y34 custom grill project

Not happy with the options out there for grills that will fit my car without swapping the headlights and bumper I decided to take, dremmel, sander and elbow grease to make my own.

[URL="http://www.jadecrew.com/2003-infiniti-m45-custom-grill/"]http://www.jadecrew.com/2003-infiniti-m45-custom-grill/[/URL]

[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/IMG_0995.jpg[/IMG]


I am almost done, I just have a few pin holes to fix, a little bit of shaping in the middle center and to prime and sand one last time.

I am trying to decide on what to paint the interior. I know I want to paint the front of the slats a silver/gunmetal.

I want to paint the insides black but I am not sure if I want to do it flat black, gloss black or plastidip (looks like factory abs plastic).

[img]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/img_1025.jpg[/img]

Nice....looks a little like mine...
 
 
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b297/maxxxd02/Dsc02501.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=actolex;315576]Nice....looks a little like mine...
 
 
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b297/maxxxd02/Dsc02501.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Yeah, I thought about going the Nissan route but kinda wanted to mystery of having no logo. I like that 90% of people have no clue what kind of car it is. 

What lip is that by the way?

Custom grills FTW
Great work so far, gonna be dope

Oh and havin Nissan badges still brings up the question "What kinda car is this??" I hear that all the time LOL

[QUOTE=Brokey33;315595]Custom grills FTW
Great work so far, gonna be dope
 
Oh and havin Nissan badges still brings up the question "What kinda car is this??" I hear that all the time LOL[/QUOTE]
 
Custom Grills FTW indeed! :biggthumpup:
 
I get "What Kinda car is that?" "Is that a lexus" "Is that a Merc."
LOL! The body shop guys were trippin out
"WHat year is that? A '99? (Liar)" LOL!

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;315602]Custom Grills FTW indeed! :biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]

But you got the Zenki GT grill don't ya??

Yeah I get alotta people thinkin Benz

[QUOTE=JadeY34;315592]
What lip is that by the way?[/QUOTE]
 
 
It's a Works Company lip for Y34 Ced/Glo that I had to modify....
 
 
[URL]http://www.tm-group.jp/nissan/gt/gloria/zenki_ha/images/fh.gif[/URL]

[QUOTE=Brokey33;315605]But you got the Zenki GT grill don't ya??
[/QUOTE]
 
Yea, It's been altered a lil
(not a very good job but it works till I can come up w/ $800 for the JP one LOL)

Oooohh IDK that, gonna have to see wassup with that

[QUOTE=actolex;315608]It's a Works Company lip for Y34 Ced/Glo that I had to modify....
 
 
[URL]http://www.tm-group.jp/nissan/gt/gloria/zenki_ha/images/fh.gif[/URL][/QUOTE]

How much did that run you, I have been thinking a lip kit would be nice since I already had the side lights removed etc so it might be cool.

[QUOTE=JadeY34;315614]How much did that run you, I have been thinking a lip kit would be nice since I already had the side lights removed etc so it might be cool.[/QUOTE]
 
 
I honestly don't remember....my buddy in Japan picked up the front and rear lip for me and shipped it over.

[QUOTE=JadeY34;315592]
What lip is that by the way?[/QUOTE]
 
Heres the link
 
[URL]http://www.tm-group.jp/nissan/gt/gloria/zenki_ha/index.html[/URL]
 
nice grill, I did something similiar to the stock Q grill a while back but I never got around to painting it

remember i was showing you this stuff agi? this is the mad cheap s**t from the mags. you can break that shit in a day and charge it to the game.

too bad the F50 jdm bumper isnt that nice.  I think the USDM one is nicer

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;315654]remember i was showing you this stuff agi? this is the mad cheap s**t from the mags. you can break that shit in a day and charge it to the game.[/QUOTE]
 
 
Not really....fiberglass was pretty good.  With the Y34, there is not a lot of selection.

"cheap" as in cost. good to hear about the quality, i was iffy.

[QUOTE=JadeY34;315572]Not happy with the options out there for grills that will fit my car without swapping the headlights and bumper I decided to take, dremmel, sander and elbow grease to make my own.

[[/QUOTE]
:biggthumpup:  I dig it the most.

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;315673]"cheap" as in cost. good to hear about the quality, i was iffy.[/QUOTE]
 
 
Yeah.....it was pretty inexpensive.  The M has become my beater so I don't want to dump a bunch of money into it.  I just wanted it to look presentable.

Wow, those kits aren't too expensive. I started up my Y34 for the first time at night and realized how nice the stock front end is. 

The grill is cool being custom and I considered doing something like that for my F50, but then realized that the car is rare enough as it is, and the emblem gives it a sporty look like a the Mercedes CL grill on an S-class sedan. The Y34 is just as rare in these parts if not more so.

I did consider trying to do a custom grill with the G50 emblem on my F50 to represent some of the heritage and glory of the original Q45, just never got around to doing it yet.

Well I am almost done now. I have to wet sand and repaint the front slats since some some of my lines are not 100% straight and there are some imperfections in the paint. I went with satin black for the insides and a silver that kind of matches the silver in the headlights.

Overall I like the look of the grill a lot. I am probably the only person critical enough to see the imperfections but it bothers me. It was hard to paint in my neighborhood since its so windy and blowing dust around. I wish I had a clean environment to work in, things would have been so much easier and faster.


[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/dsc00390.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/dsc00391.jpg[/IMG]

[URL="http://www.jadecrew.com/2003-infiniti-m45-custom-grill/"]http://www.jadecrew.com/2003-infiniti-m45-custom-grill/[/URL]

damn that looks sick

Looks nice!

Wow looks awesome man!
Wanted the auto couture grille... think I am going to give it a shot on a spare I have!

Can't believe I missed this. Nice work, good write up. I love the outcome.

what brand paint did u use? i like how the silver looks

[QUOTE=SanDiegoG35;317675]what brand paint did u use? i like how the silver looks[/QUOTE]

Its actually rim paint. They sell it at autozone, its in a can with a silver rim on the can.

I did some touch up and cleared it last night. I now just need to go and wet sand it all to make the finish presentable.

[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/dsc00393.jpg[/IMG]

You can see how it needs the sanding in this pic.

[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/dsc00394.jpg[/IMG]

Damn, that's just gorgeous
Top notch work on there, great stuff :biggthumpup:

There is finally a Y34 aftermarket grille that fits the USDM. The new K-Break "Complete" Grille
 
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/grill.jpg[/IMG]
[img]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/frontbumper.jpg[/img]
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/front.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=EliteAutoStyle;317795]There is finally a Y34 aftermarket grille that fits the USDM. The new K-Break "Complete" Grille
 
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/grill.jpg[/IMG]
 
[/QUOTE]
 
 
It looks like the bottom won't line up with the US bumper.  The US bumper is not as flat and has a "beak" shape to it in the middle.

[QUOTE=actolex;317809]It looks like the bottom won't line up with the US bumper.  The US bumper is not as flat and has a "beak" shape to it in the middle.[/QUOTE]

I think actolex is right, check this picture. You can see the beak in it. The factory "late model Gloria" grill will fit but it just looks like th us one with a nissan logo.

[IMG]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/james-grill-project/img_1025.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=JadeY34;317811]I think actolex is right, check this picture. You can see the beak in it. The factory "late model Gloria" grill will fit but it just looks like th us one with a nissan logo.[/QUOTE]
 
Hmmm.. well I know the Kouki Gloria grille is interchangeable with the USDM one, so unless K-Break designed this grille to only fit with the K-Break bumper, that wouldn't be too smart on their part :shrug:

[QUOTE=EliteAutoStyle;317843]Hmmm.. well I know the Kouki Gloria grille is interchangeable with the USDM one, so unless K-Break designed this grille to only fit with the K-Break bumper, that wouldn't be too smart on their part :shrug:[/QUOTE]

The problem comes in whether its for a "late model" or "early model" gloria. The kit looks like it is for early model gloria which did not have the beak. 

The y34 chassis ran from 1998 to 2004. In june of 1999 the “late model” Gloria was released. It has the same grill and headlights as the US car, except the logo is Nissan not Infiniti on the grill. The late model Gloria also has a set of LED tail lights that differs from all of the other models, including the US car.

Most of the kits and all of the grills as far as I know are for the early model, since there were a lot more produced and a wider market. 

So its not that K-Break made the grill only fit their bumper, its that they made it fit the more common early model gloria.

[QUOTE=JadeY34;317847]The problem comes in whether its for a "late model" or "early model" gloria. The kit looks like it is for early model gloria which did not have the beak. 
 
The y34 chassis ran from 1998 to 2004. In june of 1999 the “late model” Gloria was released. It has the same grill and headlights as the US car, except the logo is Nissan not Infiniti on the grill. The late model Gloria also has a set of LED tail lights that differs from all of the other models, including the US car.
 
Most of the kits and all of the grills as far as I know are for the early model, since there were a lot more produced and a wider market. 
 
So its not that K-Break made the grill only fit their bumper, its that they made it fit the more common early model gloria.[/QUOTE]
 
K-break has 2 different kits and grilles for the "early model" and "late model". You can see in the Kouki (Late Model) that is does point down a little more. Also the angles on the headlights are more vertical on the Zenki (early model), so they would not be interchangeable. Its a little hard to judge from the photo but I'm pretty sure K-Break would have design the Kouki bumper to be able to use the OEM Kouki grille
 
Because if you think about it if Kbreak only made a grille and only works with a kit and a kit that only works with a grille they would lose major on sales. 
 
I hope that helps. If you would like I can ask K-break if the grille alone will fit and if the kit alone would fit the Kouki models
 
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34cedric/grill.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34cedric/frontbumper.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/grill.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/frontbumper.jpg[/IMG]

nice mod, It was something i was contemplating on doing as well. Glad to see someone has shed some light on the subject! Cant wait to do it now

[QUOTE=JadeY34;317847]The problem comes in whether its for a "late model" or "early model" gloria. The kit looks like it is for early model gloria which did not have the beak. 

The y34 chassis ran from 1998 to 2004. In june of 1999 the “late model” Gloria was released. It has the same grill and headlights as the US car, except the logo is Nissan not Infiniti on the grill. The late model Gloria also has a set of LED tail lights that differs from all of the other models, including the US car.

Most of the kits and all of the grills as far as I know are for the early model, since there were a lot more produced and a wider market. 

So its not that K-Break made the grill only fit their bumper, its that they made it fit the more common early model gloria.[/QUOTE]

The early model ran from 1998-1999.5, so about 18 months or so while the late model was from 1999.5-2004 which could as much as 54 months. That's 3 times the production time. I'm surprised that they managed to make more of of the early cars in 1/3 of the time.

I knew it! I knew i saw that body style back then.. I had a JP book and brochure back before 2000 that had it. I thought i was trippin ha

You may be right. Now that I look at the two pictures the headlights on the white one seems to be the correct angle for the us car. The silver one is more up and down like the early model and the white is more slanted like the late Model. What is the pricing on that grill just for kicks?

[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana]The difference it is the headlight....check the angles. A/C is less upright and is the same headlights as the USDM lights. The bottom of the grill is the same in both K-Break models. The only difference is the angles on the sides to fit the 2 different headlights. [/FONT][/COLOR]
 
 
[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana]Here's my JP billet insert with the JP JSpec bumper.[/FONT][/COLOR]
 
[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/actolex/M45/CarlislePA-2008026-pp.jpg[/IMG][/FONT][/COLOR]
 
 
 
[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana]Here's a JP billet insert I installed on a customer's car using the factory M45 grill frame. Notice how the billet made for the JSpec bumper is much shorter in the center.[/FONT][/COLOR]
 

[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/actolex/M45/DSCF0596.jpg[/IMG] [/FONT][/COLOR]

 
[COLOR=#dbdbdb][FONT=Verdana]Here is how much the "beak" sticks out on the USDM grill frame against my JP front bumper. I'm assuming the K-Break kit's bumper will be the same shape in the middle as the JP, so the grill will also be "short" in the middle since the factory M45 bumper has the bulge in the center in order to accommodate the USDM crash bar.[/FONT][/COLOR]
 
[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/actolex/M45/DSCF0602.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=EliteAutoStyle;317855]
[IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/grill.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.k-break.com/complete/y34gloria/frontbumper.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

this looks official:biggthumpup: From the pic it appears that it'll fit perfect.  How much for the k-break grill?

I am really happy with the final product. I found a cool "dry carbon" vinyl from 3M that looks really nice. Its not like the crap checkered stuff that used to be carbon fiber vinyl.

It does not look straight up real but it is nice looking. It has a 3d effect like real carbon.

[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b36/errol013/CIMG0250.jpg[/IMG]

I am thinking of doing the flat inner sections in it. I am probably going to redo my wood also.

[QUOTE=StockStar;318399]this looks official:biggthumpup: From the pic it appears that it'll fit perfect. How much for the k-break grill?[/QUOTE]
 
 
It fits because it's on a J-spec K-Break bumper.  Put that same grill on a USDM front bumper and you will have a "gap" where the USDM bumper is further out in the center.

[QUOTE=actolex;320125]It fits because it's on a J-spec K-Break bumper. Put that same grill on a USDM front bumper and you will have a "gap" where the USDM bumper is further out in the center.[/QUOTE] been there done that .. i have to agree with Mark  if you need pictures of the grill close up hit me up on a pm jade

KingPin & Mark,
 
Its hard to argue with you on this.  thanks for the info

[QUOTE=actolex;320125]It fits because it's on a J-spec K-Break bumper.  Put that same grill on a USDM front bumper and you will have a "gap" where the USDM bumper is further out in the center.[/QUOTE]

Thats what I always thought.

Sweet! It turned out real nice. :biggthumpup:

I got some 3m Dino Dry carbon fiber look vinyl to redo my wood and decided to thrown it on the flat part of the slats on the grill. It covers any slight imperfections I had my paint work. If I would have planed this ahead of time I could have spent alot less time worrying about the prep.

[img]http://www.jadecrew.com/wp-content/gallery/carbon-wrap/img_9800.jpg[/img]

What brand and color paint did you use for the very first pic in your first post? Also, if you would, can you give a brief write-up on how you filled the gaps and cut out certain parts on that grill, also in that first pic, how many coat of clear did you put on there (if any). Thanks for any help, it turned out very very nice.

if i can pick up a spare grill for cheap im gonna attempt this mod

[QUOTE=Jer;428585]What brand and color paint did you use for the very first pic in your first post? Also, if you would, can you give a brief write-up on how you filled the gaps and cut out certain parts on that grill, also in that first pic, how many coat of clear did you put on there (if any). Thanks for any help, it turned out very very nice.[/QUOTE]


The paint I used is from Discount Auto Parts and is a silver for painting wheels. I put two coasts of clear on the paint when done. 

For the cutting i used a dremmel to remove the logo section. To remove the little verticals that run in between the bars I used a hacksaw. It was the easiest thing to get in there and keep tight against so there was less to sand.

To fill the section where the logo was I used a piece of plexi. I made a cardboard template of the recess then cut the plexi to match that.

The most important part is the sanding to get a nice finish.

Did you use bondo for the filler?

[QUOTE=Jer;428752]Did you use bondo for the filler?[/QUOTE]
Yes, and I primed before painting.

Awesome, thanks man. Im gonna gather the materials and start on this.