To do this kind of job requires an eye for detail and plenty of patients, oh, and alot of time. Here's an account of what I have done so far. Once completed, i'm going to go back over this thread and turn it into a proper install guide, then stick it.
The kit itself is quite simple, its just that our 'interestingly' designed KJ makes it finicky to put in.
First, you need to use the paper templates supplied in the kit and place over the guard, lining it all up using the LOCATING GUIDES. They are reference points taken at different points on the guard ie: centre of indicator, bolts, holes ect. Tape it down once you are satisfied with the line up. I have been given a 'dummy' snorkle that has been cut away for prototype install purposes. This dummy snorkel will not be in the actual kit. Everything lines up quite nicely. The guys who made this kit cirtainly made it right
I also taped up the edge of the door with a thicker duct tape to prevent any chipping whilst taking the guard on and off)
Here you can see the whole purpose of the installation template, and the reference holes for drilling. I placed the dummy snorkel over it to show you how well the holes line up.
After you are satisfied with how everything lines up and get over your dismay in drilling holes in your perfectly good guard, fire away. One small tip, tape up the area that you about to hole saw. Keeps the paint from chipping. When drilling, dont have the thing on full speed, but rather the slower setting with heaps of torque. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and tense your arms and shoulders as this thing can bite HARD. Apply a VERY SMALL amount of pressure when drilling, but NEVER lean into it like you would drilling a hole through steel/wood - let the teeth do the work, dont force it.
Photo of finished outer guard. 4 bolt holes and one great big dirty 3" hole
!!! Its a good idea to vacuum up or at least blow out all the metal filings - they get everywhere, oh yeah and wear goggles!!
Just for the sake of it, I penciled in a hole from the outer to the next (inner) guard just to see what it would look like, but it proved to be a worthless exercise !
This shows the 'bonnet alarm pin' that the LTD model gets. Somebody feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm sure its only the LTD's that get the factory alarm upgrade. You have to remove this pin to perform the next steps. THE BAD NEWS IS THIS DOES NOT GO BACK ON AFTER YOU CUT OUT THE NEXT HOLE !! I'm going to have to find a way to get it back in its same spot sercurely.
I guess its pretty self explanitory that you have to remove the airbox, but also, on the CRD's, you will have to remove a section of sound insulation - you need to cut out a 76mm hole in that material and put back later (easy job, but dont forget it
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Remove the bracket by undoing 2 10mm bolts. You also need to unclip the 2 plastic brackets that hold the aluminium aircon pipe and move it slightly up so you can drill through in the next couple of steps.
The next couple of photos just show the lining up of the middle guard template using the LOCATING POINTS or references. I decided to use a stanley knife and cut out the hole, then sprayed some black paint and removed the template as when hacking away, I didnt want to catch the paper and shread it to pieces. This proved to be a successful method.
I noticed this locating hole didnt line up like mine? I rubbed it with my dirty hands to show the actual shape and location of the hole.
I found it crucial to cover up the engine bay whilst hacking, metal flying everywhere !!
Considering the hole saw does 76mm, you have to somehow remove the rest of the material. The shape for the middle guard is like an egg. The outer, a perfect circle and the inner most guard like a jellybean.
I just used a few different drill bits and drilled my way through the mess. Cleaned it all up with a dremel, but a proper air tool die grinder would have been MUCH QUICKER AND EASIER !!! Grrrrrrr !!
After cleaning up that hole we have to prepare for the next one, the worst one
. I unclipped the A/C pipe and zippy tied it up out of the way as I did the Alarm bonnet pin.
Also a good idea to move the wiring harness so you dont nick it when using the power tools - One cut or nick through that and its off to the dealership for you.......
This is the inner guard template - I trimmed it right down so it fit better.
This is a mother of a hole to cut, theres no escaping it. You have to drill the main hole from the outside facing in, then take to it for about an hour to get it close to right. Even after that you'll find yourself constantly going backwards and forwards retrimming after placing the snorkle in there and finding "it's just not right yet" !! lol!!
I used some fine sandpaper to take off all the edges. I still lost a fair bit of bark during this whole exercise though
!
Getting there...... Theres a shiet load of drilling then checking, drilling then checking. That goes on for what seems forever
!! lol!!
Now this was a bit of luck. Being the 1st mule for the CRD I knew that I had to block off the intake somehow. After looking around for ages thinking what I could use that would look half decent, I stumbled upon this, a plastic pot !! lol!! The base of the pot couldnt have been more perfect !! The diameters were spot on ! Looked really good in the end. I used extra HD liquid nails to adhere it cause I know from past experience that silicon &/or silastic dont work that great; they form a bond but its not a 'glued' type bond, rather like a gasket, and if you knock it or play with it, it'll peel stright off. Good idea to clean both surfaces with a wipe of thinners, then rough sand both surfaces to get a good grip.
Heres what it looked like on - Magic
One thing I decided to do that wasnt in the plans was to get some super sticky one sided foam and stick it around the inner and middle guards. This helps with sealing and also the potential for rubbing, turning into annoying vibration noises. Also, after I finished grinding, I used proper 'Kill Rust Primer' and top coats along with a thick spraying of black matt anti rust paint to finish off.
Heres the final look of the fitted setup inside. I know theres heaps of sealant in there but I had quite a few holes I had to seal up. You might notice that i've also trimmed the intake pipe a few cm's, and also the upper pipe section where the hat fits onto for a less restrictive fit.
So after alot of swearing, grinding, painting, fitting and sweat, here it is finished. I'm very happy with the chunky look and the design. The top hat looks tough and functional. I didnt notice any increase in induction noise, but when the window is down, you can here it spooling up a bit, nothing loud and sounds good.
