It's tough to get a classic Mopar body in shape, working out the wrinkles that inevitably appear on the surface after three-plus decades. Dressing out a restored body can be even more difficult since the required jewelry is getting tougher and tougher to find. Finding things like grilles specific to a particular model and year can represent one of the toughest areas of a restoration, and with the lack of parts, can become a restoration project all its own. Even if the required piece is located, it is nearly certain that a heap of lovin' on that piece is going to be needed before it is worthy of the project.
Our task recently has been a fairly major rebuilding of a '69 Plymouth Satellite. No, it may not be a super-rare Hemi Road Runner or GTX, but even a once lowly 318 Satellite hardtop is now a highly desirable Mopar. The machine is being built into a custom street bruiser, unconstrained by any requirements for originality. One requirement we had was the need to recreate the look of a freshly built machine throughout. We were more than a little excited to discover that Goodmark offers a complete reproduction metal grille for this application, as well as the hard-to-find and often damaged headlamp bezels. No need to scour the swap meets, swim with the sharks online, or pay-up and wait while the original piece is professionally restored. The Goodmark components would allow us to open the box on a nice-as-new look at a reasonable cost.
Goodmark offers the grille as a complete kit with the center grille and required bezels, or the components are available separately. These grilles are manufactured from aluminum that is highly polished and bright anodized, as were the originals. The components come finished in the OEM paint scheme of argent and black accents, and are ready to bolt-on. When we considered the down time when hunting replacement parts, or the shop time and project delays of reworking what remained of our stock pieces, the availability of a replacement was really appreciated and time effective.
Bolting the new bright-work to the nose of our Satellite was one of those satisfying tasks that make auto restoration such a rewarding pastime. We just opened the box, inspected the components, and bolted on a brand-new look. To make the installation easier, we sought out all new hardware for the installation. Rather than pick up some nuts and bolts and woodscrews from the local builders depot, we went on the prowl for OEM replacement fasteners and clips for an authentic look. While not technically a part of the grille installation, on our list was a headlamp hardware kit, including new adjusters and springs. We found what we were looking for with a telephone call to R/T Specialties for a grille installation hardware kit. R/T specializes in hard-to-find screws, clips, and other OEM-style fasteners, but the variety of resto parts they offer goes much deeper. R/T hooked us with a complete '69 grille hardware kit.
With the required parts on hand, beauty was only a few hours away. Goodmark is known for its commitment to quality and fit, and the new grille didn't disappoint, filling the allotted space with perfect form. were we satisfied with the product? You bet!