Billet grill
09-10-2007, 10:05 PM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-26-2007
Location: Pekin, Illinois
Posts: 1,789
I relate to the "everybody's doing it" syndrome. When I was decided to re-paint my car, okay HAVE my car repainted, I wanted flames. It seemed like everyone was doing ghost flames. I wanted something different. I think I suceeded, but it took a long time and a lot of looking to find what I was looking for.
Same with the wheels. I wanted something I wasn't seeing anywhere else. This time I wish I'd just gone with what I liked, old fashioned five-spoke Cragar SS stlye. Now my Boyds are off and being refinished and I've got what I really wanted to begin with. (Yes, the Boyd's will be for sale when they get back.)
It's tough to balance "not looking the same" with "what I really like" sometimes. Bottom line will always be what I like though.
Same with the wheels. I wanted something I wasn't seeing anywhere else. This time I wish I'd just gone with what I liked, old fashioned five-spoke Cragar SS stlye. Now my Boyds are off and being refinished and I've got what I really wanted to begin with. (Yes, the Boyd's will be for sale when they get back.)
It's tough to balance "not looking the same" with "what I really like" sometimes. Bottom line will always be what I like though.
You alteast have the _____ to take a new car and cut it up. I like what you did with yours, and wish I had the time, money, and patience to do that. Atleast it's different.
09-10-2007, 10:09 PM
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-30-2006
Location: Maryland Heights, MO
Posts: 9,149
I think it's of the nicer looks.
I changed mine out because I just didn't think the oem "fit" mine anymore. But I still think it a great looking grill on my wife's. One thing I did to mine, before the face-lift, was blacked out every other bar on the billet lower grill I had. It looked more like a match to the oem main grill then.
09-10-2007, 10:15 PM
#43
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-30-2006
Location: Maryland Heights, MO
Posts: 9,149
The problem with it is is I will NEVER get out of it what I will end up putting into it. And I already have three new big projects planned and am doing a minor mod this week! Though I will get to see the look on my son's face in 13 years when he finds out we're giving it to him as his first car.
09-11-2007, 07:54 AM
#44
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-25-2006
Location: Enid, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,198
The "everybody's doing it" syndrome, so aptly tagged by GDZHHR (
), is a relative thing. You have to remember that you are on a website where most of the people who have joined or are looking want to modify their vehicles, and doesn't really represent "everybody." Add to the fact that we are very limited in options for our vehicles, and it starts to be that "everybody's doing it" a lot faster than normal.
In the 10-15 HHRs I've seen here in town on a regular basis, only one has a billet grill. It's a sick two-toned black/silver with nice simple rims and a billet grill. That car looks smooth (BTW.. If you are that person in Enid with this ride, give a shout out!).
So think of the ratio of people on here who have them to the number of owners total...
), is a relative thing. You have to remember that you are on a website where most of the people who have joined or are looking want to modify their vehicles, and doesn't really represent "everybody." Add to the fact that we are very limited in options for our vehicles, and it starts to be that "everybody's doing it" a lot faster than normal. In the 10-15 HHRs I've seen here in town on a regular basis, only one has a billet grill. It's a sick two-toned black/silver with nice simple rims and a billet grill. That car looks smooth (BTW.. If you are that person in Enid with this ride, give a shout out!).
So think of the ratio of people on here who have them to the number of owners total...
09-11-2007, 05:56 PM
#46
Senior Member
Join Date: 09-07-2007
Location: RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TX
Posts: 624
22's on stock brakes that warp?!?!? ouch!
i mean don't get me wrong...that prolly looks sick and all, but yea big shoes like that on stock sucky brakes and then a 4 banger pushing/pulling that much rotation...how's that song go....LIKE WHOA!
i mean don't get me wrong...that prolly looks sick and all, but yea big shoes like that on stock sucky brakes and then a 4 banger pushing/pulling that much rotation...how's that song go....LIKE WHOA!
07-08-2010, 05:20 AM
#47
New Member
Join Date: 06-20-2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 23
I just bought my car a month ago (2LT) and I immediately went to this forum and began reading about all the cool mods people have done to theirs. I decided that I liked a certain grille and began searching for it frantically but alas, I could not find the grille I liked. 
Yesterday I decided to really 'look' at my HHR and I took pictures and actually walked around it really looking at the lights, lower grille area, everything. My surprise? The grille I saw on some rigs here that I REALLLLLLYYYY liked was the one which comes stock on my car (probably all of ours).
So for now I'll stick to my grille until I learn more of what I really like and want. I still plan to cover the lower billet (is that the right term?) but I realized ... sometimes in life we have what we truly want right under our noses. Ah, 'tis truly a deep saying, no?
So for now, I'll probably stick with what I have. Next week I might change my mind again.
Yesterday I decided to really 'look' at my HHR and I took pictures and actually walked around it really looking at the lights, lower grille area, everything. My surprise? The grille I saw on some rigs here that I REALLLLLLYYYY liked was the one which comes stock on my car (probably all of ours).
So for now I'll stick to my grille until I learn more of what I really like and want. I still plan to cover the lower billet (is that the right term?) but I realized ... sometimes in life we have what we truly want right under our noses. Ah, 'tis truly a deep saying, no?
So for now, I'll probably stick with what I have. Next week I might change my mind again.
07-08-2010, 06:47 AM
#48
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-06-2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 6,869
As far as the looks of the stock grill, it's still my favorite and I doubt I will be changing it out on mine. It's actually one of the first things I noticed when I first saw the HHR, I was like.... "Okay, gotta have one of those!"
07-08-2010, 12:38 PM
#49
New Member
Join Date: 06-20-2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 23
Thank you so much, Greybeard999! I have so much to learn!
I've been devouring all HHR info and somewhere I saw the lower grill which had thicker chrome bands (something like 3-4 thick chrome horizontal bars) across which matched the standard upper grill. It was someone on this forum (I'm 80% sure).
I might want to put screen behind it anyway(the gaps between the 'bars' looked big enough for a bug to get through) but might it be easier to put the screen on the newly purchased lower grill first and THEN mount it on the car than try to put the screen first then the grill or put the new grill and then try to insert the screen behind it?!
Does this make sense? I'd simply die to find that picture again. I envision that the HHR was dark in color and it was pic taken from passenger front side but the front stood in your face and the view was wonderful. The lower grill ROCKED the entire picture (in my eyes).
UPDATE: Now I want to go around asking all of you ... 'show me your lower front ..." :^) ROFLMAO!!
I've been devouring all HHR info and somewhere I saw the lower grill which had thicker chrome bands (something like 3-4 thick chrome horizontal bars) across which matched the standard upper grill. It was someone on this forum (I'm 80% sure).
I might want to put screen behind it anyway(the gaps between the 'bars' looked big enough for a bug to get through) but might it be easier to put the screen on the newly purchased lower grill first and THEN mount it on the car than try to put the screen first then the grill or put the new grill and then try to insert the screen behind it?!
Does this make sense? I'd simply die to find that picture again. I envision that the HHR was dark in color and it was pic taken from passenger front side but the front stood in your face and the view was wonderful. The lower grill ROCKED the entire picture (in my eyes).
UPDATE: Now I want to go around asking all of you ... 'show me your lower front ..." :^) ROFLMAO!!
07-09-2010, 12:55 AM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: 05-23-2006
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 1,082
I put a "Carriage Works" lower billet grille on our HHR a about 3 years ago. It looks just fine with the stock upper grille as far as I'm concerned. No big deal to mount, just a couple of small holes to drill underneath that lower opening to install the billet.