JT2014

iTrader: (6)

Hi,

I hate chrome, I want to replace the grill with a completely black one that bolts on. One without the emblem. Are these available?
What options are there? I searched & saw inserts & ones that are custom fit.

Thanks

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

180 customs make the emblemless grills, nice quality too
https://www.myg37.com/forums/interio...s-details.html

JT2014

iTrader: (6)

Wow $500 for a grill! Yeah I guess I'll just plastic dip mine.

Flores45

iTrader: (6)

Hit up RaulGCustom He painted my grill for less then 100 i believe and its professional quality. Looks great!

GoFightNguyen

iTrader: (14)

He's not just looking for paint, he wants emblemless, too.

Flores45

iTrader: (6)

Yeah I read that but he went from emblemless to just plasti dip instead. If that's the case Just thought I would put another option out there that will look better than plasti dip.

JT2014

iTrader: (6)

Yeah if I can paint it black the emblem is fine. I rather have a clean grill but.....
I saw the stilen one I think I may just do that.

Mattimus

If you are handy at all you can make your own from your OEM grille. I did it to a spare for roughly $20 in materials.

Pnrymmf

I just reached out to 180 and they said they dont do emblemless grills anymore. anyone have another good source? the pics on the link above looked great.

Temptones1

Consider Plastidip black spray. I did mine, without removing...$8.00 total and about an hour . Tape it off, tape the emblem and spray. Over run comes off with your finger. SO EASY and looks great. Was not even a full can after 3 coats.Take your time in between coats. do not pile up spray. Light easy coats each time.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Nice job sir

Redfire32

iTrader: (12)

I want to do my own. Wjat did you use? Or does anybody know of a DIY thread

Mattimus

Sorry, I missed this response. there was another thread from the forum (FOUND IT) that talked bout how to do this using only Bondo, but I have never been a fan of that stuff, especially for something structural. I used a mix of fiberglass cloth, resin and a metal mesh. Less than $20 in materials I believe. I just had it lying around when I did this. I'll try and do a quick DIY here, but I apologize that I did not take pics of every step.

First I cut out the area that housed the emblem (see below). I marked off the area I wanted to remove and used a Dremel with a basic cutting bit to remove this. I updated this later on, but it is a lot easier to completely remove the middle section as well. It is a lot harder to do this if you try and retain the loop portion of the logo. I left the lower connection (w/ part numbers) and the upper 'upside down Y' section attached.


Next I simply ran some painters tape across the front half, connecting the bars across where the emblem was. This essentially made a loose trough that would later form the initial shape. I placed my metal mesh into this area (below pic was a test fit, but this is basically it minus the tape. **PLEASE NOTE: I still had not removed the complete center section at this point. I realized my mistake later after I had already laid some fiberglass**


Once you have the front taped up and the mesh in place, begin to lay down layers of resin and fiberglass cloth. This gets messy, so wear gloves and make sure to tape off anything you don't want covered. You will eventually get something like the below pic (I removed the center part by this point).



As precaution, I added another mesh screen


After making a mess, I got this as a result. A little sanding was needed to clear minor imperfections. You can see in the below pic that I made my own bridge support between the bars. I would later cut this out and simply rely on the upper and lower supports. Make sure to clean up the backside of the fiberglass area, otherwise it looks pretty bad. Sure, nobody will see it, but you will know its there.



After cutting out the center, I did a little more cleaning with a little filler. Make sure that your lines are clean and match the other bars. the (coupe) grille has a small vertical face on the bottom that is easy to sand away if not careful. Sand as smooth as possible across the bars using sandpaper of increasing grits.


Spray with a plastic compliant primer (most are already) and finally coat in the color of your choice. Before you put this on your bumper, I would suggest painting the part if the bumper that goes up behind the grill, otherwise it will show through. Mine is white and is driving me nuts.



Hopefully this helps someone out. I worked on this over the course of several weeks in my free time. I'm sure it can easily be done in a weekend for those with enough initiative. Sorry if I glazed over anything, I quickly made this at work. I'll try and answer any questions a little later if needed.

Paratrooper

iTrader: (3)

that looks great!

KEG97

iTrader: (2)

Exactly what I did to mine. Simple, cheap and I like it a ton. It makes the black grille match the lower black inserts on my xS and the Mt Fuji symbol pops now. Plus if I get tired of it, it comes right off!