custom mesh grille

[|V3nom|]

has anyone done this yet? if not ill be the first. itll prolly be a week or two before i finish(havent even started yet) but it doesnt seem like its going to be too hard. the hardest part will prolly be the top little grille piece with the saturn emblem and chrome piece. its the only solid piece, the other pieces seem like theyll come out easy and install easy. ill find out soon enough...

[xmicro_Redline]

Originally Posted by |V3nom|

has anyone done this yet? if not ill be the first. itll prolly be a week or two before i finish(havent even started yet) but it doesnt seem like its going to be too hard. the hardest part will prolly be the top little grille piece with the saturn emblem and chrome piece. its the only solid piece, the other pieces seem like theyll come out easy and install easy. ill find out soon enough...

A few members have done their own mesh, 1 even did a chrome mesh. Search the threads, you will find it!

[bobarry]

i'm getting the main grille (honeycomb) chromed. Should have pictures soon.
bobarry

[|V3nom|]

yeah you know what sucks, that little grille on the front with the enblem on it. the cheap nuts that hold it in to be precise. theyre not even real nuts, just some grip as you go nuts, cheap cheap cheap! i had troublem getting the off and back on and one of them fell into the bumper somewhere so i said screw that, im not taking off my bumper for that one nut, i have 3 more holding it on, its not going anywhere. yeah, making this grille is going to be more of a challenge than i thought but itll be worth it once i finish.

[08SkyLdr]

The custom mesh grille your putting on, will be open to allow air to flow through it unlike the factory grille? If so, are you or will you be running a CAI to take advantage of this additional air?

[|V3nom|]

it wont open it up anymore, the stock grille isnt restricting at all its just bland and ugly. the grille will have no benefit at all, just looks. only thing is that i think ill have to completely remove my bumper to get to it, i hope not, ill try to work on it this weekend. if you want a custom intake, id suggest running a flex pipe, one of those plastic ones used for intakes, and set it up to catch fresh air and run it to your filter, maybe run two. you prolly wont have to worry about water either.

[xmicro_Redline]

Here is a really nice and really over priced offering!!

Wood Dash Kits | Dash Kits | Dash Trim Kits | Wooddashexperts.com - 2006 & UP

[bronzestarsky]

I took the lazy man's route, and got a drill and drill bit, and drilled a hole in the middle of almost every one of the honeycombs on all the grill pieces, except for the lower middle one, which is open already. It's weird, you can barely see the holes from the outside, but open the hood and look from inside the engine compartment, and they're as plain as day. Didn't have a chance to put a lot of miles on it yet, just a quick drive to get some pizza, but the dual Fujita intake does seem to be just a tad bit louder now. I'll have to switch the function button to engine temp, and see if all those holes are helping to keep the engine temps down, even just a little bit...

[|V3nom|]

nice kit but i think ill stick to a custom one by me, just gotta get the stock grilles out...thats gonna be a pain ><.

[William.coates@wcrm.]

Originally Posted by bronzestarsky

I took the lazy man's route, and got a drill and drill bit, and drilled a hole in the middle of almost every one of the honeycombs on all the grill pieces, except for the lower middle one, which is open already. It's weird, you can barely see the holes from the outside, but open the hood and look from inside the engine compartment, and they're as plain as day. Didn't have a chance to put a lot of miles on it yet, just a quick drive to get some pizza, but the dual Fujita intake does seem to be just a tad bit louder now. I'll have to switch the function button to engine temp, and see if all those holes are helping to keep the engine temps down, even just a little bit...

The issue with the small grill is that it is in a low pressure area so gains with holes are going to be very little. That is the reason it is not perorated now in that the low pressure works against it. The same reason a lot of cars use the area around the wind shield to take in air. In the case of the Sky the factory knows this and built an air dam under the car to direct air under and behind the Inter cooler up to the bottom of the air box. Also the reason you do not mess with these dams under the car they are not just to aggravate you when you hit curb or think you can modify by removing them.

I do know that RPi does a modification to the air box but it has to be shipped to them. The stock box gathers air at the under dam and moves it through one tube that is about 3 inches (estimate) to the bottom of the box. RPi has done the work to gather up the tube sizes, work an adapter, hoses, clamps, and supply the labor for about $150 and they add a second tube and then return the set up to you.

If you do not want to be down you could tape the filter to the upper part of the box until it is next day back to you or you can go on line to GM Parts Direct: Your direct source for Genuine GM Parts and input the part number for the bottom of the box which is 15925737 and purchase the bottom of the box an send it to them to build and keep driving as is until it arrives back from RPi. The GM list is $160.22 but through GMpartsdirect the price is $98.31. Use them for any part. Some times you have to write them for the part number like I did and they sent me the GM part number and then I used their site to locate and price.

[bronzestarsky]

William - thanks for the auto engineering 101 synopsis. I just figured that since the grill pieces are in the front, putting holes in them would force air thru them when the car is moving, and when it's still, would let the heat from the engine compartment out. Didn't think about airflow and pressure areas, good point to bring that up. I think I've seen the airbox mod that you're referring to, nice piece of work from what I remember. I used a holesaw and cut out two holes in the lower grill pieces, next to the driving lights, and routed some flex hose up to where the Fujita dual filters are. In my mind, as long as the car is moving, the filters will have a chance to draw in cooler outside air via these hoses. So far so good, no thrown engine codes, no performance or sound issues, etc.

[William.coates@wcrm.]

Originally Posted by bronzestarsky

William - thanks for the auto engineering 101 synopsis. I just figured that since the grill pieces are in the front, putting holes in them would force air thru them when the car is moving, and when it's still, would let the heat from the engine compartment out. Didn't think about airflow and pressure areas, good point to bring that up. I think I've seen the airbox mod that you're referring to, nice piece of work from what I remember. I used a holesaw and cut out two holes in the lower grill pieces, next to the driving lights, and routed some flex hose up to where the Fujita dual filters are. In my mind, as long as the car is moving, the filters will have a chance to draw in cooler outside air via these hoses. So far so good, no thrown engine codes, no performance or sound issues, etc.

Sounds good and you are right you really have to be careful modifing things these guys do have engineering degrees and Gm does have good people. Does not mean it can not be improved simple because of constraints by Uncle Sam. You would be surprised how many things are constrain not because of concerns to performance but rather to nosie constraints by our Uncle. They know that different filters, routing of air, exhaust improvements, etc can help but they then can not pass the laws given to manufactures. Still have to be aware. If ever I can help let me know william.coates@wcrm.org have a good week end and drive safe.