This afternoon I installed my new OEM GM Black Bowtie Emblems on my new Camaro WITHOUT removing a single bolt or clip on the front bumper. I figured after researching online and only finding one video that showed that they had to remove all the bolts on the front of the bumper and then slide back the radiator shroud, that there had to be another way. I finally worked it out!
Step 1:
The tool... my weapon of choice was a Home Depot stirring stick. Best part, they are free!
Step 2:
Slide the stir stick into the hole where the hood release lever is.
Step 3:
Lean into the engine bay (this photo is how I saw it - it's upside down) but you can see the clips for the emblem in the darkness. Slide the stir stick into that opening for the hood release lever and place it against the chrome clip that you can see in the front. With one hand on the front of the emblem, pulling up slightly, press on the stir stick and that will push down the chrome clip holding the emblem in place.
Step 4:
Once you have popped out the first clip, do the same on the other side of the emblem, pressing down on the chrome clip and pulling up slightly on the front side of the emblem.
Step 5:
Pull the emblem off of the front face and clean up the area behind with some Quik Detailer and a soft cloth.
Step 6:
Clip in your new black bow tie with a firm push and stand back and admire your work.
Step 7:
Mask off your rear bow tie, for two reasons. 1, this will give you a guide to place the new black emblem once the gold one is removed, and 2, this will protect the area around the emblem when using a trim removal tool to pry up the old emblem. Warm up the old emblem with a hair dryer or heat gun to make the adhesive a little more pliable.
Step 8:
Use a trim tool to pry up the old emblem now that you have heated up all of the adhesive around the emblem.
Step 9:
Clean off any sticky residue from the original emblem, prepping the surface for the new emblem. Make sure it's smooth and clean, otherwise you'll have issues with your new emblem sticking properly.
Step 10:
Using the blue masked off area that you originally made in blue painters tape, line up your new black emblem and once you are happy with the position, stick it down nice and firmly.
Step 11:
Stand back and admire your new emblems and how much cleaner your Camaro looks now, without the gold on there!
Hopefully this guide is of use to you, especially those who are daunted about having to remove bolts and clips around your front bumper. This was a nice and easy (and free) way of installing my new black emblems and I wanted to share! Enjoy!