Making Mesh Grill for Upper Portion of Front Bumper (Honda Emblem)

Tools Needed:

Dremel (or any rotary tool) or a xacto knife
Gutter guard from Home Depot (2 pieces incase you screw up)
Philips screwdriver
Flat head screw driver
Glue gun with heavy-duty glue sticks or some kind of adhesive (No More Nails)
Large towel
2 small towels
Sharp wire cutters or tin snips
Pliers

DISCLAIMER: These instructions are just a guide for you to make your own mesh grill to replace the portion where the Honda emblem resides. I am not responsible: (A) on how you operate the dremel/rotary tool/xacto knife. (B) The outcome of the finished project. (C) Any damage incurred, car or otherwise, during the process.

Let's begin!

1. Pop the hood and prop it up with the arm.

2. Remove all 9 screws. There are 7 plastic ones holding the piece where the Honda emblem is. Use the Philips/flat head screwdriver to remove those (Fig.1). You might have to hold the piece that the screw screws into with your fingers because it might rotate (Fig.2). Gently pry the piece that the screw screwed into with the flat head screwdriver.

Fig.1

Fig.2

3. The other 2 are located in the front wheel wells. Turn the wheels either all the way to the left/right. Go to the side where the tire is pointing inwards (Fig.3). Look up into the wheel well close to the fender and you will see one screw there (Fig.4). Remove it. Do the same with the other side.

Fig.3

Fig.4

4. Get one of the small towels. While on the current side, gently pull down and out that part of the bumper and place the towel between the edge of the bumper and the body of the car so as not to scratch it (Fig.5). Do the same with the other side.

Fig.5

5. Now gently pull the front of the bumper towards you minding the sides of the bumper where the towels are. Make sure the towels are still in between the bumper and the body as you pull. Once the bumper is pulled out far enough it will dangle. You can place the large towel underneath the bumper so it doesn't get scratched from the ground.

6. Now if you look behind the front piece where the Honda emblem is you'll see 4 screws holding it to the bumper. Remove those. Now that upper portion just slides out.

7. Use the dremel/rotary tool/xacto knife to cut out the black plastic piece. Be careful not to cut into the painted portion of the frame. TAKE YOUR TIME. Once you've finished cutting, you should have just the frame left (Fig.6).

Fig.6

8. Grab the piece of gutter guard and roughly measure out the amount that you'll need from behind. Keep in mind to leave more material around the sides as this will aid in securing it to the frame later. Cut it using the wire cutters or tin snips.

9. Once the piece is cut, try to make it as flat as possible by bending it in the opposite direction. Place the mesh over the opening, making it centered as possible. Start bending the mesh so it forms to the frame. Use the pliers if necessary. If there's too much material still, trim it so that there's still enough to secure it to the frame. The top portion is the easiest because you can just bend it into the crevice and it will be fairly secure. This process will take some time so be patient.

10. Use the glue gun or any adhesive and put generous amounts (globs) of it onto the folded edges. Set it aside and wait for it to dry. This is what it should look like when it's dried (Fig.7; red arrows). Gently push on the mesh from the front side making sure that it's secure. If it comes loose put some more glue/adhesive on.

Fig.7

11. Once everything's good, attach it back onto the bumper. Since the 4 screws that held it to the bumper are gone now, you can just slide it in and reverse the order in how you took the bumper off. Now the mesh frame will probably stay in place for a while but mine kept on coming loose at the bottom so what I did was add glue/adhesive to the part where the mesh frame met the bumper (Fig.7 blue arrows) and that solve the problem. You can try it with out the glue and see if it stays but that's up to you. This is what the finished project should look like. It's not that great of a picture but it gives you an idea.

Finished!

Hope this article helped in any way. It beats paying an arm and a leg to get that Grill Craft stuff. Plus you can step back and see what you've accomplished and we all know how good that feels. Enjoy!!