Mesh-Screens for the Front Air-Inlet Grilles on a 996 C4S Options

[CosmosBlack]

When I removed my front bumper cover to clean the radiators, (And took the opportunity to send the bumper cover for a fresh paintjob)
(See the thread on Cleaning the Radiators on a 996 C4S)
the debris that I cleaned off the radiators was enough to make me think of putting a mesh-screen behind the air-inlet grilles.

Hopefully, this mod will prevent the larger pieces of debris from collecting inside the area, allowing less frequent cleaning of the radiators in the future.
It would also keep out objects large enough to cause damage to the cooling fins of the radiators:ThumbUp:

Here is the DIY mod, but you would have to remove the bumper cover to get to the grilles.
For instructions on the front bumper cover removal, refer to the same DIY above on the Radiator Cleaning.


1. Cut out 2 pieces of black plastic mesh-screen large enough to fit the size of the grilles.
You can get the black plastic mesh-screen from the Garden Center at Lowe's or Home Depot (Sold in big rolls ).

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_01.jpg ( 397K ) Number of downloads: 12


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_02.jpg ( 221.89K ) Number of downloads: 17





2. Place a sheet of paper over the grille, and start by roughly drawing the outline of the area for the mesh-screen.
You will need to re-draw and make adjustments several times until you get the perfect-fit template.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_03.jpg ( 279.08K ) Number of downloads: 13


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_04.jpg ( 182.4K ) Number of downloads: 16





3. Trace the finished template on another fresh sheet of paper, and flip it over to fit the other grille.
Cut slits to accommodate the bracket that holds the temperature sensor probe.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_05.jpg ( 195.37K ) Number of downloads: 12





4. Place the template on the mesh-screen. Make sure you place the good side of the mesh-screen down,
as it should face the outside of the grille, and the rough side facing inside the bumper cover.
Try to position the template so that you can get some straight edges among the squares
for a smoother and flush fit on certain key spots. (Use your discretion)
Use a gold paint-marker (for visibility) to mark the outline on the black mesh-screen.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_06.jpg ( 226.85K ) Number of downloads: 12





5. Cut the mesh-screen out with a pair of garden clippers.
You might want to cut it just slightly larger than the outline, just in case you need to make any adjustments.
Otherwise, don't worry about it, you have a whole roll at your disposal, remember?

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_07.jpg ( 258.48K ) Number of downloads: 13


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_09.jpg ( 306.58K ) Number of downloads: 14





6. Tuck the "folded-flap" into the slot on the back/inside of the grille, as shown in the picture.
This will wrap up that awkward area, as well as help secure the mesh-screen on the grille.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_08.jpg ( 177.84K ) Number of downloads: 12





7. Heat up your Hot-Glue gun. I just happened to have this black glue-stick from my "Ding King" kit.
I have no idea where you might be able to find some black glue-sticks, but if you can't find them,
you could order just the glue-sticks from the Ding King website.
Apply generous (but not messy) amounts of hot-glue ALL AROUND the mesh-screen.
Pay attention to apply discreetly, and with finesse. How it looks from the other side,
depends on how much skill, love and time you spend on the glueing itself.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_10.jpg ( 236.81K ) Number of downloads: 14


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_11.jpg ( 305.76K ) Number of downloads: 10





8. I realized later (After installing the modded-grilles on the car, and driving it)
that in the center of the grilles where it's not secured, there is too much a surface area that is hit by rushing air at high speeds.
So I decided to use some black 4 inch zipties to secure certain spots in that area, as marked in the picture.
4 inch zipties are the smallest I could find, if you manage to find even smaller ones, let me know!
The black zipties isn't very obvious from a distance, but sure give some peace of mind.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_12.jpg ( 314.69K ) Number of downloads: 12





The finished product from the front.

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_13.jpg ( 173.22K ) Number of downloads: 13





Some shots of the Modded-Grilles installed on the car.
The 'black-screen-on-black-grille' mod gives it a very subtle look, compared to the usual aluminum mesh-screens.

(Oh, check out the new shiny bumper cover! No rock chips.....yet )

 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_14.jpg ( 129.38K ) Number of downloads: 18


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_15.jpg ( 149.72K ) Number of downloads: 13


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_16.jpg ( 127.43K ) Number of downloads: 17


 C4S_BumperGrilleMesh_17.jpg ( 139.45K ) Number of downloads: 15





I have not tested this mod out enough in frequent high speeds, and high temperatures.
As such, I cannot guarantee that the hot-glue will hold up permanently.
I will keep an eye on it, and will report back after some time.
However, I believe it should not cause any harm even if the mesh-screens were to come loose and get sucked onto the front of the radiators.
I will also check on how much debris is collected in there after a while, say 6 months?


The other concern that some have brought up, is whether the mesh-screens will affect the amount of airflow to the radiators.
I will also keep an eye on the temperature over time, and update accordingly.




.

[khooger]

super nice my friend!

[Pinocchio]

That looks really good Cos! Looks really professionally done!

[khooger]

But I noticed that the mesh and the plastic grilles....are not paraell (is that the right spelling). ....did you see that?

[CosmosBlack]

But I noticed that the mesh and the plastic grilles....are not paraell (is that the right spelling). ....did you see that?

Of course I am aware of that! (you should know me...)
It's the mesh-screen, they are not perfect. In fact, I tried placing the template on several pieces
of the mesh-screen but it's hard to find a perfect piece with all straight squares.
So I gave up, didn't really try hard enough though, I might find the perfect piece if I unwrap the whole roll.
And I didn't want to waste the ones that I had cut out perfectly, as I had already been thru' a few of them.

[Mikeman]

AWESOME work Ken. You did an amazing job. So now that you've driven in every condition since doing this 2 years ago, how is the plastic holding up? And rips/breaks? What about the heat issue...any problems. I'm thinking of possibly doing this with metal instead of plastic....do you think that will be much more difficult?

Thanks,
Mike.

[CosmosBlack]

Hey Mike, once again, Welcome to EAF!

I was just checking the screens out some weeks back, they are still in great shape.
I did reinforced them with tiny black zip-ties though, as the hotglue didn't quite hold up to high speed winds.
But overall, I'm so glad I did this. Take a peek in there, it's all clean....except for very small pebbles/sand.

Did you figure out how to remove the grilles? I had to remove the whole bumper cover to unclip them off. I think it would be easiest that way. Also, when you can see what you're doing, chances are you won't break any of the clips. But for someone who's done it several times, I'm sure they can remove the grilles without removing the bumper cover, just by feeling around. For a first attempt, I'd suggest removing the bumper cover.

[CosmosBlack]

Oh, and as for metal instead of plastic.......when I did mine, I was concerned that the plastic wouldn't hold up to the weather, etc. But surprisingly it did, and still looking black, no fade.

Metal would look good too, but personally I prefer black. Problem is black-painted metal will chip over time. I don't like the aluminum or polished look for the grilles, they're too flashy. But that's just me.

Take some closeup shots of your grilles, we could discuss and brainstorm from the pics.