Tweet
As I looked at so many nice Kats on this site, one mod that stood out for me was a mesh mod, so I thought I would get off the coutch and do that to my 06 - 600.
As I was doing this mod I thought I would share along what is involved with such a mod. So here you go!
So when you start be prepared to commit to the project. I felt to do a propper job, I needed to take off the ferrings. Now if you dont "feel" like taking the ferrings off, then stay on the coutch and don't do this mod.
As I was doing this mod I thought I would share along what is involved with such a mod. So here you go!
So when you start be prepared to commit to the project. I felt to do a propper job, I needed to take off the ferrings. Now if you dont "feel" like taking the ferrings off, then stay on the coutch and don't do this mod.
Tools and gear I used: Allen Keys, Epoxy, Spray Paint, Leaf -It Plastic Gutter Guard (found at Home Depot), screw driver (Small Phillips), the wife's good scissors 
I included a before shot. To me the holes in the ferrings make the Kat look incomplete.
The "Leaf - It" gutter guard is a plastic mesh. I suppose you could use metal mesh, but you may have trouble trying to find an adhesive, not to mention that it conducts heat and additional problems may arrise. I found that the plastic took the paint well. I just used a few shots of white spray paint on the mesh. The gutter guard comes black, but I felt it wouldn't be noticed with the dark blue ferring. I chose a contrasting colour for the wow effect. Im sure you can paint a few coats on both sides, but I figured I will only see one side of the mesh, and it cut the drying time in half by only painting the one side. Just an after thought but I am sure you can ghost some sort of cool image in the mesh as well. I am not that artistic, but ...
So I took the ferrings off while the paint was drying. Be sure to take all the screws and bolts out before pulling the ferring off. Remember to remove all the "hidden" screws out before pulling and yes, I know you wont like it, but remove the mirrors too. If you pull too hard and crack your plastic, dont be yelling at me! Just saying you shouldnt have to be yanking, cause chances are there is a screw or a bolt you missed somewhere. If you are organized like me (as you can tell by my messy garage) you may want to put the screws and bolts into a zipper bag or a pail. Just be sure to seperate the screws for each ferring. Also, this gives you a chance to clean out some of those dirty parts you normally cant reach.
I placed the ferring faced down on some cardboard to prevent scratches. (for all you Coke drinkers, you can use a coke box too, and for all you beer drinkers...well I can go on).
I put the mesh over the holes (painted side down) and sized them up. I used the "good scissors" to trim the plastic. (Dont tell my wife!). It's kind of deceiving, but try your best to line up the mesh the same way over each of the holes. I lined up the straight edges of the gutter guard parallel. You will know what I mean once you pick up your ferring off the ground and the criss cross pattern is all out of wack with the other holes.
Once I was satisfied with the placement I mixed up a couple of squirts of epoxy, and spread it around the rim of the opening with a popsicle stick, and placed the mesh over the hole. Once it was placed, i gave the mesh a couple more epoxy squirts and placed some weight over the mesh, and worked on the next hole. For weight I used a plastic milk jug filled with water. Boy, was I glad my recycle bin was nearby !!!
So I chose to use epoxy because it bonds / adhears to plastic well. You could use some of that liquid nails stuff, but I found that whatever you use will drip out the other side of your ferring. The epoxy after 10 minutes or so will scrape off with your fingernail without taking off the paint. Use what you want but beware that you may be using sand paper on the visible side of your ferring to clean up your "better glue". The epoxy recommended a set up time between 12-14h. Dont wait that long to remove the drippings off the front of the ferrings though.
So after about 20 minutes I put the ferrings back on and let it sit. After about 3 hours I peeled out onto the highway to see if the mesh would blow out of the holes, but they didn't. It seems like they held up ok after the first couple of days. They didn't melt or get hot from being so close to the engine. I would recommend having your friends, or your significant other, resist the uncontrolable urge to go "how pretty", and poke the mesh off the inside of the ferring. That's a story for the lounge.
Anyway the final product is there for your viewing pleasure, I thought it improved the look, but I am also pretty sure I gained at minimum 3 more hp, from this. It only cost about $15 including paint, mesh and epoxy.
Comment