I like the stock grill on our 7th gen, but the lower openings always seemed somehow incomplete.

These openings are equipped with a black horizontal blade which is nearly invisible. It's likely there for some purpose other than appearance. I began wondering if there was something that can be done to improve things.

It seemed that if the lower blade was faced with a chrome strip matching the strips in the upper grill it would visually tie the whole front end together while finishing off the lower "holes".

After making a couple of PhotoShop images to confirm this appearance I decided to try the mod in an easily reversible manner. I used alcohol to clean the armor-all off the black blades and applied some chrome tape to the leading edge. The results were mixed. The tape looked good, but it is not flexible enough to handle the curves at each end of the blades without bunching up. With a highly reflective surface, any imperfection is easily visible so the inevitable wrinkles stood out way too much.

A better material would need to be more flexible, yet thick enough to retain a uniformly smooth surface. An ideal product would be a larger version of those chrome door edge strips that are U-shaped to fit over the edge of the black blades.

Unable to find such a product, I tried something else that proved to be a great alternative at the local Pep Boys auto parts store. For $14 they have a product called Cowles Custom Chrome Molding. This comes in several widths, but the 1/2" size is best. It comes in an 18' roll. Here it is online: http://www.jcwhitney.com/universal-c...41&zmap=686525

It is very smooth flexible vinyl with a very shiny chrome finish. It is about as thick as a DVD which means it will not crease like the tape did. It has a peel-off tape backing using 3M automotive adhesive just like that holding our Nissan emblem on, so it should last a good long time.

The only bad thing about it is that this strip is designed for a fairly flat surface and the leading edge of the black bar is a half-round shape. While the tape will bend at the ends to follow the curves along the length of the bar, it is not flexible enough to bend and conform to the half-round face.

The directions caution not to run it thru a car wash until the adhesive fully cures in 3 days. It has now been on 3 weeks and has not shown any signs of coming loose.

If anyone finds a more appropriate solution or if you get tired of the appearance, it should be possible to remove this molding just as easily as we can debadge our emblems.

I initially wrote of this concept here, beginning at post #68:
http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...r-ideas-2.html

Here are a few closeups that show the tighter curves. I found it best to pre-bend the strips and install as tight as possible to the very ends of the black bars. That way the adjacent trim helps lock the end of the chrome strip so it can't spring back to its former shape.

Please be sure to post any alternative product solutions if you find them. It would be interesting to see if the improvement is greater on Maximas of other colors, so please post your pictures too...

 

This is the best looking grill mod IMO. This is cost effective and achieves a very nice look. I am placing an order. Did you use the 3m prep cleaner or something else?

 

Wow. almost looks factory!

 

3M prep cleaner might be the best item to use, but I found regular isopropal alcohol (which I had on hand) worked pretty effectively.

If you do use 3M (or anything else) please let us know how it fared.

Thanks


This is the tape I used.

RICKO independently located this same tape and uploaded a picture of his car with this mod in message #74 of the original thread. It looks great on his car which appears to be Ocean Gray.

 

great simple solution to that incomplete stock look for the front; i was considering a new grill, but this looks good for starters and maybe permanent. thanks for sharing the info.

 

My color is actually Dark Slate which is close enough for comparison.

This mod on my Maxima:

Before:




and after

 

I'm not a chrome guy, but that looks really good. Nice work!

 

I think I'm going to give this a run and see how it works out. Not a big expense if it fails

 

This is my kind of mod. Fairly inexpensive, and adds to looks.

 

just ordered that chrome. Tried finding it locally but could not find 1/2". Will post up once done.

 

That's great news. I suspect it will look very good on your navy blue car.

 

Looks awesome, I ordered it too.

 

That looks good. It really seems to complete the front of the car. I actually like the stock look of the grille compared to the aftermarket ones I've seen.

Also, FWIW, isoproyl alcohol from the drug store (rubbing alcohol) has lanolin oil in it. Denatured alcohol has no oil it and is pure alcohol.

Have you tried to use a heat gun to get the product to adhere to the curves of the blade or do you think it's not worth it?

 

Thanks for the tip on the alcohol.

I didn't use a heat gun (it was nearly 100 degrees outside), but the extra heat couldn't hurt. The only areas where adhesion was a concern was at the tighter curves at the ends of the molding. If you don't wedge the end against the side trim it wants to lift off and resume its original straight shape. A heat gun might just help both adhesion and bending - good tip!

 

Not worth it in my opinion, the product is already somewhat pliable out of the box. I did leave the roll in direct sunlight for an hour or so before application and it made it just right to use.

 

gorgeous, excellent idea

 

It seems as if we cleaned JC Whitney out of their stock and they don't expect more until the 18th at the earliest, it could be later. I cancelled my order because I'm impatient, I'll get it somewhere else.

Update:I ended up getting mine today at Advance Auto Parts in Washington, PA for $15.

 

not a chrome myself either, but this actually gets my approval, great job looks factory

 

I should have paid closer attention to the package as I had that in my hands tonight and put it back as I thought I was looking for something different. (sigh)

 

Just finished up this cheap easy cosmetic mod and I say emery h your the mod god on this one ha ha!!! Such a cheap easy fix on the incomplete front end and this just completes it!!!!(looks awesome on the mystic jade) I went to the store and they had no 1/2" so I used 5/8".fits just fine and being a touch bigger fills the holes more but it doesn't overhang the lip much.now we just sit back in style and see how long it hangs on (fingers crossed)anybody considering this I highly recommend it!!!!!

 

I just installed the 1/2" molding. LOVE it! Emery gets my sincere thanks as that is the answer for Nissan. Nissan needs to browse the forum and see how we are making their vehicle better.

 

I'm glad ya'll were happy with this little mod

Mine has been on for several weeks now, even thru a couple of rainstorms and it's still hanging on strong.

I'd really like to see some more pictures when you get a chance.

 

3M tape is tough crap.

(photos) sure thing! I'm curious how my car looks in the daylight as well.

 

awesome mod dude .. looks great

 

I ordered mine from jc whitney like 3 weeks ago and its STILL on back order. so looks like going to be another couple weeks before I get to play

 

EmeryH - thanks for the post and pic. I have modified mine and love it. Appreciate your sharing. BTW, I found the trim at my local Advanced Auto Parts store. $17.99 per package.

 

Wow - everyone must have cleaned out their stock

You might check if it's available at a local auto parts store. If so, the JC Whitney order can likely be canceled... Good Luck

 

I bought mine at an AutoZone, try looking at their stores.

 

I bought mine from pepboys for $14.00.

 

+1 though it is a popular item in my hick town (ricer-ville)

 

Hey guys I had a lot of molding left over (18') so I put the trim in the black roof slots above the doors on both side and I must say it looks pretty good!!!!,it's flush with the roof-line.Not too much it looks very factory as the black looks as unfinished as the grill.let me know what you think I'll try to post a pic if I can but it's just tape do one side if ya don't like it, rip er off!!!I'm keeping mine on.Looks really good against the tinted windows!!!!!.....and this is as far as I'm taking it ha ha,no wheel well or body side molding.I'm chromed out !!!!

 

put the chrome molding down and step away from the vehicle

 

thanks for the chrome intervention I needed that......by the way mine was 5/8" and had a flat shape not a half round.

 

installed the front lower chrome trim. I messed up slightly under the front plate, oh well

 

what is the easiest way to add pics to a post?????tried a few times without success....any help appreciated

 

I wrote up a "how to" on a different forum
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...ad.php?t=14740

 

EmeryH - I took your idea, which I like a lot and expanded it a little - not as clean as yours but I like eggcrate grills, I guess. Thanks for the initial inspiration. Pics attached....

 

thanks k757 you did a good job on the car!!!!looks sweet

 

last few pics are where I put my 5/8"molding in the roof grooves

 

Keith - Your ride looks great! The protective side moldings look good too (but my judgment may be a bit biased)

John - Your egg-crate grill looks surprisingly good. Here's an instance where a description alone would have been inadequate. I'd have thought the extra chrome would appear overdone, but your photo proves the idea works quite well.

goog67 - Your roof strips are also much better than expected. The nearby chrome of the window trim seems to make it work. Glad you got the pictures up. The wider strips you used adds a bit more "weight" to the lower front and serves to balance the appearance.

I considered adding a border strip of chrome around the inside lower grill openings similar to the border framing our main grill but thought it would be too much. It may be worth a try after all since it might also turn out better than expected.



Thanks for sharing your photos guys!