2007-08 Bumper Upgrade/Swap
Posted by gtr_rider on February 20 2008 22:24:22
"Where did you get your 2007 bumper?"
I got mine on eBay for about $50.00 on eBay, with about $50.00 in shipping. It was off a wrecked 2007.

"What about the cornering lights in the stock bumper? I would lose those, so does the 2007 have corner lights?"
The stock 2007 does have cornering lights, but they're in the headlight assembly. The 2007 has the FOGS down below (and we have them in the actual headlight assembly). You'd have to get some aftermarket fogs (the measurement is approximately 3.5" x 3", just in case you wanted to go that route. Or you can get 2007 OEM fogs, but those are always so expensive. Oh, and you'll also have to get FINISH PANELS for the fogs. It's the little matte plastic "covers" that go "around" the fog lights. It's simply a cosmetic thing, and I purchased them from www.everythingnissan.com for $9.00 for both (you can also get the fogs there for a cheaper option). So that's not an issue at all. Here's what I'm talking about:



"Do the headlight line up?"
The headlights light up to an extent. There's a SLIGHT gap under the light, but it's nothing significant, and aligned properly there's no gap at all. I'm still working on that. It's nothing big though, and if you LIFT AND PUSH the bumper into place simultaneously, it should click in properly.

"What about the hood latch?"
This fits perfectly. No issues at all.

"How much did everything cost?"
- bumper - $100.00 (with shipping)
- contours around lights - $150.00
- paint bumper - $250.00
- paint hood - $250.00
- Finish panels - $9.00
- New 07 grille - $200.00
- 07 fog lights - varies. $70.00 - $300.00

"What needs to be modified on the hood?"
The contour lines around the lights are different from the '07 lines. Those need to be shaped to the right alignment. The hood needs to be extended a bit in the grille opening to line up properly. I actually just added a little bondo where the grille contours need to be lined-up, so that wasn't a big deal. Oh, and there's a slight overlap near the lights that needs to either be shaved or banged down. My bodyshop guy banged them down since the hood is aluminum. Keep in mind, after the hood work, you're going to have to get the hood repainted. The red lines indicate where a body shop needs to bang and/or bondo to the right shape:

Contours:


Bondo in grille opening:

Reshape passenger headlamp:

Reshape driver headlamp:

Complete re-contouring:

Finished product:

"What did you ever do with the cornering light assembly and function?"
I have not done anything with the cornering assembly as of yet. I'm still in the market for some fog lights, and Luke said he'd help me wire them to be functional as fogs, not corners.

"Could you cop the 07 hood as well, instead of messing with the contours?"
Well, it is possible, but then you'd have to cop the '07 lights as well. OR modify THAT hood to fit the 04-06 lights. Either way a hood would have to be modified. At least as far as I can see. And if you did get the 07 lights, the quarter panels would have to be remolded too. I believe I went the cheapest and most effective route.

Bumper Removal/Installation

The first step is to remove the grill. The plastic fasteners are easy to remove. If you have two small flat blade screwdrivers, like I didn't have, you put each one on one side of the center part and pull it up. Then grab it and pull the whole fastener out. Put the grill aside somewhere where you won't step on it.

Now its time to remove the whole front bumper cover. You will need a Phillips screwdriver and your small flat blades. Start on either side of the cover. First you need to have access to some of the fasteners and screws. These are hidden behind the fender well plastic covers. Remove the fasteners that hold the fender well plastic. Remove enough of them that you can pry it open to get your arm in the TIGHT space to remove the screws.

Once you get the fender well trim open, there are two screws that hold the cover on. They are hard to get at, but try. Unscrew the two screws. Then go underneath and see many fasteners that hold the underside plastic tray to the bumper cover. These were harder for me to remove. But I got them undone. Now do the other side.

The front cover drops down exposing the lights. These are held on by 10 mm screws. Find them and remove them. Here is a pic of the car with cover removed and one headlight out:


Perform the reverse of removal for the 07 bumper cover and voila!

Fog Light Rewire/Conversion

This section is for those planning to install OEM fog lights while controlling them using the factory fog light switch. After the 04-06 bumper is removed uninstall the headlights which are removable by 5-10mm bolts around the corners of the light. Once the light is removed perform the following rewire to allow the headlight fog lights to transform into an additional parking light circuit and for the bumper fog lights to now be the switch controlled fog light.

-MissMiami