So you want a GT500 spoiler...
04-20-2010, 08:53 PM
#1
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 533
So you want a GT500 spoiler...
Well I just installed one, and took some pictures along the way.
I ordered mine from the local dealership for 245. My car was just in the body shop getting a small dent on the A pillar fixed (who would do that to someones car and walk away?!). So I got the spoiler and my SHR louvers painted while it was in. $520 total. Not bad considering one place wanted 789 to fix the small dent! But I digress, your here for pictures.
So first things first, you'll need to remove the four nuts holding the spoiler to the deck-lid. Those are located under the gray carpet cover on the lid. The fasteners are located in the red circles.
They come out with you first popping out the inner "pin" then do the same to remove the outer pin. A small flat head works good.
Now you can see two of the four bolts.
The far outer two are covered by black plastic plugs. Use something plastic or a flat-head covered in tape to pop these out. You don't want to scratch the paint.
Go ahead and use a 10mm socket to get these nuts out. When your removing the outer nuts the holes are small and if you dropped one in the deck-lid, you'd have the start of a long night if you didn't have a magnetic pick-up. Use a pair of needle nose for the last couple turns to be safe.
Now, close the trunk. I didn't want to start having Goo-Gone running everywhere as I tried to squirt it in the spoiler gap, so I relied on a hairdryer, 50lb fishing line between two screwdrivers, and a plastic wedge. I used the fishing line to start the ends till I got to the outside bolts. Then I used the hair dryer and the wedge to pull the spoiler up from the outside inwards. I did this a little at a time for each side. I recommend if your going to use a wedge like i did (it works well), do it from the back forward as you dont want to scuff any paint that will be visible. The new GT500 spoiler hangs over the lip slightly and any scuffing is masked.
Once its all the way off, use your Goo-Gone to soak the left over adhesive. I used a microfiber towel. I would soak a small wad of it and then squeeze the drips onto the adhesive. This worked well for preventing splatter. It was then a matter of using my thumb to roll the adhesive up down the strip. I used a fresh microfiber to give the area a good scrub afterwards. After it was all clean another microfiber was used to wipe the area down with clean water.
Have someone help you fit the new spoiler. Also peel small corners of the 3M tape to the outside of the spoiler so you have little tabs to grab. When you have the position right, go ahead and have one person steady the part while the other pulls the tape out from underneath. Firmly press down all along the spoiler. Next pop the trunk open and tighten the nuts up.
Reinstall outer nut hole plugs and reinstall the liner with the black trim plugs. Close the lid and get out your gurney flap. I used the Goo-Gone and water steps again to clean off the gurney placement area.
Pull off the tape backing and line it up above the spoiler. use the "nubs" on the bottom to align it. Make sure it is seated flat and against the forward edge. I used my microfiber towel to run along the flap to seat it and make sure the tape was gripping.
Here is the finished look.
And a comparison shot of how wide each is.
When I get my install stuff, Ill do a write up while I install my new SHR Flush Mount Louvers too.
I ordered mine from the local dealership for 245. My car was just in the body shop getting a small dent on the A pillar fixed (who would do that to someones car and walk away?!). So I got the spoiler and my SHR louvers painted while it was in. $520 total. Not bad considering one place wanted 789 to fix the small dent! But I digress, your here for pictures.
So first things first, you'll need to remove the four nuts holding the spoiler to the deck-lid. Those are located under the gray carpet cover on the lid. The fasteners are located in the red circles.
They come out with you first popping out the inner "pin" then do the same to remove the outer pin. A small flat head works good.
Now you can see two of the four bolts.
The far outer two are covered by black plastic plugs. Use something plastic or a flat-head covered in tape to pop these out. You don't want to scratch the paint.
Go ahead and use a 10mm socket to get these nuts out. When your removing the outer nuts the holes are small and if you dropped one in the deck-lid, you'd have the start of a long night if you didn't have a magnetic pick-up. Use a pair of needle nose for the last couple turns to be safe.
Now, close the trunk. I didn't want to start having Goo-Gone running everywhere as I tried to squirt it in the spoiler gap, so I relied on a hairdryer, 50lb fishing line between two screwdrivers, and a plastic wedge. I used the fishing line to start the ends till I got to the outside bolts. Then I used the hair dryer and the wedge to pull the spoiler up from the outside inwards. I did this a little at a time for each side. I recommend if your going to use a wedge like i did (it works well), do it from the back forward as you dont want to scuff any paint that will be visible. The new GT500 spoiler hangs over the lip slightly and any scuffing is masked.
Once its all the way off, use your Goo-Gone to soak the left over adhesive. I used a microfiber towel. I would soak a small wad of it and then squeeze the drips onto the adhesive. This worked well for preventing splatter. It was then a matter of using my thumb to roll the adhesive up down the strip. I used a fresh microfiber to give the area a good scrub afterwards. After it was all clean another microfiber was used to wipe the area down with clean water.
Have someone help you fit the new spoiler. Also peel small corners of the 3M tape to the outside of the spoiler so you have little tabs to grab. When you have the position right, go ahead and have one person steady the part while the other pulls the tape out from underneath. Firmly press down all along the spoiler. Next pop the trunk open and tighten the nuts up.
Reinstall outer nut hole plugs and reinstall the liner with the black trim plugs. Close the lid and get out your gurney flap. I used the Goo-Gone and water steps again to clean off the gurney placement area.
Pull off the tape backing and line it up above the spoiler. use the "nubs" on the bottom to align it. Make sure it is seated flat and against the forward edge. I used my microfiber towel to run along the flap to seat it and make sure the tape was gripping.
Here is the finished look.
And a comparison shot of how wide each is.
When I get my install stuff, Ill do a write up while I install my new SHR Flush Mount Louvers too.
Last edited by Xcelsius; 04-20-2010 at 09:38 PM. Reason: corrected spoiler price
04-20-2010, 09:37 PM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 533
DOh, i meant to type 245. It lists at the dealership at 297, but i got them to price match a website.
04-20-2010, 10:07 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 1,247
That's pretty much how I did mine, including the needle noses, that one worried me a bit. I wish I had the patience to take pics during an install.
Nice write-up and of course the result looks great.
Nice write-up and of course the result looks great.
Last edited by WeinerDog; 04-20-2010 at 10:09 PM.
04-21-2010, 06:58 AM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 533
04-21-2010, 09:14 PM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 440
yo how did you make that link in your signature, thats mad cool. i thought that that was your bbm info so i went to scan it and it asked me if i wanted to open the link to youtube, never seen that before....pretty cool!!
04-21-2010, 09:54 PM
#8
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 533
heh, I used a QR code generator to create it. Not many people know what to do with it
