Just a simple question - I'm now ready to fix my ali mesh radiator grille into my nosecone. How have people fixed theirs in?

As far as I can see, I have 2 choices:

1. Fix it in permanently - glue it in with sikaflex equivalent. Certainly permanent, but total destruction if I ever want to take it out again.

2. Devise some way of bolting or screwing it in - a lot of faffing about, maybe for no purpose. On the other hand, removal will be a doddle.

Any good ideas?

rgds,

David

glue bolts inside.

Cable ties seem to be the best bet. They are semi permanent, you'll need some new cable ties if you remove them! Not exactly gonna break the bank however! I used 4, some folks have used 6. I drilled 4 small holes in the lip on the inside of my nosecone and 4 corresponding holes in the grill material. Seems to be a good job.

we 'spot PU'd ours... just incase!

Bropped a drollock though - we thought it was ally, but it's not it's steel. Untreated... now some masking and spraying involved. Bu**er...

Our's is just going on-site...

about 1 hr

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Originally posted by batfasturd
glue bolts inside.

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Actually, Im quite amazed I've never seen bigheads mentioned on here before (if they have I missed it).......basically they are a bolt (or a nut) with big perforated base that you bond or laminate into your mouldings for fastening stuff too....very handy indeed....

I put some plastic edging on the inner lip---bent the edge of the grill material around the the edge and then drilled throughedging and popped some rivets through. Works with small mesh ---which looks best and is rad protective. You may need to put a washer on the bottom of the rivet to hold iti n place

I' ll put a pic on my pic page

Hope this helps , phil

ps bought the grill from bandq and sprayed it chrome + £5-00

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I had completely forgotten about cable ties - worth considering, although I have an ali mesh on a yellow nosecone, so they may be a bit prominent. Not ruling them out, though.

Anyone know of a source of bighead fasteners? Particularly some place that will sell me about 10?

An issue for me is that the mesh has very big holes - I didn't want to obstruct the air flow much - which makes fastening a bit more of a problem.

cheers,

David

How about attaching nuts with filler to the nosecone where it curves back on itself and then attaching the grill with screws and washers from inside ?

Mick

if the mesh is too large it fail the radius test at sva. Can't remember where i read abou a car failing for that

How about riveting it to an aluminium ring and fixing the ring to teh noses cone. What a poo description of what i mean!!

[Edited on 11/3/04 by MK9R]

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Originally posted by MK9R
if the mesh is too large it fail the radius test at sva. Can't remember where i read abou a car failing for that

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
I had completely forgotten about cable ties - worth considering, although I have an ali mesh on a yellow nosecone, so they may be a bit prominent.

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It's very rare when I go into Halfrauds and find exactly what I want...

It seems to be paint, polish, push-bikes and boy-racers...

Good thought about the yellow ties, tho - but I may look somewhere else for them!

David

B&Q do a big box of assorted size and colour cable ties, some of which are yellow. Reasonably priced aswell!! Very usefull box of things to have, my entire house is held together with them now I think cable ties are the new bailing string!!

Too right!!

If it does move and it shouldn't - use cable ties.

If it doesn't move and it should - use WD40 (or a hammer).



Andrew

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
.....Anyone know of a source of bighead fasteners? Particularly some place that will sell me about 10?.........

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I've sent them an e-mail - with a nice subtle hint that I'm 'experimenting'.

David

David....cool..let us know how you get on..

They were very responsive with me....

For them the samples are a good idea...even you never buy any, if they work you'll tell others and the word will spread....I first learned of them 20 years ago through my TVR connections.

i bent the ali around the lip of the nose cone and then used a glue gun to fix it on,,if i need to replace it i could just cut the glue with a knife

I went for ties in the end - I used the smallest translucent whitish ones and they're almost invisible.

Thanks everyone!

David

P.S. I'm still making enquiries about the bighead fasteners - I have a use for them elsewhere.

I did what MK9R said, I fibreglassed an aluminium ring inside the nose cone, the grill is attached from the inside of the nose cone to the alu ring using self tapping screws. You can't see the ring from the outside.

Thats what I had planned to do.

Bought my grill today....

Black fire guard.... £8. Fine interwoven mesh but little restriction to the airflow.

My grille is a fine stainless mesh and I bent it back round the edge of the aperture in the front of the nosecone and glued it in place with bodyfiller because I had a lot of it handy and it's cheap. I don't think I will need to remove it as the nosecone comes off without much effort to get to stuff inside it.

Pete, thats what I'm going to do.

I agree I dont know why you should want to take it off. On my last 7 I never had need to.