[DeTomaso] Front/rear grille material
MikeLDrew at aol.com
MikeLDrew at aol.com
Tue Apr 1 01:34:14 EDT 2008
Hi guys,
Got this from Tom Galli today, a lurker who can't post for some reason. He
showed me samples of the grille material he got, and he's right--other than
being square instead of diamond-shaped, it's identical. It's a simple matter
to distort the square stuff to get the appropriate diamond shape prior to
installation.
Mike
====
Mike,
Please pass this on to the forum for me.
Back in 2000 when I got the Mangusta I was curious about availability of
grill and AC mesh. My reference files for wire cloth held a number of catalogues
from various manufacturers. Finding a match to the mesh grill work proved
quick and easy so I did not pursue this any further.
Recently someone on the forum asked about availability of the mesh grill
with a follow up post from someone else stating that the Vendors had
unsuccessfully spent months looking for this stuff.
I again looked through my catalogues with the same results as before. So I
asked myself, what am I missing? Surely the Vendors didn't miss something so
banal. I requested a sample from a local manufacturer and compared it to the
grill work. Not having calipers with me when comparing the two I could not
detect any appreciable difference. You must remember that I have a Mangusta and not
a Pantera so I was not aware of any possible changes between the cars front
and rear mesh work. This prompted me to look at the Pantera mesh work. My
conclusion was that the Vendors failed to recognize the front Pantera mesh is made
into a diamond pattern by tweaking the square mesh to the desired diamond
shape. (the mesh is not a welded fabric but a woven cloth, allowing flexibility in
changing the square to a diamond). So I have to assume that the Vendors were
looking for a diamond pattern mesh, which, of course, is definitely not
available.
Sooooooooo...... Bottom line is that the mesh is a standard item at any
manufacturer of wire cloth and that the spec is: 1/2" square opening, inter crimp,
with .080 wire. CAUTION: 1/2" OPENING IS NOT THE SAME AS 1/2" MESH OR #2
MESH- MESH IS MEASURED FROM CENTER LINE OF WIRE TO CENTER LINE OF WIRE.. This
standard item is available in many different materials, which probably varies
from manufacturer to manufacturer. Locally it is available in steel, galvanized
steel, brass, aluminum, stainless steel, and electro polished stainless
steel.(sure does look like chrome). Call your local manufacturer for pricing, for I'm
sure it varies.
Be aware that the original metric mesh opening is 13 mm and SAE version
opening is 12.7 mm and the original metric wire is 2 mm with the SAE version being
2.032 mm. So for you purists, the mesh is not an exact match, but so close
as to not be a noticeable difference. However, for a formidible price I can
get an exact match.
Your welcome,
Tom Galli
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