EricB

iTrader: (7)

Theres not much involved with this DIY, i had someone PM me about it so i thought i would just throw it up here for you guys.

I originally made this for my S2, and i wasnt sure if the sizing was different for the towhook compared to the S1 and i didnt want to waste money on a relocation kit that didnt work. so i made my own.

This DIY works for both S1 and S2

If you would rather buy one of those premade kits, i believe RHOplate makes one and also i heard someone say theres a mazda3 relocation that is also M20 size and fits.

You will need : 1 M20 bolt: McMaster-Carr
I think i used the shortest one, but to be safe you can order the next size up.

: 1 box of m20 washers: McMaster-Carr

but thinking back to it, lock washers might be better: McMaster-Carr

1 piece of aluminum, i dont remember the exact size, i got mine at home depot and it was around 9 dollars. 1.5x36in?

i decided i wanted some cap screws because they were unique looking to keep the plate into the aluminum. If you have a red/black blue/black theme going on or just like blue or red then you are in luck!

i BELIEVE i used 1 1/2 length, i originally bought screws that were too short... twice.. i eventually got them at home depot.

here they are in blue.
McMaster-Carr

and in red:
McMaster-Carr

it seems as though they only offer 1 1/2 in that one size at the bottom... worst case scenario is you bore out the license plate a little.

here are all of them, choose from the left the color you want. Some are different than the blue and red one so watch which one you pick.

McMaster-Carr

and obviously some nuts, you can get these at home depot, i used nylock locking nuts.


now that you have all of the materials, put in the M20 bolt into the tow hook. Then screw in 2 M20 nuts onto the bolt and tighten them into each other. Then measure out where you want the license plate to go.. more left or more right.

Then drill away a hole for the M20 bolt and the 2 holes for the capscrews that go into the license plate.

put the washer / locking washer before the aluminum plate...

then put the aluminum plate...

then put another locking washer and then the M20 nut

then put cap screws into the aluminum and your done!!

finished result:


For those of you wondering, it only obstructs 5% lighting from my fog light. It isnt even noticeable when driving since the main lights overpower that area anyway.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-e...0/IMAG1056.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u...0/IMAG1062.jpg


Try to get everything you need at MCMASTER!! it is cheaper than going to home depot / lowes.. besides lowes and home depot dont even carry up to M20 size, i think they stop at M14 size. Also if you live in south jersey you can go to their warehouse and skip on the shipping fee which is super cheap.

Sugarfree135

iTrader: (1)

It actually looks really clean :-) Nice writeup and great job!

yudkib

iTrader: (1)

Realize I'm bumping a pretty old thread, but I used this as "inspiration" for my install, which, well I'll just say a little more info would have gone a long ways. Case in point, I had to order 3 different rods because "the shortest one" was not even close.

Anyways, here's what I used. All from McMaster.

- #91735A537 316 Stainless Philips Pan Screws (1/4-20x1/2") (I actually used 3/8" but they were too short to work with comfortably). This is a pack of 25, you may want to save $7 and get 4 at Home Depot.
- #92146A029 18-8 Stainless Lock Washers for same screws
- #90268A029 (2x) 18-8 Coupling Nut for same screws. 7/8" long. These will be used as standoffs so the corners of the plate clear the end of the bolt going to the tow hook. Screw one from the back into the standoff, then the plate into the front on the standoff.
- #8975K582 6061 Aluminum Bar, 2" x 12" x 1/8" - this was about $4 through McMaster.
- #90710A045 18-8 Stainless M20x2.5 Jam Nut. Package includes 5, I used 4. You can probably get away with zinc plated (90695A130) but it's not a big price difference. I would buy jam nuts (these are) so when you double-nut everything it's about the same as a standard single nut.
- #91120A241 18-8 stainless M20 External Tooth Lock Washer. This is much different than your average split lock washer, and man they have some grip to them.

And last but not least, the threaded rod. You need M20x2.5. Mine worked out to about 160-165mm long. That's probably a little longer than some people might want it, but I wanted space to get a wrench on the double-nut behind the mount without hitting my bumper. In any case, McMaster doesn't sell anything close to this (at least not now) so I have no idea what the OP used. I had to buy a 300mm rod and cut it down, and since I didn't want to drop $40 on a stainless steel bar I went with the Zinc Plated. We'll see if it lasts.

Other advice:
- The tow hook hole will be rusted to hell and back, coat the first 2" of your bar in WD40 and thread it in and out a few times just to loosen it up.
- Double nutting on the back is a good idea, but don't do a final torque-down on the rod or set the nuts together too tight... When you put the last nut on (I left space for a second one on the front, just in case), you'll want to: 1) torque the whole thing from the double nuts on the front, and THEN 2) tighten the nuts on the back against the aluminum bar. So in my case, double nut, lock washer, aluminum plate, lock washer, double nut... make sure the front double-nut is flush with the end of the rod (or the standoffs won't clear it), torque down, then tighten the back nuts against the plate.
- This is a 3/4" steel ******' bar. There is no need to worry about TTY or anything ridiculous like that. Thread it all in there. Use a wrench. Does it feel tight? Great. All that torquing things like you're towing the damn car from it is making it harder to remove if you ever need to.
- Don't forget to mount the standoffs to the aluminum bar before installing it.

All in all this is gonna set you back about $50, and that's assuming you already have a cutoff tool or grinder and a set of step bits to drill the holes. The part that takes the longest is cutting the threaded rod. For me, it was trying to figure out how long to make the damn thing. Now that you have a measurement it should be much faster.
Good luck!

yurcivicsux

thanks for your in depth explanation on how to turn a threaded bolt and 4 year bump

yudkib

iTrader: (1)

wow its almost like i didnt start the post with that.

next time i will be sure not to use the search function and just crap all over the boards with duplicate threads, because i'd rather just let smart guys like you show up and tell me how to turn a bolt even if you've already done it a thousand times.

i found the thread trying to figure out how to do this without dropping $95 or whatever corksport wants for theirs now. it was a good start but needed more info. i put more info in. if you dont like that, then just dont click on the ****** thread dude, i don't know what else to tell you.