Looking for some advice on grill inserts...who has one they really like and what are some brands to stay away from. My 05 PSD XLT is a RED sport package so the grill and bumper are red as well. I have seen the catalogs but what some consumer opinion! Thanks ahead of time...

Kirk

 

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Hey Kirk,

Sounds like you've got a beauty on the way! I've seen some ALL RED SD's around my neck of the woods (grill, door handles, et al) and they look very cool!

As far as type, style and manufacturer? Type and style obviously depend on what look you're after? Horizontal bars? Vertical bars? Flames? Other design?
Some require that you cut the stock grill frame; some snap right in; some you keep the blue oval Ford emblem in the grill, some you don't...

Most manufacturers are pretty good these days, but some of the more tried-and-trued manufacturers are Stull, PutCo, etc. Check out some of these websites for ideas, or do a keyword search for aftermarket truck grills:

www.stylinconcepts.com
www.central4wd.com
www.truckaddons.com
www.streetbeatcustoms.com

I have a Stull "Beefy billet vertical grill" on my 2002 SD (pic in my gallery). Installation took about 45 minutes and was pretty easy

 

Hey Kirk,

I've seen a couple of SD's with the painted bumpers, grills and door handles. Looks very cool!

As far as what manufacturer, I can only speak of the Stull grill. I've had mine for 2 years now and it looks as good as Day 1. It is the Stull "Beefy Billet Vertical Grill". There's a picture of it in my gallery if you're interested. 99% of people go with the standard horizontal bars look. I had to be different and the vertical bars gives the front end a much different appearance. People have told me that it makes the front look like a more expensive vehicle (like a Lincoln Navigator, or ???). Anyway, type and style are obviously up to your likes/dislikes and what look you want. There's vertical bars, horizontal bars, flames, teeth, flags.... you get the idea.

My insert required NO cutting of the stock grill frame whatsoever. It took me approximately 1 hour to install. The only pitfall I found at the time I purchased the vertical grill insert is that they don't make the matching lower grill inserts. They are available for almost every horizontal style grill package, but were not available for the vertical style grill package.

Stull and PutCo are some of the more tried-and-trued manufacturers, but if you do a keyword search on "aftermarket truck grills" (or some combination of words similar to that), you'll get tons of hits. Here are a few websites that I checked out when researching grills: Hope they help...

www.stullindustries.com
www.stylinconcepts.com
www.streetbeatcustoms.com
www.central4wd.com
www.aztrucks.com

As far as which manufacturers are best and which to avoid? They are all using similar materials, so they're all pretty much in the same ballpark. Do your research, chose a few you like and rate them by materials used, ease of installation (do you have to do any cutting?), style and price.

Let us know what you decide, and if you have a digital camera, set up a gallery with some pix! Welcome aboard the FTE freight train!!!

Best,
Daryl

PS- Oops, sorry for the double-post. I was about done with the first reply when I clicked on something (?) and the whole screen went away. Thought I had to redo the entire reply! My bad....

 

I have the Stull Beefy Grill. I also bought a Precision Chrome piece to get rid of the vertical corner bars. It was an easy bolt right up install. Precision now makes the Beefy Grill. So you could buy it cheaper by just buying the whole unit. I found the cheapest price was at StreetBeatCustoms.com.

 

Wow, SkipperW! Great looking front end on your truck! Full chrome front bumper (sans tow hooks) and chrome lower valance + the billet inserts and clear lenses. Really looks great!

DS

 

Here is a picture of my grill. I got it of ebay and it is holding up great and looks good.

 

DS, thanks.