bottom grills

what you will need

bondo
spot putty
filler primer
duplicolor gm black paint spray
napa paint spray bomb (80U is the panther black color)
200-300 grit sand paper
palm sander
600 grit sand paper
sanding block or scrap wood (to wrap sand paper in)
bondo applicators
jigsaw
sharp snips
racing mesh
cardboard
hot glu
acoustic seal


most of this should be done on a nice warm day plastic hates the cold lol

1. pull out the grills very carefully not to break them done worry bout hte honeycomb u will be cuttin this out later. the best way i found was the top middle goin towards the middle then working around u might have to bend the plate frame a bit to get it out.

2. once thats done grab a either a good sharp pair of snips or a jigsaw and cut out the honeycomb be careful not to go to low all these imperfections will show up on the final product....note when u pull out hte driver side grill u will notice a plate blocking pat of it jus take the jig saw and cut that off carefull dont cut crocked this area is where ur gunna adhere the mesh too.

http://canadiang8club.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=251

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0234.jpg

3. after u cut out the grill u will notice a lip two thin u can do here
A. sand the lip away
B. use bondo and flush it <-- i choose this route make it look a bit cleaner and more dynamic

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0236.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0237.jpg

4. bondo hardens fast so use small amounts try to do one side per batch of bondo. what u wanna do first is fill in the gap and flush it with the front of the grill. then sand with 220-300 grit and repeat till it looks right to you liking. you may need to add bout 3-4 layers of bondo and for the small imperfections u find use spot putty pretty much same as bondo but only good for small holes and scratch lines u see. now on the last coat of bondo and spot putty use 600 grit sand paper(i did this by hand) then smooth it out.

5. now you will notice a few scratch lines after jus use more spot putty and repeat. then use a filler primer helps with the imperfections

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0243.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0242.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0241.jpg

you'll notice a jagged edge this was when i first cut the plastice cap iff i wasnt paying attention and that was u see this isn't as noticeable when its painted and mesh installed
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0244.jpg


6. after priming if u have to sand i suggest wet sanding with the block and 600 grit sand paper (primer will kinda melt away but wait 40min b4 sanding)

7. after all that start painting the bezels 4 light coats or till u dont see the primer color anymore.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0245.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0246.jpg

8. after u let the paint dry for a few hours or so (i waited till the next day)
take a piece of cardboard and make a template make it a bigger size the over hang is for the bending of the mesh

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0253.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0254.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0255.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0256.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l259/repozone/car/DSCN0257.jpg

9. now after you prefit it all look over the paint job and any imperfections with the mucking of the mesh and the bezel might of chipped the paint then add a few more light coats.

10. optional step. if your not happy with the color if its too dark or jus not matching right use the spray bomb from napa and spray 2-3 light coats the effect will feather it and make it look a bit lighter and more matching to your cars color since is a matt color its flatten outs the color but after u clear it will have a nice sheen of gloss comparable to factory.

11 clear coat the bezel and grill separate (2 coats) then use the hot glue and glue the mesh with the bezel then use the acoustic seal for places the glue didn't go into or cover the glu itself (acoustic seal is very stick and messy u dont have to use it but its an added bond to the bezel)
also the acoustic seal can be put on the ends of the mesh becuz they are sharp and can scratch the bumper if u slip while reinstalling instead of a scratch u will get goo ez to clean.

12. finally almost done... clear the entire complete unit till your happy lol 3-4 should do it

13. install the new set of grills starting with the plate sides first nugde ur plate sideways a bit to slide in the grills and put into place

14. stand back and look wat u jus created and admire it

oh yeah almost forgot u can sub bondo for fiber glass resin

very long if i forgot anything im sorry so much typing

ps. dont even bother me on grammer mistakes

Good job. What did you use to bend the mesh? Did you just lay it over and press down by hand or rubber mallet?

pretty much the mesh is aluminum so its pretty plyable more than i though jus a few dabs of glue to hold it in place then push a lil bit and after u bend it u should get that shape

i used my fingers and mini pliars

Great write-up Scorpious! :thumbsup:

Moving this to the DIY section.

sweet i woulda put it there but i couldnt post new threads

Any pics after completion? Thanks

i still haven't installed them yet but heres the finished product

http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4298
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4296
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4297
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4294

good work.very nice!

where did you get the mesh?

I want some.

ebay for 30 bones they come in various colors

Did you get them installed yet? It's been a few weeks now...

Wanna see the final result!

Did you get them installed yet? It's been a few weeks now...

Wanna see the final result!

yes i did under a new post mesh and lights

but here jus for the diy section lol

http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4430
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4429
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4398
http://www.g8board.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=228&pictureid=4397

Here ya go...

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33849

2 thumbs up for you scorpious.. great job on the DIY guide