I called the dealer to order the two black grills that come in the Aero Kit (I don't want to pay for the whole kit - just grills) and they said that the smaller grill can not be installed without installing the Aero Kit bumper. Ok, I don't take "no" easily. Who out there has installed the two grills? What is the secret to getting the small black accessory grill installed in the bumper?

lots of people have done this........there are instructions over at
http://www.bridger.us/mini/howto/MIN...ll_install.pdf

haf :smile:

obeyond

Do a search and type in "aero grille", there are a lot of threads on this topic. I am in the middle of doing this myself. The lower piece fits on the stock bumper with a little cutting and glueing. Also you should buy the parts through Classic Auto Campus, they are a vendor on this site. You can get both pieces through them for under $80 shipped. There are tons of topics on this subject here and on other forums, and there is more than one way to do it. Some like to cut new tabs in the bumper, and some just glue the piece in. I am probably going to drill new holes for the aero grille tabs to fit into the bumper, so it sits more securely. Hope this helps, and welcome to NAM

Cheers

Ryan

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DS/B MCS/Pilo Intake/Aero Grille

Here is a pretty good thread about the install here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...mp;topic=12199

Ryan

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DS/B MCS/Pilo Intake/Aero Grille

Glad to here you are doing the aero grill...Having just done it, with the help of another great meticulous NAM member, made for a really clean job...My Black MCS/JCW really looks good with the aero grills and I highly recommend it...We used a dremel, and cut a lot of material off of the grill and cut the slots into the bumper, then we epoxied it in place...My advice is to be very patint and do a lot of fitting in place to get the slots and tabs in the right location. It took us 4.5 hours to get the job done, and eventhough we thoroughly read the instructions and didnt need to paint, th job is hairier nthan we anticipated...Takes lots of deep breaths and go for it...it's worth it...Also, I think the top grill is non-trivial as the push on nuts are tough to get off...post pix when u are done!

We also installed the Sirius sat system the same day and the grills were much more complicated..email if you have any questions.
Matt :smile:

Hey Matt,

What kind of epoxy did you end up using? I am probably going to get to the bottom one next weekend, and too am going to cut the tabs in the bumper, and then glue them in place. I was going to use hot glue on the back sides of the tabs, but not really sure yet. Just installed my momo shift **** yesterday, and used the dremel to cut doen the shift lever, so I am now a lot braver cutting up the car.

I used a 2 part 5-minute epoxy from Home Depot...It held really well, glued the tabs from the backside...I had great help on this...It's a good job for 2 people...good luck and post pix. Lemme know if u need anymore help.
Matt

Thanks for all the helpfull ideas on the grill install. Now, you brought up the shifter too. I was planning on installing a MOMO Race Air shifter and a leather shifter boot. Will I need to cut down the shifter too?

obeyond

If you do a search and type in "momo shift ****" there is a ton of topisc regarding this. I think that someone has installed that very shift **** too. By the way, the search button is at the top right above each forum. I think that you will need to cut your shifter down or else the new **** will be way higher than your stock one is now. You will also have to file or grind down the plastic sleeve that the stock **** sits on so you can get the collar of the **** low enough to screw the **** on at the right height. If you do the search, you will find many helpful pictures and how tos, hope that helps


Ryan

Well...Now that you are thinking about shift *****...Ijsut got my whaln shift machine--plenty of posts here on that subject...It's truly amazing...I didnt believe it until I made the change, but its a super simple install--no cutting required...and feels amazing...I think the added weight really makes for smoother shifts...search under whalen here on the boards.
Best,
MJ