T-Rex Billet Grille Inserts Install - Grilled Excellence
| BeforeHere is the Super Duty-style grille in the new Ford. It's a very utilitarian style instead of the custom look that we're after.
Billet grilles have become so common in custom rides that some factory trucks come with a billet look-alike. The new F-150 isn't that lucky. Ford decided to throw in two different grilles in the front of its new truck: a flat honeycomb-style and what looks to be a direct duplicate of the Super Duty grille. Neither of these two designs scream custom and both could use a little help from the aftermarket industry.
Luckily, T-Rex Truck Products Inc., a company that has been making billet bars for more than 10 years for just about every application, has grilles for both styles. The company starts with a solid stock of aircraft-quality T-5 or T-6 billet aluminum. The stock is cut to length, shaped to its specific contour, then TIG-welded in a jig.
| AfterAs you can see, the front end looks a lot cleaner and a lot less like a work truck with the T-Rex grille in place. The guys at JBM had this grille installed in less than an hour because they're good at what they do. If you install it yourself, take your time and be careful not to scratch the paint.
With the introduction of new-model trucks, we get to show you how the grilles are installed and what, if any, are the hidden tips and tricks. The honeycomb-style grille can be enhanced without cutting, thanks to T-Rex's overlay, but for the Super Duty-style, some cutting will be necessary. Since the honeycomb-style grille is the easier of the two, we'll tackle the harder one. We went to JBM Sport Truck Accessories in Orange, California, to let the experts there show us how it's done. These guys install a lot of grilles and have it down to a science, and recommend that if you do it yourself, take your time and be careful not to scratch anything.
