Opinions on unusual satoshi mesh..

Oh no problem as I did not intend to sound irritated and appreciate all of the input.

I just tried to order the Lowes mesh online and it would not let me add it to my cart. It seems that it may be discontinued or at least not available on Lowes site anymore.

The reason I did not go with the 40 dollar Custom Car Grill mesh was that it cost 12 bucks to ship and was something like 53 dollars total. I simply find it hard to pay 50 bucks for something that could be had for 18 dollars locally if they had it.....and a much bigger sheet also. Of course the joke may be on me after all when my Kazoo truck over heats on the interstate...

 

Not to sound dickish or anything... but honestly the first thing I thought when I saw it was the pegboard on my workbench for hanging tools...

That said it might look pretty sweet when done, but +1 on watching temps.

 

I was hoping that it would look more solid from a distance and it does look a little better since I got a good coat of satin black paint on it. The smaller holes kind of blend in and the airflow will have to be unknown for a few more days....still finishing up some sanding and I have to order my color matched paint.

I actually thought of buying a solid sheet of rigid plastic and making my own pattern of simple evenly spaced holes with a drill bit. Did not have enough patience to draw out the pattern and drill hundreds of holes so I went with this. I actually found this pattern when looking for the original mesh from the other link.

 

Hmm I dunno why but when you mentioned creating your own I had this vision pop in my head of making it out of color dipped chain-mail with "TACOMA" red dipped chips surrounded by black....

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yorkvillecaning.com/pictures/caning.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.yorkvillecaning.com/patterns.nxg&usg=__v2UcfTPu5FAXV0aId3AXf0LOC30=&h=559&w=700&sz=114&hl=en&start=2&itbs=1&tbnid=v_CIYtlighRt5M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchair%2Bcaning%2Bpatterns%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

Definitely a caning pattern ,

 

it is kinda fancy lookin' but it might look kinda mean on the truck painted black


I always thought something like this would look good if you could figure out how to mount it
http://www.plascore.com/product-honeycomb-cores.htm

 

I did a test fit tonight in between sanding....from a distance of maybe 7 feet the entire grill looks to be solid without any holes. With the painted radiator and re-located horns behind it I believe it will blend in and hide the fancy pattern...or at least I hope so.

I placed the grill in front of a fan and it does seem like it allows very little air to pass through. I will try it first however I believe many are correct that it may lead to problems with over heating during the summer.

The sanding is going well and I am now deciding on what color to paint the lip. I was going to go with the surround and recessed lip magnetic grey to match but now feel a black lip will hide any imperfections better. I can not decide between flat, satin, or gloss or maybe even something with a little texture like I saw on one members truck during a search.

I did buy some primer tonight that claims to be also a mild filler however if I feather the edges of the bondo enough I think it will be ok. This is surely not a weekend project yet I feel it will be well worth the effort when complete.

 

This "mesh" material looks similar to what another member used for his satoshi. His screen-name is 1337Taco (Kevin). Here is his build thread that has pics of the satoshi about half way down the 1st page.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-builds/61625-1337tacos-build.html

 

They use that material when building radiator covers for older homes that have large iron radiators. Covers them up and still allows heat to vent through them.

 

Coppert thank you for the information and I have posted a question in his build thread. His looks to be almost fully a solid sheet with zero airflow but I really can not tell from his pics....thanks again.

 

Does look different. Only concerns are reduced airflow and material a little weak. Take it for a highway drive to see if air resistance will not flex or destroy your mesh. Also keep an eye on the temp guage for overheating.

 

subbed... interested in seeing how this looks and works. I don't think the odd pattern will matter a whole lot once it's on the truck and painted black. The main problem, if there is one, will be loss of air flow. If that doesn't affect you after a few weeks in the Alabama summer heat, then I might follow your lead. I've always hated how easily you can see through most satoshi materials.

 

Finished sanding and applied the first light coat of primer to the inner lip. The chrome is taped off for now however I also plan on sanding that and painting it to match. I taped the mesh to the backside loosely and got a few photos of a rough fit. I must say I am happy with the results thus far as it all blended pretty nicely.

blended pretty good...


other side also did well...


larger view...


closer view....


other side close up...


sorry so blurry...crappy camera


closer view of mesh now painted...

 

I have seen the stuff you have and in my opinion it is way to weak and probably limits airflow too much for someone who lives in a warmer area like Alabama.

 

My first concern was the thin sheet and I doubled it for a little more strength. I Used epoxy to glue 2 sections together matching up the holes but it is still pretty flimsy. I am afraid it may show dents easily from road debris.

I plan to finish this project using this mesh just to see how it works however I have already decided that I will eventually need a different type mesh. This has been a learning experience for me to say the least....

 

I think you said you didn't like the look of expanded metal, but you could get a sheet very inexpensively at any steel company in your town. I went that route after not finding anything at Lowes of HD that I liked. Only problem is I have a ton left over. On second thought I could probably get you a peice of mine if you decide you want it.

 

Bobcat it is not really the design of the expanded metal that I do not like but more so the actual size of the openings. I have found a few places locally that do sale expanded metal in large sizes however every one of them do not offer it with smaller openings.

I checked a metal fabrication shop today on duty and they told me that I would have better luck looking for a simple perforated metal sheet. He asked what size holes I was looking for and I had no idea what to tell him. I am looking online toinight however that 40 dollar online option is not looking too bad right now.

Regardless Bobcat I do appreciate the offer and thank you very much for making it. I will try either locally a little more, or online, and if nothing works out I may take you up on the expanded pattern.