grill kits

[colenso13]

Would anyone out there know if i can buy chrome grill kits for my 75?the vertical bars seem to be grey plastic,but would finish the car fantasticly with chrome.Any help or advise would be very muck appreciated.kev.

[Ken]

Would anyone out there know if i can buy chrome grill kits for my 75?the vertical bars seem to be grey plastic,but would finish the car fantasticly with chrome.Any help or advise would be very muck appreciated.kev.

On ebay around £16 I think

hope that helps :lol:

[colenso13]

Many thanks for that.its a car i love and want it looking its best.thanks again.kev.

[DeeCee]

Would anyone out there know if i can buy chrome grill kits for my 75?the vertical bars seem to be grey plastic,but would finish the car fantasticly with chrome.Any help or advise would be very muck appreciated.kev.

Got the 6mm trim from here....
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chrome-Trim-or-Bumper-Molding-8-Mtrs_W0QQitemZ170015949079QQihZ007QQcategoryZ43117 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not being listed at the moment, but you could contact seller maybe still has it.

It's only a chrome strip.... got to cut and trim yourself.

[colenso13]

thank you very much.gunna keep my eyes open on there.many thanx 4 that.kev

[pondweed]

dee cee - how do the strips fit... do they bend around the existing grille bars or does one have to stick one bit to each side?
thanks

[DeeCee]

dee cee - how do the strips fit... do they bend around the existing grille bars or does one have to stick one bit to each side?
thanks

Stick directly on the face (self adhesive). 6mm is almost the perfect size for the facelift grill.... think the exact size required is about 5.8mm.

"Chrome Side or Bumper Molding !!! THese come in 8 m rolls !!! We have them in 6 mm, 9mm or 12mm widths !! Please be sure to let us know which width you require !!! They are self adhesive and excellent quality !!!"

8m is enough for about 3 grills or lots of mistakes.
Installed last year, still looks good, no discolouration.

[pondweed]

ahh.... facelift. I've got an old one. so the bars seem thinner and I can imagine pushing over a u-section finisher onto them, if you see what I mean, so they are 'covered'.
Any ideas anyone for pre-facelift R75 grille?

[Ken]

ahh.... facelift. I've got an old one. so the bars seem thinner and I can imagine pushing over a u-section finisher onto them, if you see what I mean, so they are 'covered'.
Any ideas anyone for pre-facelift R75 grille?

The ebay ones were for the pre facelift cars but I am not sure if they fitted over the bar or on it to be honest. It looked to me by the picture on ebay that they fit over though. They turn up every two or three weeks on ebay from a firm in Australia or America :lol:

Hope that helps

[DeeCee]

ahh.... facelift. I've got an old one. so the bars seem thinner and I can imagine pushing over a u-section finisher onto them, if you see what I mean, so they are 'covered'.
Any ideas anyone for pre-facelift R75 grille?

Have you measured the width of the grill spoke ?
If it's a lot thinner than the facelift type you could try clip over type type (for upto 3mm) from...
http://www.nfauto.co.uk/rubber_trim.htm

[pondweed]

brilliant. they ARE 3mm wide, so the larger, 12mm depth stuff they do looks just the ticket AND you can buy it by the metre!
will be interested to see what Ken thinks of this link in comparison to the stuff he's seen on ebay from Aus/usa? If positive, I'll try some and report back...

[Ken]

brilliant. they ARE 3mm wide, so the larger, 12mm depth stuff they do looks just the ticket AND you can buy it by the metre!
will be interested to see what Ken thinks of this link in comparison to the stuff he's seen on ebay from Aus/usa? If positive, I'll try some and report back...


I was speaking with someone who has done it to his grill and the most difficult part of doing it yourself is getting the angles exactly right at the top and bottom of the grill. If its not exact you can see little bits of the grey colour and it shows up. I have not seen the kit one but the picture looks as though they have that sorted. Its a case of yer pays yer money yer takes yer choice :lol:

If you go for the do it yourself way, can we see piccys please? :lol:

[Pete]

So let me get this right:

Mk1 - 12mm pack
Mk2 - 6mm pack

That right?

I rather like the look of this idea.

[pondweed]

So let me get this right:

Mk1 - 12mm pack
Mk2 - 6mm pack

That right?

I rather like the look of this idea.

not sure thats right, but perhaps I'm confused too!
from the diagram in the weblink given further up the thread, the widths are for up to 1.5mm and up to 3mm thick metal edge (and it looks the sort of stuff you'd finish a mini wing edge with) As I understand it, the facelift cars have wider grille strips so this stuff wouldnt work at all? whilst the original grilles are just thin enough to work with the 3mm material, although the 12mm depth of the sides wont quite cover the grille bars all the way to the back...

[pondweed]

Have you measured the width of the grill spoke ?
If it's a lot thinner than the facelift type you could try clip over type type (for upto 3mm) from...
http://www.nfauto.co.uk/rubber_trim.htm

they are sending me a sample.. so no-one order yet!
I've also traced the canadian place, who do the R75 kit US 36.99 dollars inclusive of postage.. I'll ask them the section characteristics of the bars... it might be square rather than 'U' like nfautos one.. but the curved section may actually look more retro, perhaps!

[baxlin]

Car Builder Solutions have an excellent reputation in the Kit Car world, but there are other firms advertising in Kit Car magazine, give WH Smith a visit if the CBS offering doesn't work.

[DeeCee]

For MK2 cars, 6mm Chrome trim from Ebay.

Some closeup pictures of butt joins.
Note... the top edge is no problem as you cannot see the join because of the angle of the underside top of the grill

[pondweed]

forgive me pete - I see what the "6mm" you summarised refers to now from Dee Cees good pics... so for mk1 we are talking "mostly-covered-bars" by a deep u-section, and for mk2s it is effectively an extension to the flat fronted grille bar which could be flat or beaded or whatever takes your fancy....so long as it sticks on! (neon anyone?)

[Roverron]

Have you measured the width of the grill spoke ?
If it's a lot thinner than the facelift type you could try clip over type type (for upto 3mm) from...
http://www.nfauto.co.uk/rubber_trim.htm

I sprayed my grille with body colour (Midnight blue) - it looks better than the grey but I think some of that chrome trim would look good as well.

Ron

[pondweed]

they are sending me a sample.. so no-one order yet

sample good BUT as it is deep sided, it doesnt bend easily in both planes i.e. around the curvature of the grille bar, its sides will pucker, if indeed it will hold at all. It also looks as if the long 'sides' coverage will cause problems with the bonnet mechanism thingie.
US/Canadian guy has come back and said two options to suit both grilles.. and I've quizzed him further on what their solution is for each. He also said he could do a group discount. more news as it breaks....

[Ken]

He also said he could do a group discount. more news as it breaks....

Pondweed

A group discount? Its sounding good, when you have prices etc start off a new thread and make a list of those who are interested if you want to.

Regards

Ken

[crofts]

Didn't know about this option and bought a brand new completely chromed grille from ebay,with new Viking badge, for £61. Don't know what they cost from Xpart but as a plastic bumper insert is over £30 I doubt they are cheap.
(someone said just the badge was over £15 !

By the way there is a R/H rear bumper chrome insert on ebay. Item190049461559. There was a member looking for one recently

[pondweed]

is that £61 facelift or original, out of interest?

latest - the canadian/us chap is having difficulty describing the technical spec of the kits to me, and I'm trying to get him to give me a price for 'trialling' all the ones he recommends (not sure whether this is two, three or four to cover the two grille types.

Didn't know about this option and bought a brand new completely chromed grille from ebay,with new Viking badge, for £61. Don't know what they cost from Xpart but as a plastic bumper insert is over £30 I doubt they are cheap.
(someone said just the badge was over £15 !

By the way there is a R/H rear bumper chrome insert on ebay. Item190049461559. There was a member looking for one recently

[crofts]

is that £61 facelift or original, out of interest?

latest - the canadian/us chap is having difficulty describing the technical spec of the kits to me, and I'm trying to get him to give me a price for 'trialling' all the ones he recommends (not sure whether this is two, three or four to cover the two grille types.

It is same as my pre-facelift and came with seperate orignal viking badge that is self adhesive. I actually didn't know the facelift grill was different so guess i was lucky it was the correct one !

[pondweed]

ok, this is as much info as I'm going to get... no photos.
There are three kits we're potentially interested in, and I've asked for price for 'testing' the three.
I'll give the "curved/U" Mk 1 kit a go....
any takers for guineapig for the thin, flat mk1 kit?
ditto for the wider facelift kit?Obviously we're in the dark, but its not going to be huge cost. (see below).. I'll confirm as soon as I get any interest. first come first served.. obviously no one committed until I've given them an actual price we'll have to pay, but we will in effect be buying blind (unless someone has already bought one of these... in which case whats it like?!)
Reply here, then others will be able to see if its worth replying...

their text below, cut and pasted a bit -
"The flat shaped inserts we have do have a flat profile in the front...while the U shaped ones are a little more curved in the front than the flat ones.

I agree, on the Mark 1, it is better suited for the U shaped or the other Rover kit I was just informed about. This other kit is flat but alot thinner than our normal flat kit (our normal kit would be better for the 04 and newer Rovers w/fatter bars). This new kit has a very thin profile.....about 3.5MM.


As I said, normally 1 kit shipped would be $36.99 USD shipped, 28.99 for the item and 8.00 for shipping (no duties, taxes, etc. would be due). On 10, we can do 25.00 each and on 25, 21.00 each. Shipping would depend on how many you order as the postal service goes on weight in ounces here, and even 1 kit can change the shipping price a decent bit.

For the MK1, I would recommend the curved kit because it does wrap around the sides too. The "new" flat kit does not.

For the 04 onward, I recommend our normal flat kit....it does not go around the sides though.

A few things about our kits. We have our kits modified by our manufacturer in Canada exclusively for us. In other words, you may have seen some other vendors selling chrome grille kits here and there, but they are just using the cut up plastic pieces. The problem with those is that the engine heat causes the adhesive to shrivel up and lose it's bond within a few days. Occasionally they last longer because some cars give off more engine heat than others, and that all depends on many factors.....air temperature, size of grille, etc. In any event, our kits are modified in both the adhesive and exterior of the insert and hence come with a 3-year warranty, which is what most car makers offer on brand new cars and the parts on them. "

[pondweed]

oops... forgot this bit which justifies why the thinner flat kit for mk1 is still an option perhaps....

their text...."
"Personally, I prefer the flat one because the chrome is definately more noticeable"

[DeeCee]

How about.......

http://www.rubbertrim.co.uk/body_mouldings.htm

EXTRA BENDY CHROME STYLING
13958 CHROME STRIP 50MM x 1.5MTS LONG £31.65
13959 CHROME STRIP 35MM x 2.45MTS LONG £26.75
13991 CHROME STRIP 7MM x 3MM x 10MTS £26.50
13992 CHROME STRIP 21MM x 3MM x 5MTS £32.50
13994 CHROME STRIP 3.5MM x 2MM x 10MTS £25.50 ***********

I know it's not 'U' shape but 10 meters.... enough for 4/5 Mk1 grills.

My 6mm chrome grill strip bought on Ebay has been on for a year now... no adhesive problems... the pack says for external use and I have lots spare !

[pondweed]

How about.......

13994 CHROME STRIP 3.5MM x 2MM x 10MTS £25.50 ***********
I know it's not 'U' shape but 10 meters.... enough for 4/5 Mk1 grills.

I agree you've probably got the best option for the wider grilles. Getting flatfronted sections to fit ain't rocket science so why buy a kit etc. But how would we sort the chamfered ends on the mk1..? they go from 3mm almost to nothing...re trying to get something to stick.
We need to find a supplier for u moulding that bends in BOTH planes...

[Pete]

I can get my hands on a scrap Mk1 grille and we can use that as a guineau pig if that's a help? If so, count me in to do a test with one of the kits

[Nomis]

Are there any specialist plastic chroming companies about that you could get some sort of discount from for getting as man y done as possible at same time?

Simon.

[Pete]

There is one firm I know of that do specialist finshing services, and I think they can do plastics as well. I'll send them a note and see what they say.

[pondweed]

back to NFauto (Car Builder Solutions) following DeeCees original suggestion... they have a 8mm depth U channel that bends in the plane of the grille and it has adhesive at its centre... but it's mounted on rubber so it will be too much overall width to let the bonnet release come through without snagging. Revisting the thin 12mm chrome plastic U that theyve sent me the sample of, I've rethough... and realised it doesnt really matter about religiously following the slight curve of the bars.. the depth of the material means that you can extend the new chrome higher under the grille finisher at both ends.. and accept that it will sit slightly flatter and thus perhaps 1-2mm more prominent at top and bottom. But £2.93 per metre and about 5metres needed gets it up towards the kit price anyway...

[DeeCee]

back to NFauto (Car Builder Solutions) following DeeCees original suggestion... they have a 8mm depth U channel that bends in the plane of the grille and it has adhesive at its centre... but it's mounted on rubber so it will be too much overall width to let the bonnet release come through without snagging. Revisting the thin 12mm chrome plastic U that theyve sent me the sample of, I've rethough... and realised it doesnt really matter about religiously following the slight curve of the bars.. the depth of the material means that you can extend the new chrome higher under the grille finisher at both ends.. and accept that it will sit slightly flatter and thus perhaps 1-2mm more prominent at top and bottom. But £2.93 per metre and about 5metres needed gets it up towards the kit price anyway...

What about some close up pictures of the Mk1 grill, also with the sample chrome plastic U in position.... maybe we can come up with some other ideas.

[pondweed]

89

90
this shows the difficult bits where the grille narrows... and a not very good shot of the 12mm plastic edge trim showing its thinness

[pondweed]

I've found an alternative cheap supplier for the 12mm chrome plastic material - classic mini sill and wing trim - and bought a batch.. awaiting delivery.

[crofts]

New Facelift (04 on) chrome grill with badge on ebay at present.
Item no. 320047381043 !

[pondweed]

I've found an alternative cheap supplier for the 12mm chrome plastic material - classic mini sill and wing trim - and bought a batch.. awaiting delivery.

ok, stop press! material arrived.. as in photos above and attached.
And... dont bother. It doesnt span the radius of the grille well enough and looks rubbish (when compared to the line of the central spar and badge) if it is kept on a flatter profile so it stands slightly proud at top and bottom.

So back to the other kits...

(This stuff WOULD work superbly on a flatter section grille bar up to 3mm in width. And its only £10 +3 p&p-ish for 7 metres.... I've got some going cheap now!)

[crofts]

New Facelift (04 on) chrome grill with badge on ebay at present.
Item no. 320047381043 !

Did anyone buy it ? It's a whole lot less hassle. Anyone know the price it went for ?

[Zeb]

Did anyone buy it ? It's a whole lot less hassle. Anyone know the price it went for ?

It was only chrome around the edges...

[pondweed]

Didn't know about this option and bought a brand new completely chromed grille from ebay,with new Viking badge, for £61. Don't know what they cost from Xpart but as a plastic bumper insert is over £30 I doubt they are cheap.
(someone said just the badge was over £15

was this from the same chap that is selling them now for £119??! another one listed (search on chrome grille 75)

[Gryphon]

was this from the same chap that is selling them now for £119??! another one listed (search on chrome grille 75)


This is the ebay one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-75-FRONT-CHROME-GRILL-GRILLE-1999-TO-2004-MODEL_W0QQitemZ130061032314QQihZ003QQcategoryZ1041 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
A bit expensive but a lot less hassle

[pondweed]

just turning out boxes - I've got some of the original samples from the States for bright chrome grille kits - one pack of small flexible U section about 6mm deep 34 pieces, (push on, 3M glue insert @ 135mm long)

and one pack of flat section 6mm wide 34 pieces 135mm long, (3M self adhesive backing)

might be useful for something else - or for Mk1 and mk2 grille trials respectively. This thread has highs and lows documented, I seem to remember.

Think these were $36 each
£5 each plus post

[trebor]

dont forget if anyone interested i found a company in Birmingham who plastic chromed mine for £70 + vat, thread below

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=19713&highlight=chrome+grille