The latest and greatest version of the Chevy S-10 is more popular with mini-truckers than any other model of pickup. All sorts of parts have been modified to work on the truck's frontal fascia. Since the truck has a one-piece front end, it's a no-brainer to start tweaking there, especially if you're on a tight budget. After all, who owns an S-10 and has a million dollars to blow on it, right?
The smart folks at Grillcraft Custom Products in Hawthorne, California, have come up with a powdercoated mesh grille insert for the new S-10 that really changes the attitude of the truck. It sports a great-looking, racy Euro appearance.
The grille we got from Grillcraft was silver, but a black one is also available. Since this was a new truck we were working on, we figured, what the heck? We'd start with silver and see how it looked. As modifications go, this one seemed almost too easy.
Once this install was over, we looked at our watches and saw that it only took 20 minutes to install the grille, but it made a big difference in the look and styling of the truck. The fit of the grille on the truck was perfect, and the look of the silver mesh gave the otherwise stock S-10 a whole new appearance.
The stock front end of an...
The stock front end of an S-10 is unique, but it's missing real style. This addition shouldn't just change the look, it should also give our test truck serious attitude.
The first step was to remove...
The first step was to remove the stock grille cover. This gave us access to the shell attachment fasteners.
The grille shell was held...
The grille shell was held in place on the front of the truck with clips. Once the four center clips were freed, the end clips were next.
Before you go running over...
Before you go running over to the work bench with the stock grille, you have to disconnect the turn signal lights on each side.
With the grille shell off...
With the grille shell off the truck, the upper piece was test-fitted.
With the new grille insert...
With the new grille insert held firmly in place, we marked the locations of the screw holes to attach the grille insert to the factory shell.
Using a 1/8-inch drill bit,...
Using a 1/8-inch drill bit, we put screw holes in each end of the upper grille area.
Next, we attached the speed...
Next, we attached the speed fasteners to the tabs on the grille insert.
The grille was laid back in...
The grille was laid back in place and the screws were inserted and tightened up. That's it for the upper grille insert.
For the lower grille, we did...
For the lower grille, we did some clearance work on the stock grille center Bow Tie. After marking the location of the area to remove, we drilled a starter hole in the stock fascia.
Next came the air-powered...
Next came the air-powered saw to cut a nice, clean hole in the back side of the Bow Tie.
This hole allowed for clearance...
This hole allowed for clearance for the center section of the lower grille insert.
With the clearance made, the...
With the clearance made, the new grille insert was test-fitted again, and the attachment holes were marked and drilled, just like the upper piece.
With the grille installed,...
With the grille installed, we put the fascia back on the truck by popping it back in the stock location and then reattaching the stock grille cover.
Now that our truck is finished,...
Now that our truck is finished, the new Grillcraft silver mesh grille looks great and gives a totally different look to this S-10. The total install time was a mere 20 minutes.