Nissan Grill Emblem Removal and Re-paint Progress...

[niennumb1]

Well I decided to go for it after reading about what I needed to do to get this up and going. I'll freely admit that while I have worked on various non-car projects this mod terrified me. I have never used bondo and I didn't know what result I was going to get, but am happy so far with the results being my first time. As a couple requested I have taken pictures! Note: This project is not 100% done. I'm about 75% done.

So let's start with the before image of my grille:

The removal of the emblem was simple as noted by another board member. The emblem is simply held in by tabs and came out fine. I sanded around the area I am going to put bondo. Used a fine sandpaper to just make scuffing as well as scuffed up the chrome for better adhesion later.

This is what scared me a bit was slapping on that Bondo. I taped the holes underneath the emblem cutout holes to prevent Bondo from dripping. That's a lot of Bondo!

I waited 30 minutes before the Bondo became rock hard and then used a really low 60 grit to shave it down to the surface of the grille. I had to apply a second helping of Bondo after seeing some air bubbles, so this process took about an hour or so. Didn't turn out too bad, my arm hurts though!

Because the plastic was heavily scuffed by the 60 grit I moved to a 220 grit and sanded the area for quite a while in circular motions. To the touch I could not feel where the original grille was and where the Bondo was, clearly though you can see by the picture where it is, haha! Shortly after that went over it with a 600 grit.

And then I went up to the 1000 grit just to make sure I got all the fine scuffs out of the face. Following that I cleaned the whole grille off with alcohol and thoroughly dusted off the fine sand dust.

I did a good amount of coats tonight using Krylon Fusion and so far this is now it's coming:

My next step tomorrow is to go over the imperfections of spray paint with some 1000 grit and then apply another coat over the grill followed by a good few coats of Dupli Color clear coat and should have that grill back on the car this weekend!

Thanks for all the helpful pointers in getting this going. The final touch to the car will be a logo I will be placing on it after I get back from vacation in a few weeks, but will update the thread as I get this complete.

Thanks for looking!
Modified by niennumb1 at 8:13 AM 6/16/2007

[blake.pizzey]

wow looks great

[benchthug]

yay nice thats what i was going to do... its just i dont have time to do it... nice pics though i was picturing that grille in my head wondering how it will look like with a fine finish...

[CodeRed]

That actually looks really good. Goog job!

[Ever Victorious]

Looks good... you going to keep us posted through completion?

[KimberKenobi]

Owow!!

(yeah, that's really all I have to say today ;oD)

[niennumb1]

Thanks for the nice comments! I will take more pictures as I go.

Today I have noticed something that is bugging me a bit. It appears from one angle that everything looks great, but as the shine moves with my view I notice that you can faitly tell there used to be something where it was filled. When I sanded everything down and moved my hand across it I didn't feel anything uneven/bumps and was very smooth to the touch, but the gloss of the finish shows it ever so slightly.... but it still feels very smooth!

I'm getting some bondo fill-in stuff to cover the few pinhole-size imperfections from the bondo application I couldn't see before, but wondering maybe it's the bondo's texture that differs from the grille plastic? It's really hard to see because it feels absolutely even and no transitional bumps or anything. I sanded the whole area of that grille. It's just a bit hard to tell, but maybe with some more work and paint coats it will just go away.

Thanks for all the help here! I hope to have more pictures today.

[ThirstyRoss]

Are you in any way worried about the longevity of this solution? I would be concerned about the bondo actually staying put once you start driving around.

It looks pretty sweet though

[benchthug]

it wouldnt just fall apart :P but if it breaks or get hit by a rock or something it may crack it may depend on what kind of bondo did he use... by the time the grille falls apart there will be a new one "aftermarket"

[versa2nr]

did you prime the whole piece before you shot the color, that may be where the difference in the color is coming ffom.

[niennumb1]

Well if it cracks then I guess it was a waste of time. I would be all for an aftermarket one when they start coming out with better stuff.

I used the Bondo Auto Body Filler, so I would hope it's tough.

I plan to snd it down a bit (again and do some touch over filling in the small hole gaps. before going over that section again with paint I will do a primer. That should help. The finish looks wonderful otherwise. the Krylon Fusion stuff has always held together amazingly for me over the years its been available. Still I'll clearcoat over the whole thing too.

[benchthug]

if you want to sand it again prime it first so you will get an even layer... use a sanding block or something flat... because the uneven surface that you are talking about might be just a 1000-2000 of an inch uneven...

[Ever Victorious]

Well, having bondo crack is a given, just a matter of time. If nothing damages it by hitting hit, you've still just simply got age. Bondo is not as durable as repairing the body, which is why it's used as a temporary fix small dings, or people who don't care and are about to offload their car.

But again, by the time that happens due to the course of nature, you'll have a selection of aftermarket grilles.

(and just to clarify, we're talking about a matter of several years here.)

[niennumb1]

Well I had a bit of a crisis today and mostly from just being stupid. Little did I know that primer OVER existing paint creates a nice antique crackle finish Long story short I had a nice afternoon with the paint thinner and a rag.

After 2 hours or so of stripping all the paint off my grille I put some more bondo on the face to see if I could remedy that problem I stated early about where the emblem used to be. Despite my best efforts it still shows faintly. I do have a solution in that I will affix a plastic slate over the grille front to conceal it and then when I get my emblem in that will be the final touch.

So unfortunately due to embarassment and stupidity I did not take pictures of my little mishap. But it does look better and should be on my car tomorrow, hah!

Gah what a day...

[KimberKenobi]

Momma said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this, momma said.

I was working on my grill today and Teagan stepped on it... :o/

It was okay, but I freaked!

[versabundus]

Well I had a bit of a crisis today and mostly from just being stupid. Little did I know that primer OVER existing paint creates a nice antique crackle finish Long story short I had a nice afternoon with the paint thinner and a rag.

After 2 hours or so of stripping all the paint off my grille I put some more bondo on the face to see if I could remedy that problem I stated early about where the emblem used to be. Despite my best efforts it still shows faintly. I do have a solution in that I will affix a plastic slate over the grille front to conceal it and then when I get my emblem in that will be the final touch.

So unfortunately due to embarassment and stupidity I did not take pictures of my little mishap. But it does look better and should be on my car tomorrow, hah!

Gah what a day...

When using filler, after the initial sanding, lightly spray with a cheap contrasting color spray paint. (white in this case) sand off the paint with a sanding block. You will be able to see any low spots because the paint will still be there. Re-fill with spot filler and continue process until it sands clean. BTW that was too much filler at one time. You should do it in several layers.

[ShinHed]

Did you use a sanding block? Use sandable primer?When I replied to another thread you posted in, I had no idea that behind the Nissan logo on the Versa , there's such a huge void. Bondo ain't for filling in large voids, it's for skimming over minor imperfections. Also, cheap Bondo tends to sink even when sanded level, causing you to see the faint Nissan outline. Bondo also sinks depending on how it's top coated so, it should have been top coated with a high-build primer to making sure it's level before top coating.

At least your learning.

[niennumb1]

Yeah I'm learing and while it is frustrating I am having fun doing it. I may revisit the idea of going over it again when I get my emblem, but for now I'm going to keep it as is and not worry about it. It's funny that stuff comes in such a big tub and says it's a body filler. You'd think it would be wonderful to work with like that, but it can be quite a hassle!

Well I've NEVER been a car guy. As a hobby I make costumes and am part of a nationwide Star Wars costume group that has movie accurate troops and other characters that do charity events and such. Costumes is one thing, but cars are a whole different beast. You can't cheat your way around them.

The problem now is I have done the coats of black over the front facing and did all the clearcoat and it's all dry and nice looking except that one faint spot. Is there still hope to fix that at this point or have I pretty much passed the point of no return? I really don't want to have to sand that thing bare again. Other than that spot it looks wonderful. I guess with enough coats of paint maybe it'll go away, but I'd rather it just be even looking.

I used a sander to level it out and it was a fairly large area sander so nothing got sanded down farther than another spot. It's just the surfaces that just appear a little different, ut from reflections appears to have a difference in height it is so weird. I did anther run over of the bondo. I guess no matter what it contracts a little.

Well it's definitely been a learning process and I appreciate the help I got before I started. It probably would have turned out worse had I not come here first.

[KimberKenobi]

are you part of the legion?

[niennumb1]

Yes! The 501st Boy the name has really gotten around over the years!

Well, I put the grille back on. Aside from the emblem thing It goes well with the car paint. I will find a solution this week to fix it, but anyway, not too bad! Now to test the elements of the week against the paint and coating.

[ShinHed]

The looks of these cars are starting to grow on me. I'd love one as a daily driver on for my lil sister:yesnod

[KimberKenobi]

Yes! The 501st Boy the name has really gotten around over the years!

the 501 was at Joseph Beth in Lex for the Timothy Zahn signing.

It was freak-tastic!!

but... I'm not a SW fan... uh-uh...

you believe me, right??

ROFLMAO

/threadjack

[niennumb1]

Sorry to get off topic, but just wanted to respond to KimerKenobi (a very non-star wars name

the 501 was at Joseph Beth in Lex for the Timothy Zahn signing.

It was freak-tastic!!

but... I'm not a SW fan... uh-uh...

you believe me, right??

ROFLMAO

/threadjack

You're a Star Wars fan.... I went to C4 in Los Angeles! Meeting Carrie Fisher She signed this for me

Also here's a pic of one of the costumes I used to have before I had to sell it to pay a bill off I'm the Biker Scout in the center closest to the camera. cut/trimmed/Assembled/painted and sewn most soft clothing parts.2006 Torchlight parade

Don't forget my username is like a ROTJ character, Nien Nunb. Yeah... a bit of a Star Wars geek myself. I almost made my car into something Star Wars themed, but decided to go with Transformers, hahah!

And the Kimber part of your name.... Don't happen to be a Nip/Tuck fan too are you? LOL!

OK sorry to get off topic...

[CodeRed]

And the Kimber part of your name.... Don't happen to be a Nip/Tuck fan too are you? LOL!

I think thats part of her....umm.....name

[KimberKenobi]

Oh no, I caught the Nien Numb part right off the bat ;oD

Very awesome!! You're not going to PAX are you?? We'll be driving up to Seattle to visit with a friend and we're going to PAX.

Anyone else in Seattle can play a good game of CAMELSPOTTING in late August ;oD

And the Kimber part is 100% me... of course, so is the Kenobi part since I receive mail and checks to that name and am published under it. ;oD

The truly sad bit is, the last time I renewed my Insider subscription (which was awhile ago because once this happened, I vowed I never would renew again - solely because if the people working for it didn't care, then it would be crappy anyway) I had to give them my e-mail address (for Hyperspace) and I had to spell out Kenobi... THREE times! I loved when you could call Insider and talk to fellow fans for an hour (I had a guy there who I would call directly any time I had a problem or a question).

HAHAHA! We've threadjacked your own thread! (better than someone else's I guess...)
Modified by KimberKenobi at 9:37 PM 6/17/2007