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Post Info TOPIC: Early vs Late 1969 Grilles compared


Poncho Master!

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Early vs Late 1969 Grilles compared


For the 1969 grilles there are two designs, and "early" and a "late".  The earlier ones are lighter and feature 3 colors.  The later are darker and feature only 2 colors.

Early:
"First Jobs - Shadow Silver"
9795115 Right, 9795116 Left

"Later Jobs - Oxford Grey"
546147 Right, 546148 Left

I have absolutely nothing to support it, but assume the later ones were cheaper to produce since they required only one masking (extra color) whereas the early ones featured 3 colors and probably cost a little more to make.  I've also heard it conjectured that the revised grill was an attempt to improve the front end looks, but I actually prefer the early ones myself!  My 2+2 should have the laters based on its build date but I might end up with earlier ones because I have one NOS side already (pictured).  That's my 2+2 original below which would have been salvageable but for the fog light bracket they poked through the mesh (you can see if you look...).

Grill Styles.JPG



-- Edited by davepl on Monday 23rd of April 2018 09:22:56 AM

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A Poncho Legend!

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Interesting. I also really like the looks of the 69 Grande Parisienne/Bonneville grills.

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Poncho Master!

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That's why I put them on my black 2+2, I like the metal grilles a LOT more. But this red 2+2 has to be stock, so plastic it is!


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Uber Guru

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Mark has a old thread, I'll try to find it.

There was 3 different die lots or in other words,

3 shades of grey not 50 biggrin



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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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That was a long time ago Randy, looked but couldn't find it,

But here's the picture of the 3 NOS styles that I had, the full silver one on the left had blacked out lamp bezels, but was otherwise all silver. Unusual?

Full silver, Shadow silver, Oxford grey.JPG

 



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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT. 
 


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Ive never seen the far left one on a car. Perhaps that one was just made defectively (missing the second shape of silver). I have a fall 1969 dated master parts catalog (with early 70 model year part numbers) and it only lists the two grille variations. Later catalogs only listed the later (darker) version and have a notation advising you to buy a pair if the existing grilles are the earlier version.

The 69 LeMans-Tempest grilles went through the same mid year change. Early ones had black around the bezels and two shades of silver-gray elsewhere. The later version was just two shades of gray with the darker gray also used for the headlight bezel area.

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26 1969 American Pontiacs

and a 1969 Canadian 2+2 Hardtop



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I read somewhere in a period magazine (but cant recall where) that they complained about the unattractive front end of the then new 69 pontiacs (nose was too big). Maybe Pontiac took this to heart and figured a darker grille would de emphasize the front end cheaper than rhinoplasty (nose job)?

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26 1969 American Pontiacs

and a 1969 Canadian 2+2 Hardtop



Poncho Master!

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My Dec 69 catalog lists just the two, and breaks them down as I noted. I feel like I've seen that greenish-silver type before though. Here's an NOS piece that's still for sale and that kind of looks like it, but I think it's just dusty!


grill.jpg



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Uber Guru

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Pulled my collection out today,

001abb.jpg

Top is my current poncho.

My car was built March 14th

However,

003abb.jpg

One is not original, note the shade differences.

One is cracked so I see this as a licence for change,

002abb.jpg

The other plastic grill is the all silver style and I will keep then if I ever decide to go back original.

As for what's on the table,

Top parts are true Grande as well as the bottom left.

The other 3 are US Bonneville with the driver's sides from our good member  Mark"cdnpont"

 

The "NOS" passenger side arrived today.

The Grande passenger side is off my original car but it's just too bubbled up to use.

As for those buckets (plastic surrounds) one has a hole drilled in it but I will clean them up and use them.

It will be cool to use parts off my first Canadian Poncho

(1984)

my 1969 Grande.jpg

 

 



-- Edited by ABC123 on Monday 18th of November 2019 09:28:17 PM

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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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I'm on the hunt for a good drivers side Parisienne grille insert (or bucket as you call it). To me, the headlight buckets are what the headlights sit in.

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Quick note on the Grande/Bonneville grills

Same part number but US grills have (-27) and the Canadian grills have (-E)

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Poncho Master!

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Interesting! Are they apparently identical though?


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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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I'm wondering if the plain silver grille would have been used for the Strato Chief & Laurentian series? It would follow in the GM hierarchy as they do  that kind of thing, adding a little bling to the higher series cars. In '69 they did that with the full-size Chevrolet grilles on Biscayne / Bel Air vs. Impala & Caprice.

Maybe not, as the designers may have been committed to a certain "look". I've got the 1970 Parts Book but not the 1969 to check.



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davepl wrote:

Interesting! Are they apparently identical though?


 The Canadian part is identical other than the suffix on the part number and the "Made in Canada"

The funny part is the Pontiac emblem on the plastic grill does not fit into the holes that were re-enforced to receive the nuts on the steel grill.

I looked at where you put your emblem on the tribute car and moving the emblem more towards the centre creates a better line up with the prongs and the holes.

I wonder if there was a slightly different emblem for Grande Parisiennes

If you look closely to these two Grande Parisiennes you will see a twist in the nameplate. Both theses cars are in Ontario. 

pontiac-grandegrill3.jpg

grande grill.jpg

 



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