Hi, I am probably going to now make a handful of speaker grills to OEM specification. Can anyone please supply me with an Autocad or similar CAD file of the correct dimensions? or can someone please measure their grill for me as I do not have access to one, only photos. I only need a couple of accurate dimensions of the height & longest length. From that, I can resize & overlay a photograph to determine all dimensions accurately. Thanks in advance. Max
Hi Max, I see you got no reply. I have a 1980 GTB and am not sure what the 81 GTS was like. I took my grilles (with huge hole cut out by phillistines) off about 5 minutes ago to measure and look at remanufacturing before logging on here to see if anyone had done similar. Did you make any progress? I had thought of machining with a milling machine and then anodising. However on removal these look like an extrusion and if I am correct, somebody in Italy has a die that was made. I don't know if the colour is anodised but to me they look painted and then perhaps the paint polished off the top surface. What are your thoughts please? I am an Engineer with CAD at home Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Max, Sorry I've been awol since our chat (summer holidays..) I have a couple of good cnc suppliers in China that could probably do these for $100 or less if I tag them onto a bigger order. I haven't found my grills in storage yet but they were the same as Andrew's above. How many people need these? The MOQ is likely to be at least 20.
Hi Max Are you talking about this type of grill? If so I’d LOVE a pair if you get them made.. some previous idiot stuck horrible Kenwood speakers through the ones on a car I just bought. Not quite sure what he was thinking! Surely you’ll need a pair to copy? Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Not when you've a CAD drawing. I did this one in Solidworks, This allows exporting directly into a CNC machine. Somehow I have my doubts on the costs mentioned. I have found when buying machines and machined parts from Asia that the costs are not as cheap as people think. I have contacts in Romania and Ireland I can ask on Monday. This is based on my car and the two vertical edges are both sloped. If a group deal was being negotiated we'd need to be sure the dimensions suit all. I'd be painting mine as looking at the surface they don't look anodised. Feel free to give your thoughts on finishing. Derek, Do you know what file format your Chinese contacts need and I can send this to your email. Note I have no fillets in this drawing as it would make machining more difficult. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Andrew, They usually take every file type as they all have pirate software but I generally send them step files or .dwg. The biggest cost is usually the mistakes and fighting over getting things right. Half the time they are not right so have to be redone. If you send the file I'll check it against my grills and perhaps send them as samples as well. cheers, derek. derekrwhite a.t yahoo.com
Thanks for that Derek. I'll send on a step file when I log back in to the PC tomorrow morning. I only have the left done but sent a request earlier to Romania and to Ireland so we will have comparison. I am expecting at least 300 euro each and asked for one of and five of each prices.
The doors are built for 4" round speakers which is good news as they are common and good value. I have had one of the 4 bolt holes cut away (Butchers) but looks incredibly easy to fit, just have to be careful with depth and with the height of the coaxial tweeter.
I’m happy to send my pair for copying to anyone who is leading this project. They do have a hole cut in them centrally, but this shouldn’t be an issue as the hole is cut in what would simply be a continuation of the grill lines. Key dims can be taken from them. They are painted with chrome paint, not anodised. Let me know if I can help...
Thanks for the offer. I measured up mine with a vernier calipers and have done 3D drawings in Solidworks CAD (Post 7 and 8 are screenshots of the drawing) and have sent a quotation request to a couple of suppliers. DerekW has a copy of the drawing and I believe is doing the same with his Asian contacts. Fingers crossed! Yes I agree they are not anodised but painted and lacquered. I am not sure they are chrome painted and not just lacquered over the polished surface. This is the aspect I am more concerned about. My suppliers won't do the finishing!
no, they look like extrusions, there are striations on the rear side that indicate this. I spoke to an aluminium finishing expert today and they believe that they were chromated (This is not chrome paint) to get the polish then masked and painted. They believe that they could get a polished grille and anodise the black and a clear coat to give a good finish albeit not identical methods to original. How many people would be interested in a set? assuming cost is ok.
I spoke with Verell at Unobtainium today and he can make these easily if there’s some interest in buying them. All he needs is a pair of unmolested grills (mine have been cut). Anybody? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I can make these as well, and with correct plating/finish. Just can't sell them here for fear of upsetting the mods. Just need precise drawings or a sample.
Alex, I sent you a pm. If you send me your damaged ones I'll check Andrew's drawing and send them with drawings to China. Do we really need the grooves machined in the back? They are not visible from the front and would almost double the machining?
Hi Derek, Depends on whether we want to have as close a design as we can or whether we are happy to just have it look right. I've asked myself the same question. I think my OCD requires front and back! I think that only doing front has the dual benefit of making it much easier because it will be stiffer on the machine table. As regards finish I visited an anodiser who believes that if we polish the aluminium after machining, she should be able to anodise black and then clear, retaining the mirror polish. She is prepared to do a few tests on any offcuts. She felt that it might have been chromated originally prior to painting. I really would love to know if it is possible to find out who was originally used as a supplier for these to find out their methods.
I wasn't aware that we couldn't organise a non commercial sale in the interest of allowing members to obtain replica parts to improve their car. Maybe I should re-read the rules. Samples are probably out of the question as we all have damaged or missing grilles. The drawings are close as I can get without a CMM. James can you send me a PM with the drawing format you need please and I'll send on to you. It'll be Tuesday at earliest before I get my machining price.
I would just anodise them matt black then polish the black off the tops but we could have some of them plain for people who want to paint etc. There only seem to be 3 people who need them so it will be hard to get a decent quote. I have told my supplier 20 of each (left/right)
Alex, when we were corresponding I was under the impression that they were metalized plastic. While I probably could get them CNC machined, I suspect some of the others here could do as well & have suppliers alredy in place.
Andrew, can you can send the step file to James (and perhaps lend him one sample?) I have had no response yet from my first supplier and suspect they really don't want to bother with this. I can try a new one a ask for 10 samples to start but that approach doesn't always work.
