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Sports grill?

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you have to change the bumper out too!!

the sport grill is taller, actually now taller but longer on the bottom.



if you compare the bumpers you will notice the sport bumper drops down about a 1" or so under the grill. the regular one does not.



you can make the sport grill fit but you have to butcher the plastice piece on top of your bumper and loosen and lower the bumper mounts as far down as they will go.



then it looks odd below your marker lights with the wide gap :D
 
I believe the older sport grilles do not utilize the drop like the newer ones do. Not sure though :confused:

Anyone with an older sport can probably confirm this. :rolleyes:
 
It sure looks the same. I would think it would be unless DC came up with a reason to spend the money to make them different. A check of part numbers at your local dealer would tell you for sure.
 
Maybe

If I want to change my stock chrome grill to a black sports grill with out the sports bumper. I could order a 94-95 stock black sports grill and it should fit with no special frame as with the 2001 sports grill. The 2001 requires a new frame and the sports bumper to fit properly. Did the 94 stock sports grill come with a sports bumper or just the stock bumper. I know that the stock grill fits the 94-01 hood and bumper.



TIA



Cary:cool:
 
I have a '98. 5 Sport... it, and all previous Sport models used a "painted" version of the OE (SLT) chrome grille... the same goes for the chrome portion of the bumper. The plastic portion of the bumper beneath the steel/chrome bumper is gray on SLTs, body color on Sport models.



At the beginning of the '99 model year, DC gave the Sport a face lift, replacing the grille and bumper assembly with what you see today. The '99+ Sport grille is taller than any of the other grilles and protrudes out away from the hood farther (at the top... a little less at the bottom). In addition, the newer Sport grille has more of a downward slope on the top surface as well as having a larger hexagon shape in the honeycomb pattern used in the four grille openings (which in themselves are a different size than all previous grilles).



How do I know this? I studied this grille pretty intensely before I purchased my own '99+ Sport grille for my '98. 5 Sport (WITHOUT the use of, or desire to use a '99+ Sport bumper assembly along with it). A couple of years ago I mated my new '99+ Black Sport grille to my '98. 5 Sport. Through careful cutting of the top of the bumper the taller, later style Sport grille can be allowed to close BEHIND the bumper instead of on top of it (as all current grilles/bumper assemblies do).



BTW, if this enhancement is anticipated, you will need to order the '99+ grille frame as well. No grille frame change is required to retro a '98. 5 or EARLIER Sport Grille to a NON Sport (i. e. SLT) Ram ('94 through current I believe).



To me I achieved the best of both worlds.
 
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