How To: Autoexe Grill Install/Grill Removal

[kidkorrupt]

CONSTRUCTION

This is a pretty comprehensive how-to for painting and install of eclipse21's replica autoexe grill.

why am i painting it myself? cuz it costs too much at bodyshops and the piece is relatively small. my "hook-up" price for it was $70, yikes!!!


when you get the part be sure to check it for cracks and un-smooth areas. you can use bondo in the cracks which dries quick and is easy to sand. if you want durability go with epoxy putty which dries stone hard but is a bit harder to sand. on mine i used bondo because there was only a tiny 1/4 inch crack.

primer the entire piece using a darker primer so you can see flaws easier. I start sanding rough areas with 320 grit sandpaper and work my way up to 1000. the secret to smooth sanding is wet-sanding. get a bucket and drop in some soap detergent and wet-sand at 800 and 1000. the piece will be glass smooth.

once its smooth its time to order paint. your body color can be found on a white sticker on the driver door. you can go online and buy premixed spray cans for $15-$20. don't forget clearcoat too.

these steps are tedious. follow the instructions on the can and always remember to dust on light coats and give it plenty of time to dry. after a good coat has dried wet-sand with 800 to 1500 grit sandpaper. when clearcoating go at it with 1500 for a smooth finish. I always leave a little in the can in case anything unexpected happens and I need more paint or clearcoat. Here it is with no clearcoat in between wetsanding:
http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gsand.jpg


i am a OEM and JDM nut. so for my mesh i used a modified lower p5 grill with JDM familia badge.

the mesh was a pain for me to cut because i used a dremel to slowly cut away each section. there are 3 support bars that have to be cut out also. Here, the middle one is gone and there are two more to go. These are molded onto the mesh so it is a PAIN to get it looking good.
http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gcut.jpg

here it is after some cutting, more than 50% has to be cut away! Do test fits to make sure the mesh is not getting in the way of mounting the grill back onto the car.
http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gcut2.jpg

to mount it I used epoxy putty, sorry no pictures. But basically I used it in all four corners and one clump in the upper middle. It does not look pretty in back, lol. Epoxy putty is the kind of stuff plumbers use to patch holes. It drives relatively fast and dries stone hard so it is good for mounting. If I had more time I would have made wood mounts that you could screw the mesh into but whatever.

The familia badge was glued on with epoxy glue and then reinforced in back with epoxy putty. If you steal it in one piece you deserve it, lol.

INSTALLATION

Removal of the upper grill is a 5 minute job. Pop the hood and you will see two Phillips screws holding in the grill on each side, sorry I didn’t get them in the picture. There are also two snaps you pop off circled below.
http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gnut.jpg

once these are out there are 3 snaps on the bottom of the grill and 2 more pictured below. Look at the holes in the autoexe grill to figure out the positioning of the 3 mushroom head snaps on bottom. The other snaps come out easily.
http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gsnap.jpg

pull gently and it’ll pop right out.


On install you just screw in the two Phillips screws and push in the snaps on bottom. Your done =D

COMPLETED PICTURES ON PAGE 2

[Groza187]

picture aren't workin'.

[kidkorrupt]

thanks, pics fixed

[mypfizzle]

bastard.. i just put that badge in mine today. LoL man.. we be twinz. LoL

[alexlitov]

The color is a little off...but looks damn good.

[L8R]

nice! - chris

[EXA4DRIVER]

Dude, your car looks sick. It looks even better in person.

[YP5 Toronto]

sweet...I don't have to do a HOW TO on the same mod...looks great with the badge.

The main difference is that I used some wood and epoxy as mounting areas for the grill.

again..looks great with the badge!!!!

[OceanPark]

I REQEUST MORE PIC!!!! I LIKE YOUR CAR

[Black Majik MSP]

Originally posted by OceanPark
I REQEUST MORE PIC!!!! I LIKE YOUR CAR

Yeah, his car is one of my favorites:

http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb230/_handler.php/Black%20Majik%20MSP/custom%20grille%20&%20lip.jpg

* :wtf: The forum is being stupid & IMG tags aren't working. :mad: *

[markmurray77]

Didn't I see this done just a little while ago, let me see if I can find teh post

[Black Majik MSP]

Originally posted by markmurray77
Didn't I see this done just a little while ago, let me see if I can find teh post

Yeah, if you read this whole thread, you'll see that YP5 Toronto said he did it before. That's what I posted a pic of.

[joka1]

how much did u pay for the autoexe grill? hey black mijak msp.... it says to ask u about photoshop.....can u put this grill on my car with the wings west carbon fiber hood by any chance....thanks in advance if u can
http://members.cardomain.com/joka1

[Maxx Mazda]

Well, although the grill looks good, the paint doesn't match. And wet sanding with 1000 before paint? The most you should EVER use is 400. 320 is best. 1000 won't give you much if any adhesion.

[ZackyFarms]

hey kid, whered u get the paint online? im getting the grill in this week hopefully

[kidkorrupt]

hmm, ill take new pics.

the match is quite good, people saw this in person at the Life meet.

hey zack-i lost the link to the site...but just do a websearch for automotive paints in spray bottles and you should have plenty of places.

[Saishyuro]

somehow i'm having a hard time fiding that fiber part:(
where can i get it?

[ZackyFarms]

hey kid, paintscratch.com has the basecoat, clearcoat, and primer for a total of $59.95. Do u think i need all three?

Basecoat =$29.95
Clearcoat =$15.00
Primer =$15.00

[kidkorrupt]

hey primer you can buy anywhere. forget the primer.

sounds expensive but i think razor used the same paitn on his ride and its pretty top quality

[ZackyFarms]

got it, thanks.

Wait, also, did you use rubbing compound to increase the shine?

[kidkorrupt]

nope, just waxed it.

gonna take a break from the gf next week wash the ride and take some new pics after i black out the headlight housing.

ill post pics when im done.

hit me up if you need help wzack, ill see if i can stop by life this next sunday

[ZackyFarms]

this next sundy? i dunno which day your talking about, i proly wont be there the 7th, this sunday cuz i have to go to a wedding. Im gonna go get an estimate from a "hook up" heh, but its all the way in blithe (its like 3 hours east in the damn desert). Ill let you know though. i really appreciate it dude, thanks

[kidkorrupt]

http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gpic.jpg

http://members.aol.com/kidkorrupt/images/gpic2.jpg

[Matthew]

i just wanted to say that is that sickest grille ive seen yet...i wish i could afford that in blue right now

[Dexter]

i think i really want one of those with the jdm mazdaspeed logo :(

[kidkorrupt]

yp5 toronto- the first to use lower mesh on the top.

say no to chicken wire =D

http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/uploads/post-18-08403-Grill_far.JPG

http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/uploads/post-18-08464-Grill_Close.JPG

[Matthew]

so you have no mesh at all on the lower portion?

[kidkorrupt]

hey sup razor-

thanks for the compliments.

nah, we ordered the lower mesh from mazda and cut it to make it fit into the autexe grill =D.

you can still see our lower mesh in the pics, it would be lame to take that out =P

[kidkorrupt]

hey zack-

ill be there on the 14th, not today.

have fun at the wedding and hopefully your hook-up can come through with a killer price.

Originally posted by ZackyFarms
this next sundy? i dunno which day your talking about, i proly wont be there the 7th, this sunday cuz i have to go to a wedding. Im gonna go get an estimate from a "hook up" heh, but its all the way in blithe (its like 3 hours east in the damn desert). Ill let you know though. i really appreciate it dude, thanks

[Matthew]

i couldnt tell i was gonna say that would be gay, glad you went all out...nice job man...someone sent me that pic and had me superimpose it into a msp orange...then i came across this how-too...good job, maybe when i move to cali next year ill have to get with you :)

to back up what you said, the paintscratch.com paint is the shit

[kidkorrupt]

next year huh? awesome.

you can come to our infamous weekly meets at life plaza that i've only been to twice =P

[Matthew]

i wish it was sooner, but alas, next year :(

[ZackyFarms]

thanks kid, thanks razor. And yea razor for sure you gotta come out to the weekly meets when you move over here. Your first Bobas on me!

hey so kid, aright man, sorry to keep asking so many questions but, like i was talkin about before my grill really doesnt look like it sits as flush as yours does. Like you know on the sides, for example where you have the familia badge, thy dont sit flush with the bumper unless you REALLY like force it down. I was wondering how exactly you held it down and if you had the same issues of having to mount it really tightly. THe only thing i could think of was to just screw it down from the tops on each side like the fatory and using the 3 guide pins(although the pins wont be holding it down at all). soo yea, im not really sure if i wanna drill all the holes and try it cuz eclipse might not take it back if i do so.

[kidkorrupt]

hmmm, mine fit on fine.

do you have mesh on it? maybe the mesh is getting in the way.

if not check and make sure you have pushed the autoexe grill all the way through the 3 guide pins on bottom. mine wasn't on flat until i pressed them onto the guide pins hard.

also check the holes in the autoexe grill...if they aren't drilled right you may have to re-drill to get a better fit.


the only thing holding mine is the two stock screws and 3 guide pins on bottom =D

[ZackyFarms]

hmm i see, well, there are no holes in mine at all. I have to drill them i guess (really sucks). ANd i havent mounted or cut the grill yet.

also, here are some of the pics of some of the imperfections. theres a bunch of like dents and what not all along the front bottom and a couple up a long the sides.

/members/ZackyFarms/grill/grill1.jpg

/members/ZackyFarms/grill/grill3.jpg

/members/ZackyFarms/grill/grill2.jpg

/members/ZackyFarms/grill/grill4.jpg

hey also, im not trying to bitch and moan, i was just wondering if u encountered like any of this.

[kidkorrupt]

wtf

mine was not like that at all. the only real "flaw" was this tiny crack smaller than a fingernail.

looks like the fiberglass on yours was not layed on efficiently.

shit, and you have to drill in the holes on bottom.

nothign bondo won't fix but more work for you =(

[ZackyFarms]

yea, exactly. throw in the 180+ price and im a little dissapointed

[YP5 Toronto]

thats not right...I had some small things that I need to touch up and sand...but nothing like that....get another one.

[ZackyFarms]

yp5, is that clifford in your avatar? if it is, good shit

[YP5 Toronto]

Yes it is..."Clifford the Big RED Dog"

[kidkorrupt]

ask for soem of the money back. like $30 or so for all the labour you or the shop has to do in order to make it nice again.

in my brief emails and pms with eclipse he was pretty nice so there should be no prob.

maybe they were saving the ones in worse condition for last and you unfortuneately got one =(

[digitalpro5]

whats the part number for the lower grill?

[digitalpro5]

whats the part number for the lower grill?

[Familia323]

Originally posted by digitalpro5
whats the part number for the lower grill?


B30P-50-1T1A Front Mesh

[p5sundevil]

the mesh was like $20 plus tax right? that is what I have heard but wanted to confirm.

BTW very nice job ont he grill, I had always planned on doing the lower mesh into the upper grill and now I have a skylab replica grill coming in so....

BTW for paint the best deal I found was from
www.paintworldinc.com

they run a special for 29 plus S/H you get a 120z can of autoprimer, a 12oz can of custom code paint(22a for my midnight blue) and a 120z can of clearcoat plus tape to mask with and sandpaper. not bad for all that in one package for 29bux since I think I saw most other places were 20-30 just for the can of color.

Others here have used them with no problems whatsoever and I am ordering tonight or tomorrow so we will see.

[PROTEGE_ES]

instead of buying one from the dealership, I am selling the lower OEM (stock) grill off a sedan Protege for only $25 (Canadian currency)

PM me is anyone is interested, thanks!

[digitalricepape]

dropped you a pm PROTEGE_ES !

[PFUNKR]

Would it be possible to do the whole lower grill cut-and-glue swap without getting the autoexe frame?
I just really want to get rid of the logo.

[digitalpro5]

You mean use your oem top grill, and just cut the mesh out and just cut out a new one from the lower grill. If so...of course you can, but it'll just look like your oem without the M on it. I think it would look nice, but hey most of us bought the autoexe grill cause its different than the oem. If your really careful I think you can just cut out the M part and you wouldn't need to get the lower grill.

[PFUNKR]

thanks, i was looking at it more this weekend and the m is kinda embedded in the grill, plus the top mesh looks smaller than the lower so i think i'll have to swap out the whole top
i'll try to post pics when its done...might be a few weeks though

[kidkorrupt]

you cant just cut the M out unless you want a big hole in your top mesh.

you can do it, but the fitment will be harder than getting an autoexe grill because of the 3 pegs that hold the top stock grill on the bottom. if you were to trim a mesh to make it fit you would have to make it curve to fit onto the upper grill area. pop it out and you will see what i am talking about.

the civic si mesh has a much smaller mesh pattern. buy that one if you want it to look more "stock"

[MSP_HK]

So where do u get the fiberglass replica parts?? ^^ it looks really nice.. btw I'm from CA too... l

[dosle]

So where do u get the fiberglass replica parts?? ^^ it looks really nice.. btw I'm from CA too... l

autoexe makes the originals, DGM/ DG Motorsports is selling some in the groupbuy if your interested, or check there website

[kidkorrupt]

i got mine from sky pham in canada.

i think the group by for his fiberglass one was 139. i paid 180 shipped with holes drilled in the bottom.

everyone is going DGM now. ghost got a erebuni one that is a different sculpt with the area near the hood latch flush with the latch instead of laying on top of it like the autoexe one.

not a lot of people notice that, but because it was designed for a RHD car which has everything in the engine backwards the AE grill does not sit correctly with the hood latch.

sorry for the vagueness but im sure if you have the grill you'll know what im tlaking about. its that diagnol part on the top of the grill. i sawed it off so the top is a rectangle now

[jaytee]

kidkorrupt: do you think the color would match if i paint it yellow if i use the color match spray cans?

[phazed_mp5]

so i took out the two screws on the sides but i'm having trouble finding the two remaining snaps. i had my front end repaired so maybe they forgot to put it back in. also, might be a stupid question, but do you pull straight out?

[digitalricepape]

not out, straight up! but yes you just pull it out i believe :)

[TheMAN]

i got mine from sky pham in canada.

i think the group by for his fiberglass one was 139. i paid 180 shipped with holes drilled in the bottom.

everyone is going DGM now. ghost got a erebuni one that is a different sculpt with the area near the hood latch flush with the latch instead of laying on top of it like the autoexe one.

not a lot of people notice that, but because it was designed for a RHD car which has everything in the engine backwards the AE grill does not sit correctly with the hood latch.

sorry for the vagueness but im sure if you have the grill you'll know what im tlaking about. its that diagnol part on the top of the grill. i sawed it off so the top is a rectangle now

it's not a RHD and "backwards" thing, the JDM latch just doesn't have the safety release.. that's all you pull the hood release in the car, and you can open the hood right away in the JDM version

[phazed_mp5]

not out, straight up! but yes you just pull it out i believe :)
cool thanks, but i'm still scared to yank it. lol. any suggestions about the snaps? i'll post pics in a bit

[phazed_mp5]

thanks for the help guys, i overlooked the snaps on each side that you're supposed to pop off with a flathead. the grill is painted and installed now =]

[Notorious_V.I.C]

So i tired to take the plastic piece off and I already took the screws and the two nuts off..and the pressure things. I broke the end tab that has the hole for the screw, it seems like the whole asselmbly (meaning, the mazda logo ) wants out but i keep pulling it it won't come off...ehh i'll try later tomorrow i suppose..or go back and try again..