One of the hottest trends in luxury lowriding is taking a Ford Explorer and put a Navigator front end on it, making it a look like its more expensive Lincoln cousin. Now, thanks to MerTek Automotive Products in Gardena, California, you can do something similar to your Chevy/GMC Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon or pickup with the Cadillac Escalade front-end conversion kit.
MerTek Automotive Products manufactures and distributes more than 100 custom body kits; from complete model conversions like the Escalade kit and 4Runner kit for SUVs and pickups to bumper conversions and chrome body packages. They also offer a full line of truck and SUV grilles with billet inserts pre-installed. The Caddy kit is the latest addition, and a natural. "It's the hottest GM body kit on the truck scene; and MerTek is the world's only supplier of an aftermarket kit," said product manager Ford L. Hunt.
These exact replacements for factory Cadillac parts are manufactured to the same precise specifications as any OE component. Each kit comes complete with hood, fenders, grille, grille brackets, bumper cover, bumper re-bar, bumper shocks, bumper brackets, headlights, turn signal/clearance lights and even the tow hooks. Components are also available separately.
The MerTek Escalade conversion bolts on, without modification, to most late-model GM trucks and SUVS including 1988-2000 Chevrolet and GMC C/K series pickups, 1988-'99 Suburbans, 1988-'94 full-size Blazers/Jimmys, 1995-'99 Tahoes, and 1992-'99 Yukons. There's no shortage of kits at MerTek (they had 30 in stock the day that we visited) and the retail pricing is reasonable for such a product. Shipping is modest for the entire kit. Call for a catalog or check out their Web site for all the details.
To see just how well the parts fit, we picked up a kit from US Auto Parts, a MerTek retailer and asked Greg at G's Auto Body (in Long Beach, California) if they would install the kit on technical editor Saul Vargas' '93 Tahoe two-door. After some discussion with Greg, we also decided to take the truck a couple of steps further. First, by adding a billet grille insert from T-Rex (in Corona, California), and by modifying OE Escalade body cladding to make the truck look like a two-door Escalade... something that the factory never produced.
We followed Alfonso at G's as he made quick work of the installation, without the need of printed instructions. Every part fit perfectly, as expected, and all of the OE hardware, fasteners and connectors were used. This month we'll show you the highlights of the front end and grille installation. In Part Two we'll show you how G's modified the factory four-door body cladding to fit the two-door and prepped for paint.
 A. The MerTek Automotive Products...  A. The MerTek Automotive Products Escalade front-end conversion kit quickly turned this Tahoe into a luxury SUV look alike. |
 B. The kit comes complete...  B. The kit comes complete with everything that you'll need to give any full-size late model Chevy/GMC SUV or pickup the Cadillac class. |
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 1. & 2. When we arrived Alfonso...  1. & 2. When we arrived Alfonso was unbolting the last OE fender panel, leaving the front end stripped and ready for its facelift. Note: Save all nuts, bolts and fasteners, as they will be used to install the new front end. |
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 3. & 4. Attach the new fender...  3. & 4. Attach the new fender panels first using factory bolts and holes. |
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 5. & 6. with the help of a...  5. & 6. with the help of a friend, place the new hood over the factory brackets and bolt in place. |
 7. Unbolt the factory bumper...  7. Unbolt the factory bumper mounting brackets. |
 8. Attach the brackets to...  8. Attach the brackets to the front end and bolt on the new bumper re-bar. |
 9. Attach the new headlights...  9. Attach the new headlights leaving the protective plastic covers over the lenses. |
 10. Slip the bumper reinforcement/absorber...  10. Slip the bumper reinforcement/absorber panel over the bumper. |
 11. Attach the bumper outer...  11. Attach the bumper outer supports. |
 12. Place the new bumper cover...  12. Place the new bumper cover over the bumper. |
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 13. & 14. Bolt on the bumper...  13. & 14. Bolt on the bumper cover in front and on the ends at the fenderwells. |
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 15. & 16. Put on the new grille...  15. & 16. Put on the new grille assembly and attach it at factory mounting points. |
 17. Attach the turn signal/clearance...  17. Attach the turn signal/clearance light assemblies and plug the lights into the factory wiring. |
 18. The Escalade front end...  18. The Escalade front end gives the Tahoe a whole new luxury look. It could be painted now, but we've got more to do before it goes into the spray booth. |
T-REX BILLET GRILLE INSTALLATION
1. After removing the headlight... 1. After removing the headlight assemblies and the grille shell, lay the shell on its face on a soft-covered surface and, using a die grinder or hacksaw blade, cut the inner plastic grille work away, staying as close to the outer edge as possible. |  2. Grind down the plastic...  2. Grind down the plastic lip around the grille shell to the chrome, but be careful not to cut into the chrome. This can be done by hand with 80-grit sandpaper. |  3. Place the billet grille...  3. Place the billet grille into the grille shell (with the four shorter bars at the bottom) by sliding it between the upper and lower lips and resting on the ends. |
 4. Attach the billet grille...  4. Attach the billet grille to the shell using the hardware provided. It's now ready to reinstall. |  5. The billet grille looks...  5. The billet grille looks much cooler than the plastic grille. We'll show you how it looks in the truck and a lot more in Part Two. | |