After removing the front bow tie...

[g0ast]

What can you put to replace the big chrome Chevy logo in the front grill after you take it out? (See "how-to: remove front bow-tie" by thebarber)

What I did was something like the Aveo Xtreme at the top of the forum except it's in black and not gold, and it is smaller and way cheaper and easier than it looks to have one. Plus you can paint match it to your car.




I apologise for not taking any pictures of the making of it or putting it on but it's pretty simple:

1: Go to nearest Chevy dealer with an aftermarket parts department and ask for a small adhesive bowtie (the dealer I went to had 2 to choose from, one for the camaro that was just an outline and the other was a full logo with a blue center and chrome outline, I got the latter. The whole thing was only $10.00, its worth it.
If you have second doubts about getting it, be careful as most dealers will not refund it if the bag has been opened.

2: Do some extremely detailed taping off the chrome, painters tape works best, DO NOT LEAVE ANY CHROME EXPOSED OR YOU WILL REGRET IT LATER ON. There is a very tiny gap in between the blue center and chrome outside, I used the sharp side of a razor blade to push (NOT cut) the tape in between the crack.

3: Get some fine sandpaper (I used a 3M "sponge" as it is easy to control in small areas) and vigorously sand the blue center until you wipe off the dust and see that the center is completely scratched up without any clear blue left.

4: Use a wet paper towel to wipe off the remaining dust from the center or else it will mess up the paining part.

5: Get some spray paint, what you choose to use is up to you and what kind of look you want but I used Krylon Interior-Exterior 1601 Glossy black. You can use virtually any spray paint in any color as long as it can be used on plastic. Go outside in a DUST, WIND AND DIRT FREE AREA and spray in short one second bursts about 5-6 inches away at a slight angle all the way around the center to get all the little corners and nooks.
Let it dry for as long as the spray can reccomends and do another 1-2 coats.

6: After letting it completely dry (mine was fine after about 2 hours), I carefully took the tape off the chrome and undid the adhesive on the back. While looking up close, the grill of the Aveo looks like it doesn't have enough places to hold the bowtie, it actually has alot of contacts to touch the adhesive. To be safe I put a tiny dab of super glue on one of the contact spots and put the badge on top of it. I then very strongly pushed down the bowtie on the grill for about 2 minutes to make sure it would hold. And that is it.

I've had mine on for about two months and I've been through about a dozen car washes and it's still stuck pretty good. The look in the end is quite stunning and some people who asked me about it compared to the front of a Ford Focus, which I didn't realize until they mentioned it, and I thought it does look similar but I believe mine is better.

[o4aveohb]

nice write up...might have to do this sometime soon.

[Frank]

looks nice
I did almost the same except I used a rear bowtie so its gold, looks like its missing something with only the black grille

[dmeech]

looks nice

when i was at the track i had nothing there at all b/c i took out that whole piece, no mesh or anything and you could see straight to the radiator and i got complements about it looking good but i put it back in b/c i didnt want to hose the bugs off the radiator everyday so now i just take it off when im racing.

[mikedudley17]

wow im glad i found this, thanks!

[thisjrocks]

Love the look gonna have to try this

[n0k]

Looks great!

[MatchboxKiller]

I painted the chrome black, took the bow tie off, and painted the outline green to match the *future* color scheme of the car