Replacing the grill

[MattB]

This is my car:



This is my car with an I35 grill photoshopped onto it:



Now once I find an I35 grill for a reasonable price, how do I go about installing it? I looked under the hood of my car today and it looks like it's just a few bolts and maybe a clip or two, but does anyone have a quick how-to for this job?

Also are there multiple variants of the I35 grill? Some seem to have chrome slats like the one pictured, but others look like they have black or grey slats.

[jltibbs]

i'd go to a car lot and look at an I35 to see if the grills mount the same.

[MattB]

I'm sure that they do, they're the exact same car with the only difference being the grill and taillights (and the extra half-liter of engine displacement). I was just wondering if it really is as simple as it looks or if there's a trick to it.

[pathfinder_se_black]

i took out my grill in my pathfinder to put some aftermarket jdm headlights and all it was was some clips that u press down.

[MattB]

i took out my grill in my pathfinder to put some aftermarket jdm headlights and all it was was some clips that u press down.

Yeah there are a couple of bolts and a couple of clips on mine, worst case scenario if I can't figure it out I'll go looking for an FSM that would hopefully have the instructions.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I can't offer any immediate input on the grille since I'm at work without my FSMs, but I will comment on how funny I find it that everyone and their dog's off-brand copied the original Infiniti grille just as Infiniti themselves were abandoning it.

Even Subaru copied it.

[MattB]

I can't offer any immediate input on the grille since I'm at work without my FSMs, but I will comment on how funny I find it that everyone and their dog's off-brand copied the original Infiniti grille just as Infiniti themselves were abandoning it.

Even Subaru copied it.

The I30 waterfall design or the I35 style?

The biggest thing that made me want to do the swap was when someone confused my car with a Lincoln. NOOOO. People see it from the back and think it's a Mercedes, that's all good. But I don't ever want to hear "that's a Lincoln, right?" again.

[Beancooker]

My favorite was when I was at the track in July, and Raced a 80's Mustang 5.0 (stayed neck and neck may I add. he won though ) After the race he came and asked "What kind of Nissan is that? What is a Cefiro? Is it an Import?" I didn't have the heart to tell him all Nissans were imports. So I just smiled and told him a Maxima.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The I30 waterfall design or the I35 style?

The I30 (and others) waterfall. I see it all over. One of the "bodystyle ripoff" koreans (The Hyundai XG350) is easy to mistake for an older I30 from the front, partially because of the grille.

How anyone could mistake an I30 for a Lincoln is beyond me. Of course, I've had mechanics ask me what year Camry my car is, so...

Also, here's an image that I hope is helpful.

[MattB]

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for posting that.

[MattB]

Another question...I was looking at my car's grill today to figure out what I'm going to need in terms of tools to remove the old grill and install the I35 one, and I noticed the weatherstripping that runs between the grill and the hood. Is this something that I will need to replace with the grill or is it a non-issue?

[pattyt]

okay this one takes the cake...someone once said my car looked like a Daewoo from the front. I just looked in disgust and walked away.

[MattB]

okay this one takes the cake...someone once said my car looked like a Daewoo from the front. I just looked in disgust and walked away.

Awful. Time to get an I35 grill for sure.

[Beancooker]

Have you looked to make sure that the grille is a seperate part from the bumper? The 2001 Maxima was hosed, and the damn grille is cast from the same piece of urethane that the bumper is cast from. I can not remove my grille. But I did cover it up.

[MattB]

Have you looked to make sure that the grille is a seperate part from the bumper? The 2001 Maxima was hosed, and the damn grille is cast from the same piece of urethane that the bumper is cast from. I can not remove my grille. But I did cover it up.

Yeah the grill is removable. I've confirmed this from looking at my car and by looking at parts diagrams. Ministerofdoom posted the diagram from the FSM: