[Jmechler192]

I am replacing my SS 1LE spoiler with the ZL1 1LE spoiler, and have a few questions. I know that the ZL1 1LE spoiler mounts to the factory ZL1 and factory SS (Non-1LE) mounting holes, however, I am wondering how the holes for the SS 1LE spoiler will line up with the ZL1 1LE spoiler. I know at a minimum I am going to have to drill three new holes, but are there going to be any unused holes left over from the SS 1LE spoiler that I am going to have to get patched? Has anyone on here gone from the SS 1LE spoiler to the ZL1 1LE spoiler? If so, please help me out here. Thank y'all for the help!

[Boost Creep]

Don't forget the ZL1 1LE trunk lid is reinforced to support the spoiler and downforce.

[sdmcss]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

Don't forget the ZL1 1LE trunk lid is reinforced to support the spoiler and downforce.

If I am not mistaken all 2018MY Camaros have the reinforced trunk lid. I am not sure if this is proven but there are threads on this specific matter.

[FNxR3DNECK]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

Don't forget the ZL1 1LE trunk lid is reinforced to support the spoiler and downforce.

I still think the whole "reinforced trunk lid" is smoke and mirrors by GM so I wouldn't be too worried about that.

But to answer OP's question YES there will be other unused holes left over since the blade spoiler uses like 7 holes across the trunk lid. Your best bet would be to find someone with an SS to trade trunk lids with you, or maybe even pick up a CF trunk to go along with your new spoiler.

[Alpha1BC]

Yeah, any 2018 decklid should have the reinforcements for the ZL1 1LE spoiler. 2017 SS 1LE does not.

To answer OP's original question, there are 9 holes in the SS 1LE decklid for the OE spoiler: 3 for threaded studs on the LH side, 3 slots for clips in the middle, and 3 more threaded stud holes on the RH side. Only 2 of the existing 9 holes will line up (the middle threaded stud hole on each side). The others would need to be sealed somehow and then you'd have 4 more holes to drill. Here's a crappy drawing that gives a rough representation of how it's laid out. Black are existing holes in the SS 1LE decklid and green are the ZL1 1LE mounting locations.

Originally Posted by FNxR3DNECK

I still think the whole "reinforced trunk lid" is smoke and mirrors by GM so I wouldn't be too worried about that.

Not smoke and mirrors. Someone on here already has measured deflection from doing this swap on a non-reinforced decklid. Going near street legal speeds I'd guess you'd be OK because you're not going fast enough to generate the downforce needed to damage anything, but if you're on a track or hitting higher speeds it can definitely happen. I'm not saying you can't put this wing on a non-reinforced decklid, but IMO if I were doing this on my own car, I'd definitely try to get one of the reinforced decklids.

[FNxR3DNECK]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

Not smoke and mirrors. Someone on here already has measured deflection from doing this swap on a non-reinforced decklid. Going near street legal speeds I'd guess you'd be OK because you're not going fast enough to generate the downforce needed to damage anything, but if you're on a track or hitting higher speeds it can definitely happen. I'm not saying you can't put this wing on a non-reinforced decklid, but IMO if I were doing this on my own car, I'd definitely try to get one of the reinforced decklids.

Not saying I don't believe you but could you link that thread? I have been following all the talk about it as I've been considering doing the swap on my car, since there has been so much confusion about it I had decided I would probably just go the CF trunk route if I did get the wing just to avoid the possibility of messing up my trunk if the whole "reinforced trunk" talk was in fact true.

[Boost Creep]

Grab a 2018 SS trunk lid from a wrecked Camaro, and then you have both the mythical reinforcement and the correct hole pattern. And if you are lucky it will be painted in your color.

[TheRealJA105]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

Not smoke and mirrors. Someone on here already has measured deflection from doing this swap on a non-reinforced decklid. Going near street legal speeds I'd guess you'd be OK because you're not going fast enough to generate the downforce needed to damage anything, but if you're on a track or hitting higher speeds it can definitely happen. I'm not saying you can't put this wing on a non-reinforced decklid, but IMO if I were doing this on my own car, I'd definitely try to get one of the reinforced decklids.

I believe someone stated that they buckled it and when asked to provide pictures for proof, they never did and vanished. Sounds like smoke and mirrors.

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

Grab a 2018 SS trunk lid from a wrecked Camaro, and then you have both the mythical reinforcement and the correct hole pattern. And if you are lucky it will be painted in your color.

+1. Seems like that's the best bet. If I recall correctly, I think even an LT or RS gets the new decklid as well? Either that or try it on your current decklid and keep an eye on it and give us some definite proof either way

Originally Posted by FNxR3DNECK

Not saying I don't believe you but could you link that thread? I have been following all the talk about it as I've been considering doing the swap on my car, since there has been so much confusion about it I had decided I would probably just go the CF trunk route if I did get the wing just to avoid the possibility of messing up my trunk if the whole "reinforced trunk" talk was in fact true.

Originally Posted by TheRealJA105

I believe someone stated that they buckled it and when asked to provide pictures for proof, they never did and vanished. Sounds like smoke and mirrors.

That's as far as I remember seeing as well. Somewhere in the general Camaro or ZL1 threads I believe? Sorry, too lazy to dig and try and find the specific post lol. But, a few things that make me want to get a different decklid if I were doing the swap are:

1) I have it on good authority that it's actually happened on a vehicle from a source that I'd trust to know. Unfortunately, I have no proof that I can share so everyone would have to take my word for it and hope I'm not part of the 'big decklid' industry conspiracy. I also understand that since this is the internet and my word means practically nothing, there's additionally

2) It's feasible that it could happen. Body panels are made thinner and thinner for weight savings. Couple that with a wing that can create a lot of downforce towards the middle of a thin membrane, maybe even more than initially expected by the people designing the parts, and it's definitely possible to eventually see permanent damage. Maybe it takes excessively high speeds only seen on the track, maybe it takes many loading cycles to cause a failure, but to me it at least seems feasible from an engineering/materials standpoint that it's possible. Even if it's only a little permanent deformation at first, it'll continually grow worse until the wing is at an angle where it doesn't produce as much force as it originally did, or there's fatigue failure of the metal. And finally,

3) why would GM pay to fix something that's not broken? Making a change such as adding reinforcement isn't free, so why throw money into engineering and manufacturing processes to make a separate decklid part number for the ZL1 1LE that has extra reinforcement if it wasn't needed? Id be very surprised if GM made a blind design change like that when it's a very easy and cheap test to bolt one onto a decklid of an existing production model and drive fast. Decklid part numbers also changed from 2016/2017 vs 2018 for the SS, so I'd assume that's the reinforcement change Al O. mentioned.

Now, this is all my own opinion and I don't expect anyone to just agree with me, but I've at least seen and heard enough evidence to the point where I'd seriously consider getting one of the reinforced decklids if I were doing this swap myself, or at the very least keep a very close eye on the condition of the non-reinforced decklid. Sorry for the long post and thread-jacking, rant over

[ninetres]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

+1. Seems like that's the best bet. If I recall correctly, I think even an LT or RS gets the new decklid as well? Either that or try it on your current decklid and keep an eye on it and give us some definite proof either way





That's as far as I remember seeing as well. Somewhere in the general Camaro or ZL1 threads I believe? Sorry, too lazy to dig and try and find the specific post lol. But, a few things that make me want to get a different decklid if I were doing the swap are:

1) I have it on good authority that it's actually happened on a vehicle from a source that I'd trust to know. Unfortunately, I have no proof that I can share so everyone would have to take my word for it and hope I'm not part of the 'big decklid' industry conspiracy. I also understand that since this is the internet and my word means practically nothing, there's additionally

2) It's feasible that it could happen. Body panels are made thinner and thinner for weight savings. Couple that with a wing that can create a lot of downforce towards the middle of a thin membrane, maybe even more than initially expected by the people designing the parts, and it's definitely possible to eventually see permanent damage. Maybe it takes excessively high speeds only seen on the track, maybe it takes many loading cycles to cause a failure, but to me it at least seems feasible from an engineering/materials standpoint that it's possible. Even if it's only a little permanent deformation at first, it'll continually grow worse until the wing is at an angle where it doesn't produce as much force as it originally did, or there's fatigue failure of the metal. And finally,

3) why would GM pay to fix something that's not broken? Making a change such as adding reinforcement isn't free, so why throw money into engineering and manufacturing processes to make a separate decklid part number for the ZL1 1LE that has extra reinforcement if it wasn't needed? Id be very surprised if GM made a blind design change like that when it's a very easy and cheap test to bolt one onto a decklid of an existing production model and drive fast. Decklid part numbers also changed from 2016/2017 vs 2018 for the SS, so I'd assume that's the reinforcement change Al O. mentioned.

Now, this is all my own opinion and I don't expect anyone to just agree with me, but I've at least seen and heard enough evidence to the point where I'd seriously consider getting one of the reinforced decklids if I were doing this swap myself, or at the very least keep a very close eye on the condition of the non-reinforced decklid. Sorry for the long post and thread-jacking, rant over

The 17 and 18 decklid parts are the same number, verified by one of the largest sponsors on this site. They also thoroughly inspected the 2 deck lids, including underneath all the paneling and confirmed they are identical. This is on two separate vehicles....not two random ordered parts BTW.

GM also said the ZLE rear seats don’t fold down to save weight. That was recently proven untrue.

I don’t buy there is some magical hidden reinforcement on one trunk, that’s identical to a previous years trunk that’s wearing the same part number. Zero evidence of an issue has even been shown on this site to prove otherwise.......other than unsubstantiated marketing hype from GM.

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by ninetres

The 17 and 18 decklid parts are the same number, verified by one of the largest sponsors on this site. They also thoroughly inspected the 2 deck lids, including underneath all the paneling and confirmed they are identical. This is on two separate vehicles....not two random ordered parts BTW.

GM also said the ZLE rear seats don’t fold down to save weight. That was recently proven untrue.

I don’t buy there is some magical hidden reinforcement on one trunk, that’s identical to a previous years trunk that’s wearing the same part number. Zero evidence of an issue has even been shown on this site to prove otherwise.......other than unsubstantiated marketing hype from GM.

Looks like I should have done my initial research a little better. I double checked in GMs part systems today and did confirm that the part number is the same for ALL of the decklids that have a wing spoiler for 2016-2018, i.e. the regular SS, ZL1, and ZL1 1LE. The part number for this decklid is 84282675. The ZL1 1LE spoiler should then also be a direct bolt-in solution for these decklids.

To answer OP's question about putting one of these on an SS 1LE, I'd suggest either trying to find a crashed car part out or someone who would swap decklids with you. Would think that would be cheaper/easier than trying to drill new holes and fill the existing holes on the SS 1LE.

As for the reinforcement, I'd still not discredit it as only "smoke and mirrors" or marketing hype that was untrue the entire time just yet. I can only speculate at this point, but my guess is that some form of initial testing (like CFD and/or CAE) showed that there could have been a need for reinforcements so was the plan originally, but then once it was tested on an actual vehicle GM found out they didn't actually need it so they scrapped it to save costs and never directly came back out to correct the previous statements. It also doesn't make sense to me why GM would flat-out lie about something that could easily be disproven once people got the cars in their hands (like the seats) if there wasn't at least some sort of plan to do it initially. Seems like they'd just be setting themselves up to disappoint people if that was the case.

For anyone who has this wing on their car, ZLE or otherwise, especially if you go to the track, I'd still be curious to see how much (if any) deflection there actually is at a few points between the outer and inner skins of the decklid. Could set something up on the inner and outer skins that would leave some sort of evidence if they moved relative to one another and could be checked after driving...

[Matos1LE]

Originally Posted by ninetres

The 17 and 18 decklid parts are the same number, verified by one of the largest sponsors on this site. They also thoroughly inspected the 2 deck lids, including underneath all the paneling and confirmed they are identical. This is on two separate vehicles....not two random ordered parts BTW.

GM also said the ZLE rear seats don’t fold down to save weight. That was recently proven untrue.

I don’t buy there is some magical hidden reinforcement on one trunk, that’s identical to a previous years trunk that’s wearing the same part number. Zero evidence of an issue has even been shown on this site to prove otherwise.......other than unsubstantiated marketing hype from GM.

Having the same part numbers literally means nothing. As an engineer, I can tell you we produce many parts with the same number for years on end but their construction and materials, even the internal mechanisms, can be completely different. We just change the revision number of the part. For example, if the 2016-2017 trunks were 84282675 Rev 00, the 2018 ones might be 84282675 Rev 01. They wouldn't have to have any visible difference as I could spec a different material, a different grade of the same material, a different sheet metal thickness, extra welds, etc and all would alter how much the trunk deflects under a load. Unless these people you mention took both trunks apart, measured the thicknesses of the outer sheet and inner reinforcement, as well as subjected them to material and performance testing, their visual comparison isn't worth anything.

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by Matos1LE

Having the same part numbers literally means nothing. As an engineer, I can tell you we produce many parts with the same number for years on end but their construction and materials, even the internal mechanisms, can be completely different. We just change the revision number of the part. For example, if the 2016-2017 trunks were 84282675 Rev 00, the 2018 ones might be 84282675 Rev 01. They wouldn't have to have any visible difference as I could spec a different material, a different grade of the same material, a different sheet metal thickness, extra welds, etc and all would alter how much the trunk deflects under a load. Unless these people you mention took both trunks apart, measured the thicknesses of the outer sheet and inner reinforcement, as well as subjected them to material and performance testing, their visual comparison isn't worth anything.

Sometimes a widget will be improved and have the same part number.
Other times the widget gets improved and the part number will supersede four or five times to the latest and greatest widget.
Many things in the auto industry defy logic.

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by Matos1LE

Having the same part numbers literally means nothing. As an engineer, I can tell you we produce many parts with the same number for years on end but their construction and materials, even the internal mechanisms, can be completely different. We just change the revision number of the part. For example, if the 2016-2017 trunks were 84282675 Rev 00, the 2018 ones might be 84282675 Rev 01. They wouldn't have to have any visible difference as I could spec a different material, a different grade of the same material, a different sheet metal thickness, extra welds, etc and all would alter how much the trunk deflects under a load. Unless these people you mention took both trunks apart, measured the thicknesses of the outer sheet and inner reinforcement, as well as subjected them to material and performance testing, their visual comparison isn't worth anything.

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

Sometimes a widget will be improved and have the same part number.
Other times the widget gets improved and the part number will supersede four or five times to the latest and greatest widget.
Many things in the auto industry defy logic.

I'm also an engineer and work in the auto industry. I strongly disagree, same part number here does mean something. I can't speak for GM directly, but as a result of the Valukas report there's much more stringent following of the guidelines on when part numbers need to changed from what I've seen. Part numbers are supposed to change any time there's a part change that impacts "fit, form, or function," as stated in the report. Reinforcement would fall under that and require a different part number as would any change you could imagine to strengthen the decklid. Not a revision level change nor a change made under the same part number, but a new part number altogether. If it's the same part number on current vehicles that came out after that report, I'm confident that it's the same decklid and that there's no additional reinforcement for the ZL1 1LE wing.