DIY - Adding Front Lower Grill Mesh

[33OH]

By popular demand, how to eliminate your stock, painted lower grill and add a mesh insert.

(Garm had given me the idea to do this. :thumbsup:)

What you will need:

Sawzall
Wire cutters
Black spraypaint (I used Satin Black)
Gutter Guard (mesh grill) - I bought mine from Lowe's. Came in a 5-pack for $9.

Steps:

Using the Sawzall, cut the front, painted rungs of the grill. Don't be precise here, leave some room to clean your cuts up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00607.jpg

Remove the ugly black grill that is behind, it's just clipped in.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00606.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00608.jpg

Clean up your cuts, smooth against the bumper.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00609.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00611.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00615.jpg

Use the stock black grill as your frame for the new mesh, cut around the outside.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00612.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00613.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00616.jpg

Zip-tie the top of your mesh to the frame you made to hold it into place, and begin trimming it to fit the template.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00618.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00619.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00620.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00621.jpg

Zip-tie all-around the finished product to hold it into place.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00624.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00625.jpg

Mask your bumper to spray the rough edges with black that you cut.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00622.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00623.jpg

Spray the inside edges with black.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00631.jpg

Go ahead and paint your "grill assembly" black after you cut the extra length off the zip-ties.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00626.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00627.jpg

Insert the grill assembly, clipping into it's stock location.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00632.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00633.jpg

And you're done! Better pic of front to come soon, these are all cell phone pics. :cool:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00634.jpg

[YAR1S]

nice job :]

[eTiMaGo]

great idea!

you could have also just used black zipties and skip spraying the grille? or did you want it flat black?

[TickleTimeTim]

awesome. thanks.

[Kioshi]

liking, want to see how deep it looks close up. Thanks for the detailed DIY

[33OH]

great idea!

you could have also just used black zipties and skip spraying the grille? or did you want it flat black?

You could have, yeah. I just had white ones laying around, and you can't see them once they're in anyways. The point of painting was to spray the grill. :cool:

[33OH]

liking, want to see how deep it looks close up. Thanks for the detailed DIY

I'll get a new pic soon, with a real camera. :biggrin:

[mrbond]

Ahh, excellent! I'll be doing this this weekend, assuming it doesn't keep raining :/ but yeah, Ryan, great job!

[Russelt3hPirate]

:bellyroll:

[Pitt Yaris]

Great stuff.

[Tamago]

how long before the paint starts chipping off?

[KCALB SIRAY]

how long before the paint starts chipping off?
Sorry this was in the wrong place, I relocated it for you Ryan :laugh:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/IMG00633.jpg

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

how long before the paint starts chipping off?

seeing as we all own pocket rockets id say a week.....

[Altitude]

Where can I get one of those man-slaves like in your pictures? :wink:

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

Where can I get one of those man-slaves like in your pictures? :wink:

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

[33OH]

how long before the paint starts chipping off?

Sorry, I'll add a disclaimer.

Anyone who can't afford $3.00 for a can of spraypaint to touch your grill up at a later date, please do not do this mod, as it will bankrupt you. Thank you. - Tamago

[ChinoCharles]

Yeah, its beyond me why people find the need to be totally rude.

F*ck them Ryan, nice job. :respekt:

[33OH]

Doesn't really matter to me. It looks a hell of a lot better than the stock, painted lower grill, and cost me less than $15 bucks.

Thanks Charles.

[uncleyaris]

Very Nice!! great work.

[d3310n]

sorry for the bumb, but this looks like it could be a very useful thread but the pictures are dead. this should be updated and stickied or put in the diy mod guide!

[catliektheif]

yeah ive never seen this till now!

[Eren_13]

Just seen this myself. Unless its just me; the pictures don't seem to be showing up on this thread which is a shame as I'm interested in doing this. Always liked mesh grilles.

[33OH]

Sorry I got a new Photobucket a while back and lost the pics, essentially cut the old "mesh" out, use the frame, ziptie new mesh in.

This was done on an '08, not sure on the newer model years.

[d3310n]

Thanks for the reply! Really wasn't expecting it lol. Have you lost the pics completely? If not it'd be a huge help if you could reupload them. Or if you have the yaris still reupload what your grill looks like so we can see it

[33OH]

Lost the pics completely, and lost the DIY grill due to hitting a deer on the highway. Never re-made it.