2012+ Grill mod write up 'thin lip' Custom Car Grills DIY

did you put the bends in the mesh or did it come pre bent?
I am trying to find a place that sells the mesh in flat pieces so I can do a Satoshi style grill that sets back more

 

Custom car grills sells non bent grills.

 

Nice grill, thanks for the write up..

 

I didn't bend mine. It's a specific grill for this mod.

^^This

Sure thing

 

Also made a bracket that holds the Toyota emblem. It breaks up the emptiness.

 

Looks great! awesome write up!

 

Great thread Chris. All you guys grills look incredible!

 

I'm going to do a similar setup for my new grille. Did you attach the toyota letters to the mesh before or after you mounted the mesh to the grille?

 

After. I let the mesh/grille sit with goop for about an hour to make it a little more stable. Then I applied a small amount of goop to the back of each letter and placed them in the general area where I wanted them. I then turned the grill over and laid the letters face down on a 2x4 and applied an excessive amount of goop to the backside of the letters through the mesh. Be sure to only add a thin little strip of goop to the letters when you place them on the mesh, and make sure they dont move when you set it on the 2x4 You want to be able to move them to get them in the perfect position without showing the goop on the sides. As for the back side of the mesh, I was very generous with the amount of goop I used but at the same time I kept about 1/8" around the edge of the letters to keep it from overrunning.

 

Just a 1 year update on how the grill is holding up. Its done very well without anything coming apart, just a few paint chips. Pics on the 1st post.

 

It was this thread that convinced me to do mine. I did mine right after Christmas and am glad I did. I'm still trying to decide if I want to add an emblem or not. I like how yours looks with the satin emblem!

 

Looks good!

I'm still trying to decide if I want to go with the 'TOYOTA' letters or just leave the one I have on there. I have all the individual letters, I just haven't gotten around to finishing them.

 

Thanks for this writeup. My grill mesh arrived Friday. I'm excited to do the install but felt the instructional video was a little lacking. The package arrived with no additional instructions, only a piece of paper with the link to the youtube video.

 

^ Looks durn good.

 

I'm doing this project right now. It is downright annoying. Maybe it's the wet weather or my Dremel misbehaving. Or maybe it's my messy shop. I'm ready to get this DONE.

 

Is clearing out the middle of the inner piece the worst part?

 

Kinda. It's the detailed cutting that's the most annoying.

 

No problem.

 

Finished mine up today. Somewhere in the drying process the right side of the emblem dropped like 1-2mm. It's hardly noticeable but driving me a little nuts.