Navy's MS6 Bumper Fix How-To

Woo first how to!

Hey guys. So after getting in on the group buy for the Quik Latches, I installed them this weekend onto my 6. I know Raider already did a write up for his 3, but since my situation was different, i figured i would do one for my car and for all the 6 guys just in case there are any notable differences between the two cars. Also hats off to Quik Latch for an awesome product. So on to the good stuff.

Get a pair of QL-25 mini latches with the 1.25" upper diameter from Quik-Latch.com. Pick your color.

Equipment:
Drill w/ various bits

Step Drill bit that goes up to 3/4"

7/16" wrench

7/8" Deep socket

Masking tape (anything will work, but i wouldn't recommend duct tape)

Pliers (to "adjust" tab on the fender)

Dykes (to "shape" the plastic piece that holds the upper edge of the bumper) - Dremel would have been ideal but i don't own one

Optional:

Tobacco of your choice

Beer of your choice

NOTE: The only other piece of hardware i bought was 4 locking washers just to make sure the nuts that hold the posts wouldn't back off from vibration. $.09/per at ACE.

1. Remove bumper in whatever fashion is applicable to your car. (Multiple write-ups for this)

2. According to your issue, determine what part of your bumper needs reinforcement. For me, I ripped off the eyelet on the passenger side of the bumper where it meets the fender the first time i took the bumper off. I Had a temporary repair that lasted the better part of 2 1/2 years but when i saw these it was obvious that this is a more permanent solution.

3. Select a suitable mounting location for the post. On my car, and since it was the upper ends of the bumper that needed the fix, i drilled holes in these convenient tabs on each of the fenders right behind the plastic things that help hold the bumper up.

I also had to trim the plastic clip thingy so that the washers would sit flush against the tab on the fender. Since the new mounting point for the bumper is going to be much stronger, i wasn't really worried about taking off some of the material.


4. Determine where the receptacle for the post is going to be mounted on the bumper.
NOTE: This is the point of no return. Once you start drilling into the bumper, that's where the receptacle is going to go. If you screw up and drill the hole wrong, you're going to have to find another way to attach the post behind the bumper so that it will still fit into the receptacle. [MENTION=58]Raider[/MENTION]; used a nugget of clay bar on the end of his post and pressed the bumper against it to mark his drilling point. I used a rolled up piece of tape and it worked fine. Again measure twice, cut once is the name of the game here. I test fit this probably 5 times before i drilled so i could keep the receptacle off of the edge of the bumper that forms the lip of the fender.

5. Mask off the painted side of the bumper and drill a pilot hole from the back side of the bumper towards the front. Its plastic so you don't have to push hard, just let the bit cut through. If you push too hard, the bumper will flex and the bit could slip and punch a hole in the wrong spot.


After the pilot hole, i used a 1/2" bit to enlarge it since my step drill bit starts at 1/2".

6. Use the step bit to drill a 3/4" hole in the bumper. Since my bit goes up to 1", i taped off the step bit at the 3/4" mark to make sure i didn't go to deep. Drill from the outside in and again, go slow and focus on keeping the drill straight so you don't end up with a crooked hole. Afterwards, pull off the tape and you should have a clean hole and the paint wont have cracked. If you take it slow, this shouldn't be a problem. I did mine in 30—° weather and didn't warm the paint up and mine came out fine on both sides.



7. Next, insert the receptacle into the hole in the bumper and tighten the backing nut (7/8"). Then, test fit the bumper back onto the car to see if your post will lock into the receptacle. Easiest way i found to do this was to keep the nuts on the posts loose and try and mate it that way. Once its locked in then you can tighten the nuts up. Also this is where i used the lock washers.



8. Now, get your bumper flush with the rest of the car. I loosened or tightened the nut on the back side to pull the bumper in or move it out. Once i had it flush i hand tightened the nuts so the post wouldn't move, popped the bumper off and tightened the nuts down.

9. Put the bumper back on and have a victory beer.




Other notes, the pictures of the finished project show the bumper sticking out a bit from the fender. I took those pictures when i first put the bumper on and hadn't adjusted the posts. They fit flush now. Also, make sure your drill is charged before you start. I had to finish this morning because the drill took a shit on me last night.

 

Not sure if it's just me, but only 1 image is working.

 

It's everyone. Eric is working on it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

What's even more fucked up is that for some reason the images work when viewing on tapatalk

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
[doublepost=1455198763][/doublepost]There we go. Apparently this forum doesnt like photobucket's IMG link and wants the direct link.

 

I finally did this to mine a few months ago and its a really good mod to do, makes work on the car so much easier to pop a couple clips and it looks so much better then the rubber bands

 

I will be sharing this to all. I get so many question on how to fix this at the dealership. Good Job!!!

 

I did this to my Pu and haven't looked back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It really is. Besides that rubber band bullshit looks tacky as fuck.

At first the eyelet wasn't tore completely and some 2 part epoxy held for a while. I probably would have tried something else if the group buy hadn't came along because i'd never heard of these before

 

Very nice! I dug up a few of my pictures when I did mine, only difference is I put mine more forward, used the existing pin holes that line up the white bracket (cut it in half though)

 

man those look nice! colour is pretty close to the paint colour. Ill prob be doing the same with my bumper starts popping. and yes colour is spelled with an "U"

 

OP updated with the pictures re-added, thanks to photobucket sucking.

 

I would guess it is probably not a significant impact if I get a different size. The 1.25" seems to be out of stock in every color. Some colors have 1" and/or 1.5". If I had to pick one or the other, which way would you recommend? Or, should I just wait until the 1.25" are back?

 

Mazdaspeed 6 Latches are officially on raiderfab.com! https://raiderfab.myshopify.com/products/mazda-6-mazdaspeed-6-bumper-fitment-kit