Hi Guys,

I wanted to put some kind of grill mesh in my C6 to prevent rocks/debris from hitting the radiator. I didn't want to change the look of the car though and to me, most of the aftermarket grills were for looks and I didn't like them. I did find the GM Grille mesh (PN 17801009) that installs behind the stock grill but it was stainless witch would really change the look too, although their were very, very few pictures of it installed online apart from the photo from Chevy's website.

I went ahead and got it, but found a local guy who can powder coat parts and got it done in mat black to get it to blend in better. It cost me $30 extra, but oh well. As a result, I am happy with it. I figured I would share it with you guys in case any of you want to do the same, and since I could not find any good pictures of the mesh online. But if anyone doesn't paint it, you'll just have to imagine is looking like chrome.




I did have to remove the bumper to install it, but it wasn't very difficult. During the process, I figured out I could have gotten some expanded metal, painted it, and bent it to attach to the plastic push pins on the inside of the bumper. It would have been recessed back a ways, but would still do the job and be less noticeable. This would have also prevented me from having to remove the bumper.

 

Looks good. Better than the silver ones people get.

 

I like it!

 

Looks good! I always hated this when I had my base C6. The grill area was far too open and all the aftermarket solutions were tacky looking. Great job!

 

Here's mine with the "bright" finish, accentuated by the angle and lighting. From a normal height it's not so obvious.

 

Thanks for the reference! On that car with the black and silver, I don't think it looks bad.

 

Like it!

 

It looks good in black!

 

Looks good!
Never thought the openings between the grill were a problem. I have my base vert for 2 years now without any issues.

 

I got a billet grill and had it powder coated.

Craig

 

I haven't had any real problems or rocks getting stuck because of the underside opening, but I was skeptical because of it being so low and 1" diameter rocks could come in and hit the radiator. When I had the bumper off, their were certainly a decent amount of radiator fins that have been hit in the past. Nothing remotely as bad as my truck, but I wanted to make sure.

 

SteveE, that looks great! You still have to clean/brush/vacuum off the radiator a couple times a year depending on where you drive. Actually, its the A/C condenser that is in front of the radiator. Hard to get to the front of the "real" radiator.

Count yourself lucky. I recently returned from the eastern side of the state which presently has swarms of so-called Mormon Crickets all over the roads. What a mess to clean up!
But the yellow jackets/meat bees love the front of my car, free meal!

 

Haha I've noticed that a lot of bugs love the color of my car. I'm guessing because it looks like the ocean? The dragonflies especially will hover over my car all the way through parking lots.