DIY: Quik Latch Mini Install on Front Bumper
 

This DIY is for those of you who, like me, can't stand the way the bumper cover "pops" out of place in the corner where the headlight, fender and bumper cover meet.....and you’re willing to drill a hole in the cover to have an exposed Quik Latch.

http://i.imgur.com/Xd5JcHQ.jpg



Things you will need:

A couple hours
Patience
At least half a brain or Beer, which ever you prefer
2 Quik Latch Mini’s (I used QL-25-SB, 1.25”) about $26 each unless you go with Stainless
Normal compliment of hand tools, wrenches and sockets, (Quik Latch post nuts are 7/16”)
1” paddle bit, sharp. (I like the ones with the points on the outer edge for a cleaner hole)
¾” paddle bit, sharp, not some old rusty bit you used to drill thru concrete!
¼” drill bit to drill thru sheet metal
Dremel tool with a small grinding bit to clean out/”adjust” holes or a small round file
Oh and did I mention Beer?


Ok, let’s get started.


1.Use common sense and follow appropriate safety precautions


2.Remove the POS bumper cover


3.Un-fasten the black plastic inner wheel well cover to a point where you can tuck it back behind your front brake rotor so it’s out of your way. You’ll need to get behind the fender from that side to do any fine tuning of the post length.


4.Measure down 7/8” from the bottom of the fender and scribe a mark as shown below

http://i.imgur.com/xk2CCeY.jpg



5.Now measure 1 - 9/16” from the spot shown below and scribe a mark to give you a center mark for drilling the first hole.

http://i.imgur.com/B7Ql8w2.jpg



6.Drill a 1” diameter hole centered on your mark.

http://i.imgur.com/cSrrcZf.jpg



7.Drill a ¼” hole in the now exposed edge of the fender. You will find that your drill bit wants to sit right in the little “valley” created by the bends in the fender, which is exactly where you want to drill.

http://i.imgur.com/cLMvPQq.jpg



8.Now remove that black plastic piece (bumper bracket) that you drilled your first hole in. (4 screws, 2 on the side where you just drilled and 2 in front, you’ll find them. (3 are the same, 1 is slightly different) Clean out any debris left from drilling your holes.

http://i.imgur.com/lsc81PC.jpg



9.Thread 1 nut onto the Quik Latch post and add a washer. You want about ¾” of post sticking out past the nut to start with.

http://i.imgur.com/J2gDucn.jpg



10.Put the threaded end of the post thru the ¼” hole, add a washer to the back side, then the nut and tighten down.


11.Now go do the other side….I’ll wait…


12.Once the other side is done, re-install the plastic bumper bracket and make sure the post sits fairly centered in the 1” hole. Take some measurements at the post tip and compare one side of the vehicle to the other side, both should be the same, if not do a little tweaking (twerking optional) of the post. The fender will flex a bit where you mounted the post. Once you are satisfied that the posts are where you want them, break out the Dremel tool or file and remove any plastic from the 1” hole so the post is centered in it.

http://i.imgur.com/KnkwEoj.jpg

This is necessary because the threaded portion of “Button” half of the Quik Latch pokes in about ¾” and needs a place to go, so this 1” hole in the plastic bumper bracket accommodates it.





13.Now your post should stick out a little farther than it ultimately will end up, as shown below, but there is a good reason for this.

http://i.imgur.com/btntDtY.jpg



14.Temporarily re-install your bumper cover (without screws or push clip etc.) making sure to get all the “tabs” that are supposed to hold the bumper cover in place, in their correct positions, especially under the headlights. Below are pictures of bracket connected to bumper while still off the car, which show the bumper cover not on all the way and then show where they are supposed to be…………..so stop, push it, push it real good.

http://i.imgur.com/GAqD9vk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xXvNBvv.jpg



15.Now that you have the bumper cover exactly where it needs to be, gently press on it with your palm, directly over where the post is mounted and it will “deform” the cover in exactly the location for the center of 3/4” hole you will drill next to install the “button” half of the Quik Latch.

http://i.imgur.com/suebmKN.jpg



16.Now comes the scary part. Using a sharp, ¾” paddle bit, drill the hole in your bumper cover using the mark you just made as the center mark. Just be sure it’s exactly where you want it and they are in the same spot from one side to the other, which they should be since you took the time to get the posts just right. Measure twice, cut (or in our case, drill) once!

http://i.imgur.com/LFaJI0x.jpg



17.Clean up any burrs from the hole so the button fits nice and flush to the cover and tighten the nut. Now sit back and reflect on what you just did…put a hole in a perfectly good bumper cover. Well I guess that’s not true because if it were perfect, we wouldn’t be doing this crap! Thanks Subaru engineers!


18.Now this is where some more tweaking needs to happen. You will definitely need to go back to your post and “shorten” it about 1/8” so when the button snaps onto it, everything sits flush. Remember in step 9 where I had you make the post length ¾” from the nut, that was to make it stick out after it was installed like in step 13, so we could then use the palm trick in step 15 to get our center mark on the bumper cover. Remember in step 3 where you folded the wheel well liner out of your way, now you can get to the back nut (barely) to adjust the post length without taking the bumper bracket back off. There is a method to my madness!



19.Once you have everything where it needs to be, it should look like this…

http://i.imgur.com/3pDA53T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Zy6oNyk.jpg



20.Re-install all the Bumper bits…don’t forget the Styrofoam crash beam cushion (like someone I know), sit back and admire your work!


21.Drink Beer! :cheers:

Good write up!

Good DIY. I'm definitely saving this thread for whenever I finally do this... I'm tired of the stupid gap.

looks great

Hmm, I'm not sure it looks better than it sticking out. 6 in one, half dozen in the other. Painting them to match might put it in the win column though. Good write up either way. I may do this (with painting) if it's actually my bumper that's screwed and not the mounting brackets.

Yeah, it was the lesser of two evils for me. I could have gone with stainless for a better color match but they were 2x the price! It seems as though once that bumper gets removed for the first time, both the bumper and brackets get jacked and you're left to deal with the gap. :mad0260:

Awesome DIY Bird

Wow nice job...thanks for the detailed step-by-step and pics!! :thumbup::thanks:
Did you consider the plain Billet ones for your car? Perhaps a fine color match and still the cheaper price. My BRZ is DGM so I can't really get a perfect color match out of the box...black would probably look best i was thinking.

Do you have some more pics from a bit father away?

Please update us with how it holds up over time.

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Just a question about the DIY: Is it just me or is the place where the bolt pushes in the palm trick in step 15 different from where you actually ended up drilling?

Actually, I didn't even see that option on the Quik Latch web site (links down the left side showed 4 colors and stainless minis) but I see them now. Maybe I'll buy those and sell mine!

No, that is the exact mark I used to drill my 3/4 hole. I think the pic is deceiving since it's so close up. Just be sure to have your bumper cover temporarily installed in the exact position it needs to be (pressing in on the cover, manually removing the gap) before doing the palm trick.

I found it much easier to just drill the bumper and leave a mark. Fucked up on one side and then fixed it on the other side.

Same thing, but the installation instructions give a better way to locate the pins on the bumper.

http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/move...l#.ViT9auxVhBc

Yeah, but I think those come with more horsepower! :burnrubber:

Is that sarcasm? hahaha The quik latches i got were only $25 a pop.

Yeah I know right

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

Any idea where one might find the little adapters to change the angles of the rear pins like the ones in this kit?

I know this is an old post, but here's to hoping.

@BirdTRD Great write-up! I hope to tackle this project this upcoming week.

I do not have the dreaded gap problem...However, I currently have my bumper cover off for the second time... no telling if it will line up right when I go to reinstall it...plus I wanted to do this anyway...

Thanks again for the very detailed write-up you put together!

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Worked perfect great DIY!http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...72a554ceea.jpg

That is good to know we only need one per side

So you use these, and just the plastic pop rivets up top, how many things do you leave in the bottom of the bumper to actually make it "quick release" for you?

Just installed. Works great. Easy to do.

Thanks for the write up.

I've had my bumper since my install. If I'm trouble releasing the latch because it won't push in, do I need to move the pin in or out more?

From what I remember from my install which was slightly different than yours... your latching post is way too far out... you need to adjust it back in.

__________________________________________

projekt zeal86 build

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Just from the looks of it, I would say make the post just a bit shorter, but not so short it "pulls" the bumper cover inward. Mine was a little stubborn too. I found that it developed a bit of surface rust on the tip, so I put some light grease on it to help it release easier.

I remove all the bumper cover fasteners and other hardware first then pull on the side marker opening while pushing on the latch button...works well for me. It's kind of screwy to have to push in on the button and pull out on the bumper at the same time, but that's how it's designed.

Response from the manufacturer. Might order the spring and bracket. That'll keep junk out and perhaps make it easier to remove.


The issue you are experiencing could be caused by a number of factors including adjustment too high or too low.* If the pin is adjusted too low and it barely reaches far enough to engage the latch, then you may benefit from the use of a longer pin which is available as an option here:*http://www.quik-latch.com/elongated-...latch-pin.html


If the pin is adjusted too high, you will also have difficulty pushing the button for disengagement.* As I am sure you noticed prior to mounting the latch, there is an internal .034" internal spring loaded free play inside the latch.* This is to allow the ball bearings to move back and forth inside the latch to allow for pin engagement. The latch functions best when the pin is adjusted so that it is located centrally within the .034" free play.* Sometimes finding the correct adjustment is a process of trial and error, but once you find it, it will be pretty obvious because the latch will begin working more smoothly.


Another factor that can affect latch disengagement performance is pin to latch misalignment.* Even though the latch and pin can independently pivot off of a perpendicular axis, if the surfaces they mount to are not flexible and cannot pivot, alignment becomes much more critical.* Misalignment of the pin to latch as little as 1/32" can result in binding when attempting to disengage the latch.


Lastly, if pin to latch alignment looks good and the vertical adjustment is good, then you may want to try these springs:*http://www.quik-latch.com/mini-latch...t-spring.html*

I ended up moving my pin lower (in) and it resolved my issue.

good write up that bumper drives me nuts

Great thanks!

Will the 1" size with for our bumper?

2013 Scion FRS @Exrald.frs

I don't see why not. Looks like you'll still need to drill a 3/4" hole in the bumper so that doesn't leave much "wiggle" room since the exposed part of the latch you want to use is only 1".....but if you do it right, you won't need any wiggle room. :thumbsup:

With these installed what can you leave off in terms of the original fasteners?

I don't have any sag (yet) but if these make it faster/easier to get the bumper off and on I might as well do it now...going to take it off to respray my lip anyway ><

How many times removing the bumper does it generally take before it starts to sag? Only had mine off once so far and it still looks good, wondering if I should plan on getting something like this installed the next time it comes off or if I don't need to worry about it yet.

I don't think you can get away with leaving any of the stock clips or screws out without things flopping around or creating yet another gap.

The only reason I installed these was to remove the notorious gap. They do not make it faster or easier to remove the bumper in any way. If you don't have the gap, I wouldn't install them.

Thanks Bird. Bummer...ah well :/
I'll probably need them eventually but I guess I'll sit on it for now.

USE A STEP BIT!!!

For the bumber and inner plastic.

https://i.imgflip.com/2am5b6.jpgvia Imgflip Meme Generator

https://i.imgflip.com/2am5eb.jpgvia Imgflip Meme Generator

That works too. :thumbsup: (Just don't go 1 step too far!) Sharp bits are the real key to success, no matter which type you choose to use.

Thats a good point, don't use a drill without variable speed. I used my cordless drill on slow speed 1 with a new bit. It was easy to drill the hole to the correct step.

Awesome write up, worked out great! My bumper tabs were so far gone i needed two for each side

This is great! This is only one quick release were all the others are showing two.