Notices
JK Write-Ups Bulletin board forum regarding useful installation write-ups, budget fixes and homemade solutions for the Jeep JK Wrangler (Rubicon, Sahara, Unlimited and X).

$20 grill mod - write up

Old Mar 20, 2012 | 07:02 AM
  #1  
Lsot's Avatar
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
Default $20 grill mod - write up

Well here's my first attempt at a write up.
Hope it helps someone out.



Taking the grill off is very easy, without doing ANY damage.

The black pegs that hold the grill on DO NOT NEED TO BE DAMAGED to remove.

Here's how to do it.
  1. Pry the center peg up(I used dental pick) it only needs to come up about 3/8 inch.
  2. Then pry the whole plug out(done)
  3. The bottom of the grill needs to be pulled out in a forward direction
  4. Then Lean the grill out to disconnect the signal lights(one will be easier to unplug, do that one first)



Now you've got the Grill off take it to your workbench.

Now to start manufacturing the Mesh.

Parts list:
  1. Aluminum Gutter Guards(Lowes)
  2. Loctite Gel Epoxy(Lowes)

So the Gutter Guard needs to be ripped to width and cut to length.
Ripping on the table saw is possible(Aluminum).
Then cut to length on the chop saw.


This can be a little painful.



They get a little bent up from the cutting, I straigtened them up on the vise.



Here's the blanks ready to go.



I bent them using the vise.



Here's the two prototypes I came up with.



I highly recommend making prototypes, as it gives you a chance to get the kinks out.
I went with the square ones as the bending process took forever and the square looks good from the outside.


Now to the attachment, I used Epoxy.



I used a motor for weight to hold them down while epoxy set up.



And here's the finished product.





Notes:

Make sure you get them all facing the same direction.
If you look in the pic below you'll see the far one is opposite.



May have to change that later, I guess I'll find out how good the epoxy holds.
Did this MOD a week ago, totally love it.



Reply
Old Mar 20, 2012 | 07:08 AM
  #2  
coastguardjeeper's Avatar
JK Newbie
 
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena, MD
Default

looks great. good write up.
Reply
Old Mar 20, 2012 | 07:11 AM
  #3  
HELLBENDER-JK's Avatar
JK Freak
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 533
Likes: 0
From: Oldtown, NC
Default

Well done!
Reply
Old Mar 20, 2012 | 06:25 PM
  #4  
kaptkrappy's Avatar
JK Super Freak
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,220
Likes: 1
From: Punta Gorda, FL.
Default

This can be a little painful.



I know, I think I lost a pint of blood. I used the same material except I cut mine with tin snips and epoxied zip tie blocks to the inside of the grille like most people do. I hope the epoxy alone works, it's so much simpler.
Great job, Great write up
.
Reply
Old Mar 20, 2012 | 07:22 PM
  #5  
Lsot's Avatar
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
Default Epoxy

The pictures don't really show it to well, but I put epoxy all the way down both sides.

I pushed on them the other day and they're rock solid.


Thanks for the comments.
Reply
Old Mar 20, 2012 | 08:21 PM
  #6  
n8turgrl's Avatar
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville, NC
Default

Nice job!! I've been looking at doing this mod to my Jeep so your write-up will help! I think I want to paint mine black though, wonder how well spray paint will hold up??
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2012 | 02:52 AM
  #7  
Remington19's Avatar
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 267
Likes: 0
From: Stevensville, Michigan
Default

Nice work, let us know how the glue holds up.
Reply
Old Mar 21, 2012 | 02:59 AM
  #8  
scooby snacks's Avatar
JK Jedi
 
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,343
Likes: 1
From: Wake Forest, NC
Default

Looks good!!
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2012 | 05:36 PM
  #9  
Lsot's Avatar
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
Default scouby snacks

And you survived the crash ??

Sorry about the Rubi, those pics are hard to look at.
Reply
Old Mar 27, 2012 | 05:07 AM
  #10  
onecrazyfuq's Avatar
JK Enthusiast
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
From: Long Island, New York
Default

only part your missing in your writeup is the dimensions of the grills that you made. cheers to the good write-up, im working on mine as we speak. Ill post pics of them when there done. Im doing mine in gloss black.
Reply


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:00 PM.