speednsound007

I've seen the mesh grilles and I like the look of them. How exactly do you go about making them? Is there a specific kind of mesh thats good for this? What do you use to cut through the center bar? I woudl also like to paint the chrome to black cuz I am going for the all dark effect on my car. Paints, sandpaper to do this?

thanks,


PJ

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

use gutter guard from home depot or something. its only like $2 for twenty feet. and use a dremel tool or something to cut out the center bars and them sand it smooth. i wet sanded mine with some 200 grit sandpaper, but you could use 400 or any fine grit paper. then just bend in the mesh to fit right. as for the paint use whatever you want. i wouldnt get any cheap crap though. you might try getting some nissan black touch up paint (spray) from pep boys or somewhere, that'll match the nissan black.

speednsound007

How did you attach the mesh to the grille? Did you sand the whole thing before you painted it or just where you cut the bars? How is the paint holding up?

PJ

speednsound007

How did you attach the mesh to the grille? Did you sand the whole thing before you painted it or just where you cut the bars? How is the paint holding up?

PJ

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

i cut out the basic design but left a couple of inches around the sides. then i folded over the corners and sides, and put it in from the front. make sense? the fit is snug, so i didnt bolt it down or anything. i'm gonna put a gtr badge in it in a while. i sanded the whole grille before i painted it because it was chipped in a few places. the paint is holding up good. i just used white krylon and put a clear coat on it. so you could probably just use krylon but be sure and prime it first. good luck
-james

speednsound007

ok, when you cut out that center bar you are forced to forfeit the middle clip that holds in the grille correct? Also how do I keep the corner clips? Do i cut towards the front of the middle bar at an angle from the clip so that the bottom of it is still fastened at the bottom? I really don't wanna mess this up so a pic of a finished grille/detrailed instructions from anyone would be helpful. Thanx James.

PJ

chris92gxe

when you make the grill you cut everything out of the middle. Dont worry about the middle clip, it just holds the nissan emblem. The outer clips you dont do anything with. They are kinda a pain in the *** to get off but make sure you dont break them. After you sand the inside and paint thr grill put in the gutter guard. I used caulk behind the grill to make sure the gutter guard stays in place. If you caulk it behind it you cant notice the caulk from the front. Its optional. Then you just push the clips back into place and you are done. Any other problems just let us know.

speednsound007

yea, I guess the only thing I have a question about still if the middle bar. If you remember from yours the top 2 corner clips are attached to the center bar. Did you keep the bottom of the clips attached to this bar by cutting at an angle from the front or did u just detach it from the middle bar and lop it off. Anyone understand what I'm saying?

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

are you talkin about the outer 4 clips at each corner? you need to keep the rigidity of the clips, so you would want to detatch them without breaking them or anything. i used a dremmel tool to make as close a cut as i could and then sanded down the rest of the clip. know what i mean? cut the middle bar from the clip leaving as much of the clip as you can and then sand it straight.
james

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

When I did mine, I used a hacksaw to cut out the center ribs- yes you lose the center tab thing, but it's no biggie.
then cut out as close ot the corner tabs as you can without cutting them off.. I think they attach to the corner of the "hole" in the grille.. it's been months since I did mine.
If I remember right, I cut the "ribs" at a 45deg angle so they wouldn't be seen from the front...

then wet-sand the whole thing down with 400grit or finer paper. 200 is a start if there are chips and dings you want to get out, but you need to go with 4-600 as a final sanding. you may want to soak the chrome parts in vinegar for a while first (if yours is chrome).. this will help eat through the chrome so it'll be easier to sand and smooth.

once you get all that cone, clean thoroughly then prime and paint.. Dupli-color makes touch-up paint in spray cans that is a VERY close match to the stock colors. either that or your could to go an autopaint store and buy some real paint specially mixed for it.. that's about $30/pt though. doubt if you want to do that.

if you want to paint the mesh also, attach the mesh, THEN paint. I just drilled holes around the edges and used zip-ties to hold it in place.. you can also screw it in or use rivets or caulk or anything else you want.. zip ties are easy and fast and you really gotta look to find them.
that's about it I guess...

speednsound007

now I got it guys, thanks a lot...
Cutting 45 angle from the front so that you don't lose the bottom attachment of the top clip is what I was talking about. I may start this today, only bad thing is I am worried about soemone grabbing themselves some fog lights/wires with no grille (little kids maybe)! I'll post a pic after I am done which should be today or tomorrow

thanks

PJ