Reproduction Charger Grilles.

[Charger Aficionado]

  Hey folks...  Sorry for not hangin' too much latley...  I was just asked by Steve at Premiere Plastics Reproductions to be THE distributor for the new Grilles.  It looks like the '69 Will be ready by the end of August.  He is really frusterated he doesn't have more time to make them...  He was planning to eventually quit his job, but now that may change.  I hope I can provide you guys who need grilles with excellent service.  I'm trying to figure out a Crating process now.  We'll keep you updated  

[Silver R/T]

What about 68's, what would be the approximate price? would it just be plastic pieces or with everything including hardware?

[Charger Aficionado]

What about 68's, what would be the approximate price? would it just be plastic pieces or with everything including hardware?

No hardware included (Just Plastics).   I beileve they are $600 for '68 and '70 and $650 for '69 (don't hold me to that, I don't know yet since they aren't completed).  I'm setting-up a press release that will come-out in MCG soon, with prices. 

[Wakko]

Will just center sections be available?

[Charger Aficionado]

That doesn't seem like it will be a problem, I will ask 4 U.

[bull]

When you say plastic only do you mean the bezels too or just the black portion?

[Charger_Fan]

I'm glad to see that grille production is still in forward motion, I hope this venture works out real well for you & everyone involved.

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Jude.

[Old Moparz]

Jude,

Hope it works out, it's long overdue for these grilles. If you are serious about needing crating, I used to pack, crate & ship artwork & antiques when I had summers off from high school & college. (My mother had her own company) I could try to plan some of the packing & the crate or box design if you need any help. I still have the crate I used for the Cuda grille, which is overkill, but mine had to make 2 trips coast to coast, & made it without any damage. Since the Charger grilles are smaller, it should be easier & less expensive to make.

Let me know, Bob

[Daytona Guy]

Ya, but the 70's are all one big piece. Except for the head light doors.

[Charger Aficionado]

  Hopefully if I can be supplied, I can get these things moving around the country...  I'm thinking about using DHL...?  I hate UPS with a passion.  I'll crate 'em good...

[Old Moparz]

  Hopefully if I can be supplied, I can get these things moving around the country...   I'm thinking about using DHL...?   I hate UPS with a passion.   I'll crate 'em good...

UPS won't take it if it's too big, but DHL will. That's mostly why I started using them, & they're also less expensive than the others too. I forgot the '70 grilles were one long piece, so shipping is gonna suck no matter what. The best way to pack them would be the same way I did the Cuda grille. Wrap it in a cushion material like foam rubber or bubble wrap, place it in a box & float it inside with Styrofoam pellets leaving enough room around it to keep it from crashing into the sides if it's dropped, then place it in a wood crate.

For a one time shipment you could scale back on the crate materials to save some money. I made mine to go from NY to CA empty, & come back with the grille inside. Steve did a great job on wrapping & packing the grille the way I wanted it, so it arrived perfect. No matter what, a cardboard box won't make it with a large item like a grille, & a crate is the only guarantee against the gorillas on the loading docks who haven't had their bananas yet. Even if it's handled well, something heavy on a truck will crush a box, not a crate.

I already had most of the lumber for my crate, but it would have cost about $100 for the materials if I bought it. The packing materials were about $35, but I went overboard with extra because I wasn't the one wrapping & didn't know what would be done by someone else. I'm sure if I had the grille in my possession & could design the packing & crating around it, I could've saved on materials. I left a lot of room for error, & hoped that Steve knew how to read a measuring tape.  

Almost forgot, get a DHL account started, it'll save a few bucks on each item shipped. They'll pick up at your place instead of you going to their terminal. If you wanted to talk to me about the crating for any help, let me know & I'll send you my tel. number.

Bob

[Mass_Mopar]

I am definitely interested in a '70 grille keep us updated!

[Charger_Fan]

Hey Moparz, I got thinking about some of the semi-heavy items that get shipped to my work in heavy cardboard boxes...like full cruiser motorcycle exhaust systems.

They put a bag (like a garbage bag) in the bottom of the box & fill it with this foam crap that hardens, then they stick the item on top of the bag, then put another bag on top of the item & fill that with the foam crap.
A little while after the box is sealed up, the foam is hardened & there's no movement at all.

The main weak spot would be something puncturing it, or something really heavy falling on it...but that's what shipping insurance is for, right?

[Old Moparz]

Charger Fan,

The hardening stiffy-foam would be fine for a heavy object that can withstand the impact of being dropped, but a plastic grille is a lot more fragile. The heavier, less fragile objects, need to be protected from themselves because of weight. Or, the other heavy objects & damage that they can do. The grille would have to have room for movement so it can absorb the impact that would shatter it. There's probably lots of mathematical terminology that describes what I'm talking about, but I usually slept through Physics & Trigonometry so I could stay up all night to finish my Architectural design models.  

Here's an example. If you wrapped an egg with a few layers of bubble wrap or foam rubber & dropped it, it'll probably be okay & not break or crack. If you placed it inside a more dense material like the hardening stiffy-foam, then dropped it, it would probably break. This is the same reason they design the crumple zones in cars to absorb the impact.

Cardboard may work & be cheaper than a wood crate, especially if it's the multi-layered kind, but the grille still needs a soft cushion around it. The drawback to using thicker cardboard, is that it can still be crushed by heavier objects like wooden crates, especially if it gets wet. Maybe a combination of wood reinforcement & cardboard would work, but since I have worked in the shipping industry, I have no faith in the people handling the fragile items. They are sometimes pushed by management to work quicker, they are underpaid, & they also sometimes don't give a rat's ass about what they are doing because it isn't theirs.

One more example. If you were going to get hit in the face with a shovel, which would you rather have as a face shield? A nice, soft fluffy pillow with a sheet of plywood in front of it, or the stiffy-foam with a piece of steel in front of it? The stiffy-foam & steel would protect you from getting cut, but I'd be willing to bet your face will hurt, you may get a broken nose, or you'd have some loose teeth from the impact.  The same scenario for a less fragile body part, like the butt, may survive a lot better, but that depends on how big it is I suppose.

[Charger_Fan]

Hmmm...okay, we'd better scratch my stiffy-foam idea before anyone get's their noses...er...grilles broken.

I believe you're totally correct in this matter, I can't recall ever seeing a light weight object packed in the foam crap, only heavy things.

[Old Moparz]

I would use that hardening foam for heavy stuff, it should be good. I get things sent using it & it's good because it fills all the voids. I know Steve at Premiere said he had even tried mounting the grilles in a crate, but I know that is also asking for trouble. That removes any chance for the grille to "give" if it's dropped or hit. Wherever it's mounted becomes the point prone to the most damage. Just like all the mounting locations on the car. Most are cracked, split or missing.

He did tell me he had damage issues, & even one of his only three feedbacks said it should have been packed better because it was broken. There is someone on the Cuda-Challenger site who got a broken one too. This, & the fact it was $600, is the reason I went overkill on packing. I didn't want to spend money repairing a $600 grille. It was a lot more to ship it this way, but I saw it as insurance & still a lot cheaper than buying an original that's 35 years old in need of repair anyway.

[41husk]

Will you go to some mopar shows ( like Monster mopar)

[69RealGL]

Jude

Email me at  celebritymachines@hotmail.com   A.S.A.P   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



K.c

[hydroforce]

I will order one, please keep me informed
provencher2@cox.net
PLEASE....I need a '68 and will pay whatever neccesary for shipping!

[sixpack70]

Will the 70 Grill come with the grey loop that fills the gap between the grill and the chrome bumper loop?

[moparsons]

I would be interested in a 69 center section. Thanks for keeping us informed.

[Old Moparz]

Will the 70 Grill come with the grey loop that fills the gap between the grill and the chrome bumper loop?

I would be interested in a 69 center section. Thanks for keeping us informed.

You guys do realize that this announcement is over a year old, right?   

[Wakko]

I would be interested in a 69 center section. Thanks for keeping us informed.

They're available now
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,16620.0.html

[moparsons]

You guys do realize that this announcement is over a year old, right?   

Thanks. I saw the thread above, and then assumed this was a follow up(as that thread took a turn for the worst).  Guess I shoulda read the date.

Andy

[sixpack70]

Damn! I saw august and though this was a day old! Guess I should update to 2006 now.