GT3 mesh grill for a 997.2 Carrera S?
Discussion
Anyone know of a company that make a kit that's a straight replacement for the otherwise debris magnet standard bumper grills?
A friend of mine has just taken delivery of a gorgeous Aqua Blue gen 2 Carrera S and is concerned about the vulnerability of his rads.
Any help would be appreciated!
A friend of mine has just taken delivery of a gorgeous Aqua Blue gen 2 Carrera S and is concerned about the vulnerability of his rads.
Any help would be appreciated!

Jim1556 said:
Anyone know of a company that make a kit that's a straight replacement for the otherwise debris magnet standard bumper grills?
A friend of mine has just taken delivery of a gorgeous Aqua Blue gen 2 Carrera S and is concerned about the vulnerability of his rads.
Any help would be appreciated!
9E did a great job fabricating some for mine.A friend of mine has just taken delivery of a gorgeous Aqua Blue gen 2 Carrera S and is concerned about the vulnerability of his rads.
Any help would be appreciated!

I fitted grilles to my 997.2 turbo because of the amount of debris being hoovered up through the air vents.
It defies belief and in my case had holed one of the aircon rads causing the system to vent. No point replacing them without doing anything because it will just happen again.
There are some which fit in the front but they don't look good. To do a proper job you (or a helpful maintainer) need to remove the front bumper and cut material - readily available from Halfords - to shape. You attach the mesh using a combination of small self tappers and black cable ties.
Don't believe what the ignorant dealers tell you about the car overheating. In Kuwajt maybe but not here.
It defies belief and in my case had holed one of the aircon rads causing the system to vent. No point replacing them without doing anything because it will just happen again.
There are some which fit in the front but they don't look good. To do a proper job you (or a helpful maintainer) need to remove the front bumper and cut material - readily available from Halfords - to shape. You attach the mesh using a combination of small self tappers and black cable ties.
Don't believe what the ignorant dealers tell you about the car overheating. In Kuwajt maybe but not here.
Jim1556 said:
Do they do a kit or was it specially made?
Specially made, but a great job. The mesh is fixed to the intake duct behind the PU. It looks very factory, not flat but shaped to match the contours.(Both cars have since run at near 190mph with no overheating issues at all)
Edited by Xpuffin on Friday 15th August 23:13
blueSL said:
Don't believe what the ignorant dealers tell you about the car overheating. In Kuwajt maybe but not here.
Mentioned it once to a guy at Leeds OPC (towing the party line obviously as we know him quite well) and his was the same response, ie overheating...If that was the case, why is it standard on a GT3? (a very highly strung NA engine)
Overheating my arse!
Wonder if it's worth getting some replacement grills and use them to fabricate a mesh into them, behind the horizontal blades...?
Getting the front off is easier than you might imagine. It helps to remove both headlights which makes it easier to get to the slide clips which hold the front to the bodywork along the seam between headlight and boot. Some of the screws are accessed from behind the front of the wheel liners so it also helps to jack the car up securely on each side so that the wheels drop to get at the 4 screws at the front of each liner.
There are a number of places which describe/show it, some better than others, but once all the screws are out - about 25 in all, the front comes off easily, best to have someone to help. You can then clean and hover everywhere you can see.
In my case, as the air con had leaked (and this paragraph only for those whose has), I removed the front air con condensers - they were both shot - and cleaned behind them. You can replace them with Porsche original or pattern parts; replace the o-rings, wet them with aircon oil and torque the hose fixings to 14Nm. When all done, you'll need to have the aircon re-gassed, about £70.
Back to the front. You do it in 3 sections, centre and each side. Cut out a cardboard template and then use that to cut the grille material which you then fit using the type of self-tappers which have wide flat heads. The front is double skinned so there are places where you can safely use screws without them appearing through the front! You can also use black cable ties in unobtrusive positions to hold it in place.
Once in, it's important to trim off all excess so that the ducting on the car mates properly when it goes back together and keep that requirement in mind when you are selecting your fixing points. Important too that you use the same grille orientation for each section because it will look slightly different. I fitted one section with the grille material upside down and it showed and I had to re-do it.
Mine all went back perfectly and there have been absolutely no thermal problems; my new aircon rads still look like new behind the grilles.
There are a number of places which describe/show it, some better than others, but once all the screws are out - about 25 in all, the front comes off easily, best to have someone to help. You can then clean and hover everywhere you can see.
In my case, as the air con had leaked (and this paragraph only for those whose has), I removed the front air con condensers - they were both shot - and cleaned behind them. You can replace them with Porsche original or pattern parts; replace the o-rings, wet them with aircon oil and torque the hose fixings to 14Nm. When all done, you'll need to have the aircon re-gassed, about £70.
Back to the front. You do it in 3 sections, centre and each side. Cut out a cardboard template and then use that to cut the grille material which you then fit using the type of self-tappers which have wide flat heads. The front is double skinned so there are places where you can safely use screws without them appearing through the front! You can also use black cable ties in unobtrusive positions to hold it in place.
Once in, it's important to trim off all excess so that the ducting on the car mates properly when it goes back together and keep that requirement in mind when you are selecting your fixing points. Important too that you use the same grille orientation for each section because it will look slightly different. I fitted one section with the grille material upside down and it showed and I had to re-do it.
Mine all went back perfectly and there have been absolutely no thermal problems; my new aircon rads still look like new behind the grilles.
Edited by blueSL on Saturday 16th August 07:38
Edited by blueSL on Saturday 16th August 07:43
Hi Jim, here is how I did it:
Buy some of this

Remove bumper

Clean rads

Fit mesh

Jobs a goodun

More detail here if needs be
https://www.facebook.com/richard.beaumont.58367/me...
Buy some of this

Remove bumper

Clean rads

Fit mesh

Jobs a goodun

More detail here if needs be
https://www.facebook.com/richard.beaumont.58367/me...
Xpuffin said:
Jim looking at your profile you've got the skill sets to DIY it yourself.
Mesh from Halfords bumper off and hey presto!
Best thing is no one will have to duplicate inspect it either.
Indeed, but as I said, not my car. I'll pass it on and offer my services, thanks!Mesh from Halfords bumper off and hey presto!
Best thing is no one will have to duplicate inspect it either.

Richie, nice one. How're you getting on with yours? Still toying with the idea of a 991 GT3? ;-)
Jim1556 said:
Indeed, but as I said, not my car. I'll pass it on and offer my services, thanks!
Richie, nice one. How're you getting on with yours? Still toying with the idea of a 991 GT3? ;-)
Mate, if I had my way I would sell all property and buy an 8 car garage and then go out shopping to fill said garage. Ze Frau doesn't seem to like this idea for some reason; obviously I can't keep questioning her rational and lack of understanding as I like boobs almost as much as carsRichie, nice one. How're you getting on with yours? Still toying with the idea of a 991 GT3? ;-)

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