Stylish grills that aren't ANGRY. Do they exist?

[jmccorm]

RedRock Diamond Eye Grille with LED Light Bar ($295):

(I'll accept this as being a "diamond eye".)

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[jmccorm]

I ended up ordering this one, only because it so crazy cheap ($90). Unfortunately, it was the last one they had in stock.

Not sure of what to make of the JK fog light mixed with the JL headlight curve.

 

[Deke]

Ahh, the screen door look? Or is that chicken coop?

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

What, you don't want your Jeep to look like a constipated Darth Vader? ;D

The Westin HDX JL grille looks alright I guess..

https://www.westinautomotive.com/product-detail/34-1115/hdx-led-grille

And the Oracle Vector grille seems to express perhaps a bit of determination vs anger..

https://www.oraclelights.com/products/vector-jl-jt

I've yet to see an aftermarket JL grille that's actually an aesthetic improvement, other than maybe the Quadratec YJL conversion/concept with square headlights..

https://www.quadratec.com/quadratec-30th-anniversary-jeep-wrangler-sahara-yjl

If you would have told be how much I’d like a YJ look, I never would have believed you. But…. But… that’s pretty freaking cool!!

 

[jmccorm]

Ahh, the screen door look? Or is that chicken coop?

Or a clever mask to disguise a 256x64 matrix of LEDs.
(The mask is what might be clever here. Not the LEDs. HA!)

 

[Nogifighter]

Could always go with a wrap. Keeps the 7 slots.

 

[jmccorm]

The strange "JK" grille from EAG came in the mail today. I haven't had time to mount it (I've got an aftermarket trail camera getting in the way) but everything looks good to mount on a JL. The installation docs clearly state that this grill is for JL's.

The backside allows for the wire mesh itself to be removed, and it looks like those are real JK light holders, and they can be removed, too:

Here's a closeup of the back side of the light holders. I'm not sure if those are going to be good for a turn signal to be relocated or if the fog lights might instead relocate into this space? Probably not for fog lights because of the filter.

Anyhow, it was a stunning deal for $90 shipped. I believe that EAG still sells a different variant of these for about $100 more which includes a small LED white light bar.

If we're going to say that we're against "angry eyes", then we should at least be able to step forward and say what we're for when someone's shopping for an alternative grill. But that doesn't mean we can't acknowledge that the stock grill has the best historical meaning out of all the alternatives. It really does.

I might end up sticking with this one. Thanks for all the help in coming up with less angry alternatives... it is appreciated!

 

[jmccorm]

Afterthought:

The EAG logo is just ripe for vandalism. (Use your imagination.) To their benefit, they had enough common sense to allow you to unbolt the logo in a way that leaves the wireframe below it still intact.

I'm still wondering what I might do with the JK turn signal lenses.

 

[Hennessey17]

I personally would never put a different grille on, but I did buy a grille inset... and there's 100s of choices to chose from... left wing, right wing, fun, serious, etc...

 

[weeitsmikelee]

Afterthought:

The EAG logo is just ripe for vandalism. (Use your imagination.) To their benefit, they had enough common sense to allow you to unbolt the logo in a way that leaves the wireframe below it still intact.

I'm still wondering what I might do with the JK turn signal lenses.

Those don’t seem like it’ll fit factory fogs but you’ll probably be able to retrofit some turn signals there if you ever change out your fenders ??‍
Mount it up !

 

[jmccorm]

Those don’t seem like it’ll fit factory fogs but you’ll probably be able to retrofit some turn signals there if you ever change out your fenders ??‍
Mount it up !

Thanks for the encouragement... good advice!

I've verified that these are holders for JK style bulbs:

Taking it one step further, I also found that I could completely remove the turn signal housing and replace it with an aftermarket assembly for the JK.

Using an all-in-one aftermarket signal may be an even better idea, so I was able to purchase a pair of LED JK Turn Signal LightsWhite DRL Amber Smoke Lens Front Grille Parking Lights for 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK... for only $10! That's ridiculously cheap!

Drill a few holes on the backside to hold the mounting tabs in place with the provided screws, and you've got a solid working turn signal with DRL. All that's lacking at this point are are pair of JK style connectors and then wiring everything up to the vehicle.

Wow. I'm impressed! This option has been very under the radar...

So, in summary...

These JK style grilles from EAG seem like a great low-cost option for those looking to pull their fenders while still retaining a working pair of signals. Only major downside here is that this isn't plug-and-play, so it's going to be up to the owner to handle some minor fitment and wiring tasks themselves.

EDIT: Here's a link to the variant with an integrated light bar for $200..

 

[Heimkehr]

The EAG logo is just ripe for vandalism. (Use your imagination.)

We have, and we're coming up empty. ? What are you envisioning here?


As for non-cranky aftermarket grilles, this...specimen...was on my dealer's lot a little while ago. It was sold as quickly as every other Wrangler, so three cheers beers to the new owner.

Just visible on the edge of the photo is the also-rare Righteous Skulls, Dude! edition Rubicon.

 

[jmccorm]

[re: potential for vandalism with EAG's emblem]
We have, and we're coming up empty. ? What are you envisioning here?

It's like the apocryphal story of Pac-Man.

It was said to have originally been called Puck-Man, but they realized that the first letter of the name would be a vandalism magnet for teenage kids (for the actual physical arcade game). So they altered it's title to what we all know today.

The "best" word-based vandalism involves a very minor change (such as that one) which gives an existing word a whole new meaning. Bonus points if the new word is naughty, literal, ironic, etc. In this case, a small pair of wirecutters could easily turn that E of that vendor's proud EAG logo into an F.

As for non-cranky aftermarket grilles, this...specimen...was on my dealer's lot a little while ago. It was sold as quickly as every other Wrangler, so three cheers beers to the new owner.

Hey! That looks like ExtremeTerrain's Air Design Pro Performance Hexagon Grille for $325. Round eyes? CHECK. Seven slots? CHECK. They know how to hit the right boxes.

I've always been a sucker for some cyberpunk styling. But at that price point, I'd have to argue between it and the Westin HDX grille (shown earlier)...

They've been trying forever to sell these things at ~$1500 a pop, which is ridiculous. I've only seen one or of two of them in the wild. But now it looks like Westin could be clearing out their inventory because they're willing to let these go for only $350 shipped.

I can't say that this is worth $350 either. But knowing that they credibly tried to sell these things for over a year (if not longer) at four times the price ends up checking the box for a bargain hunter. Even if this is just a large gaping maw of a grille with an integrated light bar.

Westin's big mouth makes for a good story to tell. But I could go all Deus Ex with the hexagon grille and start to go cyberpunk with the rest of my Wrangler. It'd work well with my custom controller on the headlight RGB halos. Add in a Fab Fours ViCowl or a Hooke Road Visor and Cowl Body Armor Windshield Frame Cover and it starts to tell a cohesive story.

Even while respecting the "angry eyes" and "seven slot" folks, I don't think it'd win too many points amongst Jeep owners. But the whole combination would be unique, and it could fit in quite well with my love for the whole cyberpunk aesthetic. That's what matters most (perhaps aside from any +/- to resale value).

You've given me something to consider here. Thanks!

TOUGH QUESTION: Are there, like... artists of some kind or consultants that are out there who can help with what color combos I'd want to use, and where?

I think I can piece together the components that I want to pull together, but what splashes of color to put where to make everything look right is something that's well beyond my skillset.

My vehicle is Hydro Blue, but I'm not so sure what other colors I'd want to use with it. I was thinking a HellaYella accent color, but that could either end up going quite well, or tragically horrible... and I know I'm over my head because I can't tell which.

 

[JP29]

Yellow is a good cyberpunk accent I feel like. Also red if you have a black interior. I leave my footwell glow on red for the most part, feel it gives a good dystopic vibe.

 

[JP29]

And also, you've already bought one but my vote would be for the patriot fastback big air grille. That still screams Jeep to me while being different!

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