Sitting Bull
02-14-2003, 07:53 AM
This seems to be a popular swap, and one I just completed. Hopefully my experiences in doing the swap will help someone else. The swap was performed on a 79 front clip from a Cherokee, but should be the same for all 79 through 91 Grand Waggies.
Note: The process "should" be the same on the eggrate style grilles, though I'm not 100% positive.
Parts you will need...
Razor Grille with the headlight inserts (one from each side)
Round Headlight Buckets (from the same model)
Headlight trim rings (these are used to mount the light to the bucket)
Hood trim bar (horizontal bar across the hood "cowl")
Hood latch (from the same model, there are other options too, see below)
Some sheet metal screws, about 1/4" by 1.5" long
Sticky-back weatherstripping, from a hardware store in the door seal section. I used 1/2 wide by 1/2" thick poly seal.
Specialty tools...
If you've been looking for an excuse to buy a Dremel, now is the time. It will make your life much easier. Pick up a cutting disk and some barrel grinders to go with it.
The process...
First, remove your old grille, headlights, and headlight buckets. Sell the old grille on here or on e-bay, one in great shape will get you about $40 to help offset the cost of the Razor.
The next step is to mount the round headlight buckets into the hole the old square ones were in. Make sure you get the orientation of the bucket correct. There are two screw adjusters to help with the orientation. One should be on the top and one should be towards the middle.
You'll quickly find out that the new round buckets wount mount, they are not big enough to hit the mounting holes in the front clip. This is the hardest part of the installation, you'll need to fabricate some small brackets to use as spacers. In order for the lights to be centered properly on the "new" grille, the round buckets will need to be centered per the grille, not necessarily per the hole in the front clip. To get these lights properly centered, one of the holes in the front clip will mount directly to the bucket. For simplicity's sake, I'll only talk about the drivers side bucket, passenger side will be the reverse.
While standing in front of the bumper (to give the correct orientation), mount the headlight bucket to the bottom right hand existing hole on the clip. Now the headlight will rotate (moon shape) with the one connection. Obviously, as the bucket rotates, the distance from the tabs on the bucket to the holes in the clip change...so how do I know how long to make the tabs, you ask.. :D . The trick is to use the top left tab on the bucket, and align it with the top left tab on the clip. The spacing will be about 1/4" or so offset so you can't use the stock hole. There is enough pressure however for the headlight bucket to keep from rotating if you push the top left tab just behind the front-most sheet metal of the clip. Align it with the hole as closely as possible, this will give you the proper centering for the bucket. Now make two small brackets out of sheet metal or whatever else you have lying around to "extend" the bottom left tab on the bucket to the bottom left tab on the clip, and the same with the top right. These spacers need to be about 1" or so long, 1/2" or so wide, I'll let you get there exact dimensions. Just drill a hole in both sides of the brackets, and bolt the bucket in. I did not use the top left tab at all, three mounting points were sufficient to keep it from moving. The top left tab remains just behind the sheet metal. Go get the headlights, and mount them to the bucket using the headlight trim rings. OK, you're done with the hard part...
Next step is to mount the grille itself. I have a feeling that each installation will be somewhat different, some of the brackets used on Waggies will differ from year to year, but the process is basically the same. Loosely mount the new grille using the bolts along the top of the clip, these should remain the same throughout years. If you top bolts aren't aligning, I'd quit right there and consult with the group. The razor style grille mounts flush at the bottom of the clip. I didn't want the grille rubbing off the paint, so I put some stick-on weatherstripping at the bottom to space it up off the clip about 1/8" or so. You'll be able to adjust the spacing by how tight the screws are at the bottom.
Here's where the dremel comes in...some of the brackets that mounted your previous grille will keep the new grille from mounting flush. These brackets will need to be removed via dremel cut-off tool or you can drill out the spot welds. I put some matching paint where I cut off the old brackets to keep it from rusting in the future. You can't see the paint difference from behind the grille (trust me, I'm picky), so it doesn't have to be that close of a match. Once the tabs are removed, the grille should set flush with the clip. There are 4 (maybe 5) mounting holes in the razor grille at the bottom center section. I drilled through the front clip (with the grille on to make sure they are in the correct location) with an appropriatly sized drill bit for the sheet metal screws I used to mount the grille. The screws I used were approx. 1/4" by 1.5", with a bolt-style head. Make sure to get stainless steel fasteners. Drill the holes, mount the screws, and you are in business. There are two other holes in the grille just to the outside of the turn-signals, use the same process. Install the headlight trim inserts, and your done with the grille.
Next step is to mount the hood bar. I don't have any tricks to line it up correctly, you'll just have to eye it. If it's a little off, you can ream it out some with the dremel grinding bit. Due to the clips the bar mounts with, some reaming out of the holes will not reduce the it's "hold" to the hood. Mount the little support brackets to the hood, and your done.
That's assuming you are doing the swap to a mid-80's waggie with the pull release inside the cab. Make sure you will be able to access the release tab under the hood for proper access. If your doing a swap to a 79 (and possibly early 80's without the in-cab release), you'll need to swap in an 80's style hood release mechanism, or use the release mechanism design for the razor grille. I am opting to go to an 80's waggy style on my 79 to increase security of the engine parts (you need access to the cab to open the hood - lock your doors, you automatically lock the hood). Using the razor mechanism is accessed from the outside only, meaning anyone can easily get under your hood.
Hope that helps...PLEASE provide feedback so I can edit appropriately.
[ February 19, 2003, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: Sitting Bull ]
Note: The process "should" be the same on the eggrate style grilles, though I'm not 100% positive.
Parts you will need...
Razor Grille with the headlight inserts (one from each side)
Round Headlight Buckets (from the same model)
Headlight trim rings (these are used to mount the light to the bucket)
Hood trim bar (horizontal bar across the hood "cowl")
Hood latch (from the same model, there are other options too, see below)
Some sheet metal screws, about 1/4" by 1.5" long
Sticky-back weatherstripping, from a hardware store in the door seal section. I used 1/2 wide by 1/2" thick poly seal.
Specialty tools...
If you've been looking for an excuse to buy a Dremel, now is the time. It will make your life much easier. Pick up a cutting disk and some barrel grinders to go with it.
The process...
First, remove your old grille, headlights, and headlight buckets. Sell the old grille on here or on e-bay, one in great shape will get you about $40 to help offset the cost of the Razor.
The next step is to mount the round headlight buckets into the hole the old square ones were in. Make sure you get the orientation of the bucket correct. There are two screw adjusters to help with the orientation. One should be on the top and one should be towards the middle.
You'll quickly find out that the new round buckets wount mount, they are not big enough to hit the mounting holes in the front clip. This is the hardest part of the installation, you'll need to fabricate some small brackets to use as spacers. In order for the lights to be centered properly on the "new" grille, the round buckets will need to be centered per the grille, not necessarily per the hole in the front clip. To get these lights properly centered, one of the holes in the front clip will mount directly to the bucket. For simplicity's sake, I'll only talk about the drivers side bucket, passenger side will be the reverse.
While standing in front of the bumper (to give the correct orientation), mount the headlight bucket to the bottom right hand existing hole on the clip. Now the headlight will rotate (moon shape) with the one connection. Obviously, as the bucket rotates, the distance from the tabs on the bucket to the holes in the clip change...so how do I know how long to make the tabs, you ask.. :D . The trick is to use the top left tab on the bucket, and align it with the top left tab on the clip. The spacing will be about 1/4" or so offset so you can't use the stock hole. There is enough pressure however for the headlight bucket to keep from rotating if you push the top left tab just behind the front-most sheet metal of the clip. Align it with the hole as closely as possible, this will give you the proper centering for the bucket. Now make two small brackets out of sheet metal or whatever else you have lying around to "extend" the bottom left tab on the bucket to the bottom left tab on the clip, and the same with the top right. These spacers need to be about 1" or so long, 1/2" or so wide, I'll let you get there exact dimensions. Just drill a hole in both sides of the brackets, and bolt the bucket in. I did not use the top left tab at all, three mounting points were sufficient to keep it from moving. The top left tab remains just behind the sheet metal. Go get the headlights, and mount them to the bucket using the headlight trim rings. OK, you're done with the hard part...
Next step is to mount the grille itself. I have a feeling that each installation will be somewhat different, some of the brackets used on Waggies will differ from year to year, but the process is basically the same. Loosely mount the new grille using the bolts along the top of the clip, these should remain the same throughout years. If you top bolts aren't aligning, I'd quit right there and consult with the group. The razor style grille mounts flush at the bottom of the clip. I didn't want the grille rubbing off the paint, so I put some stick-on weatherstripping at the bottom to space it up off the clip about 1/8" or so. You'll be able to adjust the spacing by how tight the screws are at the bottom.
Here's where the dremel comes in...some of the brackets that mounted your previous grille will keep the new grille from mounting flush. These brackets will need to be removed via dremel cut-off tool or you can drill out the spot welds. I put some matching paint where I cut off the old brackets to keep it from rusting in the future. You can't see the paint difference from behind the grille (trust me, I'm picky), so it doesn't have to be that close of a match. Once the tabs are removed, the grille should set flush with the clip. There are 4 (maybe 5) mounting holes in the razor grille at the bottom center section. I drilled through the front clip (with the grille on to make sure they are in the correct location) with an appropriatly sized drill bit for the sheet metal screws I used to mount the grille. The screws I used were approx. 1/4" by 1.5", with a bolt-style head. Make sure to get stainless steel fasteners. Drill the holes, mount the screws, and you are in business. There are two other holes in the grille just to the outside of the turn-signals, use the same process. Install the headlight trim inserts, and your done with the grille.
Next step is to mount the hood bar. I don't have any tricks to line it up correctly, you'll just have to eye it. If it's a little off, you can ream it out some with the dremel grinding bit. Due to the clips the bar mounts with, some reaming out of the holes will not reduce the it's "hold" to the hood. Mount the little support brackets to the hood, and your done.
That's assuming you are doing the swap to a mid-80's waggie with the pull release inside the cab. Make sure you will be able to access the release tab under the hood for proper access. If your doing a swap to a 79 (and possibly early 80's without the in-cab release), you'll need to swap in an 80's style hood release mechanism, or use the release mechanism design for the razor grille. I am opting to go to an 80's waggy style on my 79 to increase security of the engine parts (you need access to the cab to open the hood - lock your doors, you automatically lock the hood). Using the razor mechanism is accessed from the outside only, meaning anyone can easily get under your hood.
Hope that helps...PLEASE provide feedback so I can edit appropriately.
[ February 19, 2003, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: Sitting Bull ]