westsail42

Hey all,

Seeing as replacement front grilles for the Berlinetta are next to impossible find (used and otherwise), I plan on 3D printing some replacements.

Problem is, I am having a hard time finding a full front end picture that shows the detail of the original grilles.

Does anyone have such a picture they can take/post?

I just need to match the style (vertical/horizontal mesh pattern). I can get the overall shape off of the car.

TIA!
-robert

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

The Grills are not "square" and the upper edge is "slanted" compared to the rest of the mesh pattern. Here's a few pics that should help.


Note where this measurement starts,.. at the square edge, not at the top of the grill.



Top Right Point of left grill in pic is about 81/8" from square edge.


Total to the end of the second grill from the square edge on left side. ( don't forget this edge is about 1/16 --- 1/8" short of where right side square edge would be. )


Total height at center point is 5".

16 and 3/8" at the widest point.

Tapered ( slant ) top edge is about 1/4" different from top to bottom

About 5/8" gap in the middle of the 2 grills as positioned.



Hope that helps !

BIRD91ZRAG

iTrader: (1)

Are they not the same shape and size as Z28 grilles??

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

nope,..... not the same, They are different.

sircrunch1986

wish you could do the 85-87 sport coupe grill too, while you're at it. they don't reproduce them and they are hard to find.

westsail42

John, wow, thanks for the details!

I designed a pair from the remaining corners I have on the car, and a couple pictures I did manage to find.

These pictures will help me refine the design.

Many thanks!

westsail42

If I can get detailed measurements and/or a picture, I can give it a shot if anyone is willing to help test the fitment.
The early Berlinetta/SC ones I designed required a couple prototypes to dial in the fitting (and it can be refined even more).

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Glad to help !


Looks like your getting real close,..... still look a little to "square". It was kinda' tough to get proper measurements because the factory grills are "slopped" or "raked" to fit the contour of the bumper openings. As long as you've got as decent bumper cover you should be able to keep tweaking the design till you get a good fit. Looking forward to seeing the final result !

galwahh

So I took my 86 Berlinetta to have it detailed last week, including the front grill, and what i got back was a shiny 86 Berlinetta and a bag filled with the remains of what had been my front grill. The pieces are extremely brittle - i don't know if it was brittle like that before or if it was something they used on it that caused it to become brittle. I didn't notice that it was brittle before when i had done some cleaning, but regardless the blow drier blew it to smithereens.

How is that 3D printing coming along? The 86 has a single piece grille - anyone have one?

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

I remember a few years back I was wash washing parts with a bucket of warm water,... I dipped a set of 82-84 grills in the bucket and they pretty much dissolved - almost like they were made of sugar.


These grills are just that weak after 25-30+ years. A few days ago I pulled out a Z28 grill and gave it a little "twist" to see how well it had held up after 10 years or so in storage. It was kinda' flexible still but I heard a slight 'pop' and it cracked in 1 spot. I was going to just put it back in storage but I already knew better; so I squeezed the thing and it broke into a handful of pieces. I just gathered up the pile in my hands and squeezed again breaking it into a hundred or so small pieces. This thing was in pretty good shape when it was put away, has not been exposed to the environment in over a 10 years, and was fully intact when I pulled it out - but time isn't a friend top those things any they all become brittle after a few decades. I'm fairly certain that If I dropped all those little pieces in a bucket of warm water - they would disintegrate too.

They didn't screw Ya,........ What-ever the finned grills were made of is just not able to 'hold-up' to the test of time.

galwahh

Hi John in RI - thanks for sharing, i don't feel as bad now

Did westsail42 give up on the 3D printer?

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

No Problem,... I';m sure you felt much the same way I did when my grills dissolved like sugar when a washed them with warm water,... only a bit more confused because you didn't actually see it happen with your own eyes !

Like you, I'm hoping for an update on the 3D printed grills too. With any luck westsail42 will be successful !

galwahh

Are there no aftermarkets available anywhere? I've got the single piece design... I wonder if the two piece would fit? I've got the license plate mount in the middle behind the grille