Art of Rally

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Random Acts of Bling, 7/5/04

The one thing that I really wasn't happy with on this car was the front grille design. The thick diagonal slats in dull, rubbery-black plastic just seemed to scream "cheap:"

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With guidance & inspiration from some posts on EvolutionM.net, I cut out the slats with a scroll saw & Dremel rotary tool, filled up the gaps in the remaining inserts with Bondo body putty, sanded them, and painted them with Krylon Fusion in gloss black. For actual grille material, I picked up a roll of gutter guard mesh at the local hardware store, treated it with a coat of adhesion promoter, and painted it. I tried both Krylon "Rust Tough Enamel" in gloss black as well as Dupli-color Metalcast Red. I think black looks more serious, but I'd never seen the faux-anodized look attempted, so I went for that. The grille shape was traced & cut out to install onto the backs of the inserts, and I affixed them with a very careful application of Shoe Goo. If I decide to keep the red inserts in, I'll probably follow up with JB Weld for permanence. Shoe Goo will certainly be easier to defeat, though, if I do decide that the red is not to my liking.

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The black inserts match the factory paint pretty well now, rather than sticking out as molded plastic add-ons. The grille itself looks different under different lighting conditions and from different angles, thanks to the anodized metallic effect (it's natural aluminum underneath).

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I think this will look even better once I get my red Mitsu emblem overlay.

Engine compartment dress-up also begain today, with some silicone vacuum hose and new split wire looms:

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