Pre-98 Mesh Grille How-to

[dyaballikl]

How-to # 2! This is for the pre-98 Tour owners like me who wanted mesh grilles, but all the instructions out there are for 98+'s. Well, today's your day. This is a cheap and easy way to mesh your grille!

Pros: Cheap, easy, quick, 100% reversible, looks cool
Cons: The cheap gutter guard doesn't look quite as good as the expensive stuff, gutter guard is like spring loaded razors and will cut you to shreds if you don't use gloves.

Items needed:
Work Gloves (I use welder's gloves, they work best)
2' x 1' Gutter guard (your choice of design, find it at any home improvement store)
Needle Nose pliers
T-28 Torx bit or screw driver
Tin snips (or anything else that can cut gutter guard)
10mm wrench
Power drill (3/8" bit works)

1. Pop your hood (duh). Use your t-28 bit to remove the 4 screws on top of the grille assembly. Slide grille out.


2. Remove the 2 10mm nuts on the back of the grille to remove the Ford emblem.


3. PUT ON YOUR GLOVES!!! Just trust me on this one. Figure out about how much gutter guard you need to use, measure enough to wrap about 1 1/2" - 2" over each edge, then cut out with the tin snips.


4. Using your needle nose pliers, bend the edges in over the grille. Cut slits around the tabs on the grille. Do this all around the part of the grille that's patterned.


5. Using your pliers, tuck the gutter guard into the holes in the grille, pulling them firmly, to keep it tight.


6. Cut appropriate amounts and bend the rest over the top, so that everything is covered.


7. Put the grille back in place, and, using your drill, drill holes in the mesh where the screw holes are. Make sure the holes are big enough for the screws to fit through, but not so big that they can fit through. Now, replace the 4 screws. When you put the screws on, they help to hold the mesh in place. And, you're done!

[Ray]

Added to Duratec Maintenance FAQ, and M&M How-to faq

good job on the how-tos!

[dyaballikl]

Update on the mesh: I've had it on for a while, and it's gone through some odd changes:
1. day 1: you can see it looked really clean, but it wasn't very smooth, there were some vertical ridges because the mesh came from a roll.
2. day 3 or so: it started to get a bit dirty, and where the ford logo was started to stand out a bit, it was a little cleaner than everything around it.
3. day 6: it evened out in color and everything looked uniform, but still not very smooth.
4. day 8-10: highway driving and natural wear seemed to have completely smoothed it out. now, it's uniform in color, even after washing, and perfectly smooth. it really does look great now. very glad i did it. still considering drilling holes and putting the ford logo back on. thoughts?

[andy b]

good job i would paintthe mesh black thats what i done on the mondeo


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[T Hudson Jr]

What hardware store did you buy the mesh at? all of the ones near me only have plastic prefitted... no metal roll.

[PHilly]

What hardware store did you buy the mesh at? all of the ones near me only have plastic prefitted... no metal roll.

Home depot, Menards. I bet Farm and Fleet might have it too. Otherwise i bet the pricier stuff would look even better. Look on ebay for a big assortment or patterns.