SPSully
May 16th, 2009, 11:49 PM
There are a few different ways to mount a Mach 1 Chin Spoiler on the LS. This is a guide to get the most professional and stock looking finish.
Tools/materials list:
Self Tapping Screws ¾”
Drill with adapter for socket or screw driver to fit the screws
Washers that fit on the screws, but no bigger than 1” in diameter.
Double sided tape (get the stuff made for holding body moldings on)
Tin Snips or heavy duty scissors
File (you want it to be atleast 8” long and flat)
White chalk or crayon (anything that will mark the lip and bumper and wash off)
Flat head screw driver
Before we get started, you should remove your front bumper cover. Most people who have done this probably didn’t remove their bumper, but its not difficult to do so and the results are much better. For help getting your bumper off:
http://www.lskoncepts.com/FrontBumperRemoval.pdf
Once, you get the bumper off, find a nice soft surface to set it down on upside down. I actually went inside and worked on the carpet. You will not need the round abs plastic piece on the very bottom. Now we can get started!
1) Find the center of the spoiler and mark the inside with your chalk. There should be a pre-drilled hole there, but double check for yourself and make the mark so you can’t get confused. Then do the same for the bumper.
2) You will notice if you lay the chin on the bumper that it is narrower than the bumper is. You will need to make slits along the inside edge so that you can bend and mould it to shape. Start 6” to each side of the center line, and make slits each foot from there until you get to the bend in the chin. I made 4 or 5, but that’s the spacing you are going to want to use for both rigidity and flexibility.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/Mach%201%20Chin/IMAG0017.jpg
3) Lay the chin’s top piece onto the bottom of the bumper and line up the two center marks. You want to keep the chin centered while you slide the to front edges together.
4) Once the chin is lined up, we are going to install the screws, but don’t worry about the washers yet because the screws will be coming back out later. Starting with the center, use the drill to drive your self tapping screws through the chin and the bumper. NOTE: The screws are just long enough to go through into the lower grill if you are too far forward, place the screws toward the back of the lip on the bumper using judgement to make sure you have enough meat to hold onto.
5) Using your slits as a guide, move toward the end of the bumper taking care to put a screw on each side of the slits and one in the middle of the spaces. Remember to keep the front edges together as you go. You will have to force it just a little as it bends to fit the bumper.
6) When you have worked to the end of the bumper, do the same thing on the other side.
7) You should have extra chin on the ends of the bumper where your wheels would be. Starting from the bottom of the chin (top of the assy as you see it now), cut a straight line just a little bit longer than the bumper. We will file down the rest to get a nice smooth finish later. Do this on both sides to remove the excess material from the chin spoiler.
8) Now that we know exactly how much of the chin we are going to use and have the holes already lined up. Remove the screws and pull the chin off the bumper.
9) To clean up the edges where the wheel wells are, take your snips again and cut the chin mounting surface at an angle. Make sure to do both sides.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/Mach%201%20Chin/IMAG0016.jpg
10) Set the chin spoiler down, and grab your double sided tape. You want to lay down a strip of tape on the bumper the entire length of the chin spoiler. Watch where you put the tape, because you don’t want to cover your holes from the screws. Once its all on, remove the plastic backing exposing the adhesive.
11) While doing this step, try to keep the chin off the tape as much as possible until it is lined up in right spot. Put the center marks together. This time when you put the screw in, install the washer too. Install all the rest of the screws and washers in their holes making sure to press down firmly on the chin where the tape is.
12) Using your flat file, go over the ends making sure they are straight and flush with the ends of the bumper.
You’ve installed the chin spoiler on the bumper now, and you can flip the assy right side up and see how it turned out. If you were careful enough when lining it up, it should sit perfectly flush with the bumper and look amazing!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/DSC03863.jpg
Reinstall the bumper by reversing the removal instructions, but don’t try to add in the round ABS piece that we just replaced with the chin spoiler. As you can see this leaves the three splash guards just hanging loose. There are many ways to handle this. The way I’ll walk through is probably the easiest and is sufficient at over 135mph (don’t ask)
13) Using the flat head screw driver, remove each of the metal J-Clips from the splash guards.
14) Slide your zip ties through the holes left behind and fasten them to the chasis of the car. You may need to get creative with finding places to secure them to.
15) Using 3 or 4 (your judgement, I have 3) self tapping screws, mount the large splash guard under the engine to the bottom of the radiator shroud
Other ideas that work for mounting the chin on the bumper:
- Instead of using the screws with washers, once the holes are drilled and the tape is on, use bolt and nuts with washers on both side
- After drilling out the holes and taping the chin in place, pop rivet the chin in place. You can use washers with the rivets to get a little more strength out of them
Other ideas for securing the splash guards:
- You can use some sort of strapping to hold everything together. Get about 3-4” of plastic or sheet metal and set it inside the bumper and above the splash guards. You can self tapping screw (bolts work too, but rivets do not) through both the bumper and the splash guards into the strapping
- Its not pretty, but good duct tape (gorilla tape is the best I’ve ever used) will hold everything together. You need to make sure the surface is clean and make lots of connections. You almost want to create the strapping with the tape. I wouldn’t suggest this, but when my first attempt at securing the guards failed, I had no choice but to tape mine in place on the side of the highway so I know it works.
Tools/materials list:
Self Tapping Screws ¾”
Drill with adapter for socket or screw driver to fit the screws
Washers that fit on the screws, but no bigger than 1” in diameter.
Double sided tape (get the stuff made for holding body moldings on)
Tin Snips or heavy duty scissors
File (you want it to be atleast 8” long and flat)
White chalk or crayon (anything that will mark the lip and bumper and wash off)
Flat head screw driver
Before we get started, you should remove your front bumper cover. Most people who have done this probably didn’t remove their bumper, but its not difficult to do so and the results are much better. For help getting your bumper off:
http://www.lskoncepts.com/FrontBumperRemoval.pdf
Once, you get the bumper off, find a nice soft surface to set it down on upside down. I actually went inside and worked on the carpet. You will not need the round abs plastic piece on the very bottom. Now we can get started!
1) Find the center of the spoiler and mark the inside with your chalk. There should be a pre-drilled hole there, but double check for yourself and make the mark so you can’t get confused. Then do the same for the bumper.
2) You will notice if you lay the chin on the bumper that it is narrower than the bumper is. You will need to make slits along the inside edge so that you can bend and mould it to shape. Start 6” to each side of the center line, and make slits each foot from there until you get to the bend in the chin. I made 4 or 5, but that’s the spacing you are going to want to use for both rigidity and flexibility.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/Mach%201%20Chin/IMAG0017.jpg
3) Lay the chin’s top piece onto the bottom of the bumper and line up the two center marks. You want to keep the chin centered while you slide the to front edges together.
4) Once the chin is lined up, we are going to install the screws, but don’t worry about the washers yet because the screws will be coming back out later. Starting with the center, use the drill to drive your self tapping screws through the chin and the bumper. NOTE: The screws are just long enough to go through into the lower grill if you are too far forward, place the screws toward the back of the lip on the bumper using judgement to make sure you have enough meat to hold onto.
5) Using your slits as a guide, move toward the end of the bumper taking care to put a screw on each side of the slits and one in the middle of the spaces. Remember to keep the front edges together as you go. You will have to force it just a little as it bends to fit the bumper.
6) When you have worked to the end of the bumper, do the same thing on the other side.
7) You should have extra chin on the ends of the bumper where your wheels would be. Starting from the bottom of the chin (top of the assy as you see it now), cut a straight line just a little bit longer than the bumper. We will file down the rest to get a nice smooth finish later. Do this on both sides to remove the excess material from the chin spoiler.
8) Now that we know exactly how much of the chin we are going to use and have the holes already lined up. Remove the screws and pull the chin off the bumper.
9) To clean up the edges where the wheel wells are, take your snips again and cut the chin mounting surface at an angle. Make sure to do both sides.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/Mach%201%20Chin/IMAG0016.jpg
10) Set the chin spoiler down, and grab your double sided tape. You want to lay down a strip of tape on the bumper the entire length of the chin spoiler. Watch where you put the tape, because you don’t want to cover your holes from the screws. Once its all on, remove the plastic backing exposing the adhesive.
11) While doing this step, try to keep the chin off the tape as much as possible until it is lined up in right spot. Put the center marks together. This time when you put the screw in, install the washer too. Install all the rest of the screws and washers in their holes making sure to press down firmly on the chin where the tape is.
12) Using your flat file, go over the ends making sure they are straight and flush with the ends of the bumper.
You’ve installed the chin spoiler on the bumper now, and you can flip the assy right side up and see how it turned out. If you were careful enough when lining it up, it should sit perfectly flush with the bumper and look amazing!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/sully2582/LS%20pics/DSC03863.jpg
Reinstall the bumper by reversing the removal instructions, but don’t try to add in the round ABS piece that we just replaced with the chin spoiler. As you can see this leaves the three splash guards just hanging loose. There are many ways to handle this. The way I’ll walk through is probably the easiest and is sufficient at over 135mph (don’t ask)
13) Using the flat head screw driver, remove each of the metal J-Clips from the splash guards.
14) Slide your zip ties through the holes left behind and fasten them to the chasis of the car. You may need to get creative with finding places to secure them to.
15) Using 3 or 4 (your judgement, I have 3) self tapping screws, mount the large splash guard under the engine to the bottom of the radiator shroud
Other ideas that work for mounting the chin on the bumper:
- Instead of using the screws with washers, once the holes are drilled and the tape is on, use bolt and nuts with washers on both side
- After drilling out the holes and taping the chin in place, pop rivet the chin in place. You can use washers with the rivets to get a little more strength out of them
Other ideas for securing the splash guards:
- You can use some sort of strapping to hold everything together. Get about 3-4” of plastic or sheet metal and set it inside the bumper and above the splash guards. You can self tapping screw (bolts work too, but rivets do not) through both the bumper and the splash guards into the strapping
- Its not pretty, but good duct tape (gorilla tape is the best I’ve ever used) will hold everything together. You need to make sure the surface is clean and make lots of connections. You almost want to create the strapping with the tape. I wouldn’t suggest this, but when my first attempt at securing the guards failed, I had no choice but to tape mine in place on the side of the highway so I know it works.