Homemade Grills
If you were into imports, especially Honda's, somewhere around 1993, you probably remember the infamous homemade mesh grill kits. No one is quite sure where it all started, though it was probably adopted from the body kit companies that included a mesh screen to fill the large openings on most of their front and rear bumpers. The more extreme the body kits became the more mesh that was used to sit behind the multiple openings.
The most popular choice for do-it-yourself pioneers had to be the screen door mesh you'd generally find at Home Depot. Literally taken from a screen door frame, it was easy to bend into shape, yet strong enough to hold firmly. The thin metal structure could be sawed through with a tiny Dremel tool. OEM bumpers were removed and factory grills chopped out to make room for the trendy garnish. Securing the mesh to the factory bumper proved to be difficult, leaving some to rely on multiple zip ties, or heavy duty staple guns for completion. Over the years, as the trend had passed its peaked, aftermarket companies hoping to cash in on the phenomenon before it completely fizzled began offering pre-fabricated grill inserts that simply screwed right into your factory bumper. This proved to be a turn-off to those who had opted to create their own kits, and the beginning of the end wasn't far away.
While we saw fewer and fewer modified factory bumpers, the aero companies increased their use of the metal screens in bumpers, hoods, and even custom fender openings. Those who wanted to go the extra mile would sometimes spray paint their mesh grill a color contrasting with their car's body tone. Others would trim away a portion of the mesh in order to mount their aftermarket fog lights in the front bumper. Like it or not, this scrappy little piece of metal holds a place in the Honda history books.
