How To:A/C Spoiler Install- G35 style rear wing (with LED light)

A General Discussion forum for Altima owners, and a great place to introduce yourself if you are new to the NICOclub Altima Forums!
User avatar
Chuck2417
Posts: 247
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:03 am
Car: 08 silver coupe 3.5se

Post

Time: About 1-2.5 hours depending on skill level and how carefully everything is donePeople: possible with one, easier with 2 (for holding purposes and lining it up(second opinion))Supplies: Drill bits and power drill, Screw driver (flat head), Tape,Wire cutersExpense: To get this done by someone it can cost anywhere from 60-$120 depending on who you know. Brake light spoilers are closer to $100 to get someone to install them...Experience: Need to have some experience with a drill and also with wiring.Impressions: The install is not as straight forward on our cars as made out to be. The trunk lid has a lot of metal and requires more than just 4 holes to be drilled... In total each hole has to go through the first layer of metal, then there is another 1-2 layers (depending on location) of metal on the inside of the trunk that need to be drilled. However the spoiler does look very nice once everything is finished.

Step 1: Clean the trunk lid, only mildly for you don't push a bunch of dirt around to scratch your paint. Open the trunk lid and the spoiler to lay everything out. (suggestion: make sure to set the spoiler upside down with something soft underneath).

Step 2: (no picture) Make sure to remove the plastic by the led light before starting the install. I used a screw driver to LIGHTLY pry the plastic peace out since the clear plastic is tucked into the spoiler itself.

Step 3: Remove the plastic adhesive from the cardboard guides and center them in the holes.

Step 4: Place spoiler on the trunk and position to your liking. Make sure that you also let the LED wire loose so the spoiler will sit flush. Once positioned. Tape the cardboard pieces that we stuck to the bottom in step 3 to the trunk lid. Also put a piece of tape down by the LED light and mark where the wire would come down perpendicular to the spoiler (straight down towards the ground). Then CAREFULLY remove the spoiler. These will be your guides to drill the holes. (attention: the rip very easily, you want to try and do it one at a time)

Step 5: Remove the cover from the inside of the trunk lid by prying those plastic grommets off. (attention: they break easily, use either a flat head screw driver or something similar to the one seen in the picture). Also watch out for the trunk release, you will have to find where the two prongs that stick into the metal are and push them in then pry out from the left and the right side. Be sure to set them down someplace safe since you will need them after the install.

Step 6: Measure the space between the LED wire and the red tape (at the back of the spoiler by the light). Should be around 2 inches so you know where your LED wire hole will go. That distance from the tape that we put down behind the LED light in step #4.

Step 7:Drill holes with power drill. Make a small hole at the top (4 for the screws and 1 for LED light). Use the guides that were tapped down and also the mark you made in step #6 for LED wire. Make sure you lean into it because you don't want the drill to slip, go very slowly. This is where you should take your time.

Step 8: Once all of the holes are driller remove the tape. Then use a larger drill bit to make the holes a little bigger.

Step 9: Then take a small but strong drill bit and drill through the holes made through the first layer of metal on the top of the trunk through the rest of the layers. When the trunk is vertical, the two holes that are closer to the ground inside the trunk have to go through 2 pieces of metal. The ones closer to the ceiling will only have to go through one more piece. Once small holes have been made from the top of the trunk, take a larger drill bit and make the holes a bit bigger from the INSIDE of the trunk (enough to fit the washer through). (attention: this could dent your trunk if you drill too hard and do not go slow. If you GO SLOW then you will have no problem with this). You might have to re-tighten the drill bit as the metal braces (middle layer of metal closer to the ground is very thick).

Step 10: Clean the trunk lid and BLOW OFF the metal shavings that were on your trunk and around your car with compressed air! Make sure to let whatever you put down dry so the adhesive will stick properly.

Step 11: Peel some of the red protector for the adhesive on the back of spoiler off and tape it to the outsides of the spoiler as shown. This is so you can peel them off when it comes time to tighten the spoiler. Also this way you won't have to get the adjustment of the spoiler right the first time!

Step 12: Now this is when you will get someone to hold the spoiler and you insert the LED wires into the hole and get someone to move the spoiler so the holes will line up (you should be looking from within the trunk) (TRICK: you can thread the screw threw the hole so it shows from the top of the spoiler to make lining it up easier). Then screw in the two higher sides of the spoiler then the bottom ones. DO NOT FULLY TIGHTEN YET... FIRST remove the adhesive protector that we taped the corners of in step 10. Then tighten the spoiler down. After apply some force with your hands to ensure it sticks all around.

Step 13: Wiring the spoiler: Remove the bottom cover within the trunk (close to speakers and also the left (drivers) side panel so you will be able to wire. First feed the wire through the layers of the trunk so it comes out the drivers side close to the bottom.

Step 14: Wire the LED into the brake light which will be on the drivers side. This is the part where I had my friend who is an electrician do it. He used a clamp for splicing the wire. To find which wire you can use a current detector and have someone step on the brake and make sure the LED lights up. Unfortunately it is tight in there and only space for one person to work. So I was unable to get pictures of this.

Step 15: Once the LED will light up, put the covers back on the side, roof of trunk and the top of the trunk. Make sure to use a vacuum in your trunk to clean out the metal shavings.Compare Before and After

I would like to Thank CAR PROS COLLISION in Regina for letting me install the spoiler in their shop and helping throughout the install.
Modified by Chuck2417 at 10:24 PM 4/21/2009


DAAN.
Posts: 1475
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2008 3:14 am

Post

Very good job on the writeup.

This poiler fits the G, as it is following the lines of a that particular G trunk. For the altima it is esthetically weird, as it is not complimenting the curves (as opposed to G's lines) of the trunk.

Anyway, fun solution to follow curves of altima: mount it upside down :P

User avatar
Chuck2417
Posts: 247
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:03 am
Car: 08 silver coupe 3.5se

Post

It isn't the G35 spoiler as that one is wider due to the wider trunk of the G35 coupe. This one is for the altima coupe following the same design as the G35 coupe spoiler. Not to get mixed up. But hey, I'm happy with the spoiler.

DAAN.
Posts: 1475
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2008 3:14 am

Post

Oh btw Chuck, talk to the admins for a custom tag - very good job on the write up , again

User avatar
Chuck2417
Posts: 247
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:03 am
Car: 08 silver coupe 3.5se

Post

Thank you DAAN! Much appreciated.

User avatar
Colton92
Posts: 783
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 3:44 pm
Car: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S - WinterFrost
Location: Raleigh, NC

Post

NICE WRITE UP


User avatar
Bmore-coupe
Posts: 6440
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:00 pm
Car: 08 Altima Coupe 3.5
Location: Baltimore, MD

Post

Who would have thought? 207 years later, and Nissan still didnt change the design of the coupe

User avatar
BamaCoupe
Posts: 316
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:52 pm
Car: 2011 G37 Coupe
Location: Huntsville, Al

Post

Pretty good write-up; a few things I did with my install was after I drilled I cleaned the trunk exterior then put a couple coats of touch-up paint on the bare metal on exterior side. Also, after the spoiler was on and tight I removed one screw at a time, took a drinking straw cut it to size and taped it to a tube of silicon, and squeezed a little silicon into the hole then re-installed the screw and repeated the process for each hole.

zilla19
Posts: 187
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:19 pm

Post

I also put some clear caulk right around the holes at the top of the trunk to prevent any water leaking in.

User avatar
dangeris
Posts: 5139
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:18 pm
Car: 08 Code Red 3.5
08 BMW 328xi Coupe
90 300ZX 2+0 NA
Location: Lansdale PA
Contact:

Post

Great Write up Chuck. I would have done it in Sept. of 07 when I bought the coupe but I wasn't aware of doing write up then.

BrianAdams03
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 5:48 am
Car: '08 Altima Coupe 3.5 SE CVT

Post

Awesome right up Chuck, wish it would have been a day or so earlier and I probably would have done it myself instead of taking it in. But hey, $60 was well worth it.

User avatar
ohiostate
Posts: 173
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:41 pm

Post

Very nice write


Return to “Altima General Discussions”