How to...Make a USDM "Zenki Aero" Grill

[G-spot]

This is not a new thing since quite a handful TGCers have done this with different techniques in the past few months. It's basically a USDM 1999-2001 grill converted into a Zenki Aero grille found in JDM Galants/Legnum. Note: this mod can be applied to a JDM grill if so desired
***Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any loss or damages done to your grills.

Here are pics of a REAL JDM Zenki Aero Grill:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/njjfudge/DSC00521.jpg
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/535/grill3.jpg
http://www.jin.ne.jp/route-s/image14111.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2131000-2131999/2131205_83_full.jpg

Here are USDM "Zenki Aero" Grill from various TGC members:

Speedracer
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e65/Speedracer8g/newcarpix025.jpg

G-spot
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i98/clubtgc/zenki1.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/2432000-2432999/2432828_4_full.jpg

There are several ways to fill in the gaps: Bondo, Fiberglass, or Steel putty. I've chose the steel putty because of it's fast drying time.

List of material:

USDM 99-01 grill (prefer already jdm modded to cut down time)
Hack saw or
Diamond jewel cutter or
Dremel diamond cutter
Body filler (bondo, fiberglass/resin/hardner, or steel putty will do)
sand paper (200-800 grit)
glaze putty

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg

Next, using a cuting device (your choice), cut the center piece. Don't worry about eveness since the sandpaper and body filler fills the uneven marks for you.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bigbluetotoro/DSC_0005.jpg

Sounds easy? If you have experience with simple body work then this tutorial is a breeze but if this your first time it's recommended to have someone guiding you with some knowledge of intermediate body work.
If anyone has other tutorials on this subject please feel free to share it.

Enjoy.

[milo111000]

what fillers would be best to use??

[njjfudge]

Love the first pic G-Spot 8)

[G-spot]

what fillers would be best to use??
most prefer Bondo brands it's pretty much what can handle the "stress" when pressed against the weight of the hood. Fiberglass tends to crack with too much flex but the steel putty can hold it like abs plastic. Of course you can use abs plastic gel like the ones body shops use for bumper repairs.

[Jeffylou87]

sounds very easy... I have an extra grille I think I'll do that when I have some spare time.. when I get bored of the grille I have on there...

[bronxbombr]

nice going dude :!:

[n3oAcid24]

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg


thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....

[furiousgtz]

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg


thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....

look at phil man he is pissed

[n3oAcid24]

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg


thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....

look at phil man he is pissed

thats his wannabe thug look!!!!! LOL....

[Reelax]

http://www.jin.ne.jp/route-s/image14111.jpg

that is not the "zenki aero" grill. it actually is a nifty-r grill and is fiberglass like the liberal grill.

[Kalamidad]

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg


thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....

look at phil man he is pissed

thats his wannabe thug look!!!!! LOL....

he looks tini compared to the size of that grill.









Very nice Peter. I wanna see it in person though.

[n3oAcid24]

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg


thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....

look at phil man he is pissed

thats his wannabe thug look!!!!! LOL....

he looks tini compared to the size of that grill.









Very nice Peter. I wanna see it in person though.

i guess that was picture was taken on one of his skinny looking days. lol......

man G-Spot, i thought my grill looked good. shoot, yours looks crazy. now im thinking of going with that look... nice job.

[Phil]

you whore!!!! Im down 20 pounds so far in the last two months. Im gonna try this grill as soon as my grille comes back.

[xxarmandxx]

alrite this looks really good, but i had a guestion since i want to do this. on the stock grill there is the emblem right? if you were to the cut that center peice in a straight line a little bit of the emblem would still show. did you use body filler to fill that little hole up? i was just curious before i do this?

and one more guestion, i'm pretty sure i read somewhere in here u painted it. how did it come out since the grill is plastic, because my is hte stock chrome color, but i want to paint it red to match my car.

[SLS2000]

I used fiberglass. The absolute best advice I can give you is that the chrome has to be sanded down to the gray plastic in order for the fiberglass to hold on. Half of the top diamond will have to be grinded until you see the gray plastic then fill it in with either fiberglass, plastic filler, etc. Again the chrome must be gone in order for these things to stick. You bridge the large gaps with fiberglass, maybe two layers for it to be rigid. the rest you can fill in with bondo. The least bondo you use the better cause as you probably know that area shakes real good. Prime, sand, prime, sand , paint , sand, paint sand, paint.

Good luck.

[Eclipse97526]

here is my grille i did back in august ;) i prefer bondo hehe, it was very forgiving for a first timer ;) this was after the second coat was fogged on, still had 2 more coats, and clear. if i could do it again, i would have wet sanded. Definatly remove the chrome coating , or it peels VERY easy. and wont last at all.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p110/eclipse97526/08-21-07_2033.jpg

[projectGTZ]

nevermind

[Chaps]

here's the grill i made. great tutorial!

https://www.thegalantcenter.org/garage.php?mode=view_gallery_item&type=garage_gallery&image_id=837

[djflex167]

nice!!

[spdracr]

here is mine but its not done i still have to sand it all the way down and paint it and then put some mesh

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee131/spdracr83/DSC00002a.jpg

[djflex167]

here is mine but its not done i still have to sand it all the way down and paint it and then put some mesh

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee131/spdracr83/DSC00002a.jpg
is coming out nice man!! great job!

[therev]

i am actually prob going to do this today! Zobgel is comming over and we are going to the Graveyard so ill probably find my test subject!

~gabe

[DFX]

i want to do mine without cutting out the center piece. what would be the best way to hold it in place? body filler?

[rocky 8g]

i did mine with out cutting the center looks good
just did not put mesh in yet
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r101/cbgcashflow/DSC00283-1.jpg

[krow]

i did mine with out cutting the center looks good
just did not put mesh in yet
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r101/cbgcashflow/DSC00283-1.jpg


Nice...post pics with the mesh. I have some Corvette mesh on its way and I wanted to get some ideas.

[Joshua42007]

Do you think this would be possibly for the 2002?? we have that little part of the bumper that comes up and divides our grill into 2 pieces. Would this work if i mod my front bumper by trimming that piece off?

[beam514]

Do you think this would be possibly for the 2002?? we have that little part of the bumper that comes up and divides our grill into 2 pieces. Would this work if i mod my front bumper by trimming that piece off?

people have done that on Evo's that have the little "nose." I believe someone posted a link to a thread on evolutionm.net or something one time, but I'm not too sure. But I DO know that Evo owners occasionally do this so you could probably find a tutorial or something.

[Joshua42007]

Awsome, thanks alot. I have been searching for awhile now and i just havent seen actually anyone chop that nose off of our front. But il keep looking, i will probaly get a grill from the junkyard and try it my self. If everything goes smooth i will make a tutorial.

[bobmundo123]

This is not a new thing since quite a handful TGCers have done this with different techniques in the past few months. It's basically a USDM 1999-2001 grill converted into a Zenki Aero grille found in JDM Galants/Legnum. Note: this mod can be applied to a JDM grill if so desired
***Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any loss or damages done to your grills.

Here are pics of a REAL JDM Zenki Aero Grill:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/njjfudge/DSC00521.jpg
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/535/grill3.jpg
http://www.jin.ne.jp/route-s/image14111.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2131000-2131999/2131205_83_full.jpg

Here are USDM "Zenki Aero" Grill from various TGC members:

Speedracer
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e65/Speedracer8g/newcarpix025.jpg

G-spot
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i98/clubtgc/zenki1.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/2432000-2432999/2432828_4_full.jpg

There are several ways to fill in the gaps: Bondo, Fiberglass, or Steel putty. I've chose the steel putty because of it's fast drying time.

List of material:

USDM 99-01 grill (prefer already jdm modded to cut down time)
Hack saw or
Diamond jewel cutter or
Dremel diamond cutter
Body filler (bondo, fiberglass/resin/hardner, or steel putty will do)
sand paper (200-800 grit)
glaze putty

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg

Next, using a cuting device (your choice), cut the center piece. Don't worry about eveness since the sandpaper and body filler fills the uneven marks for you.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bigbluetotoro/DSC_0005.jpg

Sounds easy? If you have experience with simple body work then this tutorial is a breeze but if this your first time it's recommended to have someone guiding you with some knowledge of intermediate body work.
If anyone has other tutorials on this subject please feel free to share it.

Enjoy.

can u fix the middle pik.. link is dead.. =)

[03-Galant-ES]

Probably looks like this
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r101/cbgcashflow/DSC00283-1.jpg

[CHICAGO_ONE]

Figured I would update this thread as I just completed one of these grilles for another member...
(Excuse the messy workbench. The garage has been going through a big reorgnization period, LOL)

Start with a USDM grille. The slats were cut out already
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/5469F2E3-361D-4508-9E4B-B037576DF992_zpseqtcq7gz.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/5469F2E3-361D-4508-9E4B-B037576DF992_zpseqtcq7gz.jpg.html)

Pry out / Pop out emblem
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/EF6CD7BF-8E25-4AD0-845C-548F087493BA_zps8zrmty3t.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/EF6CD7BF-8E25-4AD0-845C-548F087493BA_zps8zrmty3t.jpg.html)

Mark the line you want to cut. Try to keep it level with the line of the grille
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/B216CBB8-4ADB-4B23-B126-EFC097C703E3_zpswy1y9q54.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/B216CBB8-4ADB-4B23-B126-EFC097C703E3_zpswy1y9q54.jpg.html)

Using a Dremel, cut at the line. Also cut the bottom section. The closer to the curface, the better
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/1D0C1439-6EAB-4166-9296-D9D086692330_zpskub2gz5o.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/1D0C1439-6EAB-4166-9296-D9D086692330_zpskub2gz5o.jpg.html)

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/CCA56DF9-CE5F-4E15-ACD4-FA77D060FA4A_zps6okxxz7d.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/CCA56DF9-CE5F-4E15-ACD4-FA77D060FA4A_zps6okxxz7d.jpg.html)

Get your supplies ready for fiberglass. You'll need FB Resin, FB Hardener, Chop Mat or Strand Mat, mixing tray, gloves, respirator, Duct tape
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/700CE250-A09E-4C55-A865-59FE2BA098E2_zpsvbq6yqqn.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/700CE250-A09E-4C55-A865-59FE2BA098E2_zpsvbq6yqqn.jpg.html)

Stretch Duct Tape over the cut areas. Pull it tight to try and make the shape of the grille
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/FE3E58DC-791B-4978-BF03-04782336C6DF_zpsibi5hoig.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/FE3E58DC-791B-4978-BF03-04782336C6DF_zpsibi5hoig.jpg.html)

Dont have pics of this part, but you mix the FB resin/hardener appropriately, wet the back side of the duct tape and start laying down Chop Mat / Strand. With a brush or utencil, cover each layer with the resin. 4 layers should be enough.

Leave it to dry. When fully cured, pull off the duct tape. BAM, the gaps should be filled and possibly perfect to the contours.

Apply body filler
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/942C7573-A0F1-438B-97D0-6CCCB85F4074_zpswqtpjxbd.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/942C7573-A0F1-438B-97D0-6CCCB85F4074_zpswqtpjxbd.jpg.html)

Sand it. Try to shape the contour of the grille, if needed. (test fitted. Keep in mind, I didnt have clips in and my hood is jacked up from the accident)
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/12BDA7BC-032F-4366-80E0-C183D00495F3_zpssnnjgynx.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/12BDA7BC-032F-4366-80E0-C183D00495F3_zpssnnjgynx.jpg.html)

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n144/DOWER_ONE/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/D988E466-5429-49E4-AA07-067C71162B92_zpsy6tsgp6r.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/DOWER_ONE/media/Zenki%20Aero%20USDM%20Grille/D988E466-5429-49E4-AA07-067C71162B92_zpsy6tsgp6r.jpg.html)

Once you're satsfied, prime and paint.

[keith6110]

Looks nice!

[Celph Concepts]

thnks again brother! it's waiting for paint and mesh now! Drew [DTP] recommended GutterGuard for the mesh. i'll update when finished!

[CHICAGO_ONE]

Yeh. That's what I used to use. Get the one with the clips on it. It's stiffer than the rolled up one. And a good set of tin snips. Let's see pics when you're done


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Og_Kelton]

That's so smart, how do you cut the fins inside tho?

[Og_Kelton]

thats my car and my painted grill....... :D :D :D :D :D :D i feel so important... LOL.....
How do you cut the middle part?


This is not a new thing since quite a handful TGCers have done this with different techniques in the past few months. It's basically a USDM 1999-2001 grill converted into a Zenki Aero grille found in JDM Galants/Legnum. Note: this mod can be applied to a JDM grill if so desired
***Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any loss or damages done to your grills.

Here are pics of a REAL JDM Zenki Aero Grill:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/njjfudge/DSC00521.jpg
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/535/grill3.jpg
http://www.jin.ne.jp/route-s/image14111.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2131000-2131999/2131205_83_full.jpg

Here are USDM "Zenki Aero" Grill from various TGC members:

Speedracer
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e65/Speedracer8g/newcarpix025.jpg

G-spot
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i98/clubtgc/zenki1.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/2432000-2432999/2432828_4_full.jpg

There are several ways to fill in the gaps: Bondo, Fiberglass, or Steel putty. I've chose the steel putty because of it's fast drying time.

List of material:

USDM 99-01 grill (prefer already jdm modded to cut down time)
Hack saw or
Diamond jewel cutter or
Dremel diamond cutter
Body filler (bondo, fiberglass/resin/hardner, or steel putty will do)
sand paper (200-800 grit)
glaze putty

Stock Grill
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/My%20Ride/IMG_1317.jpg
First cut the fins or gills (if not done so already), and it should look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/Airforce/Group%20buy/grill2.jpg

Next, using a cuting device (your choice), cut the center piece. Don't worry about eveness since the sandpaper and body filler fills the uneven marks for you.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bigbluetotoro/DSC_0005.jpg

Sounds easy? If you have experience with simple body work then this tutorial is a breeze but if this your first time it's recommended to have someone guiding you with some knowledge of intermediate body work.
If anyone has other tutorials on this subject please feel free to share it.

Enjoy.

[CHICAGO_ONE]

That's so smart, how do you cut the fins inside tho?

I used a dremel. Make sure you have a couple decent cutting discs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk