I haven't seen many running this and figured I'd share my experience. The fitment and quality are surprisingly good at this price point. Installation was pretty easy (15 min). They call for drilling 4 small holes, which I did, but you could just as easily use the sticky zip tie clip things. The inserts slightly protrude in the grille openings, making it look more finished imo.
I ordered this from Extreme Terrain. Don't forget to PM Ryan for a forum discount!
I got it figured out. That link was blocked at my office. I pulled it up on my phone though. I like the way it looks, but wonder how it would show up on the black grille of the Willys?
I think in direct light it would be noticeable. In the sun I could easily see the radiator and other stuff back there. You could always paint or plastidip with an accent color or silver.
I've installed the Mopar hood lock... could this insert be cut to accommodate the lock? Some of the other grill inserts, with the hole, haven't gotten a lot of love here...
Yes, you can cut the middle section of the grill insert to accommodate the lock. The brackets are secured on the ends so the middle section is free and clear. When you reinstall the grill, you will need to make two small holes on top of the radiator to accommodate two bolts that hold the brackets (kind of hard to explain without a picture, but you'll know what I'm talking about during installation)
This is a good looking product. A little more $ than taking the DIY route, but a heckuva lot less time to spend, and hey, time is money. I'm seriously considering one of these.
Sorry, none of these inserts look good with the lock cutout. uke:
If that is a requirement, my OCD would be off the charts every time I looked at it... hah. I'd consider locking hood latches instead.
For the gauge of the materials, the fact that its powder coated, molded a bit into the slots, precut, and includes the hardware, I'd be surprised if you could DIY the same product for what ET is charging. I've done DIY grilles for other vehicles but those didn't have aftermarket support like Jeep or the only options were $100+. Pricing seems reasonable to me.
For anyone looking at this insert, I have a suggestion. Skip the included metal brackets that are included with the kit. The tension required to hold the insert in place puts pressure on the top tab of your grille and mine was already starting to deform. Also, of less concern but still a bit annoying, the outer slots of the insert can be pushed inward a bit if you use the brackets. The good news is there's an easy, cheap solution and it looks so much better.
Run to Lowes and find the zip tie isle. Get yourself some of the zip tie mounting pads and some zip ties. I used 12 of each, with a total cost of around $6. Not only does it provide much better support for the insert the install looks so much cleaner.
I still like the perforated material better than the DIY mesh many people try, so I feel it's still worth the cost. I think RR should dump the brackets and provide these instead.
I like this idea. It did concern me some that the supplied brackets did warp the grill a little. You post said you used 12 of these tie downs but your pic only show 4. Did you add the other 8 after you took the pic?
just got it in here, real easy to remove the grill. though there are 2 clips at the directional lights that arent seen in videos or instructions; possibly a newer add to wranglers?
the ties lasted all of 2 days... the top half of my grille is loose and I can see the tie-downs flapping. Looks like I'll need to go with a combo of the bars and the ties. Assuming I can find those instructions that came with it again...
I probably should have wiped it down better, maybe even scrubbed it with some cleaner. The surface seemed decent at the time. Looked at it again and its only the middle top 3 that came off. That thing had a bitch of a bend to it out of the box so I guess not surprising.
I'll clean those surfaces better and try again, thanks for the sanity check!
Some guys have found it necessary to scrape the double stick tape off the tie mounts and use a better adhesive or epoxy to get it to stick and STAY stuck.
I could never get the over priced Metalcrafters insert to fit correctly. It uses the wire mesh material and where the insert would contact the painted plastic grill openings the wire mesh would dig into the paint and gouge, cut, etc the edges of the paint where the insert touched the grill openings. Make sense?
Does this perforated material have the same problem? I was going to try just a sheet of perforated material that was flat and zip tie it on but I like the look of how this bends out in the grill openings IF it doesn't screw up the paint finish on the edges of the grill openings.
The mesh has soft paint and doesn't get damaged when it comes into contact with the grill openings. I used zip ties and clips for added support, so there isn't a whole lot of movement/contact anyway.
Highly recommended! I bought mine here: Robot Check
If anyone else has the perforated version in this thread I wasn't referring to the grill insert paint damaging, I mean the Jeep grill paint.
In the yellow areas in this photograph the metalcrafters insert digs into the factory painted grill on the top and bottom where the yellow arrows are. It digs in so bad it cracks the paint surface and the paint splits more over time.
Does this perforated one do this? Since it has no thin wire mesh I am hoping it doesn't dig in where it touches.
Something that will help keep the zip tie mounting pads in place is the use of 3M Primer 94 Tape Adhesion Promoter. Using the promoter is highly recommended on plastic surfaces and should keep the pads in place forever. I hedged my bets by adding a drop or two of super glue on each corner of the pad.
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