How To: JDM Style Front Upper Grill

[RaiderMS3]

I am not sure about white.

 

[RaiderMS3]

If yuo go to an auto body supplies shop, they can mix up a spray based on your paint code, or you can take the piece to an auto body shop to be painted.

It is just luck that Duplicolor made their silver just like the protege sunlight silver...

 

[jomoyo069]

Duplicolor does make it.. none of the stores carries it... they said its in the warehouse or something.. If I cant get them to just get it from the warehouse ill do what you said.

 

[RaiderMS3]

looks like you need to special order it then

 

[Kansei]

If yuo go to an auto body supplies shop, they can mix up a spray based on your paint code, or you can take the piece to an auto body shop to be painted.

It is just luck that Duplicolor made their silver just like the protege sunlight silver...

Yeah it's awesome, a perfect match. I picked up another can of it the other day. I did my sidemarkers with it and no one can tell but me . The front upper grille strip, that I did at the same time, isn't fairing as well. I guess I didn't prep it enough or something. It looks like the clearcoat is yellowing. I'm going to give it one more try before I send it to a body shop or pay the 145 or so for an OEM sunlight silver MSP front grille.

 

[jomoyo069]

Do you think that it would be alright to drive around without the black part on the car for now.. (the part that i took off to paint)

 

[RaiderMS3]

yes

 

[02PROTEGE2.0]

 

[RaiderMS3]

pretty!

 

[worker_robot]

Two screws on tabs sticking off the sides of the top of the grille, one on each side. Two plastic clip things (the ones where you use a flathead screwdriver to pop the middle section out and then the whole clip comes out) to the left and right of the opening for the hood latch. There are things that stick out of the back and bottom of the grille to link the grille to the bumper to the radiator core support. I usually pull upward on the grille and then pull it toward me to get it off. Once you do it the first time it's a quick 20 second job after that, as is the story with almost everything with this car.

i'm trying to do this on my PR5 and install a DGM CF grill but i'm having trouble taking off the stock grill - i got the two screws out, and the two plastic pieces that hold the grill to the frame but if i tug the grill now the fender sorta comes with it and i'm scared i'll break/mess something up if pull too hard...any suggestions?

 

[02PROTEGE2.0]

jsut yank that b****! ahha. it feels like its screwed in... but pull UP afetr u get the top to pop out... and put one hand on the bumper so it wont flex so much..

 

[Kansei]

I've been doing this mod for the second time for a few days now. The clearcoat was yellowing a bit and then some bug smacked it and even with bug and tar remover I couldn't get it all off.. I guess it got into the paint. I sanded and sanded and sanded.. but I think my problem might be that the finest sandpaper I could find anywhere is 400 grit.. damn you new hampshire and everything being so far away. I sanded down the old paint, did 5 light coats of silver, then two coats of clearcoat (well it's not the lacquer stuff that I used last time, just clear enamel paint because that's all the store I was at had). Then I lightly sanded the clearcoat, washed it off, and yeah it just had a satin finish to it. I tossed another coat of clearcoat on and it looked nice and wet (kinda a heavy coat I know that's a no-no). When it dried it was back to the satin look, so I went at it with some polishing compound (the auto parts store I found didn't have any rubbing compound) and it really doesn't look any better. I think I may just put it back on for now. The color matches, just not the gloss level.

Is it the fact that I'm using clear enamel, or that I couldn't find any good sandpaper? With all the money I've spent doing this multiple times I could have professionally done it by now lol. Oh well soon I'll be getting the whole front end repainted because my front bumper has seen better days. I want the car to look like new again, and not just in pictures.

 

[red95_240sx]

thats why im going with black. cant go wrong. but i cant ge the damn grille off. im at the point were it comes to the front with some of the bumper like worker robot said i dont wanna crack the paint or nothing. i read that the silver peice yanks off, but i do not no how to disengage the clips or exactly were they are.

 

[red95_240sx]

ok i got the bastard out of determination. i have a 99-00 we have 4 clips holding the silver peice.

- - - -
g b b g

g=good
b= broke

 

[the_jaf]

I'm confused as to take it out, am I sticking in my screw driver to hit the clips horizontally cuz on mine the clips aren't exposed, i'm just confused...

 

[red95_240sx]

get a flathead behind it and TWIST, not pry it, and pull up on the grille is what i did.

 

[the_jaf]

ok so the only exposed clip I see on this is the one on the very left where you can push down on. Then everything else isn't exposed. From what I understand, i'm supposed to take a flat head, stick inside the hole horizontally and hit these clips?

 

[the_jaf]

I just got it off, nothing broken.

 

[IAMHOLLYWOOD]

this looks sick, im gonna have to do this to my LX

 

[IAMHOLLYWOOD]

Heres the pictures