any one have a way to compress the fasteners used to hold down thw grill welting?

CJ,

You don't need to buy a $30.00 tool.  A vise grip and a large flat screw driver will do the trick. 

Poke the hole through the welt.
 
Insert the rivet.  Catch the underside edge of the of the grill with the vise grip (use some padding if freshly painted)  and with leverage, press the rivet top with the othe jaw of the vise grip.

Hold this position while you use a large standard screw diver to spread the rivet open as much as you can.  Once the rivet is slightly spread, use the vise grip to finish the crimp. 

I had a freshly painted grill.  Not wanting to scratch it up, I brought it inside, set up on a carpet and a blanket for extra protection.

It's a little tricky, but once you get the routine down, it will go pretty quick.


Tim

I took a set of those pliers with the slot to open them up a notch and added weld to each side of the jaws. This way the throat of them was open enough to clear the sheet metal but they still pinched fully closed.

-Jesse

Oooh,  I like Macs idea.  The fraying was a concern for me when I was cutting a slot for the rivet.  That welting is pretty tough.

Tim

Very nice Ryan.      Looks perfect. There is something very personally satisfying when completing these tasks.  If you're like me,  I just stared at my grille all night once I got to this point.  

Have I said how much I like that gray?

Tim

Looks great!  More power to the shade tree mechanic!