does anyone know where to get an aftermarket grill? im keen on something different

i dont think any companys make any different types of grills other than what you see on 1200's
you can of course make something different. there are a few 1200's on here that have different grilles. a bloke has a bmw?? or vw?? grill in his just as one example.
otherwise your stuck with the plastic ute type, or the metal early sedan type,both of which have a couple of different center badges. or if your luck permits, you may snavvel a gx grill from somewhere.

snavvel? what the hell is a snavvel?

You could always play around with a laser cut insert. Maybe a ute/coupe plastic grill and get a fully sick flame design cut out for the opening bit of it? May limit a bit of air flow though!

snavvel?? you know like, get, snag, snavvel
must be one of those local words?

try a search for 'evilbetty' there is a big build up thread of his ute. dont think he finished it completely but there is a good idea for a grill he made up. im sure someone could find the pic.

heres the bemmer grill

In Japan it's common these days to take the Coupe grille, cut out the center part (inside the "oval") and fit mesh of some kind. Mine has fine wire grid, painted black.




Custom Grilles

Quote:

snaffle

Verb
[-fling, -fled]
1. British, Australian & New Zealand informal to steal or take.

Collins Essential English Dictionary

that is NOT newzealander haha. Bloody aussie term

Snavel [with one V] is a term I knew well when growing up in the Parramatta area.

It means 'to find & secure [an item]' It usually refers to a fair measure of luck in finding 'it'
"They're pretty thin on the ground, but you never know, you might just snavel one"

As for the grille, there are very few variations

1. Metal grille as used on Datsun 1200 Sedans & Wagons. Can't be sure but I suspect that there might have been a DeLuxe & a Standard version of these.

1b. There was a painted & very plain version of this grille used on Datsun 1200 Utes up to 1973. These early Utes were really 'Poverty Pack, No Frills' vehicles & anything they could do to cut costs was done. The grille suffered under this policy.

2. Plastic Coupe grille. This was used on all coupes up to the end of Japanese production in 1973. There were some variations on the colour scheme between Standard, Deluxe, GL & GX models, but the basic injection moulding was the same. All of these had the round central emblem.

2b. The later Datsun/Nissan 1200 Ute from 1976 or '77 used the coupe grille but with yet another colour layout & with a centrally mounted godawfull rectangular emblem that looks like a 'shnoz' [bulbous nose]
This shnoz is interchangeable with the round emblem.

3. JDM Facelift grille. This was introduced in the JDM facelift Sedans from about mid 1972. It was used on DeLuxe, GL & GX sedans only as far as I can tell.
It seems to have also been used on the South African produced 1200 Sedans from [I'm guessing] 1974 untill the end of South African production in 1976 or '77.
I'm also advised that it was used in their Coupes as well, but I have not yet seen a picture of one with this grille.

4. Very late Sunny Truck/Datsun Bakkie grille
Sometime around 1990 they introduced a new, but not particularly attractive plastic grille with rectangular headlights. This ended in Japan with closure of the Sunny Truck production lines in about 1992 but was continued in South Africa untill production of the Bakkie ceased at the end of 2007

To be honest, the best looking grilles are the original 1200 Deluxe Sedan ones & the Coupe & later Ute one when the earlier round emblem is fitted. After that, they sorta lost the plot.