They said it couldn't be done, so I did it...

So, after wet sanding/painting/wet sanding... for a few days I've finally given up on trying to get them to come out as smooth as glass with a high gloss finish.
I sprayed several coats of rustoleum bedliner on them & they turned out really nice. They now have a slight texture to them & it hides all the little imperfections in the paint. It made them a little heavier, but I kinda like the way it sealed the back side better than just the primer & paint did.

Got a few more coats of gloss black on the grille today & if it cures properly, it should be ready to start assembling everything in a few days.
 
where are the pics, you know the rules no pics it didn't happen!!!
 
Well, I made a little more progress today...

I'm not gonna try to post the new pics, you're gonna have to put that clicking finger to work RIGHT HERE...

But here's a sneak peek
IMG_2678_zpsbbe5759a.jpg
 
damn terry that chit looks awesome...... i would think you can make it for the 01-03 grille pretty similar to the grille you made for yours... i dont think it would be to different....
 
As soon as I get caught back up with a few projects I want to get the dimensions for the newer grilles to see if these letters will work, if so I'll make up a couple sets.
If you guys wouldn't mind helping out with some measurements, it would be a huge help.
I'd like to cut some blanks of the mesh for the newer grilles too.
 
I should be able to get you some measurements on Thursday if someone else doesn't get them to you before then. You may not have to cut any screen if the buyer has the honeycomb grille.
 
Looked at the pics, nice !

Like the “F” and “D” without the extended side pieces.

Spacing is nice too, BIG but it fits well enough.

Nice work man.

IMG_2703_zps6563722e.jpg


My little red “FORD” lettering will have to go.

When will these be produced in aluminum and fit an STX Grille ? lol.
Oh ya, E4 RED would be good too !
 
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There is a guy on F50forum that has made a CAD file for the Raptor letters:

http://www.f150forum.com/f6/raptor-grille-cad-file-132900/

Thought that might help ya out if you want to do these on the cheap as a "buggman mod" you would just need a CNC shop to cut you out the letters. I can actually cut them out on plastic for you. here it is on my screen at work

raptor_zps051a1ffb.jpg


and here is someone who installed it on their 97-03 F150. Im sure it will fit on a Ranger grill, if not I can scale it down some, I would just need a horizontal dimension of the opening on the grlle

83562d1328908999t-raptor-style-ford-emblem-installed-after-emblem-1.jpg


81866d1328380054t-raptor-inspired-grill-insert-97-03-trucks-emblem-2.jpg


81865d1328379992t-raptor-inspired-grill-insert-97-03-trucks-emblem.jpg
 
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81866d1328380054t-raptor-inspired-grill-insert-97-03-trucks-emblem-2.jpg

That's very similar to what my first version looked like. For some reason the angles on the F & D just didn't look right to me. I even angled them front to back to give a shadow line.

If you guys can help get some good full frontal shots of the different year grilles & some measurements, I'd really appreciate the help.
Once I have some good images & dimensions, I can drop the images in a program I have & enlarge them to life size so I can size the letters to fit the openings.
 
Dcrymes99ranger said:
Terry Id be willing to ship you my grill to do one for me? Tell me a price and I'll pay shipping both ways!!!!
Click to expand...

Hey Dan,
As soon as I get some more info, pics, dimensions, etc I'm going to work up some new letters to test the sizing. I know all the newer grilles are gonna require their own custom letters, but once I have a pattern made up I can make duplicates much easier to make molds from. The real fun comes with the fiberglassing :huh: I'm still learning what NOT to do.

In a perfect world, I could spray several coats of bedliner right onto the wooden letters and not have to deal with a dozen other steps, but I've got a couple ideas I'm gonna experiment with.

I wouldn't want for you to send your only grille to me as it might take about a month to get it done :cry: You'd look kinda funny driving around without a grille for that long :(
 
FWIW Buggmans look better… and in the Ranger they are sized for it.

Terry, if you think on aluminum billet, with mounting bar on the back, sort a one piece thing and setup for mounting on an '04 STX grille, which I too will send you, let me know.

Really aluminum would be good or plastic but aluminum can be shined like no other metal.
Also mention a price if you e-mail me.

Looks great as your stuff does and don’t forget me on the LED pieces.
 
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