Y Code Parts Dept: 1972 LeMans & GTO grille inserts

                                                                          By: Patrick Smith
       

   Since 1972 was an extended production year with a carry over body, Pontiac had to come up with a few visual changes to make the 1972 LeMans and GTO stand out from last season's stock. The extra wrinkle is they had to do it on a budget because the budget was small. No one wants to spend big outlays on an outgoing model. It's not prudent and the chances of making any returns on the tooling are nonexistent. One change Pontiac did make was to the grill. They made new deep white metal grill surrounds (called bezels) but kept the basic shape of the grills. Instead of bright checkerboard plated grilles mounted up front, the 1972 grill inserts were recessed deep behind the metal bezels which were painted argent and held in place with speed nuts.
 

This grille GTO emblem is a one year piece as well. Part # 546501. It was no longer available from GM by 1983.

  A little die cast GTO logo went on top of the driver side grille insert, also held in place via speed nuts. These grille inserts were made of aluminum and somewhat fragile in nature. A bird strike can easily damage the egg crate pattern and permanently distort it. Given part number # 486397, the part number applies to a single piece and since it is reversible, there is no LH or RH part number. You merely ordered two of the same part number, plus the GTO call out if yours was missing or the "Arrowhead and LeMans" call out if your car was a LeMans with the T-41 option. The grill inserts have been out of stock at GM since 1983 according to the parts catalog issued that year.
 

The 1972 Pontiac Endura grill nameplate is the same piece used in 1971 cars and uses the 484606 replacement parts number.

  T-41 option was a $41 extra feature which could be ordered for your LeMans Sport to dress up the car and make it look like a GTO. It was quite popular and a lot of cars had this. The part number for the 1972 GTO grille call out is pn 546501. They are available in original and reproductions. The part number for the "PONTIAC" callout is pn 477741 7002(c)2. It is the same piece used in 1972 Endura grill cars and shares the replacement number 484606. The 1970 "PONTIAC" grill nameplate is a different piece.
The arrowhead is a separate casting held by two lugs and speed nuts and is pn 478649 13342. 

The LeMans T41 PONTIAC script and arrowhead were cast separately for easier handling
of the part. Both items were held in place with nuts.

                         

Here, the part number can be seen on the arrowhead underside.

   It may surprise you to learn they weren't one piece but making such a big casting in one piece with three dimensional clarity would have cost more than doing 2 separate pieces. Since GTO sales were falling fast, cost cutting was needed to keep profits rolling in. That meant a cheaper method of casting parts where possible. They basically re used the 1971 PONTIAC nameplate and although the 1970 version looks the same it bears a different part number. The same goes for the 1969 vesion.
 

Flimsy "butcher paper" wrapping was all that protected the grills during shipping. Shelf wear of corners
was a problem as well.

   The NOS grilles themselves are somewhat scarce being a one year only part and shipped in rather flimsy "butcher style" brown paper with turquoise GM logos and ink stamped part numbers. The corners are often dented and shelf wear is definitely a problem in some cases. Fortunately there is a reproduction alternative available. The Parts Place in Chicago is selling these pieces again. I have ordered a set in for the project Y Code GTO and will be doing a product review and comparo to the original pair from my car.  National Parts Depot catalog shows a part number for 1972 grill inserts but beware. The part number is identical  to the reproduction 1971 barbecue style grill inserts. A photo shows you the piece isn't at all like the 1972 item. This is why I ordered it from Parts Place.

Parts are made of fairly soft aluminum and are held by speed nuts onto grill surrounds. 

   While we're at, let me address the issue of grill color. All the 1972 cars got gray grilles, whether they were 455 HO, striped cars, plain jane or loaded. No blacked out grills existed for the 1972 LeMans or GTO. Blackout grilles are listed for the 1971 GTO Judge and they have their own part number. The Judge was dropped in winter of '71 and didn't return. Gray is the correct color. It is very common to see them painted black which is fine if you want to customize the look of your car. It isn't concours correct however.

Availability and Pricing: The grill inserts are reproduced and so is the GTO 1972 only call out. Original GTO call outs are also available as they often show up on evilbay and local CL listings. The GTO call out and 1972 grills have been discontinued since 1983 so it's nice to have new ones offered. The arrowhead and PONTIAC call out for the LeMans cars with T-41 also show up and in theory should be easier to find than the GTO call out. Somehow that isn't holding true in real life. I suspect the reason is due to it being a 2 piece affair. More prone to rattling off from road vibrations and bird strikes. By the way, the parts manual suggests gluing the emblem in place with Dow Corning epoxy. Pricing isn't a big deal for these parts. NOS grille inserts are being offered in original wrapping for mid $400 a set, but I don't see anyone snapping them up at that price.

Yes, that's how they look out of wraps.Those little irregular tangs at the top and sides distinguish them from
the regular LeMans non T-41 grille inserts which aren't big enough to fill the white metal grille surrounds on a T-41 car.

  The call outs are inexpensive, GTO averaging mid forty dollar range for a nice condition piece. The arrowhead is offered as a reproduction and some NOS stuff is available as well. Just price shop until you find a deal you can live with.
 

1972 Grill bezels aren't reproduced yet and are difficult to find in show condition.
The argent silver paint is available and very light pitting can be sanded and painted over. Broken
studs, cracks and pitted brightwork affects value considerably. Excellent pieces can be $220 each or more.

  The grill surrounds for 1972, (called bezels in the GM parts book) are harder to find. The LH part was out of stock by 1983 and the RH piece was in the same situation later that decade. Neither part is being reproduced at present. They are;  LH486394, RH 487747. When they come on the market they range from $150 to $220 each depending on condition. The usual issues are broken speed nut studs and pitting of the white metal inside the surrounds and argent paint loss. The chromed external surface is prone to pitting as well and affects value. Paint loss is repairable with correct paint and minor pits can be removed.

  * Article (c) 2018 by Pat Smith for PHS 1972 Y Code Registry, special thanks to Scott Sheppard and Craig Eckhart for assistance.