my weekend project

[whiteracer]

There's three things i want to do this weekend concerning the body of my car. I think i've seen a couple how-to's on these. When i first got my car and was concerned about my headlights, someone gave me simple step-by-step instructions on how to take my bumper off. (i didn't have the haynes manual at the time.) I'm looking for someone to give me simple instructions again on how to:

1. Fill in the holes left by the H embem on my trunk.

2. Gut my grill and put mesh instead

3. Get my air dam (the whole under the grill) to look the same as my grill.

Should i leave the mesh the silver color or paint it black or what?

[TheNotoriousMogg]

Let me take a crack at this!!!

1. Fill in the holes left by the H embem on my trunk.

I would say use some bondo and some 800 grit sand paper, bondo, sand and hit it with some touch up paint. After that hit the dry paint with some clear nail polish on it.

2. Gut my grill and put mesh instead

Gut your grill?...umm just pull it out and attach the grill with either zip ties or liquid nails which is stronger than apoxy

3. Get my air dam (the whole under the grill) to look the same as my grill.

Use a dremmel tool and cut it out and sand it. Then attach is with some liquid nails or apoxy.

Hope this helps man

[Pimpin Yoda]

The holes left you are going to want to weld something behind it or anything like that. The bondo will fall out when hit if you dont do it that way...at least that is what i was told at out at Vo-Tec last year! Just my .02

[whiteracer]

well then what about putting some Bondo behind the holes in the trunk, oh but then again wouldn't the whole piece just fall into the trunk? I'm not sure what you meant by it falling out...

about the grills, just cut everything i want out, sand the edges smooth, then tie the mesh to the inside of the bumper and the same with the grill? Where could i get the mesh material and what's the best kind?

[Pimpin Yoda]

lets say he just straight up bondoed it. Parks it at a mall or something and all the stupid people that cant keep their hands off other peoples cars walk by and hit the trunk the bondo will crack. Or it could even crack if you have as bad of roads as we do here in Oklahoma. Then it will look horrible and it will after a while just totally fall out.

It might just work to bondo it since the holes arent that big...but there is alway a chance. Again this is just what i was told when i was going threw school to become a body and fender man. I know for sure that will happen if you bondo over a dent or a big hole...i have seen many cars come back for that. Hope that helps you out alittle bit.

[whiteracer]

so someone answer the age old question, how do i fill in the holes?

and anyone have anymore info on the grill?

[el_loco_civic]

You can alwayz Fiber Glass it. Fiber glass is very dependable. Heres how :

1) get yer FiberGlass and Resin.
2) Mix them together
3) from the back side of trunk, apply so that it fills the holes and even seeps out from the holes a little.
4) let dry
5) sand it down til' its smooth.
6) Primer it w/ the Primer Spray ( about $4.00 @ Autozone )
7) sand w/ fine sandpaper, then Primer again
8) Get your touch up paint on
9) then your clear coat
10) Let them "coats" clear
11) Get on w/your life

Yer fiber glass and resin can also be found at iether Auto Zone or Advanced Auto Parts. Its not expensive. Hope this helps !

[tynebeach]

is it really that easy to shave the emblems? If you use that technique do you still see where the holes used to be or are they completely gone?

[el_loco_civic]

Originally posted by tynebeach
is it really that easy to shave the emblems? If you use that technique do you still see where the holes used to be or are they completely gone?

if you follow them steps right, and sand it so when you rub yer fingers over where holes used to be, but fiber glassed, you dont feel any difference, and you paint it an shi+ , then you wont be able to see where they used to be at all.

[tynebeach]

that's pretty sweet, I'll have to try that out. I'll make sure I have the money to get it professionally done before I do it though just incase I screw it up

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally posted by whiteracer
about the grills, just cut everything i want out, sand the edges smooth, then tie the mesh to the inside of the bumper and the same with the grill? Where could i get the mesh material and what's the best kind?

You got the basic gist of it. Just get some metal mesh concrete lathe, and that's what you use as the mesh material. Uou'll have to cut it out to the shape of your grill, that's what I did with mine.