I have decided as much as i wnat a billet grill i dont want to spend almost 300 bucks on one and since i do welding/fabrication i figure i want to do a custom one i figured a small round tubign would look good with a slight bow in the middle to match the contour of the bumper and gfx, i dont care for the straight across grills. AM going to make up a plate to fit the middle where it will mount then weld the tubing onto that and spray some of that rubber coating on it to protect teh paint. But now i'm thinking of doing it in small square tubing adn either mounting it regular so it looks liek square tubing or mounting it so when you look at it from the front you would see the corner then the edge above and below it, imagine /\ from the front though kinda like a diamond shape look.

Few things i need to know are for the guys with billet grills how many tubes are there and whats the diameter of em?

I want to use aluminum as the tig welds would look cleaner but i want the welds hidden as much as possible, but i think it might be a pain to ge tthe torch in on it to get a few intermittent welds between the tube and the plate, plus welding it at the angle when the other tubes are in place. I was thinkign of steel if i could make it as light as possible though it would be thin stuff but would be easier to mig together

Colors: i was thinkign chrome, polished or black chrome. I could settle for a real high gloss black also.

Any ideas, comments or suggestions woudl help till i can actually get hands on with it also post any pics of a black chrome finish, i liek the chrome look but am afraid it could clash since there is so other chrome on the outside of the car yet.

 

Does this count? Simple aluminum mesh inserts formed around the center air inlets (saves crap from hitting and building up on my radiator)

 

you can buy mesh material and form it inside the grille. also hear you can get a Yukon Denali grill and cut and fit it inside. Still a bit expensive.

here was my custom creation i was messing around with. It was quick 5 minute preview job and i kinda liked it. IF i went that route, i would have dont a better job and took my time on it. LOL

 

another. it needs better fitment, but you get the idea. it needs a better bow to it to match nose and chrome plating

 

i like the insert idea myself

 

Ummmmm

The Trenz billet grill is only $180....

 

thats alot compared to what you'd spend if you already had one of the grilles pictured above, and just bought some mesh to form.....even if you didnt have one of those grilles they only run around 30-40 bucks

 

I spent a woppin 19.99 on mine. Bought the big ol' piece of mesh from Autoz*ne or wherever it was and then formed a piece to fit over the rear of the center grill inlet, used plastic weld to adhere the mesh to the plastic surface, it almost looks factory the way I did it.

 

trenz, but it is a bit pricey

 

pics??

 

85_Zed, d*mn, you Canadians...j/k. The company I work for is HQ'd in Toronto and I work with a bunch of them in VT. Pics of mine are in the first reply to the post if you were askin.

 

I bought mine from this guy, http://mrgrille.com/ was around $112 I think and was very satisfied with it. Don't have a pic of it, but can try to take one if you interested.

 

doh how did i miss that

 

i have a question for you guys how did the mesh grill how did you attach it to the front of the car and also what size of mesh did you get?

 

DIY Mesh Kit:
1) Go buy a 10"x30" Grille Sheet to your style liking from autoz*ne or whatever store is around.
2) Take center grill/air damn out and lay face(front) down on the sheet.
3) Using sharpie or any other mark to clearly outline "trace" the rough shape of your inlet you are now covering
4) Cut approx size of piece you will need to "mold" to inlet
5) Making a series of corner cuts along the outer parameter of the mesh covering the inlet walls to help in the bending/moulding process
6) Once the fit of the new cover is complete "additional trimming" needed on corners of grille sheet use a "plastic" welding epoxy. These are availble probably at a N*P* or autoparts store, can't remember where I got mine.
7) Use a hobby brush to apply the expoy to the outer wall of the inlet, covering the grill sheet edges. I used many elastics to help hold the mesh while the epoxy was curing.
8) Once cured handle the grill cover a bit to make sure the mesh has been secured.
9) Reinstall grill
10) Take pix and post em on the fabri forum or Auto D&A forum

 

The mesh is anice look and all but i have the rs grill that isnt open on the sides, i have considered going to a z28 grill and doing the mesh but as the replies show there are a ton of people doing it that way and i want to break away from what everyone is doing,

Is the trenz grill tubular or flat pieces across it? i saw one at speed innovators today for a 4th gen that was a flat bar type grill and looked good but i think it would look kinda hokey on a thirdgen.

 

This is the grille i made.
I made a mesh grille covering the whole opening. On the bottom side its placed between the front spoiler and the nose.
After this pic was taken i painted the area behind the grille black and i like it even better now.

 

wow these are good ideas, i was weary of using that stuff cause i thought it looked *****, but Z28_from_Europe and
AC proved my thoughts wrong, i really would like to do this now, i might even paint it gloss black to hide it a bit

 

anyone got a grill idea for a sportscoupe? right now i don't have anything on the front of my car...it's....grillless

 

heres my grill

 

another