These were original GM grilles purchased over the parts counter in about 1993. Why?
This is why I want someone to make these out of stainless steel.

 

Cheap GM plastics. It is even worse today in newer cars.

 

I agree 100%, I think stainless steel would look great there

 

Why didn't they make those things out of the same material as the front bumper? I have a set of these off my 82 and I swear GM made these out of something they got out of dumpsters. My original front bumper still looks fine, but the grills are just falling apart.

 

They also should have been opened up more to allow airflow to the radiator...

 

That’s looks horrible. I’ve honestly never seen those grills look that bad. And I live in a desert.

 

Yeah, I pulled the car cover back yesterday to remove a hood part for a member here.
I knew they weren't in great shape, but I did not expect this.

 

You should get rid of that TA and get a Camaro. It's a well known fact that Chevy's never disintegrate.....




But yeah, black metal stainless grills would be and look awesome.

 

oh wow, those are in rough shape.

 

Then how do you explain the dash pads cracking. That happens to Camaros - not Firebirds & TransAms

 

I don't know what your talking about, that could never possibly happen!
The next thing your going to tell me is that the fog lights fall apart, preposterous! Or that my RS steering wheel and horn button are made with plastic rivets that break and don't allow the contacts to touch, and the only way to fix it is to replace the whole wheel!
I won't stand for these lies! The Camaro is 100% faultless.

 

Just an observation:

That's an Aero car...why do you have those grilles instead of the solid painted anyway?

 

Good observation.
Engine temp was "normal" for these cars, but I didn't like seeing the temp gauge so high.
Aero front end has no way for air to get through whatsoever, just the normal "bottom up" route through the radiator.
So I replaced the solid inserts with these grilles. I thought it might help the engine temps to come down a little.
But the actual open area is less than 1/3 of the grille.
They held up great over the years - wouldn't you agree? Good thing I still have the solid inserts.

 

I had the same problem... but when i built the car, I found I didn't have all the pieces. The air dam underneath is crucial for directing the air in to the radiator. If it's torn up, or missing...you won't get the necessary cooling. It's pretty surprising, considering it is so thin...but the shape shoves the air in to the hole...


Is your lower deflector intact?

 

Time to buy new ones from Hawks



https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-yiwx...115160.jpg?c=2

 

Yes, the lower deflector is intact - and has always been so.
Bigger copper/brass radiator, upper and lower shrouds in place, clutch fan has a new clutch (the rpm one) - it just runs too hot for my liking.
This was 25+ years ago. The next iteration will have all emissions crap removed except the charcoal canister for proper fuel tank venting.
A/C going bye-bye too. Swapping to a manual quadrajet and a Ram Air IV hood.
With all the "stuff" that the factory shoved under that hood, there is no room for any airflow.
It's like blocking the output end of a vacuum cleaner - you then get no suction at the hose end.
I want the hot air that goes through the radiator to be able to escape, taking the engine heat along with it.
Stainless SLP headers only add to this problem.

 

I was thinking the same, letting the hot air escape the engine bay, and removed the cowl induction parts connected to the hood. It really worked well. It allowed a tremendous amount of hot air to exit. I was surprised how much flowed out.

 

Funny you said that, because the reason I took the car cover off was to remove the last of the cowl induction pieces to sell to another member. That's when I took the picture of the grilles.
I opened mine up decades ago, and you're right - a ton of hot air escapes.
How is this supposed to "breathe"?

 

That engine looks new. I'd be hard pressed to delete anything on that car. Very nice....
I'm surprised you're getting heat problems. I had all emissions, AC, and working cowl induction...once I put that lower deflector on, no heat issues whatsoever. It was always rock solid at thermostat temp.

 

Agreed. Your engine bay looks great. I removed a few things from mine to open it up a bit. Makes changing plugs so much easier.

 

Not my engine bay. Pic borrowed from the internet.

 

This is more of what I am going for (if I ever get the time).

 

Ah...fair enough

 

Looks like it went through an earth re-entry. Gotta pay some mind to those speed limits, bud.

 

Nope, they were shipped in the DeLorean back in 1985.