Take-off Front Bumper Installed (Problem...) cont from prev thread
05-05-2009, 10:34 AM
#12
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Newark, Delaware
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05-05-2009, 10:47 AM
#13
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brandon, Florida
Posts: 2,616
Hey guys,
I posted a topic a little while ago about how the GT take-off bumper I put on my V6 had a big bulge at the bottom of it and it was concluded that I needed to get a radiator support to connect the bottom of the bumper & the radiator, and that should solve the bulge issue.
So I went and picked up a radiator support from Ford, installed it, and rather than fixing the problem, it sort of minimized it a bit and turned the one big bulge in the middle into two smaller bulges off to the side of the center screws which were installed. They're not as noticeable now, but still pretty obvious and I need to fix them. Allow me to show you:
BEFORE THE RADIATOR SUPPORT:
AFTER THE RADIATOR SUPPORT INSTALL:
It's like there's too much plastic along the bottom of the bumper. It was purchased from newtakeoff.com and everything looks installed correctly and otherwise fits nicely. (I had a Ford bodyshop do it while they were fixing a dented fender.)
I don't know if it's worth mentioning or not, but when I was installing the radiator support it seemed like the radiator support wasn't long enough. The only way I could get everything to connect into the properl holes was to screw the bottom of the lower front bumper into the radiator support and then lean on it like crazy and pull everything back into the holes it fits into on the bottom of the radiator. It wasn't a nice clean easy fit by any means and took quite a bit of pushing and fighting with to get everything in place. The bumper is probably under a good bit of tension and it seems like it's quite a tight fit.
Radiator support is facing with the big indented ridge thing facing upward and in front of the rad (I think it deflects air into the radiator?) so everything is in the proper direction there as far as I know.
Any thoughts on this? I've considered cutting "V's" into the two bulges and screwing them flat against the bottom of the radiator support, which I think would work, but I'm not sure how forward into the bumper I should cut and I'm a little nervous about splitting the paint or causing some kind of stress damage on the bumper which wrecks the finish on a visible portion of it.
Also, I'm going to buy a GT500 chin spoiler for this bumper, so do you think installing that and screwing it into the bottom of the bumper would cover up and smooth-out those bulges that are going on?
I posted a topic a little while ago about how the GT take-off bumper I put on my V6 had a big bulge at the bottom of it and it was concluded that I needed to get a radiator support to connect the bottom of the bumper & the radiator, and that should solve the bulge issue.
So I went and picked up a radiator support from Ford, installed it, and rather than fixing the problem, it sort of minimized it a bit and turned the one big bulge in the middle into two smaller bulges off to the side of the center screws which were installed. They're not as noticeable now, but still pretty obvious and I need to fix them. Allow me to show you:
BEFORE THE RADIATOR SUPPORT:
AFTER THE RADIATOR SUPPORT INSTALL:
It's like there's too much plastic along the bottom of the bumper. It was purchased from newtakeoff.com and everything looks installed correctly and otherwise fits nicely. (I had a Ford bodyshop do it while they were fixing a dented fender.)
I don't know if it's worth mentioning or not, but when I was installing the radiator support it seemed like the radiator support wasn't long enough. The only way I could get everything to connect into the properl holes was to screw the bottom of the lower front bumper into the radiator support and then lean on it like crazy and pull everything back into the holes it fits into on the bottom of the radiator. It wasn't a nice clean easy fit by any means and took quite a bit of pushing and fighting with to get everything in place. The bumper is probably under a good bit of tension and it seems like it's quite a tight fit.
Radiator support is facing with the big indented ridge thing facing upward and in front of the rad (I think it deflects air into the radiator?) so everything is in the proper direction there as far as I know.
Any thoughts on this? I've considered cutting "V's" into the two bulges and screwing them flat against the bottom of the radiator support, which I think would work, but I'm not sure how forward into the bumper I should cut and I'm a little nervous about splitting the paint or causing some kind of stress damage on the bumper which wrecks the finish on a visible portion of it.
Also, I'm going to buy a GT500 chin spoiler for this bumper, so do you think installing that and screwing it into the bottom of the bumper would cover up and smooth-out those bulges that are going on?
Last edited by CutterWolf; 05-05-2009 at 10:50 AM.
05-05-2009, 11:01 AM
#14
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brandon, Florida
Posts: 2,616
The bumper cover is only attached the car in 4 locations, please go to the link and you will see pics these locations and you will note that nothing on the bottom of the cover attachs to the car. http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=438557
05-05-2009, 08:41 PM
#16
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 1,295
This is your problem "The only way I could get everything to connect into the properl holes was to screw the bottom of the lower front bumper into the radiator support" Remove the screws you put in the lower front bumper into the radiator support. This is causing the tension making the bulge. Nothing but the "splash sheild" you put on should be attached to the bottom of the bumper cover. (Remove the screws from the splash sheild too once you get those other screws out and it shoud remove the bulge and let you screw back in the screws for your splash sheild) Also, the screws that attach the front of the splash sheild to your bumper cover are "only" attached to the bumper cover its self and not the lower radiator support.
I made it sound like I had screwed the bottom of the front bumper into the radiator or something, which isn't the case.
I was calling it a radiator support, but what I meant was a splash shield, which is to say the black plastic plate thing I bought that connects the front bumper to the radiator (the back of the splash shield hooks into the radiator, right?) It's got four screws that go into the bumper (two which are in the center of the splash shield and close to each other and two others on the outer edges of the splash shield) and 3 small bolts at the back. I put the 3 square nuts into their designated holes in the bottom of the radiator (right?) and then threaded the 3 small bolts into them.
So, the only thing the bumper is connected to is the splash shield by the 4 screws, and then the other side of the splash shield is connected to the bottom of the radiator. The splash shield has a bit of an indentation near the middle of it which is sitting slightly forward in front of the radiator (which I've heard is to direct air into the radiator.)
And putting on that splash shield is what I was saying was so difficult. I put the 4 screws in to connect the bottom of the front bumper and the front of the splash shield, then had to really, really lean on it and pull everything toward the back of the car to get the splash shield holes to line up with the square nuts I had clipped into the bottom of the radiator.
So, short of cutting V's into those two small bulges in the front bumper I'm not sure how to get rid of the bulges. And like I said I'm a little worried about damaging the paint if I cut into the bumper and causing some kind of more visible problem (having the paint near the cuts crack or develop the spiderweb look or something.)
Also, the GT500 chin spoiler is going in, but will that solve the problem? If the bumper is warped in some way, the chin spoiler is going to push up on that, but those bulges still have to go somewhere and I wonder if they might cause the chin spoiler to fit incorrectly if the bulges are pushing down on it.
05-05-2009, 09:04 PM
#17
S197 Section Modder-ator
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Orlando FL
Posts: 13,373
Something doesn't make any sense here...
Anyway, I have a trick for those problems if everything else fails.
Go to home depot and get a flat piece of steel about 3/4 wide 1/8 thick.
I think they come in 4ft long. Trim off what you don't need
3M tape this thing on the bottom in the inside.
It will keep everything straight across that lower section.
Anyway, I have a trick for those problems if everything else fails.
Go to home depot and get a flat piece of steel about 3/4 wide 1/8 thick.
I think they come in 4ft long. Trim off what you don't need
3M tape this thing on the bottom in the inside.
It will keep everything straight across that lower section.
05-05-2009, 09:36 PM
#18
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany
Posts: 1,418
Pascal your the man, I remember you told me you did that on a CDC Aggressive and if mine every flexes like that in the middle Im gonna use your trick... you are the body shop guy I would trust your expertise in this field...
05-06-2009, 12:30 AM
#20
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Ca
Posts: 25
I just did this swap last weekend. I also purchased my front GT bumper from Newtakeoff. Mine did not have a bulge underneath like yours does. Before I did the swap I went to Ford and purchased a new GT engine splash shield, GT front fender liners and upper support foam for a GT. While I was doing the swap I compared the V6 fender liners to the GT liners and the V6 liners were smaller. If you are reusing the V6 liners then the sides of the GT bumper will be forced inward and cause that bump you experienced.
When I installed the bumper, I first installed the fender liners. Then I installed the engine splash shield. There are 4 screws that attach the engine splash shield to the GT fascia. There are 2 screws that attach the engine shield to the radiator crossmember.
I hope this helps.
When I installed the bumper, I first installed the fender liners. Then I installed the engine splash shield. There are 4 screws that attach the engine splash shield to the GT fascia. There are 2 screws that attach the engine shield to the radiator crossmember.
I hope this helps.
