TBN Grill Medallion Poll

[MintTbird]

You all are getting very complicated with your ideas... thats cool with me but the more complex (spring loaded arms with attached rubber peices, snap on plates) you get the more the price is going to go up. if this gets to be multiple peices there is some engineering that will have to go on with prototypes and tests and everything will have to be manufactured within certin tolerences to make it work... someone will have to engineer these tolerences. Basicly the more complex you get the more you have to pay someone to engineer prototype make assemble package and ship. i have some engineering background i studied it in high school and for a few semisters at college so i could help a little with cad/cam drawings but im no expert. a serious sujestion with the design portion is go to ford and ask them for help. they have people who could bang this out in a day. if we slip ford on it and let them know we are enthusists im sure they would do it. some of my relitives work at the delphi plant near here. they have a hure engineering dept. and wind tunnels and rapid prototyping machines (makes a part realy fast by shooting a lazer into photosensitive liquid plastic of some sort. i took a tour a few times) i would ask them but its a GM town and i dont think it would play well... but ford... hey you never know. thats the kind of help we need... as far as the manufacturing once you have a set of plans just about any fabrication shop can make a part from detailed plans... its the plans that we may need help in... i say keep it simple and avoid all of this... run to the hardware store and pick up a handfull of zip ties... play with them a bit they are almost unbreakable... would be invisable behind the badge... would cut realy easy close to the locking part and would be difficule to remove.... not impossible but difficult is what we are going for right... just some thoughts -drew

-on a side note... i was reading some of my past posts... excuse my spelling and grammer... i have been getting on late and my typing skills dont do as well at this hour... you gota love college. -drew

[TATDC]

Drew zip ties are easy and effective but would not always keep badge centered or affixed in the place it was originally placed. The loops are not really that much different than the arms. The arms I am talking about are not spring loaded but just slightly wider than the hole opening. When slightly squeezed would fit into hole then would go back to it's original size when feet pass the back of the grill, securing it in place. The height of the arm is slightly less than the height of the hole keeping it perfectly in line/level with the grill, length of arm is slightly longer than depth of hole, securing it to grill. I would think the manufacturer would know how to do it. The manufacturer could suplly the rubber backing to protect teh grill or we can easily get some at an art supply, Home Depot even our kids play whoopi cushion or bike innertube.

For theft I think it would be a deterent because it would not be readily noticeable on how it is held on. We always run the risk of someone just trying to pry off anyhting on our cars.

I think we are just going to have to wait and see what the manufacture thinks of it and go from there. Still waitig for the MOD SQUAD first so I'm chillin till Monday!

[rodeknyt]

Todd's description sounds like the right idea, but the rubber backing would need to be part of the design from the manufacturer.

If you add it yourself later, then whatever tolerances were designed in to keep it attached would be thrown off by whatever backing you add. And not everyone would necessarily find or use the exact same material, making for who knows how many different "solutions" to the problem of not being able to get it to fit correctly.

[Dave123]

Thanks Brenda, my wife just keeps hitting me for some reason.........

[TATDC]

Very good point RODEKNYT, good catch! That's what I like about this site everyone working together for a common goal

NOW let's get to the goal!! I'm still 'n

[TATDC]

Quality is not so good but...

[TATDC]

And wings in the circle if you can see it..

[BotNew56]

I thing the medallions depicted in the last two pictures (posts 321 & 322) are a bit too large. Just my 2 cents.

[Bruce]

I hope the picture in post 323 is an optical illusion (kinda doubt it) because the medallion is too large for the T-Bird's grill.

[MATBird]

Limiting the size to fit the grille

On posts 321 & 322, they both appear too large. Although, I do like the wings inside of the porthole much better.
Let's remember that a lot of our grille space is blocked on either side, on purpose, so we do not want to block too much more.
Suggestion:
I held up my extra Caddy, 2 1/2" gold medallion, to the T Bird grille. I believe it can handle that size nicely. But that's about the limit as I see it.
Our T Bird grille openings are 2 1/2" wide including the edges (box) and the vertical is 1 3/4" high.
So, if we had 2 1/2" medallion, centered on one opening in the grille, it would cover, only, that one space horizontally and encroach above and below that space by only 3/8" each.
By my eye, it looked proper and as if it belonged there.
Another opinion registered for discussion.

[TATDC]

There is only so much I can do with cutting and pasting as well as covering over another image underneath what I added to it. I just went and took a round 3" lock and wired to the grill for you all to see. I do not think it size is too much. With that size it will still be somewhat difficult to see the printing on the badge unless you are right up to it. IMO it should be no larger than 3" so that we can atleast so the Bird logo. The supplemental lights are 4" BTW.

[TATDC]

Another view ...

[MR ZIPPY]

todd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's it. we just need to all go out and get those locks and the agony will be over! seriously, i like the size

[MATBird]

There's been a lot of discussion as to how to attach a medallion to the grilles.
Here's how the Cadillac medallion affixes to the car. It is a two piece affair.
The 2 1/2" round has a center hole and is screwed on through the grille to a back piece, on the other side of the grille. Then the center, or outer piece, has sticky tape as well as plastic tabs that snap into the first piece. This has been a reusable medallion for many years.

[TATDC]

MATBird so far the problem with that style of application is that there is foam tha abuts directly up against tha back side of teh grill. This Bird group is not crazy about carving/channeling a open area for the retaining nut.