Installed a turbo bumper - DIY with pics attached
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Installed a turbo bumper - DIY with pics attached
Many of you have thought about installing a turbo bumper on your NA 996. I did the research, and following the lead of others including Deputydog, I decided to go for it, and install it myself.
I took some pictures of the process for others' future reference, which follow in separate posts.
What you need to buy: turbo bumper, side and center grills, and bottom lip. Thanks Jenner!
What you need to install the bumper: black paint or tape, metal brackets and screws/mounts.
A few kinks in the installation:
1) the bottom (base) of turbo bumper does not extend as far as the stock bumper. This means that none of the bottom mounts on the turbo bumper will align with the car's mounts. I needed to create metal extensions/brackets to attach the bottom of the bumper. Others have chosen to use tie wraps, but the fabricated brackets are more secure.
2) because the turbo bumper is shallower, there is an opening on the inner-bottom of the bumper. I suppose you could custom cut a thin black piece of plastic and create a bottom plate.
3) the side grill openings on the turbo bumper are obviously wider than stock, so the steel bumper protrudes through the openings. Some have chosen to cut the steel bumper, others to paint it black. For now, I wrapped it in black tape so it blends in with the grills.
4) you can reuse your stock vents (the ones behind the grills). The turbo vents would be a better fit; for now, I kept the stock vents.
Observations:
The turbo bumper is a perfect fit, width-wise. Maybe I'm hyper-picky, but I feel that it could be tighter under the headlights. If I could lift the bumper vertically by 2mm, I think it'd be perfect. See if you guys can tell what I mean from the pictures. All of the screws are aligned right.
The grills could also be a bit tighter in the bumper. Be careful if you buy a used turbo bumper, as the grill mounts are very easily broken if not removed properly.
The whole process took me about 3 hours, which accounted for the time I spent sidetracked cleaning the insides of my wheels after I removed them; setup, removal, and cleanup; and making and fitting the brackets.
Tomorrow I'm finishing up the interior of my car (CF wheel, painting some of the int. parts to match exterior, and Cargraphic pedals) and I'll post more pics.
Hope somebody finds this helpful.
Bobby G
I took some pictures of the process for others' future reference, which follow in separate posts.
What you need to buy: turbo bumper, side and center grills, and bottom lip. Thanks Jenner!
What you need to install the bumper: black paint or tape, metal brackets and screws/mounts.
A few kinks in the installation:
1) the bottom (base) of turbo bumper does not extend as far as the stock bumper. This means that none of the bottom mounts on the turbo bumper will align with the car's mounts. I needed to create metal extensions/brackets to attach the bottom of the bumper. Others have chosen to use tie wraps, but the fabricated brackets are more secure.
2) because the turbo bumper is shallower, there is an opening on the inner-bottom of the bumper. I suppose you could custom cut a thin black piece of plastic and create a bottom plate.
3) the side grill openings on the turbo bumper are obviously wider than stock, so the steel bumper protrudes through the openings. Some have chosen to cut the steel bumper, others to paint it black. For now, I wrapped it in black tape so it blends in with the grills.
4) you can reuse your stock vents (the ones behind the grills). The turbo vents would be a better fit; for now, I kept the stock vents.
Observations:
The turbo bumper is a perfect fit, width-wise. Maybe I'm hyper-picky, but I feel that it could be tighter under the headlights. If I could lift the bumper vertically by 2mm, I think it'd be perfect. See if you guys can tell what I mean from the pictures. All of the screws are aligned right.
The grills could also be a bit tighter in the bumper. Be careful if you buy a used turbo bumper, as the grill mounts are very easily broken if not removed properly.
The whole process took me about 3 hours, which accounted for the time I spent sidetracked cleaning the insides of my wheels after I removed them; setup, removal, and cleanup; and making and fitting the brackets.
Tomorrow I'm finishing up the interior of my car (CF wheel, painting some of the int. parts to match exterior, and Cargraphic pedals) and I'll post more pics.
Hope somebody finds this helpful.
Bobby G
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From: Cary, NC
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Wow, very nice write-up! I wish this would have been available when I was going through the headache of trying to get my turbo bumper installed. It took weeks while the body shop kept making excuses about why it couldn't be done...
Finished product looks really sweet too!
Finished product looks really sweet too!
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: New Jersey(outside Phila)
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Bobby,
I recently had the same thing done to my 03. I didn't do it myself, as I was afraid to botch it up. You did a great job and the bumper looks fantastic. The pics are great too. As I said before all the 911s should have this front end. Here is my car.......
I recently had the same thing done to my 03. I didn't do it myself, as I was afraid to botch it up. You did a great job and the bumper looks fantastic. The pics are great too. As I said before all the 911s should have this front end. Here is my car.......
Last edited by neil.schneider; Jun 4, 2007 at 05:34 PM.
