Here we go again - another grille install on another new truck. Nissan has stepped up to the plate with its new Frontier design and the impressive Titan. What's nice about seeing new trucks sitting at the dealerships is the vision it stirs inside our gear heads. Some will close their eyes and see a big lifted monster sitting on 37s, while others will see a slammed scrapper pressed millimeters from the road. What modification will these two polar opposites most likely share? The trucks will all have a custom set of bars stuffed between the headlights.
In comes Stull Industries. The company has been in the grille business since 1974, when William (Bill) Stull closed his eyes and pictured something besides the stock grilles ("egg crates," as Bill called them). Back then, Stull was making chromed square tube grilles for the show trucks, but the truck builders want something different now, so the company has evolved and produces just what we want: nice billet bars.
The grilles are built on site at Stull from 6063 T52 aluminum stock, then they're chucked into a jig and MIG/TIG-welded. After powdercoating, the face is polished to a high luster, producing the custom bars you see here. With more than 1,000 different grilles available, Stull should have just what you're in need of, and with a two-year warranty, you know they'll last.
1a.The grilles are assembled...
1a.The grilles are assembled with a combination of MIG and TIG welding. This keeps the welds small and almost unnoticeable, but they still retain the strength needed. With the units welded, they're sent through the powdercoating oven, and then the face is polished before being packaged for shipping.
1b.
2a.Stull has sheet, stainless...
2a.Stull has sheet, stainless tube, diamond wire, and billet aluminum grilles for most applications, but we will focus on the two options constructed out of billet. Stull offers a full grille and separate inserts for the Titan, Armada, and Frontier, so either way, the company's got you covered.
2b.
3a.The instructions say you...
3a.The instructions say you can install the grille on the Frontier without removing the grille shell. We tried, but our fat hands just didn't fit, so we just took it out. Both the titan and frontier share the same-style clips (in the front) that require you to rotate the head to loosen its hold.
3b.