Grille brackets

[81squared]

does anyone have any pics of a 80 K10 or C10 grille ?

i see 80 grilles on ebay but they show 3 screw holes on the top of the grille ... are they using the holes from the chrome piece or do the use the nut on the vertical support ?

Sorry im just trying to get the correct grille

thanks

 

[81squared]

This is the grill I want

does this use face screws or the back mounting brackets.

these web sites suck for info. No diagram of the back. Nothing.

thanks

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[FireTruck1984]

Im sooo confused ... lol My truck is a 1980 K10 I dont know why my username is 81Squared, mustve been late at night.

So .... My truck is 80, i removed the chrome today, there were 7 holes in the lip of support.

Since my truck is a 80 are the mounting locations different ? I want to buy a new grille but I want to make sure it will fit.

The ones I see have 3 screw holes on the top of the grille. Do these go into the holes in the radiator support ? If so, what do you use for a retainer nut ? the plastic ones ?

my existing grill used the pre installed bolts on the radiator vertical supports.

does anyone have any pics of there grills so I can see how it looks

thanks to everyone for the help !!

And you list your truck as an ‘81 Silverado… so we we were advising as if it was
1981 not 1980. So now it all makes sense.

 

[bucket]

This is the grill I want

does this use face screws or the back mounting brackets.

these web sites suck for info. No diagram of the back. Nothing.

thanks

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It mounts to these factory brackets on the radiator support:

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[81squared]

thank you very much !! I did not have these brackets.... i had done some homework a few minutes ago and found a photo with these brackets. I searched good ole E Bay and found a set for 20 bucks !!! so pumped.


question, what type of nuts do you use on the bracket to accept the grille screws
?

 

[bucket]

What year brackets did you get? You need '75-up for the '80 grille like you want.

The 4 outer screw locations use kind of a special clip, they can be seen in one of my pictures above. But I normally just use a U-nut for a #8 screw when they are missing. The center locations just get common nylon nuts, also for a #8 screw.

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*Edit*
That's a standard type U-nut, there's a long-reach version that works best for this instance.

 

[81squared]

any idea where to get the extended ones ( long reach ) ?

Thanks

 

[Turbo4whl]

any idea where to get the extended ones ( long reach ) ?

Thanks

Au-ve-co Products, they have everything.

https://www.auveco.com/retainers-clips-fasteners


Hard to find, so here's a better link:

https://www.auveco.com/radiator-grille-nuts-8-screw-size-ap18153

 

[bucket]

any idea where to get the extended ones ( long reach ) ?

Thanks

I buy most of my hardware like that from Napa. I can't say I've ever been to one that didn't have them in stock.

Auveco does have literally everything though, it's just a matter of finding it.

 

[Raider L]

@81squared,

My '74 has plastic screw things that slide into slots in the metal supports and correspondingly there are plastic squares made in the grill with holes pre-drilled in them where screws go. I don't know what you call those plastic things the screws go into, but they are on the metal supports behind the grill. My grill is called a "egg crate" looking grill, I think. I got them from a local dealers supply that has all those kinds of plastic things. I've gotten them for door panels, trim attachment, all sorts of things that screws go into.

 

[Raider L]

@81squared,

If you will look closely at @bucket's first pic, at that bracket, boy it's hard to see, but near the bottom of the bracket in the first photo is a little round thing with a kinda screw hole in it. That is the plastic screw things I was talking about. It looks like a little round thing, he has his painted Black so they are hard to make out. That's the thing that fits into the slot on that same bracket. Now, move to the third photo and that is the bracket on the other side. On that bracket you can clearly see those slots I was referring to, one at the top and one at the bottom. Those round plastic things slide into that slot and when you put your grill up to that bracket you'll have to slide that plastic round thing left or right to line up with the hole in the grill where the screws go through to those round things.
Make sure you get those round plastic things even, slide left or slide right, because it will determine whether or not your grill is centered in the grill opening. Also the second photo is of a heavier center bracket that is made for the hood closure inside opening hardware. I just have a lever under the front of my hood but your truck should open from the inside to prevent theft.

Does your hood open from the inside? An '80 should have a tee handle on the left side under the dash marked on it "hood" for opening the hood. If you don't have that then you'll need all that hardware also, including that big center bracket.

 

[81squared]

thanks for the explanation. My truck did have a hood latch release in the dash but I would prefer to just pop the hood from under the grill. I have that center bracket you mention. its the bracket that accommodates the middle grill screws... right ?

I ordered a screw and plastic nut kit for the grill install . looks like they will slide into the slots on the bracket.

 

[AuroraGirl]

thanks for the explanation. My truck did have a hood latch release in the dash but I would prefer to just pop the hood from under the grill. I have that center bracket you mention. its the bracket that accommodates the middle grill screws... right ?

I ordered a screw and plastic nut kit for the grill install . looks like they will slide into the slots on the bracket.

the hood release being changed requires a different striker (with the lever on it) and the catch on the hood is changed for the thing too. then you remove your cable then...

then you also got to change the center piece since it wouldbe entirely different

 

[Raider L]

@AuroraGirl is correct. So @81squared, there will be things you'll ned to get, and things to get rid of to make this conversion back to an older hood style. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow of my hood, it has the hand lever to open it, and unless someone beats me to it and that's fine because we are trying to help a fellow trucksman, girl, do what he needs to get done. So it doesn't matter.

Speaking of the hood latch section, the kind that has the inside pull, is quite complex and has parts that bolt to the big center support in @bucket's pics. So make sure you get some good photos of what you need before going off and then find out you missed something.

And as per you remark above, yes, that's what I was trying to describe about those slots and that is, that's where those plastic screw things go. You'll see once you are at that point that you will have to make some minor adjustments to those plastic screw things, and you'll see that once you tighten them down it holds the grill to one side or the other. Step back and look at it and you'll see that if they are over to far the grill won't be centered, that is, how close the edge of the grill is next to the headlight bezel. And the only way you'll know the grill is over to much to one side or the other is after you put the head light bezel on. If the grill is to close to one side you'll have to take the head light bezel off and then loosen up all the plastic screw things, maybe two and slide the plastic screw things over. And then put the head light bezel back on again. But be careful because, depending on how loose the slots are will determine how easy they slide over in the slots. You may have to slide them over by hand.

For something so simple can be a pain sometimes to get it right. Once centered it'll look right. You'll see.

 

[Raider L]

@81squared,

Oh yeah. Besides the two plastic screw things on the two vertical brackets there are also one on each side next to the head light. There's a bracket coming off the radiator support next to each head light that has a plastic screw thing on them to. I'm glad I remembered those. You'd be looking at the grill and there'd be more screws way over on the side and wonder what they go to. Once you put the head light bezel on you won't see those brackets, they are behind the bezel. All you'll see are the screws and mostly not what they go to.