Alright ladies and gents..... weather looks like it's going to be less than cooperative for the next week, so I just decided to throw the grille on. Let me know what you all think! I will post further when I get around to actually wiring it up and I'll post some photos of the light output later on as well.
Take a look at the youtube video I posted, as it does a great job at instructing you how to take the OEM grille off and modify it for these types of grilles. I'll just try to expand on the video and give a birds eye view if you will.
First I needed to install the surround on the grill so that I could attach the top part of the grille to the top of the truck with the 8mm and 10mm bolts just underneath the engine cover you have to take off. This plastic surround is very robust just like everything else on the grille. Ram is the one who designed the mounting points, but I give kuddos to Rigid for not cutting corners and integrating as much OEM as possible into their product. There are a few more points to bolt the surround in on the sides, however I was unable to capture those in this pic.
That plastic support surround also has legs that are fashioned in such a way that they support the painted surround so that it isn't compromised by wind or other factors. This really makes the entire grille very solid. The two very long tabs that stick out on top are the mounting points for the 8mm and 10mm bolts to secure the grille to the truck.
Next to mount the 30" RDS into the grille. The light fits perfectly into the tabs designed to hold the light and there's no slack for you to compensate for. The tabs are cut in a way to allow vertical adjustment of the light so you can adjust the light to your preference.
Here's what she will look like to this point.
Next I decided to take a stab and see what the Ram Head from the OEM grille would look like on the grille. You'll have to take the OEM grille off and you'll notice that the Ram Head is held on by 4 tabs. The biggest issue will be getting the Ram Head off because it has 3m tape in the center of it holding it against the OEM grille. Slowly work the Ram Head until it comes loose. At this point I simply stuck it onto the grille with the little bit of tackiness left on the 3m tape and zip ties. If I decide to permanently mount the Ram Head, I'd cut a few squares out of 3m and I would use those to solidify the Ram Head. You'll notice a shiny circle in the center square- that's the 3m tape from the factory.
At this point I was ready to take the OEM grille off. Follow the video instructions to take off the cover by removing the plastic "pins" that hold the engine/radiator cover on. After this you'll remove the (4) bolts that hold the plastic surround against the truck. The grille will be a little loose, however there are two more plastic tabs/pins that you'll contend with. Grab the left corner and give a swift tug and then again on the right side. The grille will pop right out.
For those like myself that haven't seen the Active Shutters, here they are. There are (3) shutters on the top half of the grille, (2) in the lower half and you'll see the rest of the bottom half of the grille is open with no shutters.
At this point, you're ready to install the new/modified grille- Pop the plastic tabs back into the left and right corners and then re-secure the 4 bolts holding the plastic surround against the truck. Check to make sure nothing rattles or wiggles as it shouldn't... this is 100% rock solid!
Place the cover back over the radiator/engine and push down on the plastic tabs/pins and you're done mounting the light.
Here's one I did in paint shop and removed the Ram Head- Let me know your opinions!
http://www.ramforumz.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
