[CU2] Grill Overhaul

[nesterjester]

Hi guys

I've decided instead of flooding the cu2 mods thread with my little diy project ive got going on, ill make a thread of my own. =)

So after chatting to a mate of mine from russia i have recently become obssessed with their openess to modding our CU2.

So after viewing defcons threads over at acurazine and browsing through the CU2's in Russia, I decided its time for me to do some DIY! So late this arvi I decided to kick it all off with modding my (perfectly fine and innocent) grill!

Heres a teaser;


http://a.imageshack.us/img841/9091/img0844l.jpg

http://a.imageshack.us/img834/3888/img0847j.jpg

[albii]

More pics.

[defconskylude]

welcome to the DIY club

did you paint it black or doing cf vinyl? i cant tell by the small pics

[euroRwannabe]

welcome to the DIY club

did you paint it black or doing cf vinyl? i cant tell by the small pics

he hasn't done anything but take the grill apart,
with the honda 3 silver bars grill, when you take it off the front bumper, the frame becomes a separate piece, as well as the 3 silver bars leaving behind the black grill and the badge.

I'm pretty sure he is going to attempt this grill:
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5599/88ccaf7e0b569100large.jpg

can't wait to see the finished product andrew, and GOOD LUCK!

[nesterjester]

Hahah Simon! Your onto me! Haha that's exactly what I'm attempting to do! I've got it primered today, so I'll sand it back and paint it tonight, will post up pics tonight!

[euroRwannabe]

Hahah Simon! Your onto me! Haha that's exactly what I'm attempting to do! I've got it primered today, so I'll sand it back and paint it tonight, will post up pics tonight!

haha! can't wait andrew!
once photos are up, i'll PM you on the full steps on how to do it, so I can do it as well, looks fairly easy...hopefully :(

[nesterjester]

Sorry for the major fail on this thread! haha been working the last few nights so havent really gotten around to finishing my little DIY here!

So at first it wasnt too bad... I was a little reluctant to hack up my $900 grill (I called up Honda and asked them the replacement price) but I convinced myself otherwise.
I used a soldering iron to melt the centre bar from the grill but I eventually used a hacksaw blade to finish it off because it was easier.
I primed it at first but on the bottom grill there is a big cutout of where the "H" used to be, and it annoyed the shiiii out of me so I ended up sanding it back and bogging the gap in between, resanding, repriming, painting, and then clear coating. Paitence was the key here, letting the paint dry properly and painting lots of light, overlapping coats.

I got the paintmatch spray paint from Autobarn for $30, the paint itself isnt that far off, im happy with it. I installed the mesh by just cutting it to near the shape and squeezing it in. I need to fix it down properly, its not going anywhere at the moment but I will silicone them properly in the next few days when Im not using the car.


I need to do another few coats of clear tomorrow just to finish it off.

Here are some pictures of the project

Tell me what you think :)


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5449/img0847small.jpg (http://img841.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0847small.jpg)
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4371/img0850small.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0850small.jpg)
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5903/img0005small.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0005small.jpg)
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3513/img0010small.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0010small.jpg)
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4483/img0011smallr.jpg (http://img265.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0011smallr.jpg)
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/8115/img0014smallq.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0014smallq.jpg)
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5039/img0049small.jpg (http://img33.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0049small.jpg)
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2433/img0060small.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0060small.jpg)

I installed my 55W 8000K Low beams whilst I was waiting for the paint to dry... :)
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/7915/img0064small.jpg (http://img826.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0064small.jpg)
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6385/img0065small.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0065small.jpg)
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7989/img0068small.jpg (http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0068small.jpg)
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5853/img0071smallo.jpg (http://img94.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0071smallo.jpg)
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/615/img0073small.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0073small.jpg)
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3082/img0075small.jpg (http://img651.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0075small.jpg)
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2883/img0076smalla.jpg (http://img840.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0076smalla.jpg)
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/9898/img0077small.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0077small.jpg)
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2355/img0078small.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0078small.jpg)
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3263/img0079small.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0079small.jpg)
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8706/img0080small.jpg (http://img822.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0080small.jpg)
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9272/img0086small.jpg (http://img256.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0086small.jpg)
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8545/img0088smallk.jpg (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0088smallk.jpg)
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8990/img0090small.jpg (http://img810.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0090small.jpg)
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3421/img0096smallo.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0096smallo.jpg)

[Kwangstuhhh]

Mate, ur car looks freakin awesome lol...Wish mine was as good as urs :P...Sigh my rear bumper really needs a make over T_T

[nesterjester]

Mate, ur car looks freakin awesome lol...Wish mine was as good as urs :P...Sigh my rear bumper really needs a make over T_T

ah mate you should see my passenger rear door! it has a big ding in it from where my mrs drove it into a bollard at a park! I was so effing devo that day mate! Ill show you next week when we meet. The guys at AJ's said they could fix it for $500 which isnt too bad, I just havent had the time to get my car down there! So we are in a similar boat mate!

[Kwangstuhhh]

Ah really...sucks ay...I was effing spewing when I found out about the massive scratch, my bumper came off the clips so I had to push it back in. I was also considering taking my car to AJ's as well to get them to quote a repair but for $60 I thought hell, it's $60 and the guy was recommended by Honda.

[nesterjester]

yea i know mate! bloody a**holes! The guys at AJ's are pretty good, the can do you a good deal. If you get more painted there they will do more for cheaper. When I think about it now I should have got my door painted when they did my kit. Haha.

[Rudy]

That looks tough... good job!

[Kwangstuhhh]

Ah I see...I think I'll be getting my mate to spray my kit at his work. See how that goes. He said he was gonna order the Genuine Honda Paint for me, which he said is roughly $60ish a litre

Anyways on a side topic, hopefully I get my fog light HIDs by the end of next week!! I really want to install them :P

[nesterjester]

That looks tough... good job!

cheers mate! apparently its called "vitals grill" from the dude in Russia who first did it ... hahah

[yfin]

nice job

[nesterjester]

Ah I see...I think I'll be getting my mate to spray my kit at his work. See how that goes. He said he was gonna order the Genuine Honda Paint for me, which he said is roughly $60ish a litre

Anyways on a side topic, hopefully I get my fog light HIDs by the end of next week!! I really want to install them :P

nice let us know if you need a hand.. did you end up getting your foggies?!

[nesterjester]

nice job

cheers mate

[Flash]

looks insane! good job dude, wonder if you could do this to a CL9..

[doosra]

Great job mate.. Looks much better.. What about a red H badge in the middle? Just a thought. I miss my euro!

[nesterjester]

Great job mate.. Looks much better.. What about a red H badge in the middle? Just a thought. I miss my euro!

cheers mate! yea i was thinking the same thing, maybe something to fill in the gap. Not to sure .. considering the "red H" badges are around $100 approx. Don't want to spend the money if i'm just gonna take it off.

[euroRwannabe]

*sigh, andrew,
you make each and everyone of us CU2 owners more and more jealous each time you post :(

looked like a harder job than expected, but effing worth it!

good job bro.

[euroRwannabe]

here's another idea andrew, instead of JDM Red Honda Badges, what about creating a whole new "Mugen Replica".

just throw a Mugen Emblem on the new sexy grill you just made,
http://www.jdmconcept.com.au/jdm-image/product383.png

might turn out similar to the Mugen Grill for CL9's.
http://www.jdmconcept.com.au/jdm-image/product1379.png
if you know what i mean.

[Rudy]

Yeh the mugen emblem would look good, but it also looks good as it is now. That can be had for about 5-10 bucks off ebay though.

[nesterjester]

thanx for the suggestions guys
yea the mugen emblem would look good either on the mesh or on one of the bars of the grille.... i might swipe one of ebay and see how it looks :)

[euroRwannabe]

dude! i noticed two steps:
this:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4371/img0850small.jpg
to this:
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5903/img0005small.jpg

i need to ask you:
from the first picture to the second picture, is that all sanded down, or is that some sort of white looking coating for the initial layer to get the paint started, don't wanna be a hassle, but is it alright if you can PM Me me a in-depth step-to-step manual? LOL.
This has really got me pumped, and I'm pretty sure many other people as well, this infamous grill has been finally discovered by the almighty nesterjester haha!

[albii]

Andrew....my car is gonna look crap next to yours on Saturday..too stock.

[nesterjester]

dude! i noticed two steps:
this:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4371/img0850small.jpg
to this:
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5903/img0005small.jpg

i need to ask you:
from the first picture to the second picture, is that all sanded down, or is that some sort of white looking coating for the initial layer to get the paint started, don't wanna be a hassle, but is it alright if you can PM Me me a in-depth step-to-step manual? LOL.
This has really got me pumped, and I'm pretty sure many other people as well, this infamous grill has been finally discovered by the almighty nesterjester haha!

ah no worries mate! when i muster up some time ill make a little step by step guide.
That grey stuff is primer. Its to help the top coat (crystal black pearl) stick to the grill better.

Ill make a better guide .. but in a nutshell it should go;
dissassemble grill --> sand down (+wax and grease remover) --> primer ---> top coates ---> clear coats

like I said Ill make a proper guide in the near future...

[nesterjester]

Andrew....my car is gonna look crap next to yours on Saturday..too stock.

albii mate nah it wont! i still have a lot of imperfections on my car! the paint work on the grill isnt the the best but its good enough ... for now!

[Lemonhead]

great work!! nice Nester, hoe you don;t mind if I get on with similar mods.. but in Melb... hahaa, but tell me, what mesh did you use? And how did you hold the mesh in place? cheers

[euroRwannabe]

great work!! nice Nester, hoe you don;t mind if I get on with similar mods.. but in Melb... hahaa, but tell me, what mesh did you use? And how did you hold the mesh in place? cheers

AWESOME! i have a Melbourne CU2 buddy, didn't know you were from Melb lemonhead, where abouts in Melbourne are you located?

[Lemonhead]

AWESOME! i have a Melbourne CU2 buddy, didn't know you were from Melb lemonhead, where abouts in Melbourne are you located?

:D around the Doncaster area

[euroRwannabe]

:D around the Doncaster area

haha cool!
i'm from northern suburbs (Mill Park, Epping, Lalor etc.)
most likely contact you via pm if i want to experiment something with you. ;)

[Lemonhead]

hah... to experiment something with you. ;)

... now i am worried.. haha, just kidding....

does anyone know how to find the actual paint code number? is it meant to be on the car itself somewhere?
Nester: was it easy finding the right the matching paint for your grill?

[HunterZero]

Looks mean!


does anyone know how to find the actual paint code number? is it meant to be on the car itself somewhere?

It's usually on a sticker on the driver's door jamb.

- HZ

[euroRwannabe]

... now i am worried.. haha, just kidding....

does anyone know how to find the actual paint code number? is it meant to be on the car itself somewhere?
Nester: was it easy finding the right the matching paint for your grill?

haha no need to be worried, i'm not THAT much of a stalker LOL!
maybe these paint codes could help?

- [NH-624P] Premium white pearl
- [NH-737M] Polished metal metallic
- [NH-743M] Blanc silver metallic
- [B-538M] Bluish silver metallic
- [B-553P] Cobalt blue pearl
- [R-530P] Basque red pearl
- [NH-731P] Crystal black pearl

nester said earlier that the paint he got for his grill isn't an EXACT match of Crystal Black Pearl, but it still looks alright.

[Kwangstuhhh]

Andrew....my car is gonna look crap next to yours on Saturday..too stock.
Ditto...lol...*sob sob*


nice let us know if you need a hand.. did you end up getting your foggies?!
No worries thanks for asking :D...I haven't picked up my foggies yet...HIDs still haven't arrived...delivery time was expected to be 3-8 working days...got posted to Sydney on the 8th (last Wednesday), so HOPEFULLY I'll get the HIDs by this Friday, if I do I have something to do on Friday...and something to show on Saturday...even though it's just "foggies"...better than 99% stock LOL

[Lemonhead]

haha no need to be worried, i'm not THAT much of a stalker LOL!
maybe these paint codes could help?

- [NH-624P] Premium white pearl
- [NH-737M] Polished metal metallic
- [NH-743M] Blanc silver metallic
- [B-538M] Bluish silver metallic
- [B-553P] Cobalt blue pearl
- [R-530P] Basque red pearl
- [NH-731P] Crystal black pearl

nester said earlier that the paint he got for his grill isn't an EXACT match of Crystal Black Pearl, but it still looks alright.

YOU are a champ! thanks.
... oh and thanks HZ too.

[nesterjester]

no worries lemonhead hope it inspires you to do more mods! i know ive caught the bug and im forever looking at my car thinking of what do next (tastefully that is)
Paint match was great, the only problem i had was with my clear coat. After trying two different clear coats, Ive realised you cant be too stingy on clear coat!
On another note, the paint you get in a spray can i.e autobarn is an acrylic lacquer as opposed to two pack, etc. Which gives a slightly different finish!
Ah paint ... so much effort! hahaha

[nesterjester]

most likely contact you via pm if i want to experiment something with you. ;)

haha nice!

[euroRwannabe]

YOU are a champ! thanks.
... oh and thanks HZ too.

no worries bro :)

[Meemoo]

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8990/img0090small.jpg[/IMG] (http://img810.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0090small.jpg)


NICE!! Well done!!

[denot]

Netjester on a side note, is your fogs HID?

[nesterjester]

Netjester on a side note, is your fogs HID?

Hey mate, yea they are; 35w 8000k

[Ste]

Sorry for the major fail on this thread! haha been working the last few nights so havent really gotten around to finishing my little DIY here!

So at first it wasnt too bad... I was a little reluctant to hack up my $900 grill (I called up Honda and asked them the replacement price) but I convinced myself otherwise.
I used a soldering iron to melt the centre bar from the grill but I eventually used a hacksaw blade to finish it off because it was easier.
I primed it at first but on the bottom grill there is a big cutout of where the "H" used to be, and it annoyed the shiiii out of me so I ended up sanding it back and bogging the gap in between, resanding, repriming, painting, and then clear coating. Paitence was the key here, letting the paint dry properly and painting lots of light, overlapping coats.

I got the paintmatch spray paint from Autobarn for $30, the paint itself isnt that far off, im happy with it. I installed the mesh by just cutting it to near the shape and squeezing it in. I need to fix it down properly, its not going anywhere at the moment but I will silicone them properly in the next few days when Im not using the car.


I need to do another few coats of clear tomorrow just to finish it off.

Here are some pictures of the project

Tell me what you think :)


http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5449/img0847small.jpg (http://img841.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0847small.jpg)
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4371/img0850small.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0850small.jpg)
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5903/img0005small.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0005small.jpg)
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3513/img0010small.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0010small.jpg)
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4483/img0011smallr.jpg (http://img265.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0011smallr.jpg)
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/8115/img0014smallq.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0014smallq.jpg)
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5039/img0049small.jpg (http://img33.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0049small.jpg)
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2433/img0060small.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0060small.jpg)

I installed my 55W 8000K Low beams whilst I was waiting for the paint to dry... :)
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/7915/img0064small.jpg (http://img826.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0064small.jpg)
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6385/img0065small.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0065small.jpg)
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7989/img0068small.jpg (http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0068small.jpg)
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5853/img0071smallo.jpg (http://img94.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0071smallo.jpg)
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/615/img0073small.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0073small.jpg)
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3082/img0075small.jpg (http://img651.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0075small.jpg)
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2883/img0076smalla.jpg (http://img840.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0076smalla.jpg)
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/9898/img0077small.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0077small.jpg)
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2355/img0078small.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0078small.jpg)
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3263/img0079small.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0079small.jpg)
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8706/img0080small.jpg (http://img822.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0080small.jpg)
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9272/img0086small.jpg (http://img256.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0086small.jpg)
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8545/img0088smallk.jpg (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0088smallk.jpg)
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8990/img0090small.jpg (http://img810.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0090small.jpg)
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3421/img0096smallo.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0096smallo.jpg)

hey out of curiosity is there any other way to install HID without taking off the bumper?

[androo]

Looks amazing!

[euRo_noob]

hey out of curiosity is there any other way to install HID without taking off the bumper?

You can install HID in the foglights by going underneath the car. Just undo the clips and bend some of the plastic guards so you have enough room to work.

[lowr1d3r]

how did u darken ur indicators?

[MR_LATE]

tint...

[lowr1d3r]

does that mean u havta bake ur headlights or something to open it or its easy to get it open

[denot]

does that mean u havta bake ur headlights or something to open it or its easy to get it open

I dont think they bake your other windows when they tint them... :confused:

[MR_LATE]

Tint on outside

[lowr1d3r]

tint it on the outside? when the orange reflector thing is inside? mm nvm.. i aint gonna tint it neways

[lowr1d3r]

..... what i meant by baking is when u get rid of the silicon thats holding the whole headlamp together..

[illest_euro]

its not hard to do... when its baking.... keep watch.. get some good qaulity gloves and pull away from eachother slowly..

[lowr1d3r]

nah im just gonna leave it as it is.