Got fangs?

[edyavno]

Is anybody willing to sell their fangs, or point me in the direction where I can get them?
I did some searching here and called St. Charles Isuzu: they are not sold separately, only as part of the grill, which is around $300.
The reason I'm looking for them is I've never had them in a first place: when I bought my VX, I didn't realize they were missing as I hadn't seen a VX upclose. Have no idea why would anybody take them off a brand new car; they were definitely there at some point: I found some marks from the clips. When I did realize and called the Silver Springs, MD dealership nearly 3 months later, they told me that there's no way for them to know that they weren't stolen after I bought the vehicle.
I guess I could have gotten it out of them if I kept calling, but it didn’t seem too important and I have been too busy, and it's now too late.
The grill still looks good without fangs, but I have a Kaiser silver one, and it matches the color very well.
Would appreciate any suggestions where I can get fangs at a reasonable price.
thanks,
- Ed Y.

[edyavno]

thanks Chuck, just sent you a note with the info.

Glad your VX got off easy: not even community service.
I'll keep your warning in mind, but feel confident enough in my VX as it's gotten used to being "fangless", and can control itself for the most part.
Plus, it's unlikely that it will be pissed off at the Aztec comparison for the simple reason that there are almost no Aztecs in NY, and people know about them just as much as they do about the VXs.

[mrtew]

I nominate this for most hilarious thread of the year! I can't stop laughing! LOL!

[edyavno]

EyeWitness,
where are you?
Sent you an email, still no reply.
Shoot me a note when you see this: edyavno@spamcop.net.
thanks.

Hope your VX didn't skip town unable to part with the fangs.

[LEG 01VX]

I just spoke to Merrlin at St Charles Isuzu ((800) 727-8066) about replacement fangs for the VX. The Isuzu Part Number is 2-90140-901-0 for a pair of "Front Grill Inserts". List for $44.03 Sell for $37.43. Hope this helps.

[edyavno]

Hey LEG 01VX, welcome to the site!

EyeWitness donated me his fangs, so I'm fangfull now. :)
But before that I did call St. Charles and they told me that the grill itself is the only thing they have listed.
Did you order them?
I think a few other members wanted to get a new set of fangs too, so this information is definately usefull.

- Ed Y.

[sam]

Hey leg 01vx, are those fangs still available? I dont have any! My vx is from Japan and they dont have any on as standard.

Regards:)

[LEG 01VX]

Hi sam,

I called St Charles Isuzu (Lou) and he confirmed that they are avalible.

Larry :D

[IsuZOOM]

Can someone show some pics with and without? I have no idea what fangs are...

[TimG]

Fangs are the silver fang looking things in the grill.

With Fangs
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/524/8pa010200.jpg


Without Fangs:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/515/375vx6.jpg

[geshaw30]

Randy, they are the two silver snap on inserts you see in the grill opening.
________
Honda XR250R specifications (http://www.honda-wiki.org/wiki/Honda_XR250R)

[IsuZOOM]

Hmm... how can those be dangerous? I like the look better with em I think.

[edyavno]

Randy,
that was a joke about them being dangerous, they are just for decoration.
Not a big deal if you don't have them, I just really like them on a silver VX.

Originally posted by Randy712
Hmm... how can those be dangerous? I like the look better with em I think.

[VehiSHARK]

everyone should paint thier fangs to match exterior color!!!!!!!!!1


that **** is tight

proton yellow!!! wow!! saw it on web.

i'll find it and link it here.

[WyrreJ]

I painted my fangs with that duplicolor purple-to-green color changing paint. My VX is black, and that's the only place I've used the color-changing paint so it is fairly subtle.

[totallto]

Yeah, I plan to paint my fangs, just need a good color.
I do like red, I don't know.

[ameetw]

Hi all...
Will the fangs from the US version fit the Japanese version? Sam If you do get them let me know.... Sounds interesting...

Thanks...

[VehiSHARK]

i think they would. someone on site here had an import, well they al are technically, but you know what i mean. he had one straight from japan.

he put em on no prob.

paint dem thangs:D

[Raque Thomas]

I saw a picture of one here on the site, a close up front shot with the hood opened, and the fangs appeared to be polished or chrome - looked sharp! Anyone have any details on that?

[VX_HK]

ameetw

the U.S. fangs fit perfecty on a Japanese VX. I got my fangs from U.S. too.

[SilverBullet75]

Anyone ever polish their fangs? I'm very tempted to do so.
If you have, can I see a pic?
Thanks!!

[SpaceTruck'n]

A cool thing to do is:
Polish them on a buffing wheel until they look like chromium. They are made of brushed stainless so they shine like crazy if you do it right.
Start out with 400 wetordry sand paper (wet) and work your way to 800, then a buffing wheel (for jewlery et al) with emery, then stainless polish, finally rouge.
The end result is VERY shinny!

:)

Oh, and they ARE made of stainless steel. Just like my kitchen sink. I see people talk of them being aluminum. I even thought they were too untill I started sanding on them. There is no way aluminum is that hard, at least on my planet. They go *CLING* when you drop them instead of -clank- and everything that isn't aluminum like. I have never tried to stick a magnet on them though-
Anyhow, when stainless gets past a certain formulation its non magnetic. Its one of those chemistry things.
Just trust me, theyre not Aluminum, or Kyptonite, or even Titanuim (at least MINE arent)
It would be kind of cool if they WERE Kryptonite tho' You could run down that candyass superman! And he would be all sayin' " aaaaaaahh, super powers worthless against evil Japanese import"...THUD! and then heed flip up into the air and be all flying over the hood, and I'd be all laffin, talkin smack about him and junk!

You know, thats if they were made of Kryptonite.

[SpaceTruck'n]

Its labor intensive tho' not for everyone.
You don't NEED a buffing wheel it just makes it easyer. If you dont have one just keep going with the wetordry, after 800 grit use 1000 and on up to 1500. Finish with fine pollishing compound.

But painting them is a cop out, you may as well mask off the grill and paint the area the fangs are installed on. Save the fangs so whan you get tired of the paint you can cover it up in a jiffy.
Oh and I guess I got carryed away on that last post. You know about the Kryptonite? Sorry, but Its friday you know. And I would NEVER run down Superman.
Unless I had Kryptonite fangs!


;)

[Bantan]

Got mine Chromed a while back
Take a look in my gallery for pics

[mbeach]

. I have never tried to stick a magnet on them though-
Anyhow, when stainless gets past a certain formulation its non magnetic. Its one of those chemistry things.


AFAIK, 300 series (Austenitic) stainless steels are non-magnetic unless they have been work-hardend. The rolling/stamping processes used to make the fangs would have work-hardened them.

A magnet does not stick to them. They look (and scratch) just like aluminum. Aluminum will polish up well with the wet-dry to 1000 method and some polishing compound. Protect the new surface with BoeShield T-9 or a butt-load of wax. Avoid using ammonia based cleaners, ammonia corrodes aluminum.

[SpaceTruck'n]

AFAIK, 300 series (Austenitic) stainless steels are non-magnetic unless they have been work-hardend. The rolling/stamping processes used to make the fangs would have work-hardened them.

A magnet does not stick to them. They look (and scratch) just like aluminum. Aluminum will polish up well with the wet-dry to 1000 method and some polishing compound. Protect the new surface with BoeShield T-9 or a butt-load of wax. Avoid using ammonia based cleaners, ammonia corrodes aluminum.


Ok, whatever.
Sounds like you know what you talking about.
I was originaly going to duplicate some in Al and then machine face them with a spinning wire brush. (So they would look like the nose on the "Spirit Of St. Louis") and I would have another set if I ruined them. But they are such a complex shape I blew it off.
All I know is: They are hard, very difficult to bend ( considering the gauge of the material ) and they look cool shinny.

If they are indeed Al, anodizing them would look pretty cool too!

Oh, and thanks a lot dude. Now I simply MUST know what they are made of. Even if I have to check the specific gravity! Im going to take one off and put a drop or two of Hcl acid on the inside. If I get bubbles Ill eat a bug.

:p

[mbeach]

Oh, and thanks a lot dude. Now I simply MUST know what they are made of. Even if I have to check the specific gravity! Im going to take one off and put a drop or two of Hcl acid on the inside. If I get bubbles Ill eat a bug.

:p
:laughr:
I have a non-ferrous metals scrapyard not too far from me. The guy there has a "gun" that'll tell you the composition of any metals that he points it at. Pretty nifty. Maybe I'll drive over there and check it out.

They do seem rather tough for such a thin gauge of metal. Maybe they are kryptonite after all? I'm seriously thinking about polishing mine now too. They don't have any real scratches on them, so a pad and some rouge might do the trick.

[SpaceTruck'n]

I cant beleive I actualy tested them, but I was begining to doubt my OWN superpowers. :(
The day that happens you are shafted man! :eek:
So, I removed my right side fang.
I roughed the inside up with a Dremel tool to provide a virgin surface.
I put a few drops of pool acid (Hcl) on that area. At the same time I put the very same acid on a chunk of non anodized aluminum that I roughed up in the very same way.
Within ten seconds the aluminum was bubbling and liberating large quantitys of noxios vapors (cough, cough). At the very same time the mystery metal the fang is made out of was doing... Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
I then poured the acid from the fang onto the aluminum causing even more bubbles, noxios vapors, heat, etctera.
I can't say what exactly the fangs ARE made of, but they are one thirty second of inch thick, are not magnetic, and do not throw sparks when you grind on them.
I do believe they are stainless steel, "just like my kitchen sink" NOT aluminum, or any significant amalgum thereof.
Other sugestions are welcome.
Peace. :)

[mbeach]

Stainless steel throws sparks on a grinder.

I stopped by the Non-Ferrous Metals Scrapyard today. My hookup wasn't around to do the test on the fangs. I'm really anxious to know what these things are made out of as well.

I'd like to polish them, but now I don't know where to start.

[SpaceTruck'n]

Stainless steel throws sparks on a grinder.

Yea, I used to have a welding book that had pictures of all the different types of sparks metals made when you grind them, but I cant find it in this pig stye. :mad:
However as I recall you are right, Stainless indeed throws sparks but they are wimpy and few.
So once again I removed my trusty right side fang, reved up my angle grinder and sacrificed a bit of clip part that holds it on.
VIOLA!
Sparks. ;)
Nothing to set fire to anything with but nevertheless there were sparks. I just had to use the right tool for the right job. :o

Trust me they are stainless steel. Test them with that gun, you will see I'm not full of crap.
I was acid etching aluminum most all day today, and after a while you get a sense for metals. Like... Ask your recycling freind. Ill bet he hardly ever really uses that gun. You can tell by the feel, the heft. "The texture. The taste! I love GOoooooLD" :)

As far as pollishing then is concerned just go with post #02-18-2005 03:54 PM and you cant go far wrong. One thing to remember: If you use a buffing wheel they get hot FAST so dont stay in one place too long and protect your fingers from getting burned.
Don't worry you wont ruin them :) Theyre Kryptonite!

Aluminum leaves black stuff on your hands, It drys out your skin until it cracks. I love to work with it but is messy.

[mbeach]

Sparks??!?

No black dust when sanding/polishing??!?

Than you are correct sir, they are NOT aluminum. Unobtainium maybe?
I really enjoy your posts, so I have to find out for sure.
I have a material science book around my own pig stye somewhere. I'll have to look up the correct testing procedure. Sounds like a job for the kids at the Community College.

[SpaceTruck'n]

I really enjoy your posts, so I have to find out for sure.
\

Thank you for noticeing, I try to be creative.
As far as the exact alloy we're dealing with.
?
Look up "Kitchen Sinks"
All I know is when you get them off the car and in your hands you will become a true belever.
They get hot when you're buffing on them. You could pouch an egg inside one Im shure.
Yummy.
Hey that gives me an idea as how to reproduce the shape.
Also, theyre fairly easy to pollish. So dont worry. I've ruined just about everything I've touched in the last year or so, and I can safely say: Just do it!
The feeling of satisfaction from that one project alone kept me going for weeks!
Now if only I could catch another break. :(
I feeling a bit gratified as of late because I tought my Dog the difference between pliers and skrewdrivers and to fetch them for me. I'm working on getting her to answer the phone now. :)
But thats her, she's the genuis.
And I'm indeed begining to doubt in my OWN superpowers. and as I have said.
"The day that happens you are shafted man!"


Later days Bro.