stone guards

Buckterrier · 12-30-2006, 05:36 AM

Good morning, I ordered and recieved stone guards and wanted to put them on today. I did a search and found very good information. But I have a question. See the 'loop' on the picture? Can anyone tell me what it's for & should/how do I take it off to put the guards on? Thanks in advance.

lally911 · 12-30-2006, 05:45 AM

The loop is a circular piece that comes out so you can remove the torsion bars. I believe there are screws or some clamp piece that holds it in which are accessible from the back side.

felix_browne · 12-30-2006, 05:58 AM

yes. it is for the removal/installation of the torsion bar. likely best to just put the guard over it. i did and you could only see the gasket through the vinyl or whatever they are made from if you looked closely. if you want to remove it it is one nut on the back but take your time and use a lot of penetrating oil as it is really easy to snap the little stud off of the cover if the nut is siezed at all but it is a contoured piece and may result in a flat spot covered by the guard. also it will be much easier if you remove the rocker trim. other than that have fun. my oppinion they look great on red cars.
-felix

Buckterrier · 12-30-2006, 06:09 AM

Thank you very much, I'll try them later today, will post a pic.

crosby50 · 12-30-2006, 06:23 AM

I did this "mod" a couple months ago. Three pieces of advice: First, you'll notice the bottom section of the stone guard angles down. In other words, it is not perpendicular to the more vertical section of the guard. At first, I thought I would need to trim it to keep it flush with the body. Don't. Take a screwdriver, put duct tape over the end (to protect the paint) and carefully pry up the rubber running along the bottom of the body. Tuck the bottom of the guard into the rubber for a nice clean install.
Second, if your guard is from pelican, there is a small tab attached to the bottom section. I left the paper backing on the tab just incase, on later inspection, I found that I needed to remove the guard (ie., it looked crooked or I found a bubble). Once I was certain the guard was installed correctly I took the paper backing off.
Third, go over your install very carefully for bubbles. You will be able to lift the guard off the body and smooth it out as you press it back down. It would suck to find bubbles in the stone guard a few weeks from now and not be able to do anything about it.
Now, if I could only muster up the courage to change my oil!

911 in SC · 12-30-2006, 06:54 AM

I like the stone guards as well. I removed my rockers to install mine. It was good time to clean behind them, as there was quite a bit of 'crud' under there. Take your time and look at all of the pics you can before installing them. As others have mentioned, they are very durable and are relatively easy to get 'smooth', i.e. no air bubbles. I also used warm soapy water with a nice plastic squeegee. I taped the top 'corner' of the guard in place and worked my way up.

I had read where some people cut out the 'circle' for the torsion bar tube access, but I didn't. It's hardly recognizable under the stone gaurds.

Mike

Buckterrier · 12-30-2006, 02:36 PM

Thanks guys for all the input. will get to them after the Steelers kick Bengal butt!!

Buckterrier · 12-31-2006, 12:49 PM

Got er done. Thanks for all the advice and techniques from this post and from the search preformed. The soapy water was the trick along with tucking the guard under the rocker. And by the way... I think they add 6 hp!!!! LOL.

I did take some pics along the way if anyone may think they would be of value.

911 in SC · 12-31-2006, 03:21 PM

Looks good Mark. Glad to hear some of the tips and techniques worked for you. I agree, they have to add at least 5-10hp...

Mike