how to remove the stock one properly? i have read that you can just yank, but i do not want to mess up anything,,, what is holding the stock grille on? how can remove it properly? i did some searching and i could find alitle bit, but i need some more info, maybe i need it to simplized. i am going to put on a slp grille, its in the mail <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />

this is from H8 B N SLO:

When I replaced mine I took off the bolts under the car by the air dam, reached behind the grill and pushed the tabs out. You will still have 2 or 3 bolts holding the grille on. I had a friend pull the grille out far enough that I could get a pair of big scissors behind it and cut the plastic "screws" that are molded to the back of the grille. Once I got the grille off I just hit the fascia where the "bolts" were and they fell out through the bottom.
This wil obviously ruin the stock grille but I do not plan on ever putting it back on

this is from Xsta Z 28:

Grille Removal Tips 101

As many of you have expressed the “YANK” method scares you to death - me too.

So I wanted to see if the grille could be remove without the “YANK” method or the removal of the entire bumper. Even though the factory grille is a POS I wanted to not damage it so I could keep it.

Here is what I learned.

GM in their infinite wisdom installed the damn thing with two different types of fasteners. There are 8 points the grille is secured. Along the bottom are 3 rectangular press on pieces. Along the top are 3 - 11mm nuts, and on the left and right side are hooks.

To remove the grille I first pulled out the three plastic expansion anchors under the car that hold the bumper cover to the metal frame, pull it gently down, then reached my arm inside I felt the three press on fasteners, with a Mini Stanley Wonder Bar (a very small pry bar - Craftsman makes one too) I slowly pried off the clips. Now the bottom is loose.

Then I reached to either side of the grille and released the hooks on the left and right side. By now the grille is VERY loose. To avoid scratching the paint or clear coat I wrapped the entire grille opening with “blue” 3M masking tape. Unfortunately I could only “feel” the top fasteners, and could not get a wrench around them. But now I have it apart I can tell you they are 11mm.

Since the grille was so loose I did employ the “YANK” method on the remaining fasteners two of the nuts popped right off one stud did break. The grille is complete and visibly in good condition, also no damage to the car.

I hope this info helps all you Camaro owners.

thanks for all your help

 

i did it the tedious way...but i wanted to insure that i scratched nothing...i took the whole front bumber off...it wasnt too bad, 35 min tops, but i think its worth doing because we all say we dont have the time, but how many of us sit behind the t.v. for 3 hours at a time...instead of doing that, i took the whole front end off...i think it was worth doing becasue that is the only way to get at a couple of nuts, and i got to clean the whole thing (lots of dirt must have found its way in there over the years). the yank method is ok, but i wanted to save my stock grill. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="gr_tounge.gif" />

 

so to take off the grille? i have to remove the whole bumper? that seems like alot of work to me, becuase i have no idea on how to,,, could i just remove the air dam and reach inside and loosen it? whats the stock grille using to hold on it? does it use nuts? and if you just yank it off, what happens to the nuts? i guess thats what i am unclear about? i am also unclear on how about it connected to the bumper, then i could find a way to remove it safely to my standards,

thanks for your reply

any more suggestions and answers?

thanks

 

any help please

 

I just yanked. Ask anyone that knows me (PSJ) and he'll tell you how **** retentive I am, and I just yanked.

It's held on by plastic tabs that have a metal retainer in back that holds them on.

The hardest one is the upper middle hole under (where the nose comes to a point). Yanking on that one caused the paint to spider as you yank on it, but once it's off, you have to get your face 2 inches away to see the spidering. And if you cover it with another aftermarket grill, it won't matter.

 

TTT,,, doing it this weekend, UPS (aka Santa in browm) brought it to me for my b day

i think i am going to get the tabs out and reach behind it and cut the plastic screws off and tape around the old grille so i don;t chip anything

the only i am still wondering about is:

how to pull out the tabs? any advice

thanks for your replies

 

unforunatly it was to late for me, I used the yank method and as I got each tab loose I heard the sound of a piece that I could see droping in to the depths of the bumper. I used a magnet on a stick and was able to retreve two of the rectanglar clips that secure the bottom of the grill, as for the three 11 mill nuts that hold on the top of the grill those haven't been recovered. I thought I would like the look with it out, but no. So here are my options, new grill or expoxy the holes from the old. Any ideas guys? I also agree the yank method sucks, I was wondering (car off insurance for winter) if you can get to the grill mounting after condenser and rad are out (cam swap up coming). Also you guys with aftermarket grills how are they being mounted, I would hate to have to reinstall the stocker to put a billet or mesh one on. archdog that was quite a good post, I definatly could visualize every step after looking at my mistake to try to fix it, did you have any luck being able to see the top grill mounting locations from under the car with the three pushpins removed, how muck of a pain in the dick was it to line up the bumper?

 

i want to take off the stock one and leave it off. like the look, but i was not willing to do the yank method. I think the info above will help me do it.

 

yeah the three fasteners (11mm things) are impossible to reach without removeing the whole front bumper. I just got a knife and cut them from the grill, the top middle was still a PITA so I cut half of it and did the yank method. I like the look and will keep it like this for a while

 

i pulled the sides out first....then from the front i took a flat head screwdriver and pushed on the each of the three clips on the bottom and they popped out so that the bottom would be loose. And you do have to do the yank method for the top 3. I put one hand on the actual bumper and pulled each of the grill bolt things out seperately. pull really hard

 

Stupid question: What does this look like when when the grill is removed? Any pics?

I've heard of people removing the grill and leaving it like that instead of installing a new one. Is this true, common, okay, gay, hickish, or ricer in any way?