Just installed my Aero Grill.

Wish I had come across these instructions earlier:

http://www.grillcraft.com/installs/i...install_id=166

Pretty good visuals to show what you need to remove to get the bumper off.

I might try to remount the lower grill as I feel it might stick out a bit too much on the sides.

 

Yeah it's totally sticking out. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I'd get it to sit flush; but that's my preference. Take a bit of time to do it and you'll find it much more satisfying.

 

Looks good. But like MRCOOPERS stated I'd try to get it flush. Unless of course your happy with it like that. But other than that looks good. I like the color of your MCS It's very nice.

 

Do you guys remember how much trimming you had to do? I took off about 1/4" on the bottom, up the sides to 2 1/4" in. I didn't remove anything from the upper middle portion of the grill.

Did you cut the middle portion out of the bumper?

 

You should cut/trim the middle grille (fits at the top of the bumper, not the bonnet). Cheaper (relatively) to replace messed up grille than messed up bumper...
You should cut quite a bit to get it flush, but trial and error is the best method.
Good luck

 

Yup. I just kept shaving off more as I needed. It was bout a 4 to 6 hour job for me because I took my time.

 

Are there any parts that cannot be reused like plastic screws or snaps that would have to be purchased? Anyone know what size torx I would need for the job?

 

I've got a good set of instructions for this saved as a pdf .... p.m. me with an e-mail that accepts attachments (5.4 mb) and it's yours

 

That looks really good on your blue, i just shaved mine down bit by bit till it was flush, it was a real pain in the *** but was worht it. good luck, looks good

 

looks good@@

 

good job!

 

Jeff did my Grill today and it came out awesome, makes the entire front end look different. Jeff spent alot of time trimming the grill and getting all the holes to line up. Well worth the time to do it right.
The top grill was pretty easy to take out, just the self threading screws are a pain to take off, its just best to get new ones then to try and re use the old stuff. My grill fit very snug and we used a coat of Black silicon around the edges and it really came out good, a tight fit with the edges very flush.

Cant thank Jeff enough, as I dont think I would have attempted the lower portion with out him as we took the entire bumper off.

 

How did you attach the aero grill to the hood? The hood has those plastic screws, but the aero grill has push type ends...nothing to screw the original 10 mm whatchmacallits.

 

People say you can reuse the self tapping nuts that held the original grill onto the hood. They do seem to match up, but I've heard of people having difficulty with them. I felt they were such a poor choice, considering how difficult they were to get off, I decided not to use them.

I ran a bead of black silicon under the grill, and put a bit more where the holes were. I then applied some pressure with some c-clamps (used a paper towel to protect the grill), after about an hour, it was on there pretty well.

I'm still looking for an alternative nut to use on a couple of the pegs to just hold it down a bit tighter, I might have put a bit too much silicon, or not enough pressure.

It's held the grill down for the past 3-4 months or so with no issues, and at least 3-5k miles.

 

The grille is made to use the OEM nuts. While they seem a bit hinky, they actually do work - they're made to thread on, then spin when they get into place. To remove them, you have to pry them upward with a little flatblade screwdriver while turning them with a nutdriver.

Personally, I'd want nuts on there in addition to silicone....

You CAN get some more "normal" nuts from the hardware store and thread those onto the plastic studs. I've seen folks do that also.

 

I'm confident that it's not going anywhere. From an aesthetic stand point, I'd benefit from having at least 4 nuts on there holding down the outside edges. I'll check out my local home depot soon.

 

K: I hope i didn't order the wrong grill. FYI my mini is a 2005 mcs, april build.

See DSC01664 of the aero grill (note that there aren't any threads to use the original "bolts")

See DSC01668 for the "bolt" on top of the "Peg"

Please let me know what to do...

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but those nuts will create the threaded part of the stud if you just apply enough pressure.

 

Okay you're right. I didn't think about trying to create the threads with the grill off the car...i'm going to make the threads, then back the bolts off and then put them on...

Thanks for everyones help

 

Nooooooo. Don't do that - they'll "thread" on with the grille ON the car - once they're on, they're a bugger to get off, and they won't stay on as tight after the first time you thread them on!

 

Glad someone beat me to saying that. I hope it's not too late!

 

Well...I didn't bolt them all the way down, i just started the top thread so that its easier to put on later. I hope it turns out okay. Just for peace of mind, what type of silicon did you use?