GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005) Discussion about the second generation GS300, GS400 and GS430 (1998 - 2005)

TTE replica install frustrations!!!!

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Old 10-25-10 | 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by TLcoats
Wow look how thin that fiberglass is. I scrape mine ALL the time and i'm not even THAT low. Can anyone comment on how the durability is on these?

obviously you wont want to hit anything straight on (i have cracked and repaired mine once already thanks to some road kill i couldnt avoid), but it is actually surprisingly flexible..... i scrape mine alot, on driveways mostly, and it has held up flawlessly so far

they claim it is some kind of fiberglass reinforced plastic material that aids in flexibility :shrug:
Old 10-25-10 | 06:21 PM
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Just cut all three taps completely off. That's what I did. Mine came out perfect.
Old 10-26-10 | 01:12 AM
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Originally Posted by D-Boi
the strongest epoxy i ever used was the black stuff they use to hold on windshields, you could not pry this stuff off you had to blade it off, really strong stuff i love it. on the other hand sir where can i buy the rep TTE?
That's what I did
I hit a possum going 40 & my lip didn't come off just alil scratch
Old 10-26-10 | 04:13 AM
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It seems like there would be maybe 1/8 to 1/4" of space between the verticalish face of the bumper and the vertical part of the lip because at the tip-top of the lip it curls in maybe 1/4"...do I need to gob in the glue here or do the vertical parts actually make contact without being obvious?

Thanks guys, I feel much better! Will pick up windshield glue today. And saw off those stand-offs for a better fit.
Old 10-26-10 | 05:07 AM
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Ask yourself this... If you remove those spacers, is it gonna slide the lip up and make fitment look all retarded? those spacers may be what is keeping the fitment where its at.
Old 10-26-10 | 06:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Frankdorn
It seems like there would be maybe 1/8 to 1/4" of space between the verticalish face of the bumper and the vertical part of the lip because at the tip-top of the lip it curls in maybe 1/4"...do I need to gob in the glue here or do the vertical parts actually make contact without being obvious?

Thanks guys, I feel much better! Will pick up windshield glue today. And saw off those stand-offs for a better fit.
Good choice!!

Its called urethane btw...
Old 10-26-10 | 08:56 AM
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i have the same lip, i used apoxy it hold the front to the bumper and it fits perfect
Old 10-26-10 | 11:16 AM
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it would only sit higher if you taped it up higher....... they just really dont let the lip go up into the perfect spot so i had to cut mine off but the fit is great


Originally Posted by Mr Jokster
Ask yourself this... If you remove those spacers, is it gonna slide the lip up and make fitment look all retarded? those spacers may be what is keeping the fitment where its at.
Old 10-26-10 | 11:31 AM
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looks good to me, leave the blue tape on there i like that look.
Old 10-26-10 | 11:56 AM
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if it breaks buy another, its a rep. so tis cheaper and easier to find.
Old 10-26-10 | 02:04 PM
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OK, I picked up an $18 caulk-tube sized thing of windshield adhesive. Sanded the bottom of the bumper and inside of lip with 80 grit sandpaper, wiped everything down with ammonia. Sawed the tops off all the three spacers. Set the lip in place and tape-tacked it. Then I proceeded to painter's tape and duct tape the crap out of it.

We'll see...

(I found my lip on Craigslist...I think his e-mail's in the "replica TTE" lip thread.)
Old 10-26-10 | 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Frankdorn
OK, I picked up an $18 caulk-tube sized thing of windshield adhesive. Sanded the bottom of the bumper and inside of lip with 80 grit sandpaper, wiped everything down with ammonia. Sawed the tops off all the three spacers. Set the lip in place and tape-tacked it. Then I proceeded to painter's tape and duct tape the crap out of it.

We'll see...

(I found my lip on Craigslist...I think his e-mail's in the "replica TTE" lip thread.)
So you didn't use any screws at all?
Old 10-26-10 | 03:47 PM
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good luck...hope it stays on tight!!
Old 10-26-10 | 05:03 PM
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lets see your impresssions with the window glue. i dont want to waste money on it if it works just like silicon.
Old 10-27-10 | 02:24 PM
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SO...the verdict is in.

The TTE replica lip I ordered from seller "streetracinglife" is a VIS TTE replica. Paid $280 shipped if I remember correctly.

The lip arrived quickly and was packaged well. Upon inspection, looked good. Test-fitted, feel loose in a couple areas, tighter in others -- figured I'd sand after painting for a perfect fit.

Got it painted, did minimal sanding on an edge or two to get it to fit, and on it went. Not sure at what point between laying on the ground and fitted over the bumper it was considered "on", and that's what ticked me off so much.

There's like an inch on play with this thing once its "on" the car. I sawed teh outer standoffs almost completely off, and the middle one I took 1/2 way down. Spent $18 on a tube on windshield adhesive, used almost the whole tube to put down about a 3/4" bead on the inside of the lip and painter's taped the hell out of it overnight. This morning --the ends were stuck alright. The front, loose. Moved up and down maybe an inch. Nice.

I cut up plastic stock and used it for shims between the bottom of the bumper and the horizontal part of the lip, and threw in a handful of screws with fender washers and bolts with locknuts. Feels darn solid, and I'm A-N-A-L **** about that kind of stuff. We'll see how winter treats it.

So the glue was pretty much a waste. Could've used silicone on the ends and just added screws/bolts.

My next car will have a urethane lip from a reputable company! That being said, if I had to do this all over, despite the frustration, I still wouldn't have bought the TTE at the prices they're going for nowadays -- I'm not that desparate.

So there's my $0.02. If you're picky like me, your options are: buy a TTE if you're fine with throwing money into the wind for a 2" piece of plastic, get a replica and struggle with fitment and drive around worrying about your "glass jaw", or opt out of a lip and use the money to save up for a used 911, which doesn't need a lip to look good.

Would've gone with #3 if I were to do it all over again...



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