CUSTOM MESH FRONT GRILLE

First of all, I didn't put anything on the lower grille because it would complicate foglight mounting and be too expensive. So the following is just for the front hood grille on any second generation Legend. This method requires no drilling, gluing, bolting, etc. Be careful though, with the mesh, for after it's been cut, it's razor sharp. It can cut a gash in your hand or your car, so handle it with care. Many of you real motorheads will find this guide a little simplistic, but I'm no mechanic so this is intended for those of you who aren't up for any major projects. Also, I recommend that you do the grille more than once. The mesh comes in a pack of 5, and each one is just about enough to make one grille. Since you’re making a completely custom grille, you should make the first one just quickly so you know what to expect for the second one. This is what I did, and the grille looks much better for it.

Materials

You'll want to get the following items in order to prepare for the project at hand. The materials shouldn't be any more than about $15. The rest is patience and skill. needle-nose pliers regular pliers wire cutters phillip's head screwdriver felt tip marker WD-40 gutter mesh spray paint (optional): 1 can of some color + 1 can clear coat (glossy/metal paint) band aids - I needed them, you probably will too All of these can be found at any Home Depot. As for the mesh itself, look for gutter grating. They come in a package of 5 or so rectangular diamond-pattern sheets and come curved (to fit gutters). These have the perfect thickness and pattern to fit on the car.

Removal

When you open the hood, you'll see that the grille is connected to the hood by four nuts. Unfortunately, the nuts are plastic and strip easily. So spray some WD-40 into each so they come off easier. After you remove the nuts, the grille will still be held by four little plastic hook things. Just squeeze their tabs and pull the grille out.

Separate

The plastic grille is attached to the painted/chrome piece by about a hundred little screws. Remove these.

Cut Out the Grille

First, you have to stencil the piece that will go on your car. Bend the piece of mesh grating so it's flat, and place it under the outer piece of the grille. Since that's curved also, you might want to lay it down on a pillow or something that will keep the shape. Then, with the marker, trace the inside of the grille piece directly onto the mesh. With the wire cutters, cut out the mesh piece about 3 links from the line you just traced. This will allow for some material to wrap around the grille piece so it stays in place.

Cut Out the Emblem

Due to the shape of the grille pieces, it is impossible to make the mesh go in front of the emblem without some real work or talent. Like I said, this is the easiest way to make the grille, so your emblem will have to show: On the inner plastic piece, unscrew the emblem. Line up the mesh piece you just cut out with the plastic grille piece and fit the emblem through it exactly where it would go on the car. (you may have to snip a link or two to get it to fit) With the emblem through the mesh, screw it back onto the plastic piece. This will make sure you have the mesh perfectly lined up. With the marker, trace a line around the outside of the emblem Take the mesh off again, and cut out hole for the emblem. Push the emblem piece through the hole, but make sure not to scratch the plastic. It should fit snugly, but you'll probably need to cut a few links around the hole to get it to fit without cutting huge ugly gashes in the plastic.

Painting the Mesh

This step is entirely optional. in fact, it's easier if you skip it. Depending on the color of your car, just the bare metal might look better. I painted my prototype pieces, but I went with the unpainted one in the end. Lay down newspaper, etc. and spray the mesh on both sides with the color you chose. Paint, dry, repeat (apply several coats to the mesh) as you drive, rocks and crap will chip the paint, so the more coats, the better. Finally, put on a coat or two of the clear coat. This will further protect the paint from flying rocks, bugs, Toyotas.

Fitting the Grille

Now comes the hard part. Since the outer chrome/painted piece is flush with the inner plastic piece, you must shape the mesh so it fits in the sunken grille. Push the mesh all the way down into the plastic piece. Using a screwdriver or some other hard tool and your hand, carefully bend the mesh so it fits the shape of the plastic grille. It should go all the way in and come up the wall. As I said before, the metal is razor-frigging-sharp after you cut it. I lost about a pint of blood at this step, so be careful.

Fitting the Outer Piece

This part is a little tricky bc the outer piece bends into the plastic piece and over around it. Bend part of the mesh (the 3 links or so I mentioned earlier) out and over the lip of the plastic piece. On either side of each screw hole, there are two small plastic wall things that stick out. Simply cut the mesh around them, so it forms a "U" around each hole. That being done, try and make the mesh match the shape of the outer lip as best you can. If you've done it right up to this point, the outer chrome/painted piece should fit fairly well over the mesh and plastic piece. If it doesn't (and it didn't for me) simply cut the mesh down wherever needed and continue bending until it fits.

Put It All Together

Screw all the pieces back together, push the grille back into your car, and replace the plastic nuts.

Notes

If you left the grille unpainted, there may be some marks left from the marker when you traced the emblem. These are no problem: simply get some paper towels and some rubbing alcohol, and they come right off. You might want to clean the whole grille with the rubbing alcohol, bc you undoubtedly covered it in finger prints. The alcohol will clean it extremely well.

Done

Congrats on your custom grille! I'll try to include some pictures in the near future. If these instructions helped, or if they suck, send an email or send a picture of the grille to me, Guido Gabriele at gui3@mailroom.com.