GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

this saturday, phil went to work and i went to lowes. with the help of some online assistance from members on legacygtowners.com, i "attempted" to do this... twice (and most likely will try again to perfect it).stock grill:dremel, sand paper, and some time:attempt 1:attempt 2: cut out a mold, and then shape the mesh... lined w/ black screening to help keep out the bugs!messed up sides:completed attempt 2:the "whole" look:

Not bad for a DIY job!IMHO, glue the subie logo back in the center for the more "authentic" look. Plus I think it breaks up the monotony of it. overall though, looks good.

well, i'm going to place the logo on there but not sure where. plus i have ryan sending me some custom overlays for the emblem too. so have to put it somewhere right? lol

Why not replace the Subaru logo with a Vibe and/or TRD logo?

ha ha! now that really would confuse the masses!

now just make a custom body kit from 2x4s and youre on the wayjk

I think that looks really good!

Wow... you got the shizzle all up in your grille! Looks good so far. Keep us posted on the progress.BTW... I like the background in the last pic... Alaska is beautiful! (especially compared to the industrial wastelands of Indiana. lol!)

THat looks great!Good DYI

Um, that's, um, interesting... How many horsepower did that add? Kinda looks like a Civic or something now... I have to say I like the stock grille better, but to each his/her own...

Yeah, that looks like any other ricer out on the road. Go back to stock or do something else different.

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Um, that's, um, interesting... How many horsepower did that add? Kinda looks like a Civic or something now... I have to say I like the stock grille better, but to each his/her own... Honestly I kind of agree here... If a mod looks good, does not matter whose car or what kind, I will say than it looks good. I would do the lowers left and right first. JMO!

Quote, originally posted by ShadowRuleZ »Yeah, that looks like any other ricer out on the road. Go back to stock or do something else different.um going back to stock is not an option. plus, i don't care for the stock grill. it reminds me of my parent's impala. imo, i don't think it looks like rice. after looking through many pics on the legacy forums, JDM forums, etc, i like this overall look better than the billet grills. i'm not finished yet of course. i'm planning to "attempt" to cover the lower open grills and also the hood scoop. the main reason for this is not for "looks" but for function. the radiator sits right behind the front grill and the lower grill. i get so many bugs and stones hitting it, i'd rather them hit a cheap gutter grill that can be replaced than the radiator! the hood scoop opens above the top mounted intercooler and that too collects leaves, bugs, and stones. the smaller mesh and screening will keep that crap out. and if it looks better, then why not. you're just jealous cause i have a turbo.. j/k

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe » you're just jealous cause i have a turbo.. j/kOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Strong words comin from de Subie. Best watch out. It looks different. I'ma keep it at that. And Hope, that does make sense about the functionality aspect.Inder

ooh, i envy the low gas mileage/premium fuel! i dont think anyone is trying to be mean, just offering honest opinions. i refrained from the rice comments, ive already had enough IMed warnings this month! in the end, if you like it, that's all that should matter.

apparently no one saw the and j/k.... sheesh!

but this weekend on our day trip out to Big Game Alaska Wildlife Center, I was getting 25 mpg! i was sooooo happy!

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »apparently no one saw the and j/k.... sheesh! who's mad here?certainly not I!

good, drunken. i was worried.

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »in the end, if you like it, that's all that should matter.Yep. Personally, I don't like it.

it looks fine to me, but I didn't hate the stock look to it either lol...and she does all this stuff when I'm not home, and when I am, I just do something else and let her at it cause I'd have no clue.

hey, desert... you need 2 more posts to hit 1000! anyways, i like it. it's different and i don't believe anyone else up here w/ a LGT has done this. if not for a little modification, then there are probably 50 cars that look EXACTLY the same as mine. and i hate that.

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »but this weekend on our day trip out to Big Game Alaska Wildlife Center, I was getting 25 mpg! i was sooooo happy! crap, I RARELY get that much! And she's got a fricken turbo!!!

here are some other examples of grills:Surface mesh $306.25sport grill (fugly imo) $277.68mesh grill $277.68front carbon grill $364.29front grill (carbon) $454.00see..... $20 is a good price! lol

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »crap, I RARELY get that much! And she's got a fricken turbo!!!well that was all hwy miles! and that's the best i've EVER gotten!

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »you're just jealous cause i have a turbo.. j/kI was just giving my honest opinion. Mesh home depot kits are what 99% of ricers do to fill the holes in their body kits, especially went they don't have a FMIC to fill the space.And in return, the reason I don't have a turbo is because I'd rather buy a house than a car. I'll keep driving my beaters since two months of your payment is the equivalent of the purchase price of my beaters. I've put ~100k miles on 2k worth of cars, and gotten $600 back when I sold them. Heh, the sport grill makes it look like a saab. If you take the time to mold it and not just sort of tape it to the back of the opening (by bending the edges and such even more than what you did), it might not look to bad. Those all look like they were painted - you might want to look into doing that as well.

what makes all those other grills look nicer then the cheap wire mesh is that they have the logo in the middle. That wire mesh is too cheap looking, and just doesn't do it for me.

Quote, originally posted by ShadowRuleZ »I was just giving my honest opinion. Mesh home depot kits are what 99% of ricers do to fill the holes in their body kits, especially went they don't have a FMIC to fill the space.no, the IC is a TMIC. there is a kit to relocate the IC to a FMIC with a much larger one but that of course is $$$. would be cool, but for 4 hp more gain, no thanks. i used the mesh grill for now because i'm not a welder nor do i have the tools to do it. however, my buddy's father does and i'm hoping this winter he will help me build a custom (real) grill that is not made of cheap (removed) mesh. again, there is an actual reason for doing the grill. read that same post again and you'll see.Quote »And in return, the reason I don't have a turbo is because I'd rather buy a house than a car. I'll keep driving my beaters since two months of your payment is the equivalent of the purchase price of my beaters. I've put ~100k miles on 2k worth of cars, and gotten $600 back when I sold them. that's great for you. however my job requires that i have a "nicer" vehicle that is reliable and available to go wherever whenever. if i do not, then i am fired. it says so in the contract i signed. i agree with you however, that if perhaps i'd waited on buying the car, i may have found something similar or somewhat as nice for less money. i wish i could have a beater car and just drive it for that many miles, but the reality is i cannot afford to have a vehicle that won't work. last winter when my battery in the vibe wouldn't start, i was late for work 3 times. i was warned, get a new battery, new car, or new job. of course, i got the new battery. we too want a house/condo in the next year that we're trying to save up for. kudos for you that you're able to do that in a more conservative manner. Quote »Heh, the sport grill makes it look like a saab. If you take the time to mold it and not just sort of tape it to the back of the opening (by bending the edges and such even more than what you did), it might not look to bad. Those all look like they were painted - you might want to look into doing that as well.well, after struggling with the damn grill piece for over 6 hrs, i conceded in letting it look OK. it's not perfect, it's not great. but rather than have a gaping hole in the middle, it'll do for now until i have the time (hopefully later today) to redo it. i have not put the emblem back on yet as i mentioned in one of the first posts because I'm waiting for some custom overlays from Ryan. plus, until i get the grill just right, i don't want to waste my time. if you look closer you will see the grill is actually bowed out which is why i had such a heck of a time with the corners! i have limited tools so it was mostly me bending the mesh in place and back and forth until it came apart. (this is also why it took me 6 hrs+). i'm also going to paint one of the grills and see if i like it better, however i don't think it'll quite match the car too much since i was trying to get rid of the "black" parts in the first place. we'll see...

a concern i would have is that as soon as a decent sized rock hits it, it will make a dent in your mesh. i would just leave it as is for now, rather than to spend tons more time, only to have a dent in it a week later. i say just leave it like that till you can see about getting homeboy to make you one.

hmmm... that's a very good point. and quite likely that would happen. but i'm extremely bored and don't want to be on the computer all day today.... so it gives me something to do and i already have all the parts....

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »hmmm... that's a very good point. and quite likely that would happen. but i'm extremely bored and don't want to be on the computer all day today.... so it gives me something to do and i already have all the parts.... well, if you need something to do, go for it! hell, if you have time, make some backups, so when the time comes, you can just swap.

that's exactly what i was thinking.....

"...i don't care for the stock grill. it reminds me of my parent's impala..."ha! nice one! and nice job! grill looks good. i was thinking of doing the same, kinda...but just to the bottom of the vibe.

Quote, originally posted by ramenboy... »"...i don't care for the stock grill. it reminds me of my parent's impala..."ha! nice one! and nice job! grill looks good. i was thinking of doing the same, kinda...but just to the bottom of the vibe. Just plow into a snow bank, break that off and your all set. She did that to her Vibe, but just left it open...

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »that's great for you. however my job requires that i have a "nicer" vehicle that is reliable and available to go wherever whenever. if i do not, then i am fired. it says so in the contract i signed. i agree with you however, that if perhaps i'd waited on buying the car, i may have found something similar or somewhat as nice for less money. i wish i could have a beater car and just drive it for that many miles, but the reality is i cannot afford to have a vehicle that won't work. last winter when my battery in the vibe wouldn't start, i was late for work 3 times. i was warned, get a new battery, new car, or new job. of course, i got the new battery. we too want a house/condo in the next year that we're trying to save up for. kudos for you that you're able to do that in a more conservative manner. Wow, what kind of job do you have that has this kind of requirement?

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »um going back to stock is not an option. plus, i don't care for the stock grill. it reminds me of my parent's impala. imo, i don't think it looks like rice. after looking through many pics on the legacy forums, JDM forums, etc, i like this overall look better than the billet grills. i'm not finished yet of course. i'm planning to "attempt" to cover the lower open grills and also the hood scoop. the main reason for this is not for "looks" but for function. the radiator sits right behind the front grill and the lower grill. i get so many bugs and stones hitting it, i'd rather them hit a cheap gutter grill that can be replaced than the radiator! the hood scoop opens above the top mounted intercooler and that too collects leaves, bugs, and stones. the smaller mesh and screening will keep that crap out. and if it looks better, then why not. you're just jealous cause i have a turbo.. j/kI dunno, but you might want to remove the black screening. Bugs/debris may pass the gutter guard, but will then clog up the screening behind it, thus restricting airflow. This is especially true for your scoop, and that can't be good for the induction system.As for the look, I'm not sure yet...but I AM sure that grilling the scoop and other inlets would look worse IMHO.

Quote, originally posted by binary »Wow, what kind of job do you have that has this kind of requirement?outside sales. i drive 80% or more of the time in my car. when one of the newbies had car problems, couldn't get his to run for a week, he was told he'd better get some reliable transportation because his job requires him to get to his appointments and get sales. no car = no appointments = no sales = no job in OUTSIDE salesit's like a real estate agent. who's going to spend a lot of money with someone who drives a rusted out civic or doesn't actually run to get them and their clients to the potential house they want to purchase? if they can't afford a car, it's perceived that they must not know what the hell they are doing therefore that customer may go to another agent in your stead.

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »I dunno, but you might want to remove the black screening. Bugs/debris may pass the gutter guard, but will then clog up the screening behind it, thus restricting airflow. This is especially true for your scoop, and that can't be good for the induction system.As for the look, I'm not sure yet...but I AM sure that grilling the scoop and other inlets would look worse IMHO.the gutter screening seems to be doing a pretty decent job keeping the bugs and junk out so far. i may or may not take out the black screening when i do grill #3. right now however, i'm working on my resume so i can get it out there and start the fun process of job hunting... ugh!

and christian, it's ok if you don't like it. i still like you anyways. lol

I kind of like how it would look with the scoop done that way as well.

Attached files

trust me, thats her next project that I'll come home to find she has done lol

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »and christian, it's ok if you don't like it. i still like you anyways. lolHehe, and it's ok that you like it, because I still like you anyway Actually, that photochop of the scoop grille doesn't look half bad...I might consider eating my words..

Okay I'm really tired of working today so here is some more photochopping of the stuff. This chopping didn't turn out as well. I tried putting your emblem back in too.

Attached files

well arriving unawares to me cause I didn't even know anything was ordered or she was going to do this, pretty much anything... Oh well... But she got overlays in the shape of the Subaru emblem but with her name on it... I assume they are going somewhere on the vehicle.

well all items were well under $50 combined and ordered before the bomb dropped. and yes, the overlays will cover the front, rear and steering wheel emblems.

ok, this morning before the company picnic:

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »trust me, thats her next project that I'll come home to find she has done lolyep. but no pic of the grill and hood scoop. the car is getting the tint fixed and the grill is on the table in my living room being redone.

trd i think it looks sweet. must say can't wait to see an emblem back on it tho looks naked or something. maybe the emblem on the lower right of the center mesh. i think that would look pretty cool. but like everyone says its yourcar, your opion is the one that matters in the long run keep us posted on the scooby-rue

i redid the grill but the other one looked much better imo. of course that's the mesh i cut up for the hood scoop, go figure. oh well.... i think i know what happened with this one: i folded the mesh in half and cut the grill out w/ 2 layers. i don't feel like taking it out again to cut the 2 apart.... so whatever. but i reattached the emblem and added my overlay from ryan.

yep, i'm gonna have to cut the 2 apart before i reinstall the grill. that just looks like crap.