Update on Custom Grille Project

[MattJ]

Looks great! It makes your jeep really unique.

Thanks! I think the Trail Beast Grille provides a very artistic, aggressive look that still pays homage to the iconic seven-slot design that is recognized all over the world. Plus, it enables more airflow to the radiator and the protection of steel mesh. I'm hoping that it becomes a very popular option for Jeep owners that want to design their own custom build, whether for extreme off-road capability or a very impressive asphalt-only custom Jeep.

But I really could use some help from the Expedition Portal community! Does anyone have a good contact at a custom plastics manufacturing facility that might be interested in producing the Trail Beast Grille (and other products to come)? I think injection-molded ABS would the best method, but I am open to other alternatives. I've been in touch with several companies, including some that work on the Wrangler platform for FCA, but I haven't been successful in getting a contract in place for production yet. Obviously I would pay for all set-up, tooling and initial inventory production.

I have 3D digital renderings in a CAD format ready for a manufacturer to utilize. So if anyone out there can provide an introduction (or even a guess on which companies might be capable of manufacturing the Trail Beast Grille), please send me a PM. Thanks!

PS - and I'd be happy to pay a commission or referral fee if I can actually get a manufacturing contract signed. This is the last piece of the Trail Beast project that needs to fall into place, but it's been a difficult one to complete.

 

[MattJ]

Some quick updates on this project:
1) I obtained approval from Chrysler Corporation to utilize their CAD files for the front end of the JKU to merge with my own 3D renderings.

2) My multiple design patents are now in final approval with the US Patent Office.

3) I hired a professional artist to help me develop my branding, website, logo decals, t-shirts and hat designs.

It has been a lot of effort and expense, but I am making steady progress!

 

[sjstar]

I wanted to write to you and say that I am extremely impressed and applaud you for you hard work and effort. You have an idea and have fallowed through with you dream. I think you are on to something and am confident it will sell. I would say its a better looking grill that the "angry eye brow" look, which I don't really even understand. The only company that comes to mind for plastic injection is every time I am on a Southwest flight there is a company in their magazine that advertises that. I have no idea what the company is but might be able to find out through Southwest.

 

[MattJ]

I wanted to write to you and say that I am extremely impressed and applaud you for you hard work and effort. The only company that comes to mind for plastic injection is every time I am on a Southwest flight there is a company in their magazine that advertises that.

Thank you! When I started this project, I didn't realize that it is very challenging to manufacture such a large plastic component with detailed shapes and lines. If I did, I probably would have invented something much simpler as the first product to launch Trail Beast! But I certainly have learned a lot along the way.

I did speak to several ABS injection molding companies, including US Farathane - the company that manufactures the OEM grille for the JKU. Chrysler Corporation provided me access to their OEM CAD files and one of their senior executives referred me to US Farathane.

ABS is certainly the best format for manufacturing a component like this . . . as long as you sell a million of them. All of the ABS manufacturing quotes that I received are $100,000+ just to set up the initial tooling. Maybe if I spent a month on the ground in China I could find a trustworthy fabrication partner who could do ABS tooling at a fraction of the cost, but I am hoping to make the Trail Beast grille in America, even if it means the retail price is higher and my profit is a lot lower.

I have some leads on other forms of manufacturing, such as fiberglass molding and vacuum thermo-forming, and am hoping to have some prototypes soon. But thank you very much for passing along your idea and your words of encouragement!

 

[jscherb]

This tooth grille was on display at the SEMA Show this week...

 

[MattJ]

Thanks Jeff! And I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of your photos from SEMA. Hopefully next year I'll be with you as a fellow exhibitor . . .

There are a several other aftermarket grille designs on the market, some even sell for less than $100. I know everyone has their own opinions on style, but I am hoping my design stands out for a few reasons:

1) I hired a professional artist to help me develop my concept and a design engineer to create the 3D blueprints
2) I tried to find the perfect balance of the seven-slot design that is recognized all over the world with an aggressive artistic styling
3) I obtained approval from Chrysler Corporation to merge the OEM JKU CAD files with my Trail Beast design to ensure the final product fits perfectly
4) I patented several aspects of the design and registered Trail Beast as an independent brand - I am hopeful customers will be interested other innovative, aggressively-styled products in the Trail Beast family someday!

Thanks again for the photo. Below is a photo of another aftermarket grille in the same category. Neither has seven slots. To me, they don't really look like Jeeps (but that's just my opinion). No shortage of competition for this type of product!