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John sent me his instructions for building a mesh grill. He did it for about AUS$85. Should work on most 206's
Just spent Saturday making a wire mesh lower grill cover.
Only cost $70 for the stainless steel mesh and $15 for the rubber strip.
Instruction for the Grill
Purchase a 1 metre length of woven stainless steel mesh (sheet width is
1220 mm).
I used Aperture 11 mm, Diameter 1.6 mm from Melwire Pty Ltd (Head Office
03 9551 2344). Ask for the sheet to be packed flat - mine was rolled
into a cylinder and took hours to flatten out. Give the sheet a good
clean as it will be covered with graphite dust. You will need 3 metres
of black rubber 9 mm x 6 mm 'U' channel. I got mine from Clark Rubber
for $5.50 per metre. You will also need a packet of black cable ties and
black silicone sealant.
Using a good pair on wire cutters, cut the sheet along the diagonal.
There's enough mesh to have two goes at getting it right. Cut the loops
off the side of your mesh, then you can skew the diamond shaped
apertures to get the effect you desire. I used a few 100 mm lengths of
wire to hold the sheet at the desired skewness, otherwise it springs
back to square.
Pop the plastic lower grill out of the car and put it on a table. Lay
the diagonal edge along the top edge of the plastic grill and use cable
ties to temporally hold the mesh to the grill (starting at the top
edge). You will have to drill a few holes out to the sides of the grill
to accommodate cable ties where needed. Work your way round the grill
trimming the mesh about 2 mm inside the edge of the plastic grill - This
is the most critical task so take your time. Near some of the corners
you may find short segments of wire that want to fall out. Tape them in
place for the time being.
You have to cut off the tow ring with an angle grinder. You could leave
it on and cut a hole in the mesh if you want, but I wanted a clean look.
Remember to paint the cut end to stop rust.
Run the 'U' channel rubber strip around the edge of the mesh starting at
the edge of the number plate surround and 'mitring' the bottom corners
without cutting all the way through the rubber. The strip on top of the
number plate surround is separate.
When you are happy with the fit, cut the cable ties and carefully remove
the mesh. Reinstall the plastic lower grill and fit the mesh to the
grill with cable ties starting at top middle. You will be able to reach
behind the grill to pull tight some cable ties, but some will have to be
fastened from the front, in which case trim the cable tie and push the
locking mechanism through the aperture of the mesh to hide it.
Finally use black silicone to finish the mitre joints and to fasten any
loose strands of mesh (taped above) in the rubber channel.
John Hales - Sep 2002
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