The next step in our quest to retroize our in-house R/T is going to be the grille. The factory Dodge setup looks fine, but we wanted to give the truck an earlier look and we found it browsing through the Stillen catalog. Stillen carries a full line of Street Scene parts and just happen to have what we needed to fulfill our vision.
The grille assembly comes with a new fiberglass shell that features no center down bar, creating a long, smooth look. Since the area now has a different shape, Speed Grille inserts are also provided to complete the package. The secondary hood release on these trucks forces you to stick your fingers through the grille to unlatch it, but since you can't get them through the speed grille, Street Scene sends a cable release setup to relocate it to where you can reach it. Pretty cool, huh?
The new shell comes in a raw gelcoat finish, so expect to do some paintwork to complete the job. We hustled over to Venable Koncepts in Huntington Beach, California, to have Marcel bolt it all up and here is how it all went down.
Here it is all finished-the...
Here it is all finished-the long openings change the attitude of the truck and give us that early look. Once we are finished with our next installment, which is a roll pan with 'Cuda tips, we will shoot some color on these parts and then the build will really start to come together.
By now, you should all be...
By now, you should all be familiar with what a stock Dakota grille looks like, but just in case you forgot-here it is. Marcel popped the hood and removed the fasteners from the back of the grille shell with an 8mm wrench.
Here is the Street Scene grille...
Here is the Street Scene grille assembly we got from Stillen. It comes with all the necessary hardware grille inserts and handle-relocator for the install. The gelcoat finish is smooth and ready for primer.
1.The new shell has pre-installed...
1.The new shell has pre-installed studs, so all you have to do is slip it into place and thread on the provided 6mm nuts.
2a.Dodge adds a tubular support...
2a.Dodge adds a tubular support system to keep the grille ridged, which has to be transferred to the new assembly.
2b.
3.Unless you have really thin...
3.Unless you have really thin fingers, you would never be able to release the hood all the way, thanks to the speed grille design.
4a.Following the instructions,...
4a.Following the instructions, a 5/32-inch hole was drilled in the handle to attach one end of the new release cable.
4b.
5.Here are the clamps that...
5.Here are the clamps that will be used to hold the release cable in place. We'll assemble one, per the instructions, just to show you how they go together. The small end will hold the cable, while the larger one will wrap around the tubular support bracket.
6.The T handle is situated...
6.The T handle is situated at the bottom center of the grille, so we can get to it easily to open the hood. The two bottom clamps were installed close to the T handle to keep it straight and stable.
7.Here, Marcel is checking...
7.Here, Marcel is checking for proper operation of the release cable, and wouldn't you know it-it all worked fine.
8a.Next, Marcel slipped the...
8a.Next, Marcel slipped the Speed Grille inserts in the openings and snapped on the clips. There are 20 clips total, so be sure and distribute them evenly.
8b.