mesh grilles
Hey there guys
I have done the upper and lower grilles, very happy with the look of both. I would recommend using grille/ mesh material available from auto parts shops as (at least here in Aust) gutter guard is made from a soft aluminium alloy which doesn't stand up well to impacts. This won/t be a problem for the upper grille, but the lower air dam is a substantial section, and as the grille has a regular pattern, dents and such are easily visible. I went to a spoiler / custom bodywork shop and got a section of silver mesh for about 20 dollars aust.
For the top grille its a simple matter of taking off the chrome grille sections from between the headlights (several large screws to remove the whole assembly, then a few more to remove the two chrome trim pieces. Next cut a piece of grille matieral to cover the grille area and use the chrome trim to secure it in place (might have to make screw holes in the grille matieral or cur around the screw areas. The V624 VALVE badge is an issue as it gets in the way of a neat flat grille install. I opted to remove it and IMO the grille area looks neater without. (its now mounted on my monitor).
The lower grille is a bit more tricky - really there are a few ways to do it. Hardest would be to remove the bumper and install from the back. I found that cutting the grille mesh taller than the air dam, putting a 90 degree bend along the top edge and using self-tappers to 'hang' the grille from the underside of the bumper is easiest. You should then be able to push the grille into the air dam caivty, and if you've been careful with cutting the mesh, it can push-fit in. I've had mine installed like this for about 12 months and it is a clean fit - looks stock, no problems after giving it a few vigourous cleans.
would love to post pics, but no digital camera still!!
Email me if you have more questions
richard