XTDude

So... I started will my grill mod after looking at a few DIY ones on here. Seemed easy enough, but now I've hit a snag.

The grill is gutted and I've patched the holes with fiberglass and sanded to a smooth finish. I put the grill on the car to check the clearance before continuing and "doh", I didn't leave room for the hood latch (the mesh would sit too far back). Below is a pic of where I am in the process. So do you guys trim the white line in the pic (that the arrow points to) all the way around?



I think it would look good closer anyway, but I would like to get clarification from those who have done this before I continue. I don't have a backup grill.

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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fircrest

When I did mine I ran into the same problem. All I did to solve it was trim back what needed to be trimmed, yes that includes some of the grille mesh, but when it's all said and done you're going to be the only one who'll notice it, unless someone looks up at an angle of it, if you need a picture of how I did mine I could post a pic.

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Andy
Silver 04 FXT MT
61 Studebaker Lark V8

XTDude

That would be awesome if you get a chance!

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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toysbyus

I trimmed my grill surround all the way around so I could also gain some more room for my Hella Superhorns.....

I suggest trimming all the way around on the white line as indicated.....

Steve

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2003 X AT

sea-scooby

On my grill I did trimmed along the line closer to the chrome trim adn followed it all the way around. I have zero latch issues and it looks really clean. I started off with the chrome painted black, but I switched back to chrome.

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05 Forester XTi Premium M/T (bobbytuned VF39)(his)
05 Forester X A/T (hers)
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XTDude

So I decided to follow sea-scooby's lead. I think the grill is set in a nice location (front to back) and I won't have to worry about any more clearance issues.

The grill trimmed up nicely and I almost have it ready to paint. It came out pretty straight, but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to smooth out the edge, but I guess a lot of sanding should do the trick tonight. I'll post some pics up later to add to the collection of DIY grill pics.

Thanks guys!

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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XTDude

Finally stopped being lazy and charged the camera. Here are the pics of my DIY grill. I still have a few tweaks I want to make, but I'll worry about that someday...

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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XTDude

Still waiting on my Swifts BTW, that fender gap is killing me! They're on back order apparently.

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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sea-scooby

That grill is looking sweet! I was wondering how an "f" badge would look. Very nice!

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05 Forester XTi Premium M/T (bobbytuned VF39)(his)
05 Forester X A/T (hers)
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XTDude

Thanks Sea-Scooby! I was a little unsure at first about the "F" badge as I don't want it to come off as "JDM bling". I like it because it's unique to Foresters and it's something we can call our own...and it's growing on me

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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Smooth

I love the "F" badge. I don't think it's too blingy at all, and it's just a cool logo.

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'07 FSXT WRB ¤ protuned VF39

SPDRPIG

That looks great! Where did you source the mesh?

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2000 Forester "S" 215/65/16 Yoko AT's

XTDude

Got the mesh from here. I saw another member on here use it and I liked it. Afterward, I order a sample pack from them just to make sure I wouldn't like something else better, but I didn't...though the gloss black was nice. Above was "Diamond XXL Flat Powdercoat Flat Black." Very easy to work with, though I don't have much to compare it to.

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04 FXT 5MT Stage 2
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