Road Rage

Very nice piece. Good finish, excellent fit and practicality. The angle of the plate is sharp enough to reduce wind resistance, but not so much to attract "heat" from LEA.

I do have a tip for installation, and a suggestion to Rick or Stratocaster.

1) The tip: I found it easier to attack the plate to the bracket before bolting the bracket to the front clip. They send the same SS button head bolts I recommended a while back, with some nice SS locknuts. My hands would not allow me to attach those while the bracket was mounted, so I removed it and attached the plate, then used the OEM plates bolts to attach the bracket.

2) The suggestion: After I removed the bracket since I was unable to thread the plate bolts as described above, I found that the bracket had left scratches and an imprint on the poly front bumper cover. I removed the whole thing and will have to use cutting compounds to remove the scratches. I suggest that Rick's include an approprte piece of rubber to act as a protective gasket between the bracket and the front clip. McMaster sells some nice silicone rubbers, so I am off to order and fix the whole deal. This really would make the kit A+ in my book if it were included from the get go.

Bob A (SD)

Road Rage,

Your experience mirrors mine although I was able to slap a 10mm wrench on the back to afix the plates after mounting the brackets. Were I to do it again, it would be first as you've suggested.

As for the abrading issue, when I first received the bracket I found a few light burrs that needed to be removed. That prompted me to make a run to the local hardware store for some neoprene washers. I used a pair to buffer the bracket from direct contact with the bumper. My thoughts are that a pair ought to be included as part of the hardware.

Bottom line is that as delivered it is a worthy product. Originally I'd hoped to be able to fashion something similar to the wind pressure fold up activated bracket I had on a '96 Miata but the design of the front grill isn't conducive. So Rick's bracket is the next best thing -

--Bob

Big Ben

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Road Rage
McMaster sells some nice silicone rubbers,

Road Rage

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Big Ben

Road Rage

Here is how I solved the "scratching problem (after 1 hour of 3 different polishing compounds...grrrr):

1) I obtained some 1/16" thick neoprene rubber from McMaster-Carr
2) Using the plate bracket as a template, I held the rubber against the bracket and traced an outline with a pen - I marked the exact center of the bracket hole as well.
3) I cut out the outline on the inner part of the line, leaving about 1/4" from the top so it would not be seen when mounted.
4) I punched the holes with a hole punch - this also helps to hold the bolt as you try to thread it into the front bumper clip
5) Spray a little penetrating oil or a dab of anti-seize on the bolt threads - this will make threading easier, as well as eliminate any galvanic reaction (galling) of the metals.
6) Thread the bolts into the front clip - a small screwdriver will help "locate" the rubber, as it will tend to spin as the bolt is tightened. As you feel the bolt snugging up, precisely align the neoprene and tighten snugger, but not overly tight.

The Neoprene is cheap, and I have enough to do probably 100 cars. If you would like a length, send me a SASE and I will send you some.

This should be included in the kit, in my opinion.

Bob A (SD)

Figured I'd add a few photos of the bracket installed on my ride. You can barely see the twin neoprene stand-off washers I used:








and a gratuitous cockpit shot -

revLIMITLESS

Thanks for posting.

Bob A (SD)

No problem - Pix were from part of my wash n wax report just posted.
Meguairs NXT wax, P21S, S100, Klasse twins, etc.

http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=185445

Road Rage

Nice pics - with my approach, you cannot see the gasket material at all, and it copver the entire shape of the bracket attaching ppoint, spreading the contact pressure across a wider area. I also went with a plate cover that is gasketed, so I do not have to deal with the bug residue hassle. It required two 25mm versions of the SS button head bolts Ricks provides - thes ebolts in all sorts of sizes are available at McMaster-Carr.

I wrote Stratocaster on the gasket solution, and I believe they are going to offer it in the future (they should also offer several sizes of the bolts to accomodate a wider range of solutions). Other bracket kits include a variety of bolts.

Bob A (SD)

RoadRage,

No question that the way you went makes for the cleaner installation. But still those two round neoprene gaskets I used are hard to see unless you really look hard. Plus it was a LOT less trouble than cutting out a strip! LOL

Any way ya cut things this bracket does add to the car -

Best!

--Bob