[XtinctElise]

I am installing some GUT side fenders which I will be making functional to exhaust air from the front wheel wells. After cutting a hole in the wheel well I want to install a mesh grill small enough to keep stones & sand from sandblasting the paint.

Ideas? I would like to use an aluminum mesh if its available. What is recommended? I may need something with a smaller weave since this will be high sand kick-back area.

 

[451]

I've got mesh a few times from these guys and it's worked out great:

customcargrills.com - Custom Car and Truck Grills - Mesh Grill Sheets and More!

If not, try McMaster-carr they might have what you're looking for.

 

[BudUSMC]

I bought this stuff from Amazon and cut it to size to replace my front grills.

Powder Coated Black Mesh Grill

 

[Julian73]

Also Pegasus Racing

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=SCREEN

 

[MotoGeek]

I think any remotely open mesh will let sand right through it. I have fender vents directory above my wheels. I cut louvers in my stock fender liners and it seems to work well. There's enough open area for the air to wrap around, but no direct line for a rock or sand to pass through without at least hitting the liner first.

It seems to work. During a track day once, my wide tires rubbed through one of the liners so I removed it completely. Driving through the wet gravel parking lot afterwards at 5mph, mud flung up through the vents on that side, onto my windshield.

 

[XtinctElise]

I think any remotely open mesh will let sand right through it. I have fender vents directory above my wheels. I cut louvers in my stock fender liners and it seems to work well. There's enough open area for the air to wrap around, but no direct line for a rock or sand to pass through without at least hitting the liner first.

It seems to work. During a track day once, my wide tires rubbed through one of the liners so I removed it completely. Driving through the wet gravel parking lot afterwards at 5mph, mud flung up through the vents on that side, onto my windshield.

any photos?

 

[SwingLo]

I got the stuff from custom car grils and it's great. Came super quick and they sell it in small pieces (all you'd need) in black powder coat.

You can google multiple forums to find the best adhesive to apply it with. I would affix something the edges for the adhesive to adhere to versus glooping through the mesh.

Another idea is how the mesh kits come from KMT on the forum - mastic tape over each end of the mesh (maybe 2") and then use the 3M VHB Tape.

Another option is to get your mesh into the right shape, then fiberglass/resin a 1.5" strip along the edge. Smooth it out, now you've got a solid 'edge' to your mesh insert. Epoxy or 3M urethane it in and done.

 

[XtinctElise]

I plan on adhering it to the inside (back side) of the wheel well so you wont see the edges so I could probably just tape/glue it on over the plastic.

 

[XtinctElise]

Stainless Steel Mesh

I am thinking this is more like what I will need. A mesh screen. The one below has 40 openings per inch so less than a 1/32" opening. This is more than 2x smaller than the window screens on my house which are 16 openings per inch. You can get it in various materials, hopefully Stainless steel will hold up.

http://www.twpinc.com/control/productDetail.pdf?productCategoryId=TWPCAT_SS_Medium&product_id=040X040S0100W36T

 

[chronicles123]

I would reach out to a few different wire cloth and wire mesh manufacturers and ask for some samples - this way you can take a look for yourself and decide exactly what you need:

McMaster-Carr

Custom Wire Cloth - Belleville Wire Cloth Co - Cedar Grove, NJ


They should have the woven material in all of the sizes that you are looking for - they list on their sites all of the different opening sizes as well as the different sized wire diameters that come with each size of the woven wire mesh.

Good luck