Another Lower Grill Variation (Modification)
#82
Dr. Feelgood
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Originally Posted by AcidHorse
what is a JB Weld?
and the mesh grill is indeed the Gutter Guard from home depot?
and the mesh grill is indeed the Gutter Guard from home depot?
the mesh is indeed gutter guard from home depot.
both can be purchased at home depot.
#83
Originally Posted by AcidHorse
what is a JB Weld?
and the mesh grill is indeed the Gutter Guard from home depot?
and the mesh grill is indeed the Gutter Guard from home depot?
#84
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Originally Posted by flvol77
I didn't like regular JB weld, it worked, took forever to dry, I needed to weld a couple more spots so I bought JB kiwk dry, and loved it, dried in 5 mins.
that's actually the one I used. The kwik dries very fast
#85
Originally Posted by 05TLTony
flvo177
that's actually the one I used. The kwik dries very fast
that's actually the one I used. The kwik dries very fast
A couple of things for people doing this mod.
- First of all take your time
- don't be freaked out when your half way through and your saying to yourself what the hell did I do. As soon everything is dried on and you paint your grille it will look 1000times better. I bought spray paint for Plastic and it looks very good.
-Remember JB Kwik is a lot better than the regular JB weld.
-IMO you have to have a Dremel
-I used a clamp on the ends of the grille to help seal the mesh to the grille.
That is all I can think of for now
#87
Originally Posted by NFLblitze1
pics????
My wife took the digital camera with her out of town, I know it sucks, because I am getting the exhaust built tomorrow also. Sorry NFL
#93
BTW...
I contacted the dealer and the lower grille piece is only $8.00 so if you mess up you buy two sets, put the stock ones in and try again. I have to say, I didn't like it when I did the mod, so I ordered a set for $16.00, i guess u live and learn.
I contacted the dealer and the lower grille piece is only $8.00 so if you mess up you buy two sets, put the stock ones in and try again. I have to say, I didn't like it when I did the mod, so I ordered a set for $16.00, i guess u live and learn.
#94
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Originally Posted by Lokius
Also any chance of getting some more pictures, better quality as well? Looks great Mark
What part would you like pics of?
Lokius, I think that if you did the mesh on the main grille only and paint it black that would look awasome. I had a hard time hiding the JB Weld on the upper grille since I put the mesh in front of the grille frame, not behind like on the lower grilles. So, after you are done, you could paint the entire grille with frame and it would look much cleaner right away. I just like the silver mesh on mine, but white TL would look great with black.
#95
Originally Posted by 05TLTony
Thanks for the great feedback guys. Believe it or not, it is the original grill on our cars right now. All I did was dremel out all the horizontal bars and left the big middle one alone. I then cut the grill to fit the existing platic molding and JB Welded it onto the frame. Before I welded it with the epoxy, I kept it in place with 20 inch galvinized wiring found at Home depot. Just let it sit for about 1/2 to 1 hour to cure. (FYI, the grill frame is very thin so to make things easier, place epoxy on the messh and the frame to get a strong bond. If you put the epoxy on the rim of the grill and put the mesh over it, you will not get a tight hold. Don't worry about putting too much epoxy in the back side of the grill frame because you will not see it once installed.)
The middle chrome part is Doge chrome door molding I bought at C.A.P.
Also, wear protective eye wear and gloves. The mesh is very sharpe. I use gutter or tin snips to cut the mesh.
The middle chrome part is Doge chrome door molding I bought at C.A.P.
Also, wear protective eye wear and gloves. The mesh is very sharpe. I use gutter or tin snips to cut the mesh.
Where did you buy the mesh from and how thick is it?
#97
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Originally Posted by tallfuq
how did u take out the main grille i cant seem to get it off??? am i looking in the wrong direction shuold i look from inside???
thanks for the help~
thanks for the help~
1) take the bupmer off
2) take the top trim off, lift where the bumper locks into the front clip and with a wrench/ socket put your hand behind the grille. 10 screws later the grille is loose. you can bend the bumper out and pull the grille out. It is tight but it can be done.
Why do you want to take it off? I found it was not necessary to do the upper grille unless you want to put the mesh from the back.
#99
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did you only cut the horizontal bars (in red), or did you also dremel out the vertical ones (in blue)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
#100
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Originally Posted by Laxplaya11385
05TLTony, are these the gutter guards you got? I went to Home Depot, and this was all they had. (Came in a pack of 5)
#101
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Originally Posted by Laxplaya11385
did you only cut the horizontal bars (in red), or did you also dremel out the vertical ones (in blue)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
Good luck.
#102
Dr. Feelgood
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Originally Posted by Laxplaya11385
did you only cut the horizontal bars (in red), or did you also dremel out the vertical ones (in blue)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
and did you put the mesh behind the grill, or place it on from the front?
sorry, if i'm asking so many questions, but I want to do this write, and i'm planning in taking pictures, so that way i can do a write up (if i do it correctly haha)
#103
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Originally Posted by 05TLTony
I have the pics of the grill I've just done for my friends Tl last week. I'll post pics and instructions tomorrow. I'm having difficulty resizing the pics.
I guess that saves me the "labor" of typing it up and/or potentially screwing up mine hahaha.
If you need help resizing, i can do it; send pics to albychou@yahoo.com
#105
Dr. Feelgood
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Originally Posted by Laxplaya11385
AWESOME!
I guess that saves me the "labor" of typing it up and/or potentially screwing up mine hahaha.
If you need help resizing, i can do it; send pics to albychou@yahoo.com
I guess that saves me the "labor" of typing it up and/or potentially screwing up mine hahaha.
If you need help resizing, i can do it; send pics to albychou@yahoo.com
[IMG][IMGhttp://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=grill0106fi.jpg]
[IMG]
#107
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i tried resizing it, but the pictures didn't look as good. With the pics you have on there now, it's more detailed, and a lot clearer. Just waiting on that writeup, so i can finally do mine hahaha.
#108
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http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/5558/dsc000225eu.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/IMG]
Sorry about the delay Lax. Here is the write up.
The tools I've used are as follows - galvinized wire, galvinized mesh, JB Weld, dremel rotary tool and tinsnips.[IMG][/IMG]
First, remove the grills by pressing the tabs in then pulling it out. The last tabs towards the outside of the bumper may be a little tricky and may require force to pull out.
[IMG][/IMG]
Once the grill is out, outline the mesh against it and cut according to the size of the grill. This will insure that there will not be any fitment issues later on. To make things easier, I used galvinized wire to hold the mesh against the grill.
[IMG][/IMG]
Now cut the grill. Cut both top and bottom pair of the horizontal bars and leave the large middle bar in tact. The dremel makes life easier. Gloves are strongly recommended. This stuff is sharp! Remember to wear protective eye wear and a dust mask.[IMG][/IMG]
Sand the left over pieces with a sanding bit. It is optional, at this point to spray paint the grill to give it a cleaner look. make sure you wipe it down with alcohol before painting.
Place the mesh that was cut out earlier against the grill (use galvinize wire or plastic tie to hold in place) and bend back the edges. Now mix a small batch of Epoxy and apply onto the mesh edges that are bent back. This will insure greater bonding strength as opposed to the thin edges around the rim of the grill.[IMG][URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]
Don't worry about putting too much epoxy, it can be sanded later. Work fast because the epoxy I used dries pretty quick![IMG][/IMG]
The chrome strip is optional, but I think it looks pretty nice. I used the doge truck door molding purchased at CAP. Cut one end at an angle to complement the horizontal bar in the middle. I used a smal amount of epoxy to hold it in place. The sticky substance that is lined inside the chrome strip is not very good. Work the chrome strip to the end of the horizontal bar. I cut the strip where it meets the other side of the bumper to give it a smooth flow.[IMG][/IMG]
sorry about the delay in posting. I hope I didn't leave anything out
Originally Posted by Laxplaya11385
i tried resizing it, but the pictures didn't look as good. With the pics you have on there now, it's more detailed, and a lot clearer. Just waiting on that writeup, so i can finally do mine hahaha.
The tools I've used are as follows - galvinized wire, galvinized mesh, JB Weld, dremel rotary tool and tinsnips.[IMG][/IMG]
First, remove the grills by pressing the tabs in then pulling it out. The last tabs towards the outside of the bumper may be a little tricky and may require force to pull out.
[IMG][/IMG]
Once the grill is out, outline the mesh against it and cut according to the size of the grill. This will insure that there will not be any fitment issues later on. To make things easier, I used galvinized wire to hold the mesh against the grill.
[IMG][/IMG]
Now cut the grill. Cut both top and bottom pair of the horizontal bars and leave the large middle bar in tact. The dremel makes life easier. Gloves are strongly recommended. This stuff is sharp! Remember to wear protective eye wear and a dust mask.[IMG][/IMG]
Sand the left over pieces with a sanding bit. It is optional, at this point to spray paint the grill to give it a cleaner look. make sure you wipe it down with alcohol before painting.
Place the mesh that was cut out earlier against the grill (use galvinize wire or plastic tie to hold in place) and bend back the edges. Now mix a small batch of Epoxy and apply onto the mesh edges that are bent back. This will insure greater bonding strength as opposed to the thin edges around the rim of the grill.[IMG][URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]
Don't worry about putting too much epoxy, it can be sanded later. Work fast because the epoxy I used dries pretty quick![IMG][/IMG]
The chrome strip is optional, but I think it looks pretty nice. I used the doge truck door molding purchased at CAP. Cut one end at an angle to complement the horizontal bar in the middle. I used a smal amount of epoxy to hold it in place. The sticky substance that is lined inside the chrome strip is not very good. Work the chrome strip to the end of the horizontal bar. I cut the strip where it meets the other side of the bumper to give it a smooth flow.[IMG][/IMG]
sorry about the delay in posting. I hope I didn't leave anything out
#110
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05TLTony, this mod is THE SEX.
Yeah, don't worry bout the delay man. I just really wanted to get this mod done b/c it's AWESOME. Keep up the good work man. Mad PROPS!
Yeah, don't worry bout the delay man. I just really wanted to get this mod done b/c it's AWESOME. Keep up the good work man. Mad PROPS!
#115
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Originally Posted by AcidHorse
man that's sweet. thanks for the pics and the write up.
where did you get that chrome strip?
where did you get that chrome strip?
#117
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I have a question, don't flame it has been asked before. Do you think this grill will rust over time, especially if live near the ocean or live where you have snow? Thanks.
#118
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Originally Posted by PeterUbers
I tried to do the mod unsuccessfully today;
I have the A-spec front lip, and it prevents the grills from coming out .. i'll have to figure something else out.
I have the A-spec front lip, and it prevents the grills from coming out .. i'll have to figure something else out.
#119
Great mod. It looks fantastic! Adding this to my list of "to-do's" in the future.
Here's a question. Does anyone have any problems keeping the mesh clean from bugs and stuff (mud, etc.) from the road?
Here's a question. Does anyone have any problems keeping the mesh clean from bugs and stuff (mud, etc.) from the road?
#120
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Originally Posted by foot3ch
I have a question, don't flame it has been asked before. Do you think this grill will rust over time, especially if live near the ocean or live where you have snow? Thanks.