Pelican Technical Article: Rear Spoiler Installation Wayne R. Dempsey
Time: 1 hour
Tab: $400
Talent:
Tools:
Drill, marker pen, tape measure
Applicable Models:
986 Boxster (1997-04) 987 Boxster (2005-08)
Parts Required:
Spoiler and mounting hardware
Hot Tip:
Paint match to your gas flap
Performance Gain:
Sporty looking body
Complementary Modification:
Replace rear lenses
This article is one in a series that have been released in conjunction with Wayne's new book, 101 Performance Projects for Your Porsche Boxster. The book contains 312 pages of full color projects detailing everything from performance mods to changing your brake pads. With more than 950+ full-color glossy photos accompanying extensive step-by-step procedures, this book is required reading in any Boxster owner's collection. The book is currently available and in stock now. See The Official Book Website for more details.
Check out some other sample projects from the book:
One neat addition to the rear of the Boxster is a rear wing to replace the somewhat goofy stock pop-up spoiler. There are many different styles available: some incorporate a completely new decklid that removes the third brake lamp and integrates it into the wing itself. Installation is very easy: simply follow the procedure for marking and wiring the lamp in the photos. When installing the spoiler, you should have it painted to color match your car. The best way to do this is to remove your gas flap and take it along with your spoiler and have them match the paint to the flap. If your spoiler didn't ship with mounting gaskets, make sure that you place a small amount of rubber sealing compound on the spoiler so that you don't leak water into your trunk from the holes drilled in the trunk lid. You also probably want to order new rear decklid shocks, as the added weight of the wing will stress your current ones.
Figure 1
Here's a small collage of some spoilers on Boxsters that I photographed while at some local Porsche events. There seems to be an almost unlimited number of styles. The two on the top are factory Aerokit I and Aerokit II spoilers that include the replacement of the rear decklid: note that the rear brake lamp has been replaced and integrated into the wing.
This photo sequence shows one of the methods that I recommend for the installation of the wing. 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 pen. B- Place the wing on the car in the exact place where you want it to be. When you have it positioned, then tape down the paper to the car using masking tape. C- Remove the wing and the paper should indicate exactly where you need 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 Boxster is too thick and angled too much to have a bolt run all the way through. Using a very small hole saw, cut a small access hole (green arrow) so that you can insert the bolt and a swivel-socket driver through. When done drilling, make sure that you coat the edges of all the holes with some paint to prevent the bare metal from rusting.
If your rear wing has an integrated 3rd brake light, then snake the cable down the side of the trunk inside the decklid. Unplug the third brake like and plug the wire in its place. Install the brake lamp block out plate (green arrow: you will probably have to have it painted body color along with the spoiler). If your wing doesn't integrate with the Boxster's built-in spoiler, then simply pull back the carpet and unplug it, or pull the two brown relays (yellow arrow) in the left rear trunk compartment instead. For pre-2001 cars, you can eliminate the spoiler warning lamp by removing the bulb in the gauge cluster (see Pelican Technical Article: 996 Gauge Cluster Upgrade). For 2001-04 cars which no longer use light bulbs in the cluster, you can trick the car into thinking the spoiler is still attached. Pull the two brown relays and disconnect the connection to the spoiler (red arrow), located under the trunk carpet. Then remove pin 1 (blue/green wire) from the connector, and wrap it in electrical tape. Then swap pin 2 (gray/brown wire) and pin 4 (gray/green wire) and replug it in. This should stop the warning lamp from illuminating in the instrument cluster. If you have a 996 cluster installed in your Boxster (see Pelican Technical Article: 996 Gauge Cluster Upgrade), you can simply disable the spoiler lamp using the PST-2 tool, because some 996 cars came with a fixed wing.
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