Headlight screen

Before I make my CAI, I wanted to get cool air into my cone air filter. I discovered that a good way to do this was to remove the left hi-beam headlight and the plastic panel directly behind the headlights (I think this may only work if you have the lame US sealed-beam headlights). I had it this way for a short time, but quickly grew tired of my car looking like my headlight fell out. I decided to put a screen over the hole and make it blend in a bit more. Here is a finished view from outside and inside:

I picked up some wire mesh from a hardware store and some silver spray paint. I removed the headlight bezel and bucket from the car, then painted the headlight bucket silver. This will give the appearance that a headlight is still there. Here is the painted bucket and the plastic panel that I removed from behind the headlight:

I then cut out some wire mesh giving me a piece a few inches larger than the headlight bezel. I slowly pushed the mesh in, shaping it to the inside of the bezel. Once I had that finished, I trimmed most of the extra wire mesh off. I did leave a few tabs of the mesh around the places where the bezel screws to the bucket. This way, when the bezel is screwed to the bucket, the mesh will be sandwiched in between, holding it firmly in place. You will notice that I have painted my headlight bezels black. This is a great cosmetic improvement. You don't realize what a difference it makes until you see a car that has this done.

I then reassembled all the pieces, and was happy with the outcome. From a distance it looks like the headlight is still there, and if you look closely to see that the headlight is gone, it is obvious that the removal was intentional.

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