Here's a few photos showing the process of how the custom bumper was made. It's takes a grille from a G10 (or Asia/Pacific N16 Sedan) to work with the JDM bonnet (again or Asia/Pacific N16 sedan bonnet). Here I am using an aftermarket option open mouth grille.
This was a journey that took over 14 months to complete! But only because I was doing it in small steps and doing the research along the way
. The idea started before I had even bought the car and I was playing with photoshops to see how I could improve the looks as I was never keen on the kidney grille on the N16. After a while I stumble across the N16 in other countries:
In Australia, Thailand and Malaysia the N16s look like this (or there abouts).
Found an aftermarket open mouth grille for it. Same fittings to the chassis as with my UKDM N16.
Photoshop fun finally ends with finding the grille and makes for a simple change rather than a fully custom bumper which featured in many earlier photoshops.
Found a place to buy one in Australia! It arrives
Importing the bonnet was looking to be expensive so I looked into getting the bonnet cut and shaped as per the Aus bonnets...also very pricey. Struck gold when I found one on Ebay, AND painted in my colour...I still dont know what it was doing in this country as it doesnt fit any cars here...
And so the work begins after getting hold of a second bumper from a scrppy for £8
...
Huge thanks to stufagti on this as he had a large hand in it's construction. We make a great team!
Dodgy DIY work
Something that was played with in early photoshops that I decided to go ahead with:
Due to some alignment issues because of flex and what not it was decided that we should blend the grille with the bumper and figured it would look better blended and lined up correctly, rather than seperate and not quite right.
...and so how it was before it was sent off to be painted
With it first fitted on the car at the bodyshop
Later the OEM mesh/grille from the lower part of the bumper was cut to fit and the center section used for behind the new grille up top.
