Topic: Recessed Grills: Soon I tear off the front bumper for the install

[Sly Bob]

The recessed grills are ALMOST ready to go. They are painted and I have to go out today to pick up some tiny #4 stainless screws to fasten them together. The 3M tape that I tried didn't work very well as there isn't a lot of surface to attach it to. I then have to wait another while to let the paint cure a bit more so I can put some clear bra material on the outer ring. I just HAD to go out today and see how they matched up with the fog light grills that I didn't paint.
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I can't wait to get them installed. I just HAVE to have them in for the mod meet!

[Jackknife]

I think you'll be very pleased...they look great on my Deep.

You may find (as others have) that the tabs will not stand up to much manipulation...they break off very easily.

My solution was to remove them all together and use small, recessed sheet-metal screws to anchor the frames to the urethane bumper.

An added benefit is that there is no need to remove the bumper to touch-up the grills.

[Sly Bob]

Yeah the longer tabs were breaking off when I was prepping it for paint. We'll see how the install goes. I'll have a bunch of screws ready just in case. Thanks for the heads up. 

[LiquidPT]

So. What color did you paint the outers/inners?

[Sly Bob]

The paint that I used was mixed at an automotive paint store and put in a spray can so I could use it. The blue is the 722J that we all use for our Deep cars. The "Dark Charcoal" was mixed with reducer by the store that I bought it from to dull it down and give it a mat look. It matches the shine and colour of the stock fog light grills nicely.

I am not sure of the colour code on the charcoal paint. Here's the cans that I used. I sprayed the blue with a clear coat after the base colour but not the center honeycomb.
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[Gentleman Jack]

That looks fantastic.  I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the recessed grills.  I think seeing in person at MMM7 will put me over the edge!

(SA - save your typing, everyone knows how close to the edge I am already )

GJ

[ChopTop]

I still haven't decided how I want to finish mine, but did you spray them them with primer before you color coated them?

[Sly Bob]

Yes ChopTop, I primed them first. Before you do that though you have to wash them with wax and oil remover to remove the mold release that was sprayed in the molds when they were made. You will be able to get that at the same place that you buy the paint.

Realistically though Choptop, if you haven't done a lot of this and you really want it to look top notch, spend the time that is required to clean the flash out of the honeycombs. After your hands heal from that, then fill and sand out the imperfections in the outer ring.

The prep for this is where all the work and in turn, hours of labour charges are. You will have a better job in the end if you let the pros do the painting. The center grills were easy once the prep was done as was the base on the outer ring. The hard part is spraying the clear and getting it shiney, really shiney.

I did the outer ring myself and I wasn't happy with it. Yeah the colour was great but it wasn't as smooth and shiney as I would have liked. I ended up taking the rings to a pro and I'm glad I did. I just wish that I hadn't spent all the money on paint for those rings that I did.

The results speak for themselves though and I am anxious to get them installed.

[Sol Asylum]

That looks fantastic.  I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the recessed grills.  I think seeing in person at MMM7 will put me over the edge!

(SA - save your typing, everyone knows how close to the edge I am already )

GJ

Uh yeah they do.  You have been talking about it in your hijack of the earth quake thread.  The Kappa Cabana, good thing your not in San Fran some one might think its a gay bar not that there's any thing wrong with that....

[Gentleman Jack]

Uh yeah they do.  You have been talking about it in your hijack of the earth quake thread.  The Kappa Cabana, good thing your not in San Fran some one might think its a gay bar not that there's any thing wrong with that....

Hey back off.  Deepwater has just been through a tramatic experience.  If Kappa Cabanna is the best he could come up with right now, I'm ok with that.  Jeeze.  Give the guy a break, he is totally stressed out about his house.  I thought I would just give him a pat on the back and agree with him.  Man, your rough.

GJ
searching for that sarcasm icon... oh here it is! 

[ChopTop]

Thanks Sly.  Originally I had planned on having them chrome plated, but found only one place in FL that does true electrostatic chrome plating (nickel/copper/chrome) of plastic parts.  But that would mean shipping it from MI to FL, and risk them getting lost in transit, and after waiting as long as I did for them, I'm just not sure I want to go that route.  Which is why they are just sitting, along with arguing with myself about ruining the originality of our "instant classics coupes"  .  Regardless, the recessed grills look totally killer. 

[Sly Bob]

Yeah I too worry about that. I plan on keeping the original grills so I can put them back in later if I am so inclined. I have all the old parts that I have taken off the car except for the GXP exhaust system. The valance I still have though.

[Sly Bob]

Tore the bumper off and installed the grills today. Photos to follow but I'm off to the MMM7 tomorrow.

[GXP Fetish]

 May I ask where these recessed grill parts are purchased? I LOVE the look , gives the front of the Solstice a much more 'Finished Look".

[SeLFMaDE]

Look at how the holes in the grill don't match up with the holes in the fog light insert. I wonder why what's-his-name didn't keep them in the same proportion. Never noticed that before in any other pics as the grills were in development.

[Go-N Def]

May I ask where these recessed grill parts are purchased? I LOVE the look , gives the front of the Solstice a much more 'Finished Look".

Aftershock was selling them.  I actually bought 2 sets of them, 1 for me, 1 for DBG.  After getting them in and giving them a once over, both of us decided we didn't want them.  The prep work would literally take weeks and they don't seem like they would take much to break.

DBG actually sold both sets for about half price a few weeks ago.  Good luck to all whom have installed them....

[Sly Bob]

I love the look and the fact that the honeycombs are different don't bother me and I'm usually anal about that kind of stuff. A lot of work, you bet, but I think it's been worth it.

Rudy was going to have fog light grills down the road. Don't know that it will happen now.

[melissadunagan]

  Hey did your grills fit flush with the body at the bottom? The ones I have have a small gap.

[Sly Bob]

I see from your signature that you have an N/A. The grills were designed for the GXP but will fit the N/A with a little modification. I gentleman either here or on the big board filed and sanded the grills until they were flush with the bumper on the bottom.

Nothing is impossible but it takes a little work to get them to fix the N/A.

[idkfa]

Oh wow, those were production units??  I thought due to the selling price and material that they were prototypes or plugs of some sort.  I still have my set sitting in a box waiting for the hours of prep but they will look good.

Where is everyone using screws to attach them?

Aftershock was selling them.  I actually bought 2 sets of them, 1 for me, 1 for DBG.  After getting them in and giving them a once over, both of us decided we didn't want them.  The prep work would literally take weeks and they don't seem like they would take much to break.

DBG actually sold both sets for about half price a few weeks ago.  Good luck to all whom have installed them....

[Critterman]

Bob, you are going to have to come back, I meant to look at them while you were here, but forgot

[Sly Bob]

I used small #4 stainless screws 3/8" long to connect the outer ring to the honeycomb. Three across the top and 3 across the bottom.

Didn't use any screws to fasten them to the bumper, just the standard method of attachment as on the stock grills. I believe however that some have used screws from the back for attachment to the stock bumper

[Sly Bob]

They turned out great. They were a lot of work to get to this point but the effort was worth it. Rudy did a great job on these. I hope at some point he has the fog light grills available.

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[ChopTop]

I've wondered if Rudy was going to bother or if there's a reason for recessed fog lights (other than one of continuity) because the GXP fascia give the appearance that the fog lights are already recessed.  But if he did, I buy a set just to match our recessed grills. 

[Aspenrose]

They look awesome!!