Difficulty Level: 4 Difficulty scale: Adding air to your tires is level one Rebuilding a BMW Motor is level ten
This article is one in a series that have been released in conjunction with Wayne's new book, 101 Performance Projects for Your BMW 3 Series. The book contains 272 pages of full color projects detailing everything from performance mods to timing the camshafts. With more than 650+ full-color glossy photos accompanying extensive step-by-step procedures, this book is required reading in any 3 Series owner's collection. The book was released in August 2006, and is available for ordering now. See The Official Book Website for more details.
One neat addition to the profile of any 3 Series car is a rear spoiler. Although they really have very little functional aerodynamic purpose, they certainly look cool on the back of the car.
There are many different styles available today; some even include an integrated third brake light. Fortunately, installation for most styles is very easy; simply follow the procedure for marking and wiring the lamp in Photos 1 and 2.
Before installing the spoiler, though, be sure to have it painted to perfectly color-match your car. The best way to ensure this is to remove your gas flap and take it along with your spoiler, and then have them match the paint to the flap. When completing the installation, make sure you place a small amount of rubber sealing compound on the spoiler so water doesnt leak into your trunk from the holes drilled in the trunk lid.
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Figure 1
Shown here is one of my favorite aftermarket spoilers for E36 cars. This one spans the length of the trunk and includes an integrated center-mount brake lamp. The lamp is wired into the brake lamp circuit by tapping into the wires that power the left rear brake lamp assembly.
Figure 2
This photo sequence shows one of the methods I recommend for installing the spoiler. A: Start by taping a piece of paper to the spoiler itself using scotch tape. Using a permanent marker that will seep through the paper, feel with your finger and mark the holes in the spoiler with the marker. B: Place the spoiler on the car in the exact place where you want it to be. Once you have it positioned, then tape down the paper to the car using masking tape. C: Remove the spoiler and the paper should indicate exactly where to drill the holes. Take some measurements and confirm that these are in the proper spot prior to drilling. D: The trunk frame on the E36 is too thick and angled to have a bolt run all the way through. Using a very small hole saw, cut a small access hole (green arrow) so you can insert the bolt and a swivel-socket driver. When done drilling, coat the edges of all the holes with some paint to prevent the bare metal from rusting.
Figure 3
If your rear spoiler has an integrated third brake light, snake the cable down the trunk hinge alongside the main trunk lock cable. Tap it into one of the wires that feeds your brake lights. Youll have to get a multimeter and test the wires at the connectors while an assistant steps on the brake pedal to see which ones turn on the brake lights, as theyve varied throughout the years. Run the red wire to the brake light lead, and ground the other wire to the chassis.
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