Thread: Front End Conversion 04-06 to 02-03

Hello all, at first I was not sure if this would benefit anyone, but based on my experience with this project, i think this can be very useful to atleast one person if not more. The following is a rough step-by-step tutorial on how to convert your 04+ front end to an 02-03 ser front end. I know this has been posted before, but what those who posted prior failed to realize, is that this is not a clear cut project and should be broken down in order to a) save time, b) save money, and c) avoid costly damage your car/parts! The list of parts which were recommended to be purchased prior remain the same,with the following exception:

Hood
Headlights
Foglights
Front Bumper
Upper/Lower Grilles
Retainer Bar 62240-5m100
Retainer Bar Left Bracket
Retainer Bar Right Bracket
Radiator/Grille Left bracket
Radiator/Grille Right bracket

Guys, it is NOT necessary to purchase a hood prop as it is the same year to year- same part #/same everything - Im not sure why this was posted in the list, but I wish I had paid attention as I would now have $25 in my pocket. Keep in mind you will also need: clips for both the grille and bumper, headlight and foglight harnesses as they are not the same, solder,electrical tape, and alot of patience!!!!
Before I take this step by step, I would like to forewarn that this is not a flush fit conversion and you WILL have a slight gap between your headlights and fenders. Another thing, this is not the project for the price minded!, if you are serious about doing this, be realistic and know you are going to be hunting down 5-6 year old parts and its going to get pricey, be it the hood, lamps, or grilles. A good place to start would be the classifieds here or your local junkyard. If all else fails, Try Ray at west covina nissan(thenismoshop.com), let him know your from b15sentra and he will take care of you. Allright folks, on to the good stuff...

Step 1: Grille removal
If you would like to play it safe, disconnect the battery before doing all this!
Start by removing the the bucktoof grille which is held in place by 2 clips at the top and press down on the friction clips at the bottom where it meets the bumper.



Step 2: Bumper Cover removal
This one takes a little time but once accomplished its pretty much downhill from here. There are various push pin clips on top of the cover which are now exposed, remove those with a flathead screwdriver or if you have a trim clip remover even better. You should be left with a flimsy middle but sturdy edges, You can now start to remove the clips holding in the fender liners( just loosen the clips closest to the bumper). Shift the liner back and you should see the screw(10mm) under the fender holding the cover, remove the screw on both LT/RT fenders.



Now slide the cover off and keep in mind your fogs are still connected so be careful!. This is where you should be now



Step 3: Headlight removal
Make sure before you remove the headlights the sockets are removed and not attached! Those are simple twist and pull for the corners, you pull the ring on the hi/lo beam and pull the bulb itself out after. 2- 10 mm bolts hold dont the lights on each side, they are wedged in by pressure clips so be careful pulling them out! You should be here:



Step 4: Retainer Bar/Bracket Radiator Mount Installation
This step is simple and will take some time based on number of bars being exchanged, Start by taking off the lower bolts on the crossbars as shown in the pic below using a 14mm socket.



Next, take off the upper retainer bar and remove the LT/RT retainer brackets as well(all 10mm), Keep track of the white plastic tabs as you will re-use them if you bought used lights- new ones come with that hardware. Install the new retainers first, then follow suit with the bar itself. Go ahead and remove the Radiator mounts at this time as well(2-10mm), be sure to pop the plastic hood prop holder from the RT mount as it will be reused on the new RT hand side mount. The foundation has been laid.

Step 5: Headlight Installation

Start by getting a feel for the headlight wedging as the headlight baffle and fender itself have very akward curves to them. Use the new hardware if you have it, if not just re-use the old stuff...you should not have a problem either way. Your lights will have a gap at the fender jucture which will look like this:



. . . this can be corrected by either filling the dge in w/sillicone or some rolled up dynamat, or even some weatherstripping. I left it as is seeing how this is a sentra, and just about all of the body lines have pretty big gaps on this car so it really doesnt bother me. You should be lookin at this:



Step 6: Bumper cover prep
At this point, Go grab a beer and start getting your new cover prepped by inserting the foglamps into the cover and bolting them down.



The grilles install very easy by lining them up and using the retainer clips with the teeth sticking out of the bumper cover. This should be you ready to go bumper cover:



Step 7: Foglight Retrofit

This is your last comfortable chance to work on the wiring... you should have a harness that looks like this on your 04+ sentra:



Go ahead and cut a an inch or 2 from the plug and strip the wires back 1/2 inch. The same should be done to your new fog harness which looks like this once it has been mated(soldered and electrical taped):



Once the fogs are connected, check the connection to see if they work, if they dont you either crossed the wires/have a faulty harness/or burn out bulb/fuse. You might want to take this chance to start working on the headlight wiring as well - - - the following is what I used to wire my new harness in:

Drivers Side: RED/YELLOW= +, BLK= Ground, RED/BLK= -
Passengers Side: PURPLE= +, BLK= Ground, YELLOW= -

Once again the same mating procedure as the foglights should be used, along with wire loom to protect from heat.

Step 8: Bumper cover Installation
Once everything is wired and ready to go, go and grab someone to help with mounting the new cover. Its essential you take your time here or you could scratch your new bumper/headlights. You will have to "play things by ear" at this stage as there are a few notches which need to line up in order to get as flush a fit as possible. Pop in the retainer clips on the cover and the grille
and you should be looking at this if you have done everythig right:



Step 9: Hood Removal/Istallation
This step is a 2 man operation- as both persons hold the hood in the open position, start by removing the 2 bolts on the hinge which hold the hood. Its very important to communicate here!!! failure to do so, can/will result in damaged hinges, damaged hood, and or damaged windshield.



Once the 4 bolts are removed, slide the hood off gently and repeat the opposite w/the new hood for installtion. After installation, check for hood clearance,body line gaps, and most importantly, make sure the phoken thing locks!!! This is the final result folks:



Now go out and floss that new front end!!!

hey man, im looking to do this conversion, would you mind posting some close up pics?

yo thanks i been lookin for somethin like this now i need to find the parts since someone hit my car last night and messed up the fender so now might as well go for a change wit a lil help frm the insurance lol

Can I use the 04 Retainer bar????
or
Do I have to get the 02 Bar???

i have an 03 spec-v bumber for sale and its black

Nismoracer_206, are you selling the upper grille as well? If so I'll buy it off you.

na i dnt have that i just have the bumber with the fog lights sry

Thanks anyway man. HeartTaeyeon, you need 02-03 retainer bar and brackets...check the "inner bumper support" thread for part numbers I posted.

i also have a 03 bumper and hood im selling if anybody is intrested

this should be a sticky

Oh dang so u have to change everything I have a buddy who was gonna by just the bumper good thing I found this thread

Originally Posted by Geoman03v

Oh dang so u have to change everything I have a buddy who was gonna by just the bumper good thing I found this thread

Yeah, it is a pretty expensive mod!

Ok he has an 02 spec but it's got this front what would I need to change

SER bumper and upper and lower grilles.

I would be trading the other way 02 for 04+ without bucktooth. I don't like the 02-03 front. Plus the headlights are smaller with the 04+i can fit bigger projectors in there lol