Metal Mesh Grill Pieces
Someone had stolen one of my Radiator Grill Pieces and the other one i had left wasn’t in all that great of condition. So i went looking for replacements, and after i got them cleaned ’em up, i realized that the stock plastic grill pieces just dont look all that great. so – my solution? metal mesh. you might think it seems kind of ricer, but i can promise you that if the project doesn’t end up looking good to me, it wont stay on my car.
First things first, i got the replacement plastic grill pieces for an engine importer who had a supra mk3 front clip. they were in pretty good condition, but i went ahead and cleaned them up with hot soapy water and a rag just for the hell of it. After they were dry, i painted them black with a Krylon spray paint made to use on plastics.
Next came the metal mesh preparations. For starters, it’s just Galvanized Aluminum Mesh. You can get similar stuff all over the place. Dont bother with people selling it on ebay or anything, you’ll generally just get 30 cents worth of carpentry mesh for $11, and it’s not worth the hassle. I marked the mesh with a black shaprie, and just cut away. the shape is pretty simple, and the most complicated part is the curved lower inside corner. Make sure you’re cutting the mesh to fit INSIDE the front of the plastic radiator grill pieces. the black plastic border it creates looks professional, and saves your body from getting scratched to hell.
Time to paint ’em. Not being sure if the mesh might rust, i went ahead and painted it with rustoleum spray paint. (I wanted it a metalic black anyway, so it worked out. If you want to keep yours silver, which for example looks fantastic on a black car, you can get silver colored rustoleum spraypaint, or crystal clear rustoleum spray paint which is basically clearcoat.) Try to spray it even, and make sure to spray from multiple angles to get all the sides of the mesh. (it’s not exactly 2D) Dont forget to paint both sides, or else it could look stupid or possibly rust.
Rustoluem only takes 10 minutes to dry to the touch and 30 to dry completely. After 30 minutes, i took the plastic radiator grill pieces out and attached the mesh to them using small black zip-ties. sure it’s not the most professional method, but if you do it right, it’s near impossible to notice if you’re more than a foot or two away. The less zipties the better. (i only had to use 2 per piece for a good secure fit.) After attached, i put the plastic pieces back in and secured them.
Project Complete!
wow. that looks a lot better. …i’d even say it looks great.