DIY Grill Mesh
Created by Doohickie. Let him know if he spelled anything wrong or if you have any suggestions for this DIY guide.
There are several reasons to put mesh in your grill. I've read on some forums that car owners suffered damage to their air conditioner condensors due to being hit by road debris; this kind of damage can be expensive to repair and is NOT covered under warranty. I've also read where someone who meshed his grill found a 2 inch rock against the mesh that would have otherwise struck inside somewhere. Also, I happen to like the looks of my car with the grill meshed.
I saw a DIY similar to this on another forum and I followed it to a point, but I did my own thing, so I figured I would write up my own DIY.
I meshed the air dam on my 05 Elantra GLS (i.e., no fog lights); it's pretty much the same on a GT except you have to provide clearance for the OEM fog lights. Some tips:
1. I used galvanized mesh. This produces a bright silver effect that highlights the mod, so it is both a functional and appearance mod. I bought it in 6" x 36" lengths from Home Depot for $1.30 each. The lower air dam requires two, and I bought a third and meshed behind the main grill as well. If you look around, you can find other styles and colors of mesh at home improvement stores, etc.
2. Because the mesh comes in 36" lengths, and it takes about 37" on the 2004-2006 air dam to cover the center section, the center has to be done in two pieces. I pieced them together with a slight overlap right at the center upright of the air dam. There was plenty left over for the outside pieces. I cut the mesh to approximate size with tin snips (although scissors can also do the trick, but it kind of abuses them), and slipped the mesh into place several times to check the fit. I made several adjustments until it fit very well. Then I used the left side piece I had just made as a pattern for the right side and marked the other piece before final installation of the mesh.
3. The galvanized mesh is fairly stiff. I used this to my advantage. On the bottom of the bumper (above where the mesh goes), there is a small gap that follows the curve of the bumper between the foam piece and the functional bumper itself (as opposed to the bumper cover fascia). The 6" width of the mesh allows for about 1/2" to 3/4" to be tucked up in between the foam and the bumper, securing the top of the mesh with no fasenters. You can see where I had to cut back to avoid the bumper fascia where it covers the seam between the foam and the bumper.
4. I drilled holes in the air dam in several places to attach the tie straps. If you do this, I recommend looking where you're drilling, and if there is anywhere that the spinning part of the drill can contact the bumper fascia, use cardbaord to protect it.
The grill was similar:
Here is a pic of the results on the Red Rocket:
