Grills for the early Scoobs
After looking at various aftermarket grills and being told they were not available for the early Impreza I decided it would be a good project to make something up for them. The front airflow on these cars was a bit restricted due to the number of fins on the grill. The best way around this was to make an open front style grill, with mesh fitted to protect the radiator from being damaged by road debris.
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As you can see the end result was quite aesthetically pleasing, whilst meeting the criteria laid out for it which were as follows : 1/ Allow more cool air into engine bay 2/ Ensure even distribution of additional airflow 3/ Protect radiator from road debris 4/ Maintain a reasonable level of aerodynamics 5/ Not detract from the appearance of the vehicle |
As you will note the prototype was made to fit an early Impreza with Morrette® twin headlamps. After this had been successfully tested an enquiry was placed regarding the availability of the same grill but to suit early models without the twin headlamp conversion.
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I’ve been asked on numerous occasions and yes it is possible to use the standard Impreza front grill with Morrette ® or indeed later specification Impreza lamps (excluding the YM01 bug eye) What you will find in this case scenario is there will be a definite gap between the lamps and the grill. This can cause an aggravating rattle when driving. |
The original factory fit lamps are a completely different profile from the Morrette ® units and as such some time was spent determining the best plan to make the prototype style grills fit. Finally I did it after spending a few hours reshaping one of the original twin lamp grills. The final result can be seen below.
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The main difference when the original lamps were fitted is the lower inner edges of the lamps interfered with the outer edges of the grill. This was amended by reducing the surface area of the uprights on the grill and reshaping them to suit the contour. |
Despite the success we have had in producing these grills we have not yet finished.
One of my current projects is yet another style of grill, without giving to much away it will look more aggressive and theoretically flow even more cold air. This is of course in its early stages at the moment. Current ETA for it is in quarter 1 of 2002.