WRITE UP: 1st gen "satoshi" or deep dish mesh grille.

Hambone155 · Mar 31, 2011

this is my write up for doing a 1st gen satoshi grille.

things you will need
1. gille.
2. dremill or small saw.
3. tin snips
4. epoxy
5. sand paper, has to be 80 or a little coarser. and 220
6. sanding block
7. filler primer.
8. color matching paint, or black. (do it the way you want)
9. clear coat. (super important, keeps it from chipping)

ok here is the grill pre work.
have to take out the emblem. save the screws if you want to reuse it.

Now you need to cut the bars out.
i did this with a dremel. you can do it with a balsa wood saw if you like.
you need to cut out the center. there are 6 conectors to connect the top and bottom and 4 for the sides. so 10 cuts total. (i did this a long time ago.)
when you do this you need to sand it flush. this will make it look nicer. i did not use any filler or fiberglass.

this is what you will get, but it will have the chrome plastic on it still.

now you need to sand the crome off. you have to get this crap off. and this is where it takes alot of work or if your lucky a DA (dual action sander) or a mouse. they come in handy.
you have to get this completely dull or off the the best of your ability. the more time you spend doing this the better result you will have.
if doing it by hand use a block. if you dont you will get finger marks. and thouse suck! they came up the first time i did mine.

now you need the expanded metal or what ever type of metal you chose to use. i picked up the metal lath from Low's for 7 bucks, it gives you enough to do 2 or 3 grille's.

now its time to cut it to size, i used tin snips to cut it to just over the size you need. then it comes to trial an error. once you get it cut you need to bend it to go into the hollow parts of the grille.
i do not have a picture of that process.

once you get it to where you like the look that it sits in the grille. you have to make sure it fits on the truck without interfering with any components. if it fits you can the epoxy the ends of the lath to the hollow parts of the grille.

after that is all said and done, its now time for paint.
primer comes first, you get what you pay for so buy good stuff.
before you apply the primer, sand with 80 grit. the primer is thick enough to cover the marks but and higher grit will not let the primer stick to the plastic.
you need to apply three light coats. after each coat let it "tack" for 10 min at 75 degrees F. longer if colder and shorter if hotter.

after the three coats you now need to block. take a block with 220 grit and make sure you get all of the primed area. its hard to get into small spots so get what you can, and if you cant get it, no problem.
DO NOT GO TO DEEP!

you need a peice of TP or tissue, wipe down with clean rag. then with TP or Tissue. this will get all of the dust off.
no apply your "base" coat A.K.A. color.
you need to do 3 light coats, more if it does not cover to well. the lighter the better. gives a better look when cleared.
if you apply it to thick within a short time, it wont let the solvents out and will turn out crappy. after the three coats. and the third one has tack'ed you apply 2 maybe three coats of clear, this will protect the paint. you defintly will want protection. with out the clear, any rock or sand will take it off after time.

BEFORE

AFTER

currently i have my emblem back on, and i painted it color matching, looks good.