Fitting A Spoiler

[hcmini1989 16]

right i need some advice ive bought a similar tyle dimma spoiler this has three holes in wich are threded so i need to drill the bootlid is this the standard way of fitting them or could i use glue like sikaflex alsso any iideas on how to mark up the holes before drilling apart from hours of measuring

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

I presume the holes are not in the standard locations then? There are some things bodyshops use which are for marking holes. I say Paintguy use them when he fitted a spoiler to my 307 in minutes. They are a T shape and the central part of the T is a hollow tube with the horizontal part being flat. Basically here is how I would do it:

• Push the tube part into the bolt holes, so the flat bits are sticking out of the sides and position the spoiler on the boot.
  
• Masking tape the flat bits to the car body.
  
• Remove the spoiler leaving the T's in place taped to the body
  
• Drill a pilot hole down the centre of the hollow tube that is sticking up at 90 degree to the surface
  
• Remove T's and tape
  
• Expand on pilot hole to the required diameter, ideally use one of those conical drill bits to "grow" the hole.
  
• Test fit spoiler with bolts (use washers on the inside if you can and make sure the bolts are not too long
  
• Degrease surface under the spoiler with panel wipe / or Autoglym Intensive tar remover / possibly brake cleaner spray etc
  
• Apply sealant to the underside of the spoiler or create a bead on the edges to stop water leaking in and being trapped
  
• Lower spoiler onto car, aligning bolts before sealant touches the body (may require 2 people)
  
• Tighten up bolts finger tight at first and then slowly apply a rachet equal turns to either side to pull spoiler to body with uniform pressure
  
• Wipe away and additional sealant promptly.
  
• Masking tape spoiler to car in areas that are not a snug fit
  
• Wait for sealant to dry - a day is best but can be less depending on conditions
  

Risks:

• Watch out for the tailgate wiring loom
  
• It might be worth masking up the surrounding area in case you slip with the drill if not that confident. That will stop the end skidding across your roof!
  

[Paintguy 0]

I swear it must have taken longer to type that lot out than it did for me to do it in RL

 

A random PDF plucked from Google showing the type of tabs I used (figure 3):

 

http://www.jaeeagle.com/paintedspoiler.pdf

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

It did! I got carried away!

 

If you can pick up any more of those hole drilling markers on your travels then bring some along to the next meet. Mine are squirreled away in the garage somewhere probably never to be found again!