and the sway bar cover. I don't want to change just slots 2 and 8 because the on the original MB/GPW grille those slots are all even at the bottom but bringing the bottom of all 7 of them up a bit is probably the right thing to do.

Now seeing it with the sway bay cover,I agree. Definitely changes where your eye is drawn.

 

[jscherb]

I adjusted the slots based on my conversation with @NashvilleTJ, here are some new photos. I also powered up the headlights for these photos.

Colorized:

I'll let this sit on the workbench for another day so I can study it and then I'll cut the slots.

 

[Goatman]

Looks great. Just 1 possibly stupid question... do they make decent headlights in that size? With TJ lights marginal at best, will this make it even dimmer at night? Are there a good selection of LEDs in that size?

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I like it.

 

[Ocho]

Looks great. Just 1 possibly stupid question... do they make decent headlights in that size? With TJ lights marginal at best, will this make it even dimmer at night? Are there a good selection of LEDs in that size?

I looked up some headlights in hopes these get to production and there are some pretty nice Harley Daymaker LED lights in that size. Although, a classic looking headlight would probably fit the design better and those are readily available.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s enough interest for a small production order so I can get one of these!

 

[Ocho]

Looks great. Just 1 possibly stupid question... do they make decent headlights in that size? With TJ lights marginal at best, will this make it even dimmer at night? Are there a good selection of LEDs in that size?

I looked up some headlights in hopes these get to production and there are some pretty nice Harley Daymaker LED lights in that size. Although, a classic looking headlight would probably fit the design better and those are readily available.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s enough interest for a small production order so I can get one of these!

 

[jscherb]

I looked up some headlights in hopes these get to production and there are some pretty nice Harley Daymaker LED lights in that size. Although, a classic looking headlight would probably fit the design better and those are readily available.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s enough interest for a small production order so I can get one of these!

The lights I've got in there now are ordinary 5 3/4" sealed beams I picked up at the local parts store. There are lots of nice LEDs of that size on the market as well.

If there's interest in a group buy I'm open to that although someone would need to take the lead managing the process - I don't sell anything myself and don't want to be involved in manufacturing for sale. I'm very happy to play a consulting role in the process much like I did when I lent my Cool Cowl mold to someone last spring - they arranged with a fiberglass shop to do the production and I advised the shop on how to do the molding properly.

Speaking of lights, I plan to make the mold without turn signals the same way I did the mold for the JK Style Grille for the JK, then temporary inserts can be put in the mold to support various types and sizes of turn signal. All three of these JL Style Grilles came out of the same mold - one doesn't have any turn signals, the one at lower left has recesses for stock JK turn signals, and the one at right has recesses for smaller 2 1/2" LED turn signals. Temporary inserts were put in the mold to make the latter two grilles. In this same way I'll be able to mold these MB/GPW grilles to suit pretty much any turn signal size or type.

That's also exactly how I did the mold for the first grille in this thread - no turn signal provision in the mold but when I mold them I put temporary inserts in to support whatever turn signal are wanted.

 

[jscherb]

I cut the slots in the grille face and shot it with a quick coat of paint so I don't have to colorize the photo to see what it might look like when done .

Compared to stock...

The factory grille face slips over the grille shell like a lid and that's how this grille face will install so the next step is to blend the face into the shell and form the lip of the "lid" around the edge of the shell and then make a mold of the face with the lip. Since I don't plan to do the fiberglass work until mid-February I'll set this project aside for a few weeks because I've got other projects I want to get to.

 

[Ocho]

Great work! It’s looking awesome

 

[jscherb]

I couldn't find the exact dimensions of original MB/GPW front marker lights anywhere so I ordered a set of reproduction marker lights. They arrived today. The repro lights and the master parts I made for molding are both shown in this photo.

The repro ones would have to be modified to support dual filament bulbs because they're set up for single filament bulbs as the originals were.

The masters I made are very slightly larger than the original because they're intended to be covers to go over 2 1/2" dual function LEDs. I disassembled one of the repro ones and there is room inside to modify it to accept a 2" dual function LED (a 2" LED is at left in the photo), but I think the best plan is to use the mold I made from my masters, mold a set and use them with 2 1/2" LEDs. The mold is pictured below:

I'll make the first grille out of the mold to accept these marker lights but since the provisions for the marker lights will be done with mold inserts any other grilles I make in the same mold could be molded to support pretty much any markers, for example JK markers, or LEDs like the ones above but without the MB-style cover, CJ2a/3a markers, etc.

I'll try to mold the light covers over the next few days.

I've got a CJ3a hanging in the workshop, these markers would probably look good on this grille too.

 

[TimboSlice]

This has been a very fun thread to follow!!! Thank you!!

 

[jscherb]

I molded the marker light bezels. Left to right, the first step is prepping the mold, then gelcoat, then fiberglass layup:

I tinted the gelcoat a bit with olive tint although since the gelcoat was already white the olive tint can't overcome the white completely. After the resin cured, the parts are popped out of the mold:

After a quick rough trimming, here's how the parts go together:

Next a glass lens was fixed in place with silicone caulk and then a little final sanding and some olive drab paint.

Off/marker/turn:

In operation:

I'll mold recesses into the grille so these can be set behind the grille face as they were on the original MB/GPW Jeeps:

BTW this style marker light was also used on the M38A1:

The next step in this project is to finish the main grille mold, which involves smoothing the wooden grille master into the metal grille shell and putting a nice finish on it. I'll be doing that over the next few weeks (it's still a background project) and I still plan to make the mold and mold the first grille in mid-February.

 

[jscherb]

A quick test assembly in the workshop to see how everything will look when this project is done.

The grille sits just behind the front of the hood, as it does on the original MB/GPW:

I think flat fenders would look even better; I'll swap these factory fenders for my fiberglass flat fenders next to see how that looks.

A quick digital attempt to make everything approximately the same color...

 

[Goatman]

You can see the love and care that goes into everything you do. Skill + passion = art!

 

[en480c4]

Agreed... This would look amazing with a set of MCEs for a quick and easy flat fender look.

 

[voodooridr]

Surprisingly, I like that a lot more than I thought I was going to
Fantastic work as usual

 

[jscherb]

You can see the love and care that goes into everything you do. Skill + passion = art!

Thank you for the kind words.

Actually I do consider this grille an "art project." By that I mean a project that I'm doing for art's sake - because I thought it would be an interesting design challenge to do an MB/GPW grille for the TJ that basically bolts in place, looks "correct" and doesn't require modifications to the Jeep. Art projects are ones I don't plan to use on a Jeep myself, once I mold the first grille and finish it I'll be done with the project. Bolting it to some fenders in my workshop and posing it with a hood on it is about as close as it'll ever get to being on a Jeep .

Agreed... This would look amazing with a set of MCEs for a quick and easy flat fender look.

Any factory or aftermarket fenders should bolt right up with no modifications; I didn't change anything in how the grille interfaces to any of the stock TJ components.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

The end result is subtle. Nice.