04 - Front Lip

I was looking for a way to add a front lip to my car. At the time of this writing, only a few body kits have been created for the 2011 Scion xB, and buying a front piece by itself is somewhat pricey. The other options are to (1) bolt on a garage door weather seal (also known as the Lowe's Lip or Home Depot Lip) or to (2) adapt a lip made for a different car to your xB.

There is a thread on Scionlife on the latter approach. This person used a front lip originally designed for a SVT Ford Focus. He had to make a number of cuts in the lip to adapt it to the xB's different nose profile but he made it work. In his post, he also considered using a Ford Mustang Mach 1 front lip.

The following mod took place in early August 2011.

The challenge with the front fascia is that there is a void in the center that is higher from the ground than the ends. Also, the profile formed by this void is thin in the middle and gets thicker towards the ends.

On my first attempt, I tried to add a Lowe's lip to my xB using double-sided adhesive tape, but the drastic change in profile made for iffy attachment and also distorted the weather seal.

(The profile of the center void, exaggerated, in red)

I decided to try again, using a Ford lip, but this time I would smooth things out...

To handle this change in profile, I fabricated this spacer out of plywood. I got some thin plywood, clamped the ends, and raised up the middle by using a spacer block. Then I glued other layers of plywood onto the first. When dry, I used my table saw to cut to match the front nose profile, and I also cut my spacer such that the resultant bottom suface would be flat and match the sides of the nose. I shaped the ends of the spacer to match, and notched it to clear the existing mounting bolts. I filled imperfections on the front face with epoxy, then sanded it smooth. Finally I painted the spacer with numerous coats of flat black paint.

(Months later, the black paint began to flake off, so I covered the front face with two layers of adhesive vinyl.)

Notice the spacer is gently curved on top, and flat on the bottom. As a result it is thin in the middle and thicker at the ends.

I found the Ford Focus front lip (2M5Z-17626-AAA) online, but the cheapest I could find was $105 plus $30 for shipping. Then I found a 1999-2004 Mustang Mach 1 front lip (3R3Z-17626-AAA) for $75 from American Muscle, shipping included. The Mustang Mach 1 lip is shaped slightly different than the Focus lip and is a little deeper. It arrived "folded" in a box and needed to "relax" in the sun for a few days (up side down) to "remember" it's shape. Here it is right side up and ready to install.

I backed my car onto blocks in order to raise the front. This made the eventual reattachment of the front fascia easier, and also ensured I would clear the blocks after the lip installation was complete. I then removed the front fascia, and also removed the lower grill from the front fascia.

I first attached the spacer to the front fascia using small #6 sheet metal screws (not visible in this photo).

Notice how the spacer fills the void and provides a much more uniform and (nearly) flat mounting surface for the lip.

I used jumbo paper clamps to temporarily hold the lip in place. The clamps allow easy repositioning. Starting in the middle, I made relief cuts as needed to allow the lip to match the xB's nose profile. Once a section was matched to my satisfaction, I drilled a thru hole, then used a screw, 2 washers, and a nylon lock nut (all included with the lip kit) to secure it. Then I moved onto the next section. In some places the screws were not long enough and so I used my own longer screws. Near the ends of the fascia, I had to make triangular relief cuts to allow sharper bends.

(The countersunk hole shown above between the clamps is for the stock nose mounting screw)

Here is the lip completely bolted to the fascia. The ends of the lip were too long and have already been trimmed off.

(At the bottom of the picture are my right and left hand airplane shears, normally used to cut thin sheet metal, but very useful to cut other materials as well.)

I then reattached my front fascia, then moved my car off the ramps.

Here is the final result.

Next: Windshield Sunstrip

You can send your questions or comments to BrickPig2011xb@gmail.com

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