KeithS Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 As part of my continuing effort to get chicks to dig me, I installed a factory roof spoiler on my '96 Outback. While installing the spoiler is not particularly difficult, locating the mounting holes properly on the lift gate can be a little tricky. I snapped pictures as I went along ... maybe they'll help the next guy who wants to install one of these. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/01Finished01.jpg Installing the spoiler requires making five holes in your lift gate, treating the holes to prevent rust, sealing the holes to prevent leaks, and finally installing the spoiler. As always, remember information on the Internet is worth what you pay for it. What follows worked for me and will most likely work for you, but I make no guarantees. Main reference for this write-up is Subaru's Roof Spoiler installation instructions. Tools required: Drill with 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" bits; Center Punch; Dremel with carbide cutting tip (or rat-tail file); 10 mm deep socket with extension; Phillips screwdriver; two rulers; 5' of string Parts/Materials required: I would highly recommend getting the three protectors (gaskets) from Subaru (my used spoiler had them attached); Protector Grommets (Lt # 96059AC210 and Rt # 96059AC200); 10" of double-sided moulding tape; Butyl Window Sealer (or similar sealer); Small amount of Primer Paint Locating the Mounting Holes Note: Because both the spoiler and your car aren't perfect, the following bolt hole locations are close but not exact. The holes will be drilled undersized and enlarged with the dremel to get them in the right spots. The two upper holes are located/drilled first, and then used to locate the lower three holes. Locate the upper holes as shown below. The 17 mm dimension is most critical. The 19 mm dimension is approximate and should be determined by using the actual spoiler. Make sure the dimension from the body crease to the hole is the same on both sides so the spoiler is centered on the lift gate. Drill the two upper holes, first with an 1/8" pilot hole, followed by a 1/4" hole. Subaru recommends wrapping tape around the drill bit approx 10 mm up from the tip as a drill stop to prevent the drill from damaging the wiring loom directly below the holes. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/02UpperHoleLocation.jpg Locating the three lower holes takes two steps ... one for the left/right location and one for the up/down location Hang the spoiler on the car by putting the two upper brass pins into the holes you just drilled and resting the three lower threaded studs on the lift gate. Mark the left/right locations of the three studs on the lift gate as shown below. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/03LowerHolelocation.jpg Remove the spoiler. Using two rulers, mark the up/down location for the two outside lower holes as shown below. The 151 mm hole center-to-center dimension was given in the factory installation directions ... the 45 mm dimension I came up with through trial and error. This pic was taken after I had completed all the holes. In your case, you will be centering the ruler in a 1/4" hole. The string helps center the ruler, and is used in the next step to locate the center hole. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/04OutsideLowerHoleLocation.jpg Using a string stretched between the two upper hole centers, mark the up/down location for the center hole as shown below. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/05CenterLowerHoleLocation.jpg Open the lift gate and remove the third brake light cover (2 screws), the third brake light (4 screws) and plastic cover (2 clips) to reveal 3 Mounting Bolt access holes. Close the lift gate. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/06mountingboltaccessholes.jpg Drill the three lower holes, 1/8" pilot followed by 3/8" hole. Drill out the two upper holes using a 1/2" bit. Test fit the spoiler, using the dremel to fine-tune the hole locations so the spoiler fits properly. The spoiler should be centered on the lift gate, and sit slightly back (approx. 1/8") from the front edge of the lift gate. Tighten nuts on the three lower studs to temporarily mount the spoiler. DO NOT USE THE TWO UPPER GROMMETS TO TEST FIT !!!!! Once you snap the grommets on you're probably not getting them off without breaking them. Carefully open the lift gate to insure the spoiler does not contact the roof at any point. Finished mounting holes ... http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/07SpoilerMountingHoles.jpg Once you're satisfied with the fit, remove the spoiler. Grind off any burrs around the mounting holes and paint any bare metal with several coats of paint. Final Test Fit ... http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/08TestFit.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithS Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Mounting the Spoiler At this point I painted the spoiler to match the rest of the car. Because the spoiler is relatively small, my guess is that a decent job could be done with color matched base coat/clear coat rattle cans. I happened to have a little paint left over from some previous collision repair work, so I moved out to the paint booth and painted it up (also painting a trash can Glacier White for mama ... have you figured out I'm kind of a hillbilly yet, ). http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/09PaintBooth.jpg Pictured below are the parts/materials used for mounting the spoiler. The three black gaskets are what Subaru calls the "protectors" and cost close to $50 combined ... try to find a spoiler which has them already on it! The two black plastic "protector grommets" snap onto the brass upper pins on the spoiler ... DO NOT SNAP THESE ON UNTIL FINAL INSTALLATION!!! Not shown is the Butyl window seal (3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer, left over from a project on my F-150). http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/10MountingMaterials.jpg Gaskets, Butyl sealer and moulding tape ... The Butyl sealer is used to seal the three lower mounting holes, to keep water out of the interior of the lift gate. The two upper mounting holes are outside of the lift gate seal, so sealing these holes is not necessary. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/11OutsideSeals.jpg http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/12CenterSeal.jpg Remove the moulding tape backing and carefully place the spoiler on the car. Snug down the three lower mounting nuts, and snap on the two upper protector grommets. Note the grommets are left/right specific (they are marked L or R), the tabs on the grommets face towards the outside of the car. http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/13UpperProtectorGrommet.jpg Reassemble the center brake light/lift gate trim, and you're good to go ... http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/KSpencer60/96%20Outback%20Spoiler/14Finished02.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Awesome write up! I'm sure this will come in handy for some folks. Where did you get the spoiler? I swapped over a rear hatch with a spoiler so chicks would dig me. It isn't working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stasis Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Awesome write up! I'm sure this will come in handy for some folks. Where did you get the spoiler? I swapped over a rear hatch with a spoiler so chicks would dig me. It isn't working. It's okay monkey, I dig you <3 Awesome write up, going to be fantastic for getting mine done, sadly the top holes on my hatch have been spot welded over and will need to be grinded off so will get a body shop to respray it all once holes are on (I'm not confident in my painting ability unlike most of you winners ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyLou Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Nice job, The car looks Great,It might even be a Panty Dropper ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithS Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Thanks guys ... I've done a bunch of write-ups on things I've done to my '99 F-150, so it just seem natural to do one for this little project. Monkey, I got the spoiler on ebay (and paid way too much for it, I might add ) Stasis, painting is all about practice. I got real confident in my painting abilities when I got a $2000 quote for painting a fender, hood, and bumper cover during some collision repair recently It's been a few days now, and while the spoiler looks cool, it hasn't helped w/ the chicks. I'm thinking maybe JDM grill or projectors next, or maybe a little suspension lowering. If all else fails, I can always grow a ponytail ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithS Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Link to pics of the factory spoiler installation instructions ... http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2845605&postcount=16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 big thanks for this. gonna do the same to mine soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithS Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 big thanks for this. gonna do the same to mine soon. I hope it helps you out a little. The link a couple posts up w/ pics of the factory installation directions is worth a look if you're an instruction-reading type of guy ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 im sure it will, im more worried about it being skewed on the roof than anything else, and yours seems to be straight with the measurements you laid out. im tempted to go back and make a template from the car i took it from tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Link to pics of the factory spoiler installation instructions ... http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2845605&postcount=16 i made them a bit easier to read and put them in a pdf. unfortunately its too large to upload to this site, if anyone wants it ill email it to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmrican Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Mint dude. I'm getting the entire tailgate same color as my car for 50$ with spoiler. So I guess it'll be easier for me lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Guy 2-1 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 thanks for the writeup, probably gonna do this to my hunkajunk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 big thanks for this. gonna do the same to mine soon. two years later and i still havent done it. i really am a slacker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zues Marine Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 wow this is so much better than my write up... i will be using this one to re-do mine on a new hatch here soon ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmcleod654 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 So im fairly new, just got my 1997 legacy a few weeks ago and im wanting to go all out. I just have NO idea where to start, i really do love your walkthrough and im just so new to the subaru game im not sure what years will fit my car, looking for a little help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 So im fairly new, just got my 1997 legacy a few weeks ago and im wanting to go all out. I just have NO idea where to start, i really do love your walkthrough and im just so new to the subaru game im not sure what years will fit my car, looking for a little help. And outback/legacy wagon from 1995-1999 will fit, they are all the same body as far as the spoiler is concerned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 big thanks for this. gonna do the same to mine soon. two years later and i still havent done it. i really am a slacker. two MORE years and i still havent done it... damn im chief slacker... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor294 Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Thanks shitbucket for ruining half of the internet's write ups. Anyone have another one they recommend? Was about to do my spoiler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setnev Posted July 16, 2017 Share Posted July 16, 2017 Thanks shitbucket for ruining half of the internet's write ups. Anyone have another one they recommend? Was about to do my spoiler. No worries Thor, I got you. I have pages like this archived in case of nuclear disaster or greedy corporations that hold us at ransom. As part of my continuing effort to get chicks to dig me, I installed a factory roof spoiler on my '96 Outback. While installing the spoiler is not particularly difficult, locating the mounting holes properly on the lift gate can be a little tricky. I snapped pictures as I went along ... maybe they'll help the next guy who wants to install one of these. http://i.imgur.com/ZXoUrfO.jpg Installing the spoiler requires making five holes in your lift gate, treating the holes to prevent rust, sealing the holes to prevent leaks, and finally installing the spoiler. As always, remember information on the Internet is worth what you pay for it. What follows worked for me and will most likely work for you, but I make no guarantees. Main reference for this write-up is Subaru's Roof Spoiler installation instructions. Tools required: Drill with 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" bits; Center Punch; Dremel with carbide cutting tip (or rat-tail file); 10 mm deep socket with extension; Phillips screwdriver; two rulers; 5' of string Parts/Materials required: I would highly recommend getting the three protectors (gaskets) from Subaru (my used spoiler had them attached); Protector Grommets (Lt # 96059AC210 and Rt # 96059AC200); 10" of double-sided moulding tape; Butyl Window Sealer (or similar sealer); Small amount of Primer Paint Locating the Mounting Holes Note: Because both the spoiler and your car aren't perfect, the following bolt hole locations are close but not exact. The holes will be drilled undersized and enlarged with the dremel to get them in the right spots. The two upper holes are located/drilled first, and then used to locate the lower three holes. Locate the upper holes as shown below. The 17 mm dimension is most critical. The 19 mm dimension is approximate and should be determined by using the actual spoiler. Make sure the dimension from the body crease to the hole is the same on both sides so the spoiler is centered on the lift gate. Drill the two upper holes, first with an 1/8" pilot hole, followed by a 1/4" hole. Subaru recommends wrapping tape around the drill bit approx 10 mm up from the tip as a drill stop to prevent the drill from damaging the wiring loom directly below the holes. http://i.imgur.com/XFthqLe.jpg Locating the three lower holes takes two steps ... one for the left/right location and one for the up/down location Hang the spoiler on the car by putting the two upper brass pins into the holes you just drilled and resting the three lower threaded studs on the lift gate. Mark the left/right locations of the three studs on the lift gate as shown below. http://i.imgur.com/46D6zLV.jpg Remove the spoiler. Using two rulers, mark the up/down location for the two outside lower holes as shown below. The 151 mm hole center-to-center dimension was given in the factory installation directions ... the 45 mm dimension I came up with through trial and error. This pic was taken after I had completed all the holes. In your case, you will be centering the ruler in a 1/4" hole. The string helps center the ruler, and is used in the next step to locate the center hole. http://i.imgur.com/WoRclnN.jpg Using a string stretched between the two upper hole centers, mark the up/down location for the center hole as shown below. http://i.imgur.com/QdwTYoK.jpg/IMG%5D Drill the three lower holes, 1/8" pilot followed by 3/8" hole. Drill out the two upper holes using a 1/2" bit. Test fit the spoiler, using the dremel to fine-tune the hole locations so the spoiler fits properly. The spoiler should be centered on the lift gate, and sit slightly back (approx. 1/8") from the front edge of the lift gate. Tighten nuts on the three lower studs to temporarily mount the spoiler. DO NOT USE THE TWO UPPER GROMMETS TO TEST FIT !!!!! Once you snap the grommets on you're probably not getting them off without breaking them. Carefully open the lift gate to insure the spoiler does not contact the roof at any point. Finished mounting holes ... http://i.imgur.com/pbTjUfT.jpg Once you're satisfied with the fit, remove the spoiler. Grind off any burrs around the mounting holes and paint any bare metal with several coats of paint. Final Test Fit ... http://i.imgur.com/hiyGn6S.jpg Mounting the Spoiler At this point I painted the spoiler to match the rest of the car. Because the spoiler is relatively small, my guess is that a decent job could be done with color matched base coat/clear coat rattle cans. I happened to have a little paint left over from some previous collision repair work, so I moved out to the paint booth and painted it up (also painting a trash can Glacier White for mama ... have you figured out I'm kind of a hillbilly yet, ). http://i.imgur.com/96qkP2v.jpg Pictured below are the parts/materials used for mounting the spoiler. The three black gaskets are what Subaru calls the "protectors" and cost close to $50 combined ... try to find a spoiler which has them already on it! The two black plastic "protector grommets" snap onto the brass upper pins on the spoiler ... DO NOT SNAP THESE ON UNTIL FINAL INSTALLATION!!! Not shown is the Butyl window seal (3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer, left over from a project on my F-150). http://i.imgur.com/I3B7JXn.jpg Gaskets, Butyl sealer and moulding tape ... The Butyl sealer is used to seal the three lower mounting holes, to keep water out of the interior of the lift gate. The two upper mounting holes are outside of the lift gate seal, so sealing these holes is not necessary. http://i.imgur.com/T9b8QN2.jpg http://i.imgur.com/d4NIdvQ.jpg Remove the moulding tape backing and carefully place the spoiler on the car. Snug down the three lower mounting nuts, and snap on the two upper protector grommets. Note the grommets are left/right specific (they are marked L or R), the tabs on the grommets face towards the outside of the car. http://i.imgur.com/yzoMeQQ.jpg Reassemble the center brake light/lift gate trim, and you're good to go ... http://i.imgur.com/DwLn4Vv.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setnev Posted July 16, 2017 Share Posted July 16, 2017 These won't go down, since imgur is a badass hosting site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor294 Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 you da MVP lol. ty sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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