'05 grill removal

[jwalcik]

i've had a pair of hella horns that i'd like to install. i've got ragingfish's how-to, which explains the wiring part wonderfully, however, i've got an '05. i've tried the search, but i don't see another set of instructions anywhere for removing the grill on the new style of front end. can anyone point me in the right direction? i know i've seen a few folks who've painted theirs and/or removed the chrome, so i figure somebody else has already solved this problem.

[zionzr2]

Binary is your man!http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=19514

[binary]

(Thanks zionzr... I'm just a humble modder with a digicam )Guess I didn't specify which screws.Open the hood, and look along the edge of the front facia - you'll see (starting from right to left)* A rubber bumper with a philips metal head screw in the middle. ( These do three things. They keep the hood from slaming into the front clip/frame, the hold the facia to the frame, and the also hold the grills in place. )*A plastic philips head screw, right of center. * Then another plastic screw directly in the center of the facia. * And then another plastic screw off the left of center. *And finally a rubber bumper screw again on the left.*** Use a screw driver and your finger to remove the plastic plug screws - or you'll strip them. If the could make them any cheaper - they probably would have just stapled them to the frame. After the front is loose, you can get behind the grills and start unclipping the grills. One side overlaps the other in the center behind the pontiac symbol - I can't remember which side, so look in - it's really obvious which one to work on first.The clips, facia, and grills are made of ABS plastic - which is rather mallable. Regardless - only bend them enough to unclip them. You won't need any tools - only your hands. Put slight pressure on the front of the grill with one hand, and unclip with the other from behind. You can have them out in about 10 minutes.Once you got them unclipped, you'll have a lot of "play" with the front clip loose. You can tilt the grills out and have a lot of room to work on the horns.One last thing - I'd recommend doing this when it's warm outside, or in a heated garage. Cold + Plastic = Snap! (edit: I see you're from TX... never mind...)I'd take photos but I'm working on finals and it's really cold and crappy out!

[jwalcik]

many, many thanks. i'll give this a go tomorrow afternoon. cold shouldn't be a problem. one of the reasons i've been sitting on these horns since july is that i've been waiting for a day when it wasn't 110 to be outside working on the car. ragingfish has the horn install pretty well covered (with his usual impressive attention to detail). i'll be sure and take some pictures to compliment your instructions from above in hopes of helping the next poor soul who needs a hand!thanks again.

[jwalcik]

binary's instructions from above, illustrated. thanks again!Quote, originally posted by binary »Open the hood, and look along the edge of the front facia - you'll see (starting from right to left)individual images here.* A rubber bumper with a philips metal head screw in the middle. ( These do three things. They keep the hood from slaming into the front clip/frame, the hold the facia to the frame, and the also hold the grills in place. )*A plastic philips head screw, right of center. * Then another plastic screw directly in the center of the facia. * And then another plastic screw off the left of center. *And finally a rubber bumper screw again on the left.*** Use a screw driver and your finger to remove the plastic plug screws - or you'll strip them. If the could make them any cheaper - they probably would have just stapled them to the frame. After the front is loose, you can get behind the grills and start unclipping the grills. One side overlaps the other in the center behind the pontiac symbol - I can't remember which side, so look in - it's really obvious which one to work on first. [edit: the driver's side comes out first]The clips, facia, and grills are made of ABS plastic - which is rather mallable. Regardless - only bend them enough to unclip them. You won't need any tools - only your hands. Put slight pressure on the front of the grill with one hand, and unclip with the other from behind. You can have them out in about 10 minutes.Once you got them unclipped, you'll have a lot of "play" with the front clip loose. You can tilt the grills out and have a lot of room to work on the horns.One last thing - I'd recommend doing this when it's warm outside, or in a heated garage. Cold + Plastic = Snap! (edit: I see you're from TX... never mind...)

[binary]

Rock on jwalcik! Good art! The wiring is simple - one 12v + souce wire... ground is where ever you make it. - I'm running dual horns, hi/lo tone right now. It makes a world of difference on my commute (aka: highway war zone)

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by binary »Rock on jwalcik! Good art! The wiring is simple - one 12v + souce wire... ground is where ever you make it. - I'm running dual horns, hi/lo tone right now. It makes a world of difference on my commute (aka: highway war zone)thanks. and thanks again for the instructions for removing the grill. i purchased the hella dual-horn setup, but i only installed the low tone. i used the existing instructions from the how-to modified for a single horn. it's significantly louder than the stock setup. at some point i'll get my hands on a power drill and throw the other one in there.

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by jwalcik »thanks. and thanks again for the instructions for removing the grill. i purchased the hella dual-horn setup, but i only installed the low tone. i used the existing instructions from the how-to modified for a single horn. it's significantly louder than the stock setup. at some point i'll get my hands on a power drill and throw the other one in there.I relocated my horns because they point down. I bolted one on either side of the radiator - there are holes on either side I used. It places the horns just behind the false grils/fog lights.Hellas are front firing horns though, so mounting them behind the grills will have the best effect.

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by binary »I relocated my horns because they point down. Hellas are front firing horns though, so mounting them behind the grills will have the best effect.make sure they point at a downward angle when behind the grill, when I first installed my horns I pointed them straight out. and one day one of them quit working. water had found its way in while driving in the elements.