mikes rx

EDIT: COMPLETED!!! See pics below

Well, I ordered a GT500 chin spoiler today to attempt a custom installation, as I think that they are the best looking of all the chin spoilers in the land (and also cheap to purchase).

I ordered it today, so I plan on working on it next weekend.

BUT, before you ask: I plan on documenting what needs to be done, with pics and a write-up. (Just to reiterate...I "plan"; this all assumes I don't get fed up with the thing)

So, be on the lookout next weekend.

G.T

Back when i was working on my conversion, i was asked whether or not the GT500 front splitter would fit the GT front bumper..

it certainly won't just clip on, but i figured it'd be an hour's job if you have the front bumper cover removed.

i found a few pics of it installed (i think on ebay) some 4-5 months back.. should give you a good idea on what it would look like installed


good luck!

mikes rx

Thanks for the pics...I saw them on ebay too, which is where I realized how cheap the chin spoiler is price-wise.

I have been keeping up with the other two threads regarding installation. So, I figured for the price I would try to see what I can do. I figure it will probably take about 6 hours to get it right. But, that's half the fun of working on cars anyway.

sodaman

Why would you want that on a gt bumper, it doesnt even look that good in my opinion from those pictures, looks like gaps, etc.

mikes rx

The pics of the one shown are TERRIBLE for gaps, etc., and if that's how it is going to look on mine, then I probably won't keep it.

But, I plan on having it sit flush, or at least not "appear" to have gaps. I've already got a few ideas brewing...just need to have the chin spoiler to play around with how to mount it.

I think that if it is done RIGHT, that it will look good. If you do a hack-job, it will look bad

mrkabc

SIX HOURS?!?!?

I think I like the labor time of your LAST mod the best... (The APC LED 3rd brake light) That was all of SIX SECONDS!!

mikes rx

Well, it took about a good 8 hours to install a sub in my 2000 (trying to find the correct trigger wire from the Mach 460 sub, and then dropping the whole rear package tray to get to the wire).

Also, we spent 6 hours of trial and error to try installing an alarm system that was supposed to arm/disarm off the factory keyless entry. and, it never did work.

I consider it bonding time for me and my dad. He LOVES doing this type of work, so I should actually give credit where it's due and say that WE (not I) work on the car together.

If it wasn't for him, about 95% of the stuff done on the car wouldn't have been done. I am slowly learning, but he is the one with all the mechanical/wiring/some custom fabrication skills. He is the one that is realistic about how things should go, how difficult they should be, etc.

So, whenever we do things to the car, he shows me what's going on/what needs to be done and how, and then supervises me, or does it if it is out of my range. I consider it learning from experience (even if I'm just an observer). In return for all the labor, he gets to drive the car if he wants.

mikes rx

Good news: the spoiler is DONE. Took about 3 hours yesterday to modify and mount, and a few hours today doing the "finishing touches"

I have pics, but forgot my USB connector . So, I will post pics later, once I find one. But, here is what we did:

1) Used a saws-all to cut the lateral honeycomb pieces, and trimmed the center tab with a hacksaw [We tried a 4 1/2" side grinder for one side, and it worked well, but was very messy and melted the plastic; so, the saws-all was tried, and worked a lot better...but be careful if you try it with the sawsall.
2) Sanded them down with an orbital sander to make it flush
3) Fitted the chin spoiler on the car, and then CUT OFF the 90* pieces with a hacksaw
4) Drilled some holes through the bumper to mount the chin spoiler
5) Custom trimmed the 90* pieces to mount them back on to the spoiler and in the fenderwell.

After about 6 TOTAL hours start to finish, the result is a great looking piece that has MINIMAL gaps. We used interior plugs for all the visible holes. we left the center honeycomb alone, as it doesn't look that bad with b/c the factory has the honeycomb in the lower grill. Plus, it was pretty much the PERFECT height to fill in the "gap".

Also, to give a nice factory look, we used camper shell foam to provide a nice gasket and to fill in some small gaps.

Obviously, pics are worth a thousand words, and will help show what we did. Those will be up shortly.

RadBOSS

Can't wait to see the pic's ...

Torrence

Sad part is you spent all that time in modifing that splitter and Cervini's just came out with a GT500 type splitter for the GT's and it looks great.

scottma

Does anyone know where to buy this in Carbon Fiber?

G.T

i thought i saw it coming soon from Shelby Autos (on their site)
can't find it anymore

RadBOSS

The Cervini did not look so GT 500 to me ...

mikes rx

Not so: the cervini's needs to be painted, and doesn't have the front "indentation" like the factory one. To me, it is just like the legend spoiler.

So, for $55 bucks and a few hours work, I have something that looks better IMO and is a lot cheaper

touring

those pics justify everything

mikes rx

I didn't have my USB cord to upload the pics. So, I had to find another camera to place my xD card into to upload the pics.

...See the pics below

mikes rx

Here are some pics of what the chin spoiler itself looked like when it was "done" and ready for mounting [the first pic is after some "rough sanding" of one side, with the 90* piece still attached; and last two are what it looked like fully sanded and ready for mounting on the car, minus the 90* pieces:

mikes rx

Here are some pics of the chin spoiler installed, but without the 90* pieces attached yet. To me, it kind of looks like the Steeda splitter this way:

mikes rx

Here is the final product. We used some black caulking/RTV adhesive to provide a nice look for where the 90* pieces attach to the chin spoiler itself.

A couple of notes:
-we placed a piece of left over plastic to fill the center tab hole, so there is no light shining through now.
-We smoothed out the caulking a little more than what the picture shows.
-The gap of the wheelwell looks much worse in the pic than it really is. In person, it's hardly noticeable.
-Yes, you can see the center honeycomb, and yes, you can see the gap between that and the stock front GT valence pieces. BUT, it doesn't look bad IMO, because it matches the lower grill (which has honeycomb and openings in between)

FINALLY, I want to extend a thanks to the others that have attempted the install. Your insight/comments and trial & error helped make the install easier, because we were able to know what was involved before-hand.

RadBOSS

Mike

Thanks for the description and photos showing in detail how tou modified the piece to fit. Came out really nice. So apparently you did not try to bond the parts back together?


Paul