here is my technique for removing the rear bumper and installing the evo9 rear bumper.

do this at your own risk. of course, a body shop would be a better alternative.

1)open trunk and remove the rear trunk plastic fascia.

you have to remove the plastic fasteners by pulling outward.

then pull up on each side of the the trunk latch to remove the plastic fascia.




2) remove screws from inside the trunk to rear bumper (should be 4)



3)remove the rear taillights

remove the 2 screws on the inside side, then pull out and away, then disconnect harness

then remove the screw and plastic rivet screw from the bottom of where the rear taillights were that connect to the rear bumper.




4) remove the side covers inside the trunk and remove the 1 screw on each side that connect the bumper


5)remove side markers and detach from harness


6)remove the 2 screws from the rear wheel well


7)underneath the rear bumper, remove the 3 plastic clips that secure the bumper to the rear crash beam


here is pic of 2 of them removed


8)remove the bumper (first pull the sides off, then pull from the rear) don;t forget to disconnect the harness for the license plate lights and rear side lights.


9)we can not use the foam padding anymore, but we need to use the stock bumper retainer.

it is held in place by rivets. you will need to drill them out (18 rivets in all)



here is a pic with mike from gruppe-s holding the bumper retainer


10)well here is where i forgot to take pix. you need to put the bumper retainer on the new bumper. the new bumper comes with supplied rivets, but you need to use a riveter. you can get a nice craftsmen professional one for $30 from SEARS, a pretty good one from OSH/TRUE VALUE for $20, or a cheap one from HARBOR FREIGHT for $7-$15.

11)once the bumper retainer is installed, you now need to zip tie the rear side marker harness since our new bumper doesn't have them anymore.


12)the rear license plate holder does not fit right anymore, son you need to be creative with this. the license plate lights will not sit under the hole anymore without cutting and welding, so all i did was bend the license frame holder a little and had the lights come out. you will have to drill your rear license plate 2" down from the top hole so that you can screw in your license plate. also, i will be spray painting my rear license plate lights except for a rectangle in the bottom so that it will not be too bright.



13) remove the rear crash beam (2 bolts on each side)


14)now reverse the steps and throw on that new EVO IX rear bumper



NOTE:
since our car is USDM, cal and i are trying to see if the tow hook cover fits for our cars since we have a big rear tow hook

 

Sweet. Thanks man. Can't wait to get mine.

 

Jeez. Seems like a lot more work than anticipated. No good! I don't believe I have the tools or the skills to do this, so I'll probably have to take it to a body shop.

I totally didn't notice that the tow hook popped out that much... bummer. Guess we'll just have to spray paint it black so it's more stealthy!

 

it's easy man.

just borrow a drill or ask someone you know who has a drill to drill the rivets.

a riveter is easy man, just put in the rivets in the hole with the riveter and squeeze like a garlic press 2 times and it is in.

-john

 

should we order the Jdm bumper retainer too?

 

Nice write up with pics, will have to bookmark these directions!

 

When you drill the rivets they can no longer be used correct, thats the only way to get them out?

 

no, the usdm retainer fits for the jdm one. the new rear evo IX bumper comes with supplied rivets.

 

yup, but just like post above, the new bumper comes with supplied rivets

 

nice, can the difference between our Weightless white and their Wicked White been clearly seen? Thanks

 

I think the reason it looks a bit off is due to the fact that its brand new compared to the rest of the car color which has been in rain, sun and many washes. Ever notice when you get a new bumper sprayed to match the color of the car it still looks a bit off even if the paint is OEM from just my opinion

 

If we had the stock bumper support shaved/reduced, would it fit? By how much would we need to reduce the bumper by?

 

pimp !

 

I second that question.

 

a lot, more than half.