Where to get grille molding clips?

[tucsonjwt]

All of the white plastic clips that hold on the upper grill surround molding have snapped off, so I need new ones. I ordered some from USA 1 but they sent the wrong ones. Everyone seems to have the black metal connecting clips that go between the end of the grille surround and the headlight bezel surround, but not the white plastic clips for the grille molding (need 5 for the upper and 5 for the lower.) Any thought on where to get some? The pic shows the white clip I need (with the tab that goes through the body hole missing), alongside the wrong black clip.

[old Rusty C10]

LMC has em also try Kemperle in Linden NJ

[Eyegore]

Try ACE Hardware, I was surprised to find out how many OEM clips they carried.

[tucsonjwt]

Do you have the LMC part number? Their catalog only shows the black clip that joins the grille surround to the headlight surround. Everyone just sells new plastic grille surrounds with the plastic fasteners already installed (molded in?). I need the clips that slide in behind the factory stainless grille surround - 5 needed for the upper, 5 needed for the lower.

[tucsonjwt]

I just got an email back from USA-1 and they agree that they sent the incorrect clips. The email stated that none of their suppliers in the U.S. have any, so he will check "overseas suppliers." He suggested that I try to use the incorrect black joining clips, even though the angle of the tip mounting through the body hole will be incorrect.

Any thoughts on another square "mod" operation?

I am thinking about getting some standard plastic push pins of the correct size, trimming down the cap to fit inside the trim, drilling a hole in the broken white clips I have, the pushing the pins from the back side of the clip into the body hole. Maybe I can epoxy the pins from the backside of the clips if I can get the parts to work. The proper angle of the pin is still the challenge with this method.

Unless anybody knows where I can get the correct clips to begin with?

[68Timber]

I lost one of the clips when I had the grill off my green truck a few weeks ago. I got one out of the junkyard. Most of the trucks there have a busted grille so there's no sin in breaking it the rest of the way off to get to the nuts on the back side. I found one that already had the grille removed for me.

[tucsonjwt]

Are you referring to the grille surround or the grille itself? I need the odd shaped white clip with slides into the grille surround -stainless steel trim which mounts to the body above the grille (white one on left in the picture above - missing the pointed tab that goes into the body.) I think you may be referring to the speed nut clips that slip on the body?

[68Timber]

They slide in the channel of the backside grille surround trim, line up w/holes in the body and attach w/speed nuts?

[tucsonjwt]

Yes. All of the junkyard trucks I find have no grille surround, so no clips available.

[tucsonjwt]

So, I drilled a hole in the center of the clips, then used a larger bit to make a counterbore on the backside to accommodate the heads of black plastic pushpins which I put through the hole. I had to trim the heads of the pushpins almost down to nothing to make them fit, and I forgot to epoxy them in place, so when I used speed nuts to attach the pins to the body the pins spun around and were difficult to secure with the speed nuts.

I had to grab the end of the push pins with very small vice grips and pull them against the speed nuts to get them to tighten up. The trim seems secure now, but if I ever have to remove it I will have to cut off the speed nuts with a hacksaw.

At least I still have stainless steel trim, not the plastic pieces which everyone sells now.