Got the thing in the mail yesterday. Looks really good. Put it on last night, easy enough. Still looks odd IMO with the stock hood grill, but at least it offers some protection to the AC/radiator items. Man, you could get a big fat possum in there!

jerij

BTW, the price was really reasonable (~$80).

post a pic please. :bow: I want to see how it looks with the stock grill. :confused:

yea a pic would be aw3som3

I guess it's OK. I don't particularly like the upper grill done in this style. I'll have to see what I can do with the CW grill. Paint maybe?

http://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/files/3/0/5/grill.jpg

Nice! :eek: I like it and want one! :D Great job and excellent taste! :thumb: :beer:

This is what their top/bottom set up looks like.

http://www.carriageworksinc.com/products/images/42611.jpg

The top grill doesn't look too bad. Is it available with a Chevy bowtie?

Not sure about the Bowtie...

jerij

I like it. Was it hard to install it?

Two clips at the top and 2 at the bottom. The top clips "wedge" against the black bumper piece on the inside. The bottom clips require 2 holes, 3/8" drilled into the bottom of the bumper cover to hold it into place.

jerij

Looks good, much better than just the bare opening!!!

Thanks for posting picture.

looks great!!

Looks great Jeri & thanks for sharing!

If you don't mind me asking, where did you order it from? I would love to put both the upper and lower grills on my HHR.

Two clips at the top and 2 at the bottom. The top clips "wedge" against the black bumper piece on the inside. The bottom clips require 2 holes, 3/8" drilled into the bottom of the bumper cover to hold it into place.

jerij

Was it easy to drill it in without damageing the bumper?

You're just drilling a hole in plastic. How would you damage it?

You would be suprise. I'm good with tools.

Nice. I have a similar billet grill. I dont agree that is does not go with the stock grill. I think it complements it perfectly.

Check this one out Grille



http://www.american-truck-auto.com/billet/chevy_hhr_52139098.shtml

You can buy that from www.socalhhrs.com . I hate it! :barf: I think there is no quicker way to make your HHR look like a Durango. Not my style! The Carriage Works one looks bad a** and very classy! The other one looks like Durango meets Fast & Furious trash! :barf:

I like Precision's "Classic" grille the best so far:

(Please excuse our graphic. :red: )
http://www.socalhhrs.com/i/Precision%20Billt/ClassicBilletUpperlarge.jpg

IMO it would make a great match for the Carriage Works bumper gille too!
(I like it better than their upper - looks too close to stock.)

Any thoughts on that?

I like it better than their upper - looks too close to stock.

That's why I like theirs. I would take a billet stock one if someone made it. I like the other one you offer better than the Durango one. That piece of solid billet at the top of the Carriage Works one is HOT! It allows them to make the ribs straight and I love that. You should work out a deal with Carriage Works and offer all three. :beer:

The website was "Auto Anything". Do a Google. The Carriage Works company have their own site, that's where the pic is from.

Use good drill bits, a power driver fits into the radiator space comfortably. I went slow, the plastic is like cheese. No slips, no rips.

jerij

i went to the web site and if i was reading correctly for the top grill its not a piece if billet on the top its your stock grill you have to cut it to get that effect still looks cool though

I wouldn't mind cutting the grill to make it look like that. It is still the best grill I have seen so far, but then again I have only seen three. There is another company T-Rex that makes a billet grill for the HHR. I haven't been able to find pics of what it looks like though. Some of the other grills T-Rex makes for other vehicles are nice but I don't want to order one without seeing it first. I think I am going to order the CW one.

i went to the web site and if i was reading correctly for the top grill its not a piece if billet on the top its your stock grill you have to cut it to get that effect still looks cool though

I think you are wrong. I just went to their web site. There is a C next to it which means no cutting required. It would have an A next to it if it requires cutting and a B next to it if requires extensive fabrication. It appears to be a direct bolt in replacement. I'll find out when I call them on Monday. I just called but nobody answered.

199.00 vs 165.00
did u check the prices also..??

Price isn't an object when making a choice about what you want to do to your vehicle. I don't mind paying more when I want something. Who actually modifies their vehicle based on price of parts? I consider $200 a good deal for a billet grill like that. Of course I have to have the most expensive polished one to match the rest of the bright chrome on my HHR. I have the money so it's not an issue. The one you posted was like $325 if I remeber correctly and it is mostly wire mesh. :beer:

I just wished they made a bottom grille to match the top. I like the stock look of the grille. But if I had to choose I would go with the bottom grille as posted in this thread. :thumb:

I just checked with Carriage Works, the upper grill is a full billet piece and no cutting is required. I ordered both the upper and lower. They should be here in a couple of days.

Check this one out Grille



http://www.american-truck-auto.com/billet/chevy_hhr_52139098.shtml
I like how it looks but what about its integrity, it look kinda weaky

That was fast!
Please post a pic, I'd like to see it on someone's car besides the ad they have.

jerij

Will do, I plan on putting them on as soon as I get them. Unlike some of my other projects that I have been putting off. :roll:

Captain in time i'm sure you will get things that you need to take care of. Having a family and taking care of car is a challange.

Yeah, plus work and being lazy. I won't be lazy about the grills. I'll put them on the minute I get them just like the antenna.

Once it gets warmer, then I will start to mod. Plus it will allow me to spend time to save more so I can do something creative and more parts will be out towards the spring/summer.

I am bored so I just tracked my grills. Only one more day of waiting. FedEx should have it on my doorstep tomorrow so they will be on my HHR by Saturday.

Be sure to post pics once its installed. :thumb:

FedEx delivered them to me today after going to the wrong house yesterday. :roll: Anyways the lady at Carriage Works lied to me, you do have to cut off the top part of the stock grill and reuse it. :roll: The snow screwed up my plans of putting them on today so I'll have to do it on the first nice day coming up.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture134.jpg

FedEx delivered them to me today after going to the wrong house yesterday. :roll: Anyways the lady at Carriage Works lied to me, you do have to cut off the top part of the stock grill and reuse it. :roll: The snow screwed up my plans of putting them on today so I'll have to do it on the first nice day coming up.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture134.jpg


Ahhh, you do have to cut up orginal, I am interested in the remaining bars, remember. Later!!!

I only have to cut off the very top bar so the rest of the gril will probably be perfect for what you want. I need to decide if I want to put on some type of bowtie or lettering on the new grill, or just leave it the way it is.

JMO, but I think it will look more "custom" sans any emblems or lettering in front.

(Your opinion may vary...) :D

JMO, but I think it will look more "custom" sans any emblems or lettering in front.

(Your opinion may vary...) :D

I was thinking the same thing but there are some cool add on billet bowties. But then again a polished billet bowtie isn't going to really stand out against a polished billet grill. I guess the bowtie doesn't really matter now that I have a big flaming bowtie across my front window. Thanks SoCal! ;)

i was right so im not seeing things i knew you had to cut to get that look you should read better i read it on there web site under the discription but still post pics after install thanks

i was right so im not seeing things i knew you had to cut to get that look you should read better i read it on there web site under the discription but still post pics after install thanks

It does say no cutting required on Carriage Works web site. Also I actually called and spoke to a lady in the Carriage Works customer service / product support department who looked the part up in their computer system and she told me no cutting required. I don't care anyways, it's simple enough to do.

Well, it would "tick" me.

jerij

same here. Id be royalled pissed

I was a little at first but it's really not all that hard to do and I love how it looks. It's worth the effort for the grill I want. Here is a rough idea of what is involved in installing the Carriage Works upper billet grill. Take out the stock grill out and remove it from it support frame. Cut off the top bar from the grill and reinstall the top bar in the frame. Reinstall the frame and top bar on your HHR. Install the billet grill mounting hardware to the frame and install the billet grill. Easy enough, it shouldn't take more than an hour or so. I guess not everything can be totaly easy. Sometimes I have to put some effort into things rather than just unbolt old and bolt in new. I figure the lady I talked to there didn't really know what she was talking about because she sits at a desk all day answering phones rather than handling their parts. It would be like asking one of the buyers where I work about some specific part we make. They would be left clueless other than the info they could pull off the computer.

Can you post a picture of the finished look Captain?

(He must be putting it on right now...)

Nah, it's too cold for me. It is currently 13 degrees here in Rochester and dark. :( Thursday looks like a good day. :confused: It's supposed to be between 34-39 degrees and sunny. :thumb:

Ok, I finally got them on. :beer: My car looks like s**t because of all the salt but:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture147.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture149.jpg
You get the idea. ;) The install was a pain in the balls and I cut myself several times. :roll: At least it paid off in the end. :beer: I'll go through the wash and get better daytime shots when I get the chance. :cool:

I'm thinking of attaching the factory bowtie to to the Carriage Works grill. Contrary to popular belief its not molded into the stock grill and can be removed. It is held on with dual sided 3M tape. What do you guys think? :confused:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture150.jpg

I think it has a more "custom" look without...but that's just my opinion. :confused:

I like it with the bow tie. Looks custom, but could be factory.

Better daytime shots. They still kind of look like s**t because of all the rain and snow but you can see better than the night shots.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture155.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture156.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/amarini/Picture157.jpg
I'll take better ones on a nice day. I still have to straighten some of the ribs on the grill. I'm going to do that tomorrow when its not raining and before the next snow front moves in. Carriage Works asks you to straighten them due to shipping that is beyond their controll. Thats cool with me because you cant tell if they are 100% straight untill they are on your HHR anyways. Their packaging sucked BTW. They shrink wrap the grills,tape the hardware kit on and stuff it in a box. There is no protection at all. I thought they would at least use bubble wrap around them. :roll: I'm still kind of unsure about the bowtie. :confused: I'm kind of leaning towards leaving it off and debadging my HHR. ;)

Anyone know of a vendor that sells the Carriage Works billet bumper grill that ships to Canada?

Crutchfield doesn't ship to Canada and AutoAnything won't ship for orders under $500.

anyways back to the original topic. i had to do the same thing because my cousin sold me the bottom piece grille and that is all i got. i have the original hood grille on. so i think it looks good but with a billet grille it would look awesome.

Hmmm... interesting. I see that they have it available in Black. See the fourth item to the top in the listing.

http://www.carriageworksinc.com/Billet_Aluminum_Grilles_for_Cars.jsp

Of course, I'm not so sure I'd want to cut up my existing Grill. I'd also end up with a black Billet mounted in with a chrome top... don't like that idea. But still, that fact that it is available in black is quite interesting.

I'm still kinda hoping to get a 3 Bar for mine; or have my entire grill painted over in black.

Anyone know of a vendor that sells the Carriage Works billet bumper grill that ships to Canada?

Crutchfield doesn't ship to Canada and AutoAnything won't ship for orders under $500.

Check AutoAnything.com

Anyone know of a vendor that sells the Carriage Works billet bumper grill that ships to Canada?

Crutchfield doesn't ship to Canada and AutoAnything won't ship for orders under $500.

Check AutoAnything.com
:lol:

Hmmm... interesting. I see that they have it available in Black. See the fourth item to the top in the listing.

http://www.carriageworksinc.com/Billet_Aluminum_Grilles_for_Cars.jsp

Annnnd... in response to myself on this matter.

I contacted them; and asked them about the fact that they have it listed in Black. The following is the reply that I got back from them!

Hello,
I am a direct distributor for Carraige Works and they asked me to contact
you about your inquiry.
The Upper Grille is 176.86 and the bumper grille is $72.47. Total is $249.33 plus approx. $20.00 freight. That is the prices for them in black and they are availble and can ship right away. If you would like to order these you can e mail me or call the number listed below and we can get them shipped.
Thank you,
J.P. Rusk
Paragon Distributing Co., Inc
704.905.9215

Oh.. and, whats the easiest way to cut the OEM Grill to work with this Carraige Works Grill; and what sort of tools are needed to do it?

Oh.. and, whats the easiest way to cut the OEM Grill to work with this Carraige Works Grill; and what sort of tools are needed to do it?

The stull (http://www.socalhhr.citymax.com/catalog/item/2608356/3487538.htm) offered by SoCal (http://www.socalhhr.citymax.com/catalog/item/2608356/3487538.htm) gives a very similar look and requires no cutting!

But can the Stull be painted?

I'd get one if it can be painted; and then find a "bowtie" to add to it.. just cause I think a black grill with a gold bowtie would look pretty good.

But can the Stull be painted?


Question better left answered by SoCal, or someone who has already painted one.

For anyone that has installed the CW lower grille, the instructions seem to imply that the top mount is not actually bolted/screwed to anything other than the grille itself.

It looks like it just leans against the bumper framing. Is that right?

Doesn't sound like it would be very secure.

For anyone that has installed the CW lower grille, the instructions seem to imply that the top mount is not actually bolted/screwed to anything other than the grille itself.

It looks like it just leans against the bumper framing. Is that right?

Doesn't sound like it would be very secure.

:smile: You're right, that's basically what it does. Just the two screws and clips fasten it on the bottom, and the two brackets hold it against the bumper frame on the top. There's quite a lot of tension that holds the top in place. I put one on a few Months ago and there's been no problem with it.:thumb: (Looks great too!!)

:smile: You're right, that's basically what it does. Just the two screws and clips fasten it on the bottom, and the two brackets hold it against the bumper frame on the top. There's quite a lot of tension that holds the top in place. I put one on a few Months ago and there's been no problem with it.:thumb: (Looks great too!!)

I've had mine on for over a year and no problems. If you mount it right the pressure from the bottom holds it in really tight.