ZL1 Wind Restrictor done!

[niterat]

Got this Etched side lit wind restrictor from King Penn Industries. The web site shows camaro and SS badges so I emailed them about doing a ZL1 logo. This was on a Sunday and I got an I phone reply same day. He said to specify the ZL1 logo in the comments and they would only charge me the same rate for the SS instead of a custom rate. That went without a hitch and got it ridiculously fast (like 3 days). The trouble after that was that the instructions work for a regular camaro but my ZL1 turned out to be a little different. To mount it you loosen the bolts that the tonneau cover hooks to and slide the mounting brackets in, then retighten. The directions warn not to loosen too much or the the nut on the backside will fall off. When I tried to loosen the bolts I found it extremely difficult to the point that I stripped one of them. That turned out to be my mistake because I assumed they were hex head bolts (couldn't really see them) when they were actually Torx heads. The good news there was that once I figured that out I was able to use the next size smaller Torx to get the bolt loose and retightened, but not without fixing the other problem. I couldn't understand why the bolts were so hard to turn so I pulled up the panel to see the backside and found that Blue Loctite had been applied. After some research I learned that you need to heat it to ~ 450f to get it to release. The loctite you-tube suggests a torch for about 10 minutes! They clearly weren't working in the backseat of their own ZL1! Ultimately, my Weller 75W soldering gun was able to get it hot enough - barely. It did go alot easier for the side I didn't strip out though. Anyway, after that it was a snap. Wiring was easy and the Ghost + feature rocks! Wish I had better pics because it looks alot better than this all lit up. By the way, I didn't need to worry about the nuts falling off the backside. They are tack welded iin place! AS for the effectiveness, I was really surprised. It really cut the turbulence and noise. I can actually hear my stereo or passenger now and I'm not getting slapped around the head. For comparison I'd say it is a bit better than having the windows rolled up - and that's way better than I expected.

[Whos_Drivin]

Wow, that's awesome!

[chewy8]

looks great!!!!

[jbotta]

wow nice

[Asanti]

Whoa, pretty darn cool. What happens when you put the top up? Is this panel inside the car at that point?

[tmandoug1]

Gotta say that is very well done.

[G-Oil Guy]

That is freaking wicked.

[Chevrolade]

Nice !!!

[Ricardo@Phastek]

[joes407]

that is awesome even though ive got the hardtop. i think i wouldve done the 1 in red like the factory logos but still looks awesome. what is the red creeping out of the pic by your cupholders?

[cvp33]

Awesome.......next mod........maybe.

[niterat]

Originally Posted by Asanti

Whoa, pretty darn cool. What happens when you put the top up? Is this panel inside the car at that point?

Yes it fits inside the top. Top goes up and down right over it with no problem.

[niterat]

Originally Posted by joes407

that is awesome even though ive got the hardtop. i think i wouldve done the 1 in red like the factory logos but still looks awesome. what is the red creeping out of the pic by your cupholders?

I went with orange to match the IOM paint. You can get any color you want. Not sure why they don't have RGB. Probably the next step for them, maybe for me too. It doesn't look that hard to modify. Either way it would be all one color when lit up. Edge lit art is just directing LED light up the side of a clear plexiglass panel. When looking at it head on you won't see any of the light except what gets reflected by any etching on the surface. So it is all white in the daytime and the color of the LED when lit at night.

The cup holder has an IOM cover.

[charlietuna]

Love it!!