well i've contemplated doing this for a while and to be honest i still am not sure if i'm going to like it but my cars in the bodyshop getting my arches fixed after the wide track burnt my paint off! but while its in i'm getting bonnet, grill, rear bumper and front bumper painted due to marks or stonechips... so with the front bumper being done, it got to the point of, if i'm going to do it then it has to be done now.

i dropped the car off last tuesday and hadnt heard from them until friday when they asked about the crashbar and what to do about it, i thought about it and decided it best they left it alone and once i get round to getting a FMIC then i'll worry about cutting it myself.

so after speaking to them today to find out when i should expect to get it back they said it was in to be painted today and should expect to have it finished tomorrow. so i asked for a pic of the front bumper as the guy reckoned it was looking good:

i dont think it looks too bad but will reserve judgement until i see the car all in one piece and finished.

one question i have is once this is being done, what do most people do with the huge hole in the front end?

i was trying so find some nice black plastic mesh to try keep it looking meant but had no luck and in the end had to buy some aluminum mesh from B&Q (which cost me £30!!) and getting the bodyshop to spray it black for me.

ironically, Ripspeed mesh from halfrauds is actually really good quality, and that's what I used.

Please please please make sure you make the effort....

http://briskoda.net/fabia-i/big-mouth-grill-what-you-think/119965/

Please please please make sure you make the effort....

http://briskoda.net/fabia-i/big-mouth-grill-what-you-think/119965/

mines is being done by a very highly reputable bodyshop that mostly deal with exotic and very high end cars so i know the job they will do is going to be first class.

i should have asked about the mesh part sooner, and at the end of the day the stuff i got should do the job nicely once they fit it.

i had a look closely at pictures of jasons one to investigate the crashbar but didnt want to describe how to do it over the phone so me and my very competant mechanic mate will sort that part out upon fitting a front mount.

as i said i have thought long and hard about this so cutting corners will simply not happen.

ironically, Ripspeed mesh from halfrauds is actually really good quality, and that's what I used.

funnily enough the shop i work from sells very similar stuff and a good bit cheaper than what i paid but we were out of stock when i needed it, although i'm hoping the fact i got aluminium is going to prevent any chance of rusting which i've seen all too often on mesh being stuck to bumpers in the past.

only thing i dont like is i couldnt buy black stuff off the shelf

Looks good so far,

I have some thick plastic type mesh on mine and it fits really well, if your having the metal mesh sprayed black the paint will chip off quite easily

I'm sure they'll lacquer it

It still chips, mine does need painting quite often. I have got some anodised black mesh to re do mine t some point.

Powder coat then but it costs a fair bit and eventually that chips too

Looks good so far,

I have some thick plastic type mesh on mine and it fits really well, if your having the metal mesh sprayed black the paint will chip off quite easily

its thick black plastic mesh i was hoping to come across, where did you source it?

I have got some anodised black mesh to re do mine t some point.

and same question to you

i do like the look on your car there, looks very mean!

its thick black plastic mesh i was hoping to come across, where did you source it?

The big mouth was already done on the car when I bought it so I dont know I'm afraid, heres a pic of it though,

I have tidied it up at the top so it sits a bit better since i took this pic last year

Hope it helps

Not seen one on a red vRS yet but looks good so far

The big mouth was already done on the car when I bought it so I dont know I'm afraid, heres a pic of it though,

I have tidied it up at the top so it sits a bit better since i took this pic last year

Hope it helps

Sorry, but to me that looks like a 4 bar electric fire.........

I quite like it, but how do you fix the mesh (whatever kind it is) to the back side of the bumper?

mine is siliconed in behind

Sorry, but to me that looks like a 4 bar electric fire.........

Please explain ?

Please explain ?

I could only find a piccy of a 2 bar one but I see his point

Haha yeah can see the resemblance

I personally don't think big mouth look the part on black furbys hence why I haven't done it.

Silver for sure and we'll soon find out on red.

mine is siliconed in behind

Mine is kind of bent round 90 degrees, which I imagine you did? and then sealed with polyurethane glue, which I reckon would achieve the same result. Mine does fit quite well in the gap - flush with the leading edge all the way round.

Right! That's it. I'm doing mine. SMIC or not, I'm still doing it. (That way when SWMBO says it looks silly with nothing behind it, I'll have an excuse:rofl:)

At risk of sounding foolish...

Would it be easy to reposition the SMIC to the front and doing the big mouth to decrease heat soak?

And a slightly more silly question.. could you hook up two of the SM's in series and mount them both at the front?

How did the insurance react to this mod? Would have thought they might have been upset you altered the bumper area so radically.

Also the number plate doesnt appear to be BS compliant and can it be offset and at an angle like on the pic?

Also the number plate doesnt appear to be BS compliant and can it be offset and at an angle like on the pic?

Alfa did it like that on the "whatever number it was" model. Must be legal?