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08 DIY grill: 4 hours and 40 bucks


collegemt

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did some cutting today of my new grill. thanks to collegemt and wrx2blackGT for the info. did not gut the inside of the grill, just removed the protruding subaru emblem. the grille i used was from

 

http://www.poliauto.com/html/catalogs/trend59.htm

 

bought in toronto. if you look it comes in silver,red,black and blue. also used a bendable screw driver, made things a little easier. kept the inside for more support. will put the emblem later. hey gsuperman, did it today. have a good day guys. pics coming

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So, did anyone else have problems getting the chrome ring to fit flush with the mesh installed? I actually just gave up on it and threw it back onto the car. It looks pretty good with the hood closed, but with the hood up, you can clearly see the ill-fitting trim. Anyways...here it is. Took me around 4 hours all in all. I used the black powder coating mesh from that website and small gauge wire to attach the emblem to the grill. Let me know what you think.

 

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g115/LBpsu83/DSCN1865.jpg

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g115/LBpsu83/DSCN1867.jpg

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g115/LBpsu83/DSCN1870.jpg

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g115/LBpsu83/DSCN1871.jpg

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g115/LBpsu83/dscn1868.jpg

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Turned out great, looks 100x's better than stock. Good job!

 

I couldn't get the ring to fit completly flush either, but like you said you can't tell with the hood closed.

 

I agree. I saw a pic the other day with the stock grill and can't believe how much I hate that look now.

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It took some time & patience, but IMO it's the one mod every '08 owner needs to do. For 4 hrs and whatever you can get the mesh for, you can have the exact look as a $300+ aftermarket grill. So far I've debadged, installed the Sti rear lip spoiler and gutted the grill and I couldn't be happier with the way the car looks. Now if only I could find some cheap/easy DIY performance tweaks.
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Your grill looks good Rob, so you've already changed it twice now? I'm still debating what I should do with my grill, to try this DIY approach or try and save up for Rommels. I tend to screw things up with I try the DIY approach :)

 

We need to have a little Toronto meet so I can see your grill work in person.

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Your grill looks good Rob, so you've already changed it twice now? I'm still debating what I should do with my grill, to try this DIY approach or try and save up for Rommels. I tend to screw things up with I try the DIY approach :)

 

We need to have a little Toronto meet so I can see your grill work in person.

 

thanks. yeah changed it twice. the first one was the last picture with the emblem. it was just attached with velcro and chrome trim. i really like the last mod. just have to put he subaru emblem and im good. we should meet up with one of those west end toronto subaru meets. will let you know. i picked up the grill for $20. later

 

lBpsu83, looks really good. did you use the hex mesh.

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I can't believe these turned out so well. It really looks good.

 

So, a couple of things...grill mesh options? Anyone considered taking a close up pic of each? Maybe we can include it at the beginning of this thread.

 

Also, regarding grill thickness, it's the thickness of the mesh that makes the chrome trim not sit flush?

 

I'm dyin' to do this and the lower bumper opening so it matches, with good looking mesh.

 

CollegeMT, thanks for posting this up!!

 

Drew

[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1586"VbGallery/URL]
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I can't believe these turned out so well. It really looks good.

 

So, a couple of things...grill mess options? Anyone considered taking a close up pic of each? Maybe we can include it at the beginning of this thread.

 

Also, regarding grill thickness, it's the thickness of the mesh that makes the chrome trip not sit flush?

 

I'm dyin to do this and the lower bumper opening so it matches, with good looking mesh.

 

CollegeMT, thanks for posting this up!!

 

Drew

 

I always enjoy helping other legacy owners out.

 

Yes, the reason the chrome strip doesn't fit completly snug is due to the thickness of the mesh.

 

The bumper opening would be cool, but if you paint it black you may not be able to notice it, because it sit so far back. But it will still offer protection.

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i totally stole this idea and did it to my grille last weekend, i have a 06 so it took a bit more modifying than the 08 legacy, but it still looks pretty sweet. it is blacked out with a sti badge in the lower right concer... i will post a pic of it tomorrow :)
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here is the gap created with this mod. put on my emblem. put on the bottom mesh grille in black. just trying to figure out the best way to attach it. i removed the emblem again because i am missing some nuts. lol

i will explain later. have a nice weekend guys. its raining a bit here.

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Currently in the process of doing this - how did you guys remove the badge from the grill? Should those white heat-formed pegs be drilled down or should I use a heat gun and fishing line to remove it?
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There is alot of silicone on there, I would try to hit it up and then pull real hard. I pryed mine off with a screw driver and put a couple of nics in the emblem.

 

No actual screws or anything though? I already sanded down the silver posts (they're green plastic inside :spin:) flush since it looked like they were mounting posts with the ends widened with heat to affix the badge in place.

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Thanks collegemt - got it off. Wound up heating it and used a jeweler's screwdriver to get under the bottom of the chrome ring. I made sure I put the force on the backside of the ring so it didn't show any external marks.
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Thanks guys, this thread was extremely helpful - just finished mine last weekend... Eventually I'm going to repaint with some more durable paint (perhaps duplicolor brake caliper paint? :confused:), since the rustoleum high heat paint doesn't seem like its going to last...next project: 18" rims/summer tires and a cat-back exhaust, just waiting for that economic stimulus rebate check to come in...

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Thanks guys, this thread was extremely helpful - just finished mine last weekend... Eventually I'm going to repaint with some more durable paint (perhaps duplicolor brake caliper paint? :confused:), since the rustoleum high heat paint doesn't seem like its going to last...next project: 18" rims/summer tires and a cat-back exhaust, just waiting for that economic stimulus rebate check to come in...

 

Looks good, If you are going to repaint it, try and find a powder coater, I am sure that will last much longer.

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Looks good, If you are going to repaint it, try and find a powder coater, I am sure that will last much longer.

 

i thought about that - is it cheaper to get it powder coated or buy a new pre-powder coated mesh? i saw some powder coated ones on ebay for $30 or so (incl shipping) but they were gloss black, and I think I want something flatter (mine is satin, and its probably a bit too flat, but it'll do for now)

 

also, can you powder coat an already painted mesh?

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