'68/'69 Charger grille surrounds reproductions?

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang..
Is there anyone reproducing the grille components for the '68 and '69 Chargers? In particular, the outside components... Trying to help a friend with his '68 Charger restoration...

Cheers,

[bull]

No, not yet. That item is probably the single most desireable yet costly-to-create part for the 68-69 Charger next to the center piece itself. Were it not for the Premier Plastics debacle we probably would have had them by now.

[Troy]

Were it not for the Premier Plastics debacle we probably would have had them by now.

Yes, we would. I know where some molds are but it will take about $100k to get production rolling if anyone wants to chip in. I have 8 grills so I'm not that desperate.

Troy

[bull]

Were it not for the Premier Plastics debacle we probably would have had them by now.

Yes, we would. I know where some molds are but it will take about $100k to get production rolling if anyone wants to chip in. I have 8 grills so I'm not that desperate.

Troy

Of those 8 grilles how many good end surrounds do you have without busted corners? Of the 16 ends I'm going to guess 7 aren't broken.

You're saying someone has molds already? Not that you want to discuss this here but creating the molds is the most costly part of the process and production is cheap, so why is it $100k to start running them off?

[Troy]

I think I only have 3 broken corners. I sold off the broken pieces that I had and replaced them with nicer ones that I found. I think I had pieces/parts of about 15 grills at one time (of course I had 5 Chargers and wanted a spare for each).

Yes, the tooling is finished (as far as I know) and cost a ridiculous amount of money - which is where the project stalled. I do not know all the details about production but I do know the main problem is the minimum order (pieces or quantity of material depending on the process) before anything can start. For sake of argument, if the minimum is 1,000 parts (typical) you could end up with 500 full grills of each year but then you need to ship and store/warehouse 1,000 grills. This is why BE&A has a distinct advantage - they own the tooling and the manufacturing facility so they can crank out 15 pieces any time they want. Of course, they started making Cuda grills and demand doesn't seem to be where they expected so it looks like they've stopped. That's not a good sign.

Troy

[bull]

So we should start a corporation, run off 1,000 grills and then immediately go bankrupt after selling them all to a third party for pennies on the dollar.

[Mike DC]

  
Over the years I've come to believe that those grilles were not meant to be made again.  I don't understand the power at work but there has to be some deeper reason behind this.  


Maybe Charger fans were just not meant to have this power.  Maybe it would bring dogs & cats living together, etc.  For all we know it could pose serious danger for the space/time continuum, like if the Cubs won the World Series or something.  One of us might be called upon to go on a pilgrimage to Southeast Asia and cast all the repro grilles back into the fires of Taiwan.


 

[Bob T]

  One of us might be called upon to go on a pilgrimage to Southeast Asia and cast all the repro grilles back into the fires of Taiwan.

Except for the last 15 or so, my Precious.
You will need someone stout to carry you on the final journey up the mountain Mike   

[Troy]

Just to be clear as well, the PP grills were poured molds - which makes a notoriously weak part that will warp rather quickly. To do it "right", the parts need to be injection molded. The plastic that's used is very abrasive from what I'm told so the molds wear out very quickly. Cost goes up in a hurry when you try to do things correctly.

Troy

[twodko]

I ready to go back to SE Asia but the trip wouldn't be for a grille!

[bull]

Just to be clear as well, the PP grills were poured molds - which makes a notoriously weak part that will warp rather quickly. To do it "right", the parts need to be injection molded. The plastic that's used is very abrasive from what I'm told so the molds wear out very quickly. Cost goes up in a hurry when you try to do things correctly.

Troy

What type of plastic are you referring to? Seems to me it would be a mistake to use the original type since there are so many excellent polymers these days.

[Troy]

Well, do you want it "correct" or do you want something to fill a hole? Manufacturers struggle with those details all the time. If it's not exact you lose the resto crowd and if it's too perfect no one else can afford it. I am not really a plastics expert. All I know is that there are distinctly different ways to manufacture large plastic items and was told the correct plastic was more abrasive (not to mention the pressure from the injection molding process itself).

Troy

[bull]

Usually what I want and what I get are two different things but I imagine if there were a product that looked and acted like the original pieces but lasted longer and was much stronger there wouldn't be too much complaining. Especially considering the alternatives (used, PP or nothing).

[Mike DC]

 

If it's not exact you lose the resto crowd and if it's too perfect no one else can afford it.

I've always been very frustrated by the lack of usability in resto parts.  I just want parts to last somewhere near as long as the originals did.  I'm not building a 17-foot-long display model, I'm building a car.  

   

[Troy]

Yep, I actually use my old cars (usually 15-18k miles per year) and I hate parts that fit so poorly or are so wimpy that I'm scared I'll break them during installation. I know they won't hold up to sustained abuse.

Troy

[Ghoste]

This seems like one that could be done "correctly" but still needed in enough volume to make reasonably affordable.  Then again, I would have thought that about the Cuda grilles as well and now they seem to be in slow demand.  I guess I also look at the 69/70 taillight repop and find myself put off by the 69 version having the 70 reflector still noticeable so I can see where it's a helluva gamble for repro parts makers.