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    EXT: Accord grill hack

    DIY Grill hack:

    Okay, I love the look of the JDM grill, but I decided to create my own grill using the stock ’92 piece on my LX Accord and save myself about $200-$300.

    Here’s what the stocker looked like:

    Now, remove the grill and the chrome trim from it via the stainless screws on the backside…..get a hack saw:

    This is what you should get, I opted to do it by hand for accuracy….didn’t want to destroy the thing with a power saw. Sand down all of the remaining tabs from the old center section by hand, because the blade alone will not provide a perfect finish after the cut is made:

    When you hack out the center, both ends will look like this:

    I used some JB weld to patch the two openings from the backside. This will make the ends much stronger, and provide a backing for the bondo added a few steps later. The material used to patch the holes was clipped from the center section remnants, tape them after applying the JB Weld:

    Bondo up the ends the next day after the JB weld has setup, then sand them down:

    This is the top molding with the emblem removed via hack saw….looks like this installed on the grill. You’ll need to patch it in a similar fasion, because now there are openings from the removal of the original material ( bottom/inside pic ):

    Once all of the patching and bondo/spot putty has been applied and sanded down, wipe the entire surface to be painted with either paint thinner, or a degreaser for paint prep. I used a PPG product that I have in the shop. Then, shoot some primer….or in my case flat black paint:

    Here is my grill installed, I plan on color matching it when I repaint the car:

    **NEW** Added mesh wire to DIY Grill

    Attached with copper wire to grill-trim screws

    Enlarged cutout for hood-lever access, figured this might be important

    Last edited by maroonaccord2.2; 04-10-2006, 02:45 PM.
    1992 Accord LX - SOLD

    #2
    Grill

    Looks good. I'm thinking of doing the same thing.

    Comment


      #3
      looks good man nice grill

      Ride List
      1990 Accord dx coupe - my baby (dsm turbo set up in progress) http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3202853
      2005 Mazda 6s - daily driver http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3171724(totaled)
      newest 2006 mazdaspeed 6 http://www.cardomain.com/ride/4073987/2006-mazda-mazda6

      Comment


        #4
        you skipped the part where you cut the H off of the top chrome strip and bondo that up to make it one long piece... but nice DIY, this is exactly how i did mine.

        heres an in-progress pic i found from a while back:

        [img]http://www.****.com/pics/DIYgrille.jpg[/img]


        - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
        - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
        - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
        - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
        - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
        - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
        - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
        - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
        Current cars:
        - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
        - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks cp[mike], I appreciate the props. I am here to contribute as much as I can....I think that the site is awesome. Ya, you're right about the emblem patch, but I figured that the pics might help a bit. I guess I could've detailed it more.
          Last edited by maroonaccord2.2; 01-30-2006, 04:51 PM. Reason: correction
          1992 Accord LX - SOLD

          Comment


            #6
            I like the thickness of the 90-91 grill alot better so thats what I used but yours is more clean than mine. I used the 90-91 grill and just fitted the "H" back in there so I wouldnt have to cover the spot left over from it.

            Comment


              #7
              i wouldn't recomend using bond...my friend tryed that and it cracked after a while...use 2 part apoxy...worked great for me...still holden strong

              Rocesride Member Page

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by rocesride
                i wouldn't recomend using bond...my friend tryed that and it cracked after a while...use 2 part apoxy...worked great for me...still holden strong

                Instead of Bondo, how about useing fiberglass resin?
                It really is a labor of love making a neglected CB7 with "normal wear and tear" into something worth being proud of.

                Comment


                  #9
                  looks good im gonna try and do it today

                  Comment


                    #10
                    You could use resin, but that alone is very brittle. I suppose if you were to shred up some fiberglass mat, and mix it in with the resin you would be good to go. Then apply it as a paste. It might not adhere to the ABS as well as fiberglass though.

                    My fear was that the bondo would crack, that's why I reinforced the ends before filling. I originally used an epoxy to patch the holes shut with some cut pieces of ABS. The only reason Bondo would crack, is if the substraight was flexed a bit. Because, again....bondo is not flexible.
                    Last edited by maroonaccord2.2; 01-30-2006, 05:50 PM. Reason: correction
                    1992 Accord LX - SOLD

                    Comment


                      #11
                      grill looks sick i love when people do that....can u get a picture of the new one on the car but a little farther back so we can see how it looks like on the car better

                      Old Ride-New Ride

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                        #12
                        Here's a pic...sorry, the camera phone is all I got right now.
                        1992 Accord LX - SOLD

                        Comment


                          #13
                          i think youll be fine with the bondo, the grille doesnt flex much so it shouldnt be cracking. i had mine like that for a long time and i didnt even stiffen it with epoxy on the back- it didnt crack until my alternator and the hood latch cable both died at the same time. i had to rip the mesh out from the front to get the hood open, so shoving my hands in there finally cracked it.


                          - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
                          - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
                          - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                          - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
                          - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                          - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
                          - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
                          - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
                          Current cars:
                          - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
                          - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I think so to. I got a 5th gen lip on order, and the amber bumper lights.....I'm siked to get 'em on. You fitted a 5th gen EX lip, right? Did it require a lot of modification, if you don't mind me asking?
                            1992 Accord LX - SOLD

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by maroonaccord2.2
                              I think so to. I got a 5th gen lip on order, and the amber bumper lights.....I'm siked to get 'em on. You fitted a 5th gen EX lip, right? Did it require a lot of modification, if you don't mind me asking?
                              if you were able to do what you did to this grille, youll have absolutely no problem putting the lip on. all you gotta do is get a bunch of self tapping screws, similar to the black ones that are throughout the interior of the car. line up the center front of the lip, put a screw in, and make your way outward to the sides. bend and curve as necessary. youll notice the ends of the lip are too long, hacksaw/dremel them off and viola post pics when you get it all installed!


                              - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
                              - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
                              - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                              - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
                              - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
                              - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
                              - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
                              - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
                              Current cars:
                              - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
                              - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

                              Comment

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