Getting Grilled

When buying a brand-new truck, the majority of an enthusiast's extra coin is often swallowed up by the dreaded monthly payment. There is no doubt that brand-new luxury with a warranty costs money and forces most new truck buyers to put their plans for suspension and paint body modifications on hold, until they can recover from sticker shock.

While a new truck buyer's ride is still wearing dealer plates, most manage to muster up enough cash to purchase a few aftermarket items to personalize their ride. One of the most common upgrades made to a brand-new vehicle, whether it be a truck or sport utility, is a billet grille insert.

Billet grilles became all the rage back in the late '80s and early '90s when sport truck entrepreneurs began dropping, shaving, and smoothing the popular '88-'98 Chevy and GMC pickups. At that time, their efforts began showing up in the pages of Truckin'. Since then, a billet grille has become one of the staples of any custom truck project, no matter how large or small.

Prior to the arrival of the billet grille, custom van enthusiasts throughout the '70s and '80s relied on the chrome square tube and round tube grilles to dress up the frontal regions of their party wagons. Once the sport truck craze hit, enthusiasts started searching for a more modern and high-tech look, and the billet grille was born.

One company that has been at the forefront of the billet grille movement and has helped many an enthusiast dress up the front of their truck is Carriage Works Billet Accessories. Carriage Works subscribes to the American pride philosophy and manufactures its products in America, including the company's custom billet grille inserts.

Recently, we had an opportunity to get a close-up look at some Carriage Works products, as two different polished units were installed on a new '03 Chevy truck at S.A. Motorsports in Anaheim Hills, California. For the customer's convenience, Carriage Works offers both a bolt-over factory custom billet grille and a unit requiring removal of the original egg crate plastic grille webbing. We documented both procedures of installation and found the products to be easily installed with stunning results.

The Real McCoy from Carriage Works

In the process of dressing up the nose of this new '03 Chevy Silverado over at S.A. Motorsports in Anaheim Hills, California, we took the opportunity to capture the installation of both the Bolt-Over Factory grille and the cut-out version from Carriage Works. The Bolt-Over factory unit will appeal to the consumer who wants a hassle-free installation.

However, for the enthusiast who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty and wants to eliminate completely the plastic egg crate factory grille, the cut-out version from Carriage Works is the answer. Follow along as we transform this Bow Tie's nose from stock to hot!

Here is a shot of our dealer-donated...        read full caption Here is a shot of our dealer-donated '03 Chevy with the Carriage Works Bolt-Over Factory billet grille in place. This piece installs in minutes and from a distance you can't even detect the original plastic egg crate grille behind it.

Our '03 Chevy looked pretty...        read full caption Our '03 Chevy looked pretty bland prior to the installation, but Carriage Works and the installers at S.A. Motorsports would fix all that.

Carriage Works Bolt-Over Factory...        read full caption Carriage Works Bolt-Over Factory billet grille for the '03 Chevy is polished to a high luster and made from T6061-T6 aircraft-grade billet aluminum material. Each of Carriage Works' grilles is TIG-welded by hand, inside a CAD-designed CNC-milled fixture to ensure an exact fit. Grilles are available in polished, brushed, or black finishes.

With the hood of the truck...        read full caption With the hood of the truck open, the Carriage Works Bolt-Over Factory grille was placed over the factory egg crate mesh grille. Next, the supplied fasteners were inserted through the pre-existing holes on the back side of the inserts and through to the back side of the factory grille.

To secure the grille in position,...        read full caption To secure the grille in position, one of the shop workers at S.A. Motorsports held the hardware on the backside, while Carriage Works' own Scott Breckenridge tightened the fastener in place. The same process was performed at the other mounting points, and the install of the Bolt-Over Factory unit was complete.

This is a shot of the Carriage...        read full caption This is a shot of the Carriage Works Cut-Out billet grille insert for the '03 Chevy Silverado installed.

Once again the bone-stock...        read full caption Once again the bone-stock Silverado nose leaves a lot to be desired. Some sugar and spice from Carriage Works will take care of that.

Here is a photo of the Carriage...        read full caption Here is a photo of the Carriage Works Cut-Out billet grille insert. Made of durable 6061 T-6 aircraft-grade billet aluminum, this unit is sure to brighten up the nose of any '03 Silverado.

The radiator support shroud...        read full caption The radiator support shroud clips were removed to prepare for the extraction of the plastic panel.

The radiator support shroud...        read full caption The radiator support shroud was lifted up and away from its mounting surface, allowing access to the grille's mounting points.

After a brief disassembly,...        read full caption After a brief disassembly, the grille shell was pulled free from the front end so the original egg crate inserts could be cut out.

Using a sawzall, the factory...        read full caption Using a sawzall, the factory grille mesh was cut where it meets the edges of the opening. They tried to make the cuts as clean as possible so grinding would be less of a chore, once the factory grille panels were removed

The saw blade was carefully...        read full caption The saw blade was carefully run into the corners for a precise cut.

With all the cuts completed,...        read full caption With all the cuts completed, the lower factory grille mesh insert was pulled out of the opening and tossed toward the trashcan. The same process was repeated with the upper mesh insert before moving on.

Using a grinding wheel, the...        read full caption Using a grinding wheel, the rough edges left behind by the saw blade were smoothed before we installed the brightly polished billet inserts.

From the backside of the...        read full caption From the backside of the grille shell, the Carriage Works polished billet inserts were dropped into position inside the factory '03 Chevy grilles framework.

Black 5/8-inch screws supplied...        read full caption Black 5/8-inch screws supplied with the grille were used up top to mount the upper insert with the supplied brackets. A 1/8-inch hole was drilled from the bottom up to accommodate the hardware.

The upper insert was secured...        read full caption The upper insert was secured at the top two mounting points with supplied 5/8-inch black screws.

The bottom billet insert is...        read full caption The bottom billet insert is fastened at the lower corners of the grille shell with supplied bracketry and 5/8-inch black screws. A 1/8-inch hole was drilled here so the hardware could be installed from the opposite side.

The lower billet insert was...        read full caption The lower billet insert was fastened at the corners from the outside of the shell with the supplied 5/8-inch black screws.

For rigidity, the Carriage...        read full caption For rigidity, the Carriage Works upper and lower billet grille inserts were fastened at the center of the grille shell on the backside. Note the supplied L-brackets (shown), which hook to the grille and are bolted to the plastic shell with 3/8-inch silver screws. For these mounting points, it is important to only drill through the first layer of plastic on the grille shell. Otherwise, you will drill through to the outside of the grille. A 3/32-inch drill bit is recommended for making these holes.

This is what the backside...        read full caption This is what the backside of the grille shell should look like once the Carriage Works Cut-Out inserts are installed. With mounting tabs at the top, bottom, and center, this grille is definitely secured in place.

The factory grille shell with...        read full caption The factory grille shell with the Carriage Works polished billet inserts in place was reinstalled onto the nose of our dealer donated '03 Chevy. Presented are two attractive billet grille inserts from Carriage Works for the brand-new '03 Silverado. The difference is how much work you want to do.