[scanspeak]

I've never been a big fan of the cheap plastic lower grilles on my E92 so it's time to replace them with black aluminium mesh.



I want the grilles to look like they are factory so I won't be using any cable ties or rubber surrounds as many do. The aim is for a totally flush look so I will have to remove the bumper and mount it from behind. I've purchased new grille pieces and will preparing as much as possible in advance to minimize the amount of time with the bumper removed.

The mesh I'll be using is Simoni Racing black satin coated aluminium (narrow) where the spacing is 8 x 4mm. Lightweight, durable and workable.




Items are on order now.

[cpie168]

Looks great! Well done buddy!

[matteblue3er]

I've used gutter guards before lol

Btw if you remove the plastic grill, the tabs will show. You will probably need to trim them if you want it to look clean

[scanspeak]

Thanks for the tip. I still am working out the best method. I prefer not to cut the tabs if I can avoid it.

[matteblue3er]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

Thanks for the tip. I still am working out the best method. I prefer not to cut the tabs if I can avoid it.

Initially I cut small slots into the mesh for the tabs to slide through. This also allowed me to fix the grill in place with the tabs but it was too much of an eye sore with the tabs. At the time I had a white car so it was a lot more noticeable but even with a darker color (I have a matte blue wrap now with unpainted front bumper), the tabs were still noticeable. I ended up putting the plastic grill back on and making covers for the passenger side and a duct for my intake eon the drivers

[scanspeak]

Couldn't you have painted the tabs black?

At this stage I plan to use the existing grill, cut out the mesh and glue the new mesh to the old grille frame from behind. Then hopefully it will mount back onto the car just like the stock one.

A package arrived this morning

[ssdara]

Way to go man, interested to see final result. I also hate the cheap plastic meshes on bumpers. My buddy has a grill like that on his is300 and it looks great!

[Ali-E90]

I've been wanting to do this for a while too... in for results!

Any suggestions on the best places to get the mesh for a good price?

[scanspeak]

I bought mine on Ebay.

[scanspeak]

My new grilles arrived from Germany so finally I can make a start.
Should be just enough mesh to do all 3 if I don't screw up. I will start with one of the fog lamp grilles first.

[scanspeak]

I used a dremel cutter and a scalpel to cut out the plastic mesh.
Then it was a process of sandng with 120, 240, 600 and 1200 paper and then plastic polish to get a smooth finish.
The plastic is really soft.

[dlf750]

I was considering something similar but only because i wanted gloss black to match the gloss black grill. Since I didn't want to remove the entire front bumper, cuz I'm lazy, I just taped off the bumper, everywhere, and used high temp (not necessary but it's what I had laying around) gloss black paint and painted the gray lower grills. Came out perfectly for what I wanted. And yes, good chance it might chip from rocks etc. but it's a quick fix again with the spray paint. Your method is much more durable. Post pics when it's done!

[Tim603]

In for results as well, seem to be moving right along!

[bimmette]

Ooh, very interesting. Can't wait to see the final result!

[scanspeak]

A paper template will help achieve the required accuracy.




Transferred to the mesh using a paint pen. Care with the orientation of the mesh as it's not vertically symmetrical and both sides are slightly different.
I orientated the mesh such that when you are looking at it as you would when standing in front of the car (i.e. from a higher viewpoint) it appears more opaque.




Trimmed using tin snips and a side cutter. Areas that will meet the tab openings are bent inward using a ruler as a guide. Accuracy is critical or you’ll end up with unsightly gaps or distortion in the mesh.




Checking fit.

[scanspeak]

Lower side grilles now completed. I ended up using Loctite Powerflex gel super glue. First sand with 120 grit and clean with alcohol.
Edit : Later I added a layer of black JB Weld for further strength and neatness.

[asquared]

Looks great! In to see the final installed pics

[scanspeak]

The main grille was a lot more difficult to glue due to the compound curves and flexing of the frame. If I was to do it again I will build some sort of support frame to keep it rigid during the gluing process. My paper template helped but was not ideal.

I started with the more visible and hence more critical lower edge.
First gluing it with super glue, holding with bulldog clips and a metal spacer. This was continued around the entire circumference.
After that dried and I was satisfied with the shape I used black JB weld to add further strength and give a neater border.

















Installing next week.

[scanspeak]

At this point I discovered that I will need to trim back the fog lamp mounting frame along the red line by about 2mm to give clearance for the new grille mesh.
The yellow line indicates where it meets the inside of the original fog-light grille, an area now covered by the new mesh and glue.
The silver clips circled in green will need to be painted black as they will be somewhat visible through the new grille.
The clip marked A needs to be moved to the new grille.

[Tim603]

Looking good man! I love custom stuff like this. Curious to see how it looks once you mount everything up!

[scanspeak]

Fog lamp frames trimmed.




Fitted fog lamps/frames.






Cleaned up front end and repaired the rusty front bumper.




Below - The original grille.




The updated grille.












Very happy with how it gives a cleaner, more premium look. Will take more pics on a sunny day for a clearer view.

Went for a quick drive - no rattles or whistles so I will call this mission accomplished.

[Blue E92]

Very happy with how it gives a more premium look. Will take more pics on a sunny day for a clearer view.

Went for a quick drive - no rattles or whistles so I will call this mission accomplished.

Looks great. Please update with how it handles rocks and road debris, that’s the only thing that makes me a little nervous.