Grill mod with facia on-cheap and easy!!
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Registered User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 64
From: Peoria, IL
Grill mod with facia on-cheap and easy!!
http://images.cardomain.com/installs...971_2_full.jpg
FIrst of all my mod doesn't cover filling the 4 small holes uncovered after the insert is removed! So be advised...
first you need
1-4' section of alum gutter covering about $1.60
you'll need 4-2" drywall screws
something to cut the gutter mesh
a branch saw with just a handle and about 14" blade-no support bar
black spray paint
vice grips
10mm socket
first off with the lic plate
carefully pop off the black plastic insert off the front of the car
to get at the pieces that fall off the back of the insert- pop off the black pastic fasteners off the under side of the nose. Simply clamp the vice grips on the center tab of the fastener and pull. Remove them all and get the lose pairs out of the bottom of the facia.
cut about a 7" piece of mesh
remove all the black fasteners along the front top of the facia
remove the headlights by taking th e10mm bolt off the center support. Unplug the headlamps and slide the unit over till free and work it out.
mask the holes now exposed by stuffing newspaper over the lip of the holes. paint the area black to your liking. Remove the newspaper without getting paint evreywhere!
Inserting the mesh:
using the saw, start cutting into the foam and make a cut toward the outside and cut far enough back and down to intsert the rectangular mesh down and over. The cut will also have to be wide enough for the mesh to slide in! So use a lot of upstrokes!
BE VERY CAREFUL NO TO LET THE BLADE NICK UP YOUR FACIA. Once you've removed unough foam, work it down into position as needed.
I trimmed the mesh a couple times since it is a rectangle that has to go in at an angle.
Bend the edges from behind to contour the edges of the facia. Then take a drywall screw & from the front of the car and out of sight sink the screw in a perpendicular direction (at either tire to secure the mesh). Do one on the left & right side to hold it in place.
Put the head light ***'y back in (& the fasteners back in if all done) and repeat for the other side.
I also broke the rivets off the back of the plastic insert and mounted my license plate holder with 3 screws. There were already template marks on the nose.
I spent an hout and a half but a lot of that time was spent finding out I don't want to have to remove the whole facia.
I'll tackle the small exposed holes later they're not that easy to see and others have said the body shop took care of them pretty cheaply.
THe pic is of ratio411 on ls1tech.com. A shop has to use a pliable bumper cover fill and a lil paint. They'll know what they need. And like I said the holes are small and don't stand out.
------------------
2000 Z28-Deep Maroon
Mac Headers With Off-Road Pipe
Vigilante Torque Converter 2800 stall 2.5 STR
Hooker 3" catback w/cut out & McCord
FTRA Kit
Dynamic Motorsports SFC's
[This message has been edited by Bull_in_a_china_shop (edited August 05, 2002).]
FIrst of all my mod doesn't cover filling the 4 small holes uncovered after the insert is removed! So be advised...
first you need
1-4' section of alum gutter covering about $1.60
you'll need 4-2" drywall screws
something to cut the gutter mesh
a branch saw with just a handle and about 14" blade-no support bar
black spray paint
vice grips
10mm socket
first off with the lic plate
carefully pop off the black plastic insert off the front of the car
to get at the pieces that fall off the back of the insert- pop off the black pastic fasteners off the under side of the nose. Simply clamp the vice grips on the center tab of the fastener and pull. Remove them all and get the lose pairs out of the bottom of the facia.
cut about a 7" piece of mesh
remove all the black fasteners along the front top of the facia
remove the headlights by taking th e10mm bolt off the center support. Unplug the headlamps and slide the unit over till free and work it out.
mask the holes now exposed by stuffing newspaper over the lip of the holes. paint the area black to your liking. Remove the newspaper without getting paint evreywhere!
Inserting the mesh:
using the saw, start cutting into the foam and make a cut toward the outside and cut far enough back and down to intsert the rectangular mesh down and over. The cut will also have to be wide enough for the mesh to slide in! So use a lot of upstrokes!
BE VERY CAREFUL NO TO LET THE BLADE NICK UP YOUR FACIA. Once you've removed unough foam, work it down into position as needed.
I trimmed the mesh a couple times since it is a rectangle that has to go in at an angle.
Bend the edges from behind to contour the edges of the facia. Then take a drywall screw & from the front of the car and out of sight sink the screw in a perpendicular direction (at either tire to secure the mesh). Do one on the left & right side to hold it in place.
Put the head light ***'y back in (& the fasteners back in if all done) and repeat for the other side.
I also broke the rivets off the back of the plastic insert and mounted my license plate holder with 3 screws. There were already template marks on the nose.
I spent an hout and a half but a lot of that time was spent finding out I don't want to have to remove the whole facia.
I'll tackle the small exposed holes later they're not that easy to see and others have said the body shop took care of them pretty cheaply.
THe pic is of ratio411 on ls1tech.com. A shop has to use a pliable bumper cover fill and a lil paint. They'll know what they need. And like I said the holes are small and don't stand out.
------------------
2000 Z28-Deep Maroon
Mac Headers With Off-Road Pipe
Vigilante Torque Converter 2800 stall 2.5 STR
Hooker 3" catback w/cut out & McCord
FTRA Kit
Dynamic Motorsports SFC's
[This message has been edited by Bull_in_a_china_shop (edited August 05, 2002).]
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 240
From: Nashville, TN USA
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 511
From: Soon to be Pensacola
I like the idea of cutting out some of the styrofoam bumper... but I was under the impression that there were 2 airbag sensors up there and I didn't want to find out what would happen if I hit one.
I just took the bumper cover off and put the mesh into the styrofoam, it held it just fine. Then put the bumper cover back on, it holds the mesh SOLID, no screws needed.
If you take the nose off, you can also take the cheesy plastic grille off the proper way so as not to damage it... AND this is a great time to install those clear corners that can tend to be a pain with the nose on the car.
Just my .02... you do what works for you.
Thanks for the compliments!
Dave
------------------
I just took the bumper cover off and put the mesh into the styrofoam, it held it just fine. Then put the bumper cover back on, it holds the mesh SOLID, no screws needed.
If you take the nose off, you can also take the cheesy plastic grille off the proper way so as not to damage it... AND this is a great time to install those clear corners that can tend to be a pain with the nose on the car.
Just my .02... you do what works for you.
Thanks for the compliments!
Dave
------------------
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