First off, let's answer the question: "Why would you want to do this?"
Disassembly/assembly:
Whenever positions are mentioned, they are relative to the grills as installed on the car.
So let's get started.
Remove the grills from the inside of the bonnet. Each is held down by three 8mm nuts. If the threaded part of the grill comes off, don't fret, just unscrew it all the way from the grill leaving it on the car and in the end, screw it back in.
The car looks silly with the grilles off.
The chrome trim is held on with clips (see picture). Begin with the innermost clip on the bottom, going first outwards around the outside, finishing at the clip closest to the badge. Insert the flat-head screwdriver in the middle of the clip between the black and chrome plastic, and gently pry up on the black plastic until the chrome part releases.
Once you have released the outside clips, the chrome part will still be held on by the two clips on the middle "stripe". To undo these clips, apply some outward force and use the needlenose pliers to first squeeze the clip together so that the lower prong can slip behind the black plastic, then move the jaw from the lower prong onto the black plastic, and carefully squeeze the upper prong so it slips behind the black plastic.
Congrats, you have now separated the chrome from the grill! Now you can go on with cleaning, and then painting or blocking off.
Blocking off
All along, my intention was to block off the grille. Let me show you how I did it.
Using Gorilla Tape (important, as the adhesive needs to be extra strong due to the small contact area), I first applied the tape to the middle divider as it has a nice straight line. Then I used a spudger tool (you can use any suitable blunt instrument) to press down the adhesive on the divider. After that, starting from the middle, I stuck the tape down on the other side, moving towards the edges. Once the tape was fully stuck down all around, I used an x-acto knife to trim the excess using the sharp inside corner as a guide. Afterward, I went around with the spudger again to make sure everything was fully stuck down.
The top bit was much the same, but slightly tougher due to the sharper corners. Remember to slit the tape on the middle clip holes.
And with both fully assembled. The clips should help press the glue together for an even stronger hold. Make sure you carefully press each clip to make sure it stays.
Finally, a shot of the car with the blocked-off grills:
I hope this helps some of you out there.
- Aerodynamics: It might help lessen the amount of air entering the engine bay and give you a fraction more MPG.
- Heat management: The Micra is made for a wide range of environments. The finnish winter is on the colder side, and blocking off some air from the radiator will only help the car warm up faster.
- Aesthetics: Maybe you don't want chrome grills.
Disassembly/assembly:
- 8mm spanner/socket wrench
- medium flat head screwdriver
- needle-nose pliers
- Gorilla tape or similar strong-adhesived tape
- Sharp craft knife
Whenever positions are mentioned, they are relative to the grills as installed on the car.
So let's get started.
Remove the grills from the inside of the bonnet. Each is held down by three 8mm nuts. If the threaded part of the grill comes off, don't fret, just unscrew it all the way from the grill leaving it on the car and in the end, screw it back in.
The car looks silly with the grilles off.
The chrome trim is held on with clips (see picture). Begin with the innermost clip on the bottom, going first outwards around the outside, finishing at the clip closest to the badge. Insert the flat-head screwdriver in the middle of the clip between the black and chrome plastic, and gently pry up on the black plastic until the chrome part releases.
Once you have released the outside clips, the chrome part will still be held on by the two clips on the middle "stripe". To undo these clips, apply some outward force and use the needlenose pliers to first squeeze the clip together so that the lower prong can slip behind the black plastic, then move the jaw from the lower prong onto the black plastic, and carefully squeeze the upper prong so it slips behind the black plastic.
Congrats, you have now separated the chrome from the grill! Now you can go on with cleaning, and then painting or blocking off.
Blocking off
All along, my intention was to block off the grille. Let me show you how I did it.
Using Gorilla Tape (important, as the adhesive needs to be extra strong due to the small contact area), I first applied the tape to the middle divider as it has a nice straight line. Then I used a spudger tool (you can use any suitable blunt instrument) to press down the adhesive on the divider. After that, starting from the middle, I stuck the tape down on the other side, moving towards the edges. Once the tape was fully stuck down all around, I used an x-acto knife to trim the excess using the sharp inside corner as a guide. Afterward, I went around with the spudger again to make sure everything was fully stuck down.
The top bit was much the same, but slightly tougher due to the sharper corners. Remember to slit the tape on the middle clip holes.
And with both fully assembled. The clips should help press the glue together for an even stronger hold. Make sure you carefully press each clip to make sure it stays.
Finally, a shot of the car with the blocked-off grills:
I hope this helps some of you out there.
