Do I HAVE to take the indicators and trim off to get the grille out??
They dont seem to very easy to get too but I cant pull the bastard free
Luke
Getting the grille out...
Hi Luke,
I can only speak about EK grilles, FB's I have yet to deal with.
If you are asking about the EK - yes you will have to remove the moulding or at the very least, one of them.
I have had mine out and back in again probably more times than the battery.
The EK grille horizontal blades are held back in place behind the cutouts of the indicator mouldings. The verticals are held by nuts, bolts and washers from both above and below. The upper outer vertical bolts are accessed from inside the fenders. All lower bolts from beneath the stone-tray.
The grille assembly will come out as one piece. Each horizontal blade is retained into the verticals by two tangs from the blade which are bent over through two slots in the vertical bars.
The indicator mouldings are held to the fenders with three small bolts along the bar and one nut and washer behind the indicator lense moulding - all from behind the fender - the inner bolt on each side is a pain in the aspidesperous to get at.
Prior to dismantling, you may wish to mark all components internally so that re-assembly is correct. The markings where the horizontals have worn on the mouldings will show up if you get it out of sequence.
I also found on mine that the verticals seem to fit better if replaced exactly as found.
Make sure to cover the stonetray and bumper when removing the mouldings and also be mindful that the park/indicator wiring runs behind the moulding through a retainer and through a split rubber grommet in the radiator baffle - you may wish to disconnect it at the wiring connector block on the subframe skirt prior to removal.
Be mindful that the mouldings are made of white metal - the threads will strip very easily and that there is every likelihood that corrosion is going to be an issue on removal - don't fear, you can drill out and re-tap for a slightly larger thread on re-assembly.
You may wish to coat the threads with some anti-seizing compound when re-fittingl - I use a Loctite silver anti-seize compound numbered 76769 - it is electrically conductive and will resist electrolysis - the down side is that it is frightfully expensive - get a few of your fellow enthusiasts to by a 500g tub and share it out.
If you wish to fit stainless bolts, nuts and self tappers into your vehicle - you will certainly counter corrosion issues with dis-similar metals with this product.
I replaced all my grille and moulding nuts, bolts and washers with 304 grade stainless steel. I further ground, honed, buffed and polished those which remain visible when the grille is re-fitted - the effect is quite rewarding.
I had found that many of the nuts and bolts of my assembly had rusted and were destroyed trying to remove them. I ground out the nut retainers from the lower verticals and didn't have much trouble using an open ended spanner to hold the nuts in place on re-assembly.
I further fitted thin nylon spacers (washers) between the stone-tray and the underside of the horizontal blade where the lower verticals bolts pass through to prevent scratching of the paintwork - it also provides a little clearance for grit and crud to be flushed out from beneath the lower horizontal blade.
If you intend dismantling the grille verticals from the horizontals, I would suggest straightening the tabs as best you can but do not re-bend them on re-assembly. All blades and bars on EK's are stainless steel. I believe the verticals on FB's are chrome-plated white metal or perhaps those are just covers for steel beneath?
When re-connecting the wiring, I did away with the perished rubber boot and fitted a (believe it or not) rubber table leg foot from Clark Rubber - I can't remember the size, but there is one which is an extremely nice tight fit onto the rear of the light moulding.
I drilled a small (2 mm) drain hole into the lowest part of its (rubber) rim and ran the leads through a hole drilled through the centre, sealing the foot onto the rear of the light moulding with butyl-mastic.
Make sure you allow enough "flex" of the lead inside the new boot to cater for the contact plate moving against its spring when you fit/replace globes.
You can provide that by "pig-tailing" or curling the lead inside the boot.
If you decide to follow my suggestion, the EK grille will re-fit in place nicely behind the indicator mouldings and will be held secuely in place by the bolted verticals. If you experience a little rattling between the verticals and horizontals, you may wish to apply some sealant (butyl-mastic etc) to the rear where the tangs protrude, this will stop the rattling and will not be seen from the front nor above.
I wished I had done this a long time ago instead of breaking off a number of tangs on the first two or three times that I dismantled the assembly.
Another little quest for you if you do decide to dismantle the grille is to run the stainless components over a stitched rag buff on your bench grinder using SSX (green) Josco compound. They will come up a treat but be warned - be careful you don't catch and end or cut-out with the buff - it will most likely bend the component beyond repair or even worse embed itself into you - always work with any edge presented to the buff in a trailing position.
sorry for ranting on ...............again
frats,
Rosco
I can only speak about EK grilles, FB's I have yet to deal with.
If you are asking about the EK - yes you will have to remove the moulding or at the very least, one of them.
I have had mine out and back in again probably more times than the battery.
The EK grille horizontal blades are held back in place behind the cutouts of the indicator mouldings. The verticals are held by nuts, bolts and washers from both above and below. The upper outer vertical bolts are accessed from inside the fenders. All lower bolts from beneath the stone-tray.
The grille assembly will come out as one piece. Each horizontal blade is retained into the verticals by two tangs from the blade which are bent over through two slots in the vertical bars.
The indicator mouldings are held to the fenders with three small bolts along the bar and one nut and washer behind the indicator lense moulding - all from behind the fender - the inner bolt on each side is a pain in the aspidesperous to get at.
Prior to dismantling, you may wish to mark all components internally so that re-assembly is correct. The markings where the horizontals have worn on the mouldings will show up if you get it out of sequence.
I also found on mine that the verticals seem to fit better if replaced exactly as found.
Make sure to cover the stonetray and bumper when removing the mouldings and also be mindful that the park/indicator wiring runs behind the moulding through a retainer and through a split rubber grommet in the radiator baffle - you may wish to disconnect it at the wiring connector block on the subframe skirt prior to removal.
Be mindful that the mouldings are made of white metal - the threads will strip very easily and that there is every likelihood that corrosion is going to be an issue on removal - don't fear, you can drill out and re-tap for a slightly larger thread on re-assembly.
You may wish to coat the threads with some anti-seizing compound when re-fittingl - I use a Loctite silver anti-seize compound numbered 76769 - it is electrically conductive and will resist electrolysis - the down side is that it is frightfully expensive - get a few of your fellow enthusiasts to by a 500g tub and share it out.
If you wish to fit stainless bolts, nuts and self tappers into your vehicle - you will certainly counter corrosion issues with dis-similar metals with this product.
I replaced all my grille and moulding nuts, bolts and washers with 304 grade stainless steel. I further ground, honed, buffed and polished those which remain visible when the grille is re-fitted - the effect is quite rewarding.
I had found that many of the nuts and bolts of my assembly had rusted and were destroyed trying to remove them. I ground out the nut retainers from the lower verticals and didn't have much trouble using an open ended spanner to hold the nuts in place on re-assembly.
I further fitted thin nylon spacers (washers) between the stone-tray and the underside of the horizontal blade where the lower verticals bolts pass through to prevent scratching of the paintwork - it also provides a little clearance for grit and crud to be flushed out from beneath the lower horizontal blade.
If you intend dismantling the grille verticals from the horizontals, I would suggest straightening the tabs as best you can but do not re-bend them on re-assembly. All blades and bars on EK's are stainless steel. I believe the verticals on FB's are chrome-plated white metal or perhaps those are just covers for steel beneath?
When re-connecting the wiring, I did away with the perished rubber boot and fitted a (believe it or not) rubber table leg foot from Clark Rubber - I can't remember the size, but there is one which is an extremely nice tight fit onto the rear of the light moulding.
I drilled a small (2 mm) drain hole into the lowest part of its (rubber) rim and ran the leads through a hole drilled through the centre, sealing the foot onto the rear of the light moulding with butyl-mastic.
Make sure you allow enough "flex" of the lead inside the new boot to cater for the contact plate moving against its spring when you fit/replace globes.
You can provide that by "pig-tailing" or curling the lead inside the boot.
If you decide to follow my suggestion, the EK grille will re-fit in place nicely behind the indicator mouldings and will be held secuely in place by the bolted verticals. If you experience a little rattling between the verticals and horizontals, you may wish to apply some sealant (butyl-mastic etc) to the rear where the tangs protrude, this will stop the rattling and will not be seen from the front nor above.
I wished I had done this a long time ago instead of breaking off a number of tangs on the first two or three times that I dismantled the assembly.
Another little quest for you if you do decide to dismantle the grille is to run the stainless components over a stitched rag buff on your bench grinder using SSX (green) Josco compound. They will come up a treat but be warned - be careful you don't catch and end or cut-out with the buff - it will most likely bend the component beyond repair or even worse embed itself into you - always work with any edge presented to the buff in a trailing position.
sorry for ranting on ...............again
frats,
Rosco
Whoah! Thanks for all that rosco, some very helpful info there. Sounds like you put alot of thought into yours but theres some good ideas there for sure.
At the moment I've put most of the screws and nuts back in, we're going to just concentrate on rego first. Sounds like getting the indicators out are a bitch so I'll only do it once!
Thanks again, oh and its for an EK.
At the moment I've put most of the screws and nuts back in, we're going to just concentrate on rego first. Sounds like getting the indicators out are a bitch so I'll only do it once!
Thanks again, oh and its for an EK.
tip
When I reinstalled my EK grill I had the headlights and buckets out so I was able to access the 3 nuts through the hole this made it the easiest reinstallation of a grill yet and I have done it on the side of the road to get the cam shaft out 
Cheers
Cheers