4.6is Front Bumper on a standard X5

[Sanj]

So some of you already knew what I was up to (and tbh an anticlimax, I'm sure)!!!!

But I managed to get this off eBay and thought I'd sell it on but then the modding side in me said put it on your car Sanj...  >:D

It's an OEM 4.6is lower valance.





I heard these go straight on any X5 bumper (unlike the 4.8is ones) as long as it's not the 'is' range or you don't have anything under their to obstruct it! 

So I embarked on the project to dry-fit this while in situ on the car. Lots of Dremelling later (not showing those scarey pictures of the bumper all cut up), I managed to get a good dry-fit, this is not an exact fit - it has 19 tabs that go through the bumper and then get fastened from behind. My aim was to retain as many clips as I could and then use bonding agent to hold it in place with added strength of the tabs.



So the dry-fit looked OK and I got the bumper off and sent to a body-shop. The idea was that if I wanted to get the lower valance to really hold well, it would need a strong weight over the valance to hold it in place for the 24 hours it takes the bonding agent to go off. Plus I had some laquer peel around the headlight washers and wanted the top-half of the bumper blown in. No better time than when the bumpers off!

Reverse the process and here's the results.





Next the rear valance (in another thread, soon).

And yes - I see SpongeBob too, he looks scary! Why do kids love him???

Rear bumper mod thread here. 

[kkodal78]

i had that feeling when i saw your skid plate for sale. looks great.did you already get the rear valance as well or still looking for it.

[Cannondale]

Looks great

I think the 4.6 or 4.8 bumpers make a huge diffrance


Rich...

[shadrack]

looks great mate, actually quite suits the facelift car i always thaught they might look abit strange on a facelift but looks good

[dirtymonkey29]

In the best colour too

[Sanj]

[quote="kkodal78"]
i had that feeling when i saw your skid plate for sale. looks great.did you already get the rear valance as well or still looking for it.
[/quote]

You had it straight away buddy - valance is already on it's way (quite hard to find though)! Should have another thread in a month or so, got a lot on (and yes, mostly work)!


[quote="Cannondale"]
Looks great

I think the 4.6 or 4.8 bumpers make a huge difference

Rich...
[/quote]

Only reason I did it Rich, just help add a little more to the car and if nothing else, very unique (which I like).


[quote="shadrack"]
looks great mate, actually quite suits the facelift car i always thaught they might look abit strange on a facelift but looks good
[/quote]

You were first mate - all credit to you! (Not forgetting our American counterparts across the pond who seem to always get there first!


[quote="dirtymonkey29"]
In the best colour too
[/quote]

Damn right, my man!

[Raj]

Spot on. Really makes the front end compared to the skid pan. 

[AW8]

Looks superb............I would have probably only considered 4.8is parts for a facelift car 

[Sanj]

[quote="AW8"]
Looks superb............I would have probably only considered 4.8is parts for a facelift car 
[/quote]

My thoughts too - but better to have than not (I think). As the 4.8 one apparently won't fit.

[Rusty]

That looks the dogs mate. It has that little bit more than the skid.
Was fixing easy enough after cutting the fixing holes?

So why won't the 4.8 fit? Would you need the whole bumper?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

[Sanj]

[quote="Rusty Nail"]
That looks the dogs mate. It has that little bit more than the skid.
Was fixing easy enough after cutting the fixing holes?

So why won't the 4.8 fit? Would you need the whole bumper? [/quote]

Not easy at all mate - sh!t myself all the way through! Trying to align 19 slots and keep everything level when the valance is only plastic (so not rigid enough to hold its shape)!

The 4.8 is not the right shape behind the valance to fit, apparently (xoutpost members say a new bumper is required complete with new lower valance).

I'm not sure, but didn't want to take the chance or for that matter never seen one on it's own second-hand. New these are over £450 +VAT and that's just primered!

This was a rare find - purely by chance too!

[X5Sport]

Looks very nice......pukka job you've done there..

Richard

[jaynana]

very nice  :thumbup:!

[Black X5]

Well done looks like a factory job! Cant wait for pics of the rear. I think the black bumper breaks the grey up nicely.

Oh and Spongebob is king in our house too- but I do have a distinct liking for Squidward!

[kkodal78]

Sanj
If i recall correctly you said that my X5 is looking like yours with the same type of mods we were doing but now i think yours look kind a like mine.